FUTURE MODELS
Third generation BMW X3 to be proudly South African
BMW has revealed the third generation of the X3, which will be built in SA from 2018
The BMW X3 is one of the biggest-selling premium crossover SUVs in the world and it’s about to head into its third generation. Based on an all-new chassis architecture, it will deliver rear-and all-wheel drive versions with four and six-cylinder power in a package that’s up to 55kg lighter than the current car. It’s a bigger car than before — even though its overall footprint is 4,761mm long, 1,897mm wide and 1,676mm high — because its 2,864mm wheelbase is about 50mm longer than before. Eschewing an aluminium-rich architecture, it rides on a metal mix that’s just as stacked with high-strength and very-high-strength steels. The lightest of the diesel models weighs in at a claimed 1,750kg. It will launch towards the end of 2017 in SA with three all-wheel drive versions: the 20d diesel, the stronger 30d diesel and the M40i, but will soon follow that up with the all-wheel drive xDrive 30i. The overhaul has tackled some of the core issues with the outgoing X3, including the adoption of a...
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