A New BMW 3 Series Wagon Is Happening, but No Word Yet for the U.S.
And if it does wind up coming here, we’d probably only get the M3 Touring version.
Kristen LeeWriterMar 20, 2026
Wagon lovers, rejoice: BMW has confirmed it will build a Touring wagon version of the upcoming 3 Series sedan. But will it come to the U.S. market? That’s still to be decided.\n\n\nAt the very end of the all-electric 2027 BMW i3’s world premiere event in Munich, Germany, last week, BMW Group chairman of the board of management and CEO Oliver Zipse dropped a final announcement before walking off the stage. “Here on stage today is just one variant of the BMW 3 Series,” he said. “The 3 Series has always been about much more than a sedan. I don’t want to reveal everything today, but there’s one model I’m happy to confirm: the BMW 3 Series Touring.”\n\nADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW\nNo clear images of the car were shown, but a digital outline appeared on the screen behind Zipse showing something with an unmistakably wagon-like silhouette (the present 3 Series Touring is pictured above, with the outlines of the new car pictured below).\n\n\nZipse didn’t elaborate further on what powertrain(s) will be found in the freshly announced 3 Series Touring—all-electric or otherwise—and neither would senior vice president of BMW brand and product management Bernd Koerber in a roundtable discussion following Zipse’s announcement. It sounds like wagon versions of all 3 Series powertrains could be possible, however.\n\nADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW\nSpeaking in generalities, Koerber said, “There’s hardly anything in [our] pipeline [that’s] one variant only. The more defining factor is where is that car relevant in terms of geography, and then what’s the right powertrain for that. Then we take out of the toolbox what we need.”\n\n\nWhen pressed about whether the U.S. market can expect to get a new 3 Series wagon, Koerber said the company is thinking about including the country in its sales.\n\nADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW\n“There is a chance. We had Touring discussions with our product council in the U.S. for a very long time, and we were very much positively surprised about the 5 Series Touring,” Koerber said, referencing the popularity of the BMW M5 Touring. “It looks like Touring is becoming a lifestyle thing and [we’re] happy to develop on that.”\n\nMotorTrend asked if there was anything the U.S. buying public can do to help further convince BMW to send 3 Series wagons our way. Petitions? Instagram direct messages? Letters?\n\nADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW\n“No, no more need,” Koerber said. “We get enough emails and letters on the topic. We know.”\n\nJoking aside, though, it seems the likeliest possibility of getting any sort of long-roofed 3 Series would come as the M3 Touring.\n\n020 2025 BMW M5 Touring\n“The reasons for buying a Touring in the U.S. is totally different. It’s purely the shape,” Koerber said. “Whereas in Europe, you have the combination of shape, long-distance traveling. That’s the typical Touring. It’s the functionality aspect of it, which you don’t have. For the U.S., I would always focus on high performance. I would always link the Touring with high performance. And this combination seems to work from a lifestyle perspective. Unique shape, high performance seems to be a good mix.”\n\nThis is ultimately unsurprising to hear for any wagon enthusiast. Mercedes and Audi remain the only automakers still selling non-performance wagons. Others, such as the Buick Regal TourX and Volvo V90 and V60, have been discontinued. The Subaru Outback is bigger and taller than ever, its current generation now closer to SUV than wagon.\n\nADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW\nThe remaining wagons are of the AMG, M, and RS performance flavors, because enthusiasts are a self-selecting group. Everyone else gets SUVs.\n\nThe last non-M 3 Series wagon BMW offered here was the F31-generation 330i xDrive Sport Wagon. And to be sure, the company has never exported an M3 wagon our way before, though there have been rumors in the past. So while it’s unlikely we’ll get any of the mainstream 3 Series models as wagons, BMW could certainly put that newly acquired M5 Touring market research toward sending us an M3 Touring. That’d still be pretty great.\n\nNew 2027 BMW i3 Marks Electric Turning Point for Compact Segment\nBMW’s first dedicated EV under the “i” subbrand in years is also the first 3 Series-sized model in a decade not to launch as a sedan, signaling a strategic shift for the Bavarian automaker. The i3, built on the company’s all-new Neue Klasse architecture, features a striking, minimalist design and advanced technology, including Level 3 autonomy hardware and a next-generation infotainment system that responds to natural language voice commands.\n\nUnderpinning the new electric 3 Series is a modular platform designed to accommodate multiple battery chemistries and body styles, including the highly anticipated Touring wagon variant. BMW’s product planning chief, Bernd Koerber, confirmed that the U.S. market is under serious consideration for the wagon, citing positive early reactions to the larger 5 Series Touring. “It looks like Touring is becoming a lifestyle thing,” Koerber noted, suggesting that the segment’s appeal is evolving beyond traditional European practicality into a broader statement of style and performance.\n\nWhile the i3’s powertrain options are expected to mirror the current BMW lineup—likely including rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations with battery capacities ranging from 75 to 100 kWh—the new platform enables significantly faster charging, with 800-volt architecture capable of replenishing the battery from 10 to 80 percent in under 20 minutes. This advancement addresses one of the primary pain points for EV adopters and positions the i3 as a direct competitor to Tesla’s Model 3 and the forthcoming Polestar 5. The interior, meanwhile, eschews the driver-focused cockpit of previous BMWs in favor of an open, lounge-like atmosphere that emphasizes connectivity and passenger comfort, further signaling the brand’s reevaluation of its core identity in the electric era.\n\nExploring the Potential for a BMW M3 Touring in the U.S. Market\nThe prospect of a BMW M3 Touring coming stateside has ignited passionate debate among enthusiasts and industry analysts, representing a significant departure from the brand’s historical product strategy for the American market. Historically, BMW has reserved its M wagons for Europe, where the practicality of a long-roof body style resonates more deeply with buyers. However, recent shifts in consumer preferences, particularly the unexpected success of the larger M5 Touring, suggest that the market may be ripe for a high-performance compact wagon.\n\nKoerber’s comments indicate that if a 3 Series wagon were to be greenlit for the U.S., it would likely be in the form of an M3 Touring. This strategy aligns with the observation that U.S. buyers interested in wagons are often drawn to the unique shape and high-performance credentials rather than the everyday utility that drives European sales. The M3 Touring would combine the iconic driving dynamics of the M3 with the added versatility of a wagon body, creating a vehicle that offers both thrilling performance and practical everyday usability. This combination could prove to be a winning formula for a market segment that has been largely underserved.\n\nThe decision to bring an M3 Touring to the U.S. would be a calculated risk for BMW, but one that could pay significant dividends. The enthusiast community has long clamored for such a model, and the positive reception to the M5 Touring demonstrates that there is a receptive audience for high-performance wagons. Furthermore, the move would further differentiate BMW from its German rivals, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, neither of which currently offers a compact performance wagon in the U.S. market. As BMW continues to navigate the transition to electrification, embracing niche segments like the M3 Touring could help the brand maintain its performance-oriented identity while appealing to a broader range of buyers.\n\nThe Evolution of the BMW 3 Series Touring: From Practicality to Lifestyle Statement\nThe BMW 3 Series Touring has long been a staple of the European automotive landscape, offering a blend of practicality and performance that has endeared it to generations of drivers. However, the latest iteration of the Touring appears poised to redefine the segment, transforming the wagon from a utilitarian workhorse into a desirable lifestyle statement. This evolution is driven by a confluence of factors, including changing consumer preferences, the rise of the “lifestyle vehicle,” and BMW’s strategic pivot toward electrification.\n\nThe success of the 5 Series Touring in the U.S. market has provided valuable insights into the potential appeal of wagon body styles in North America. Koerber’s observation that “Touring is becoming a lifestyle thing” suggests that buyers are increasingly drawn to the aesthetic appeal and cultural cachet of wagons, rather than simply their cargo-carrying capacity. This shift in perception is particularly relevant in the current automotive climate, where personalization and self-expression are highly valued by consumers.\n\
