The BMW 3 Series is the company's entry-level offering in India and is now being offered with attractive discounts for the festive season. The sporty sedan is available with a discount of Rs. 7.30 lakh on the base prestige variant and a whopping Rs. 8.30 lakh on the Luxury line variant. According to few dealers we spoke to, the Prestige variant which is priced at Rs. 39.80 lakh, is now available for Rs. 32 lakh and the Luxury Line which is priced at Rs. 45.30 Lakh is on sale at Rs. 37 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, India).
Also Read: 2019 BMW 3 Series Teaser Leaked Ahead Of Paris Motor Show Debut
BMW has offered the discounts on its entry level sedan just days before the debut of the next-generation 3 Series at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. This may also be the Bavarian carmaker's strategy to clear inventories before the next generation model arrives in our market which hints that the company may be planning an early launch of the car in the Indian market. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz recently launched the 2018 C-Class facelift in India last month which may also need BMW to consider bringing the seventh-generation 3 Series to India soon.
The next-generation BMW 3 Series has been developed on the automaker's new CLAR platform which has made for weight saving of 55 kg and has made the chassis 35 per cent more rigid. The M 340i which is the M-Sport variant of the 3-Series range is expected to be on the display at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Under the hood, this iteration is expected to get a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor that churns out 350 bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission which will send power to the rear-wheels, while the xDrive (four-wheel drive) will be made optional. In India however, the 3-Series is expected to come with a 2-litre engine. Although, an M-Sport variant using the same 2.0-litre motor with twin-turbochargers and a bump in power output is anticipated in order to battle the likes of the C-Class 330d AMG-Line.
The car currently on sale in India is available with a 2-litre, four-cylinder motor both in the petrol and diesel variants. In the petrol variant, this engine puts out 252 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque, while in the diesel variant it develops 190 bhp and 400 Nm of peak torque. Both the engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
