Part of the 15-product launch strategy of 2015.
Speaking to IAB at BMW's Chennai plant today, Mr Philipp von Sahr, President of BMW Group India, has confirmed that the 3 Series facelift (or Life Cycle Impulse as BMW calls it) which was revealed globally today, will launch in India later this year. The facelifted mid-size sedan is one of fifteen new product launches that BMW has in store for 2015.
The BMW 3 Series LCI will be coming this year. It is one of our 15 product launches for this year, which started with the iconic BMW i8 in February.
The most significant change in the 3 Series LCI are the LED headlamps, which is a first for the model. Otherwise it comes with minor cosmetic changes such as an updated front and rear bumpers, and a new LED taillight cluster design.
In the features front, the new 3er internationally will receive a full-colour Head-Up Display, a navigation system that boots quicker, infotainment that supports 4G mobile communication, and the Parking Assistant can now auto parallel park. It remains to be seen which of these features make it to the Indian specification.
While other markets will get a new 340i variant featuring an inline-six cylinder engine and a base 318i with a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, the Indian-spec model will most likely stick to the current engine lineup, which (according to the BMW India website) comprises a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel motor producing 184 bhp at 4,000 rpm and max torque of 380 Nm at 1,750 rpm, and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine producing 245 hp at 5,000-6,000 rpm and 350 Nm at 1,250-4,800 rpm.
The prices for the 2016 BMW 3 Series will be announced at its launch later this year. Similar to the current model, it will follow the CKD route and feature components localized from various Indian manufacturers, as part of BMW's commitment to the "Make in India" initiative.
