The BMW 3 Series is celebrating its 50th birthday; more than 18 million vehicles rolled off the assembly line during this time.
BMW launched in Munich in 1975 as a two-door coupe and expanded production of the 3 Series to 18 plants in 13 countries in the following years. The popular model was eventually available as a convertible, sedan, hatchback and station wagon.
Known as the E21, the first 3 Series was launched in 1975, with nearly 1.37 million cars produced by the end of 1983.
But it was arguably the E30 that really established the 3 Series in the automotive zeitgeist. Between 1982 and 1994, almost 2.4 million vehicles were manufactured not only in Germany, but also in South Africa – and production continued for many years after the global market launch of its successor.
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With the E30, the M3 also came onto the market, which became one of the most legendary performance cars of all time thanks to its razor-sharp handling – thanks, among other things, to its extremely successful campaign in the touring car and asphalt rally categories.
The E36 represented a major change for the 3 Series, as the model became larger while becoming more luxurious and featuring the technology normally found in much larger sedans – and production increased to 2.7 million. Aside from Germany and South Africa, it is the only 3 Series to have been produced in the USA.
This new generation brought the E36 M3 onto the market, introducing an inline-six engine for the first time in the high-performance model that offered similar performance to some Porsche 911s of the same era – but cost around 30 percent less.
The 3 Series’ success continued to grow in the late 1990s, with the E46 – and the M3 in particular – receiving critical acclaim for its ride, handling, build quality and powertrains, resulting in more than 3.2 million vehicles being produced in Germany and South Africa in nine years.
The 3 Series continued to evolve, with the E9X becoming the first generation to bring a turbo petrol engine to market with the 225kW/400Nm 335i, and the first to be produced in China alongside existing German and South African production.
Meanwhile, the E9X was the first and only M3 to feature a naturally aspirated V8 engine, producing more than 309kW and 400Nm at launch.
The sixth generation brought with it many innovations: It was the first 3 Series to deviate from the “E” designation – including in the F30 sedan and the F31 station wagon – and the first with an available plug-in hybrid drive.
It was also the first non-coupe model to be spun off along with the Cabriolet under the 4 Series name. Production continued in Germany, South Africa and China.
The G2X, introduced in 2018, is the latest 3 Series generation on sale and is produced in Germany, China and Mexico.
BMW plans to introduce a new i3 electric vehicle (EV) in the 3 Series format in the second half of 2026 based on its “Neue Klasse” architecture – marking a shift in design, technology and platforms for the German automaker – although it will be sold alongside a revised combustion engine model with a similar design.
MORE: Explore the BMW 3 Series showroom
