The wait for the highly anticipated 2012 BMW 3-series F30 is about to get over. According to the reports, the new launch is expected in the last week of July this year. Previously, it was rumoured that the car will be launched on July 19, 2012. In order to cater to a large number of buyers, the 2012 3-series will be offered in both petrol and diesel options.
Petrol engine will be incorporated in 320i and 328i models, whereas the 320d and 330d models will feature diesel powertrains. BMW 320i will churn out a maximum power of 181.48 hp and 270 Nm of torque, while the 328i will produce 241.64 hp of power with 350 Nm of torque. Besides petrol models, BMW 320d is configured to produce highest power of 181.48 hp and peak torque of 380 Nm. The most powerful model, BMW 330d delivers 258.41 hp of maximum power with 560 Nm of peak torque. All the four powertrains will come mated with the new 8 speed transmission unit, which is currently used in the 5-series.
BMW will offer the new 3-series across three trims viz. Sports, Modern and Luxury. The Sports line will be characterised by dominant gloss-black paint on its exteriors and interiors, rendering a dynamic look to the car. On the other hand, the Luxury line will be mirroring elegance with maximum use of chrome. The Modern line would be more a cross between the Sports and Luxury lines with elements borrowed from both.
The German car maker will manufacture the F30 locally at its Chennai plant, which also rolls out the existing E90 3-series. This new launch from BMW will be available for sale as soon as it makes it debut towards the end of this month with a price tag for base model of Rs. 22 lacs. With the launch of a new model, the company is aiming to compete with the Mercedes-Benz C-class, Audi A4, Nissan Teana and Volvo S60. However, most of these competitors seem to be prepared to hedge the competition posed by BMW. Volvo S60 has already introduced its affordable range of D3; whereas, Mercedes-Benz has launched limited edition AMG performance variant of its C-class. Audi too rushed the launch of its re-worked version of A4 sedan and presented it as S4 in the Indian auto market.
The Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 30 lakhs bracket in this segment has witnessed quite a few launches in the recent past and this has confused the buyers a lot. Now, with the launch of the 2012 BMW 3-series F30, it needs to be seen how warmly the buyers welcome this new model.
