BMW is about to pull off something rather unusual with its most important sedan. The new 3 Series and i3 look remarkably similar, but underneath, they are fundamentally different cars. That’s because Munich is taking a two-platform approach to its core sedan. Codenamed G50, the gas-fed model sticks to the tried-and-tested CLAR platform. Known internally as the NA0, the fully electric i3 rides on the EV-only Neue Klasse architecture.

But from a distance, telling them apart won’t be easy. BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk previously told us that customers would be “hard-pressed” to tell which one is electric and which one has a combustion engine. The prototypes we’ve seen so far certainly back that up. Underneath that nearly identical styling, however, there’s a world of difference. They aren’t even built at the same factory: the i3 is made in Munich, while the next 3er will be produced in Dingolfing.

Simply put, one has an engine up front while the other doesn’t. The biggest giveaway is the front section. The i3 was designed from the outset as an EV. It means that engineers didn’t have to worry about squeezing an internal-combustion engine into the nose. Instead, it has a front trunk that can hold 31 liters (1.1 cubic feet), where the G50 has an engine. The Neue Klasse architecture gives BMW much more freedom in packaging, allowing the wheels to be pushed farther toward the corners and the front overhang to be shortened.

2027 BMW M350 profile The New 3 Series Sticks To CLAR

The combustion-powered 3 Series doesn’t have that luxury. The G50 uses tried-and-tested bones engineered to accommodate combustion engines and plug-in hybrids. That means the front section has to be longer to make room for the hardware underneath. That’s particularly important because BMW isn’t giving up on six-cylinder engines just yet. Earlier this week, we got our first taste of the M350 xDrive with the most powerful B58 engine yet.

There’s simply no way to package those engines in the same nose as the electric i3. That’s why the G50 should have subtly different proportions, even though it shares most of its visual identity with the i3. Look closely at the prototypes, and you’ll notice that the i3 has a shorter nose, while the combustion-powered 3 Series has more sheet metal ahead of the front axle. It’s not a styling decision. It’s dictated by what’s underneath.

The differences will be even more obvious inside, specifically in the back. The Neue Klasse platform was created exclusively around electric propulsion, allowing for a completely flat floor. Additionally, the electric motors and associated hardware don’t require the transmission tunnel found in a BMW that runs on fossil fuels.

The 3 Series still has to work around the compromises inherent to CLAR. Even though BMW can modify the architecture and optimize packaging, it’s ultimately still a platform designed to accommodate combustion powertrains. There’s a mechanical connection between the engine and driven wheels, along with an exhaust system and other components that simply aren’t necessary in an EV.

2027 BMW M350 interior Looks Can Be Deceiving

But yes, BMW has deliberately made the two cars look alike. The i3 effectively previews the next-generation 3 Series design, right down to the minimalist surfacing, the new interpretation of the kidney grille, and the slim lighting elements. The cabin follows the same philosophy. The G50 is getting the Neue Klasse-style dashboard, including iDrive X and Panoramic Vision. Our recent look inside a 3 Series prototype confirmed just how closely the interior will follow the electric i3.

Instead of forcing the electric version to look dramatically different, as Mercedes did in the past, BMW has created a shared visual identity that can adapt to two fundamentally different architectures. The result is an i3 that looks like a 3 Series and a 3 Series that looks like an i3. Once the wagons come out, the combustion-engine and electric Touring models should also look like they’re cut from the same cloth, even though they really aren’t. So far, only the i3 Touring (NA1) has been confirmed. However, we’re holding out hope for a 3 Series Touring (G51) with four- and six-cylinder engines.

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BMW did things differently with the old i3 Sedan. Yes, the new one is technically a second-generation model if we’re strictly talking about the sedan body style. Its predecessor was a long-wheelbase 3 Series Sedan (G28) made and sold in China, with an electric conversion of the CLAR platform. It still looked very much like it had a combustion engine underneath the hood, even though it didn’t.

This unified design strategy continues with the already revealed new i3 Sedan and the next-gen 3 Series, which we should see without camouflage by the end of the month.

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com