BMW's hottest selling SUV, the X3, is wearing a spy-camo uniform in photos shared with us by our sister company topspeed.com. The X3's facelift is only a year-old, reports Amreetam Basu, but there are reports that a new generation will come as soon as 2024 or 2025. The pictures come to us from the BMW headquarters as the X3 prototype is seemingly driving up a ramp into a covered semi-truck trailer.
Buck Tooth Grille
Amreetam writes that the curiosity around the new spy shots, as with any spy shot from BMW these days, is the grille. BMW's evolving design with larger grilles means some of their cars look like they have buck teeth or “infamously big kidney grilles” as our reporter calls them. Although it is very difficult to tell with the camouflage, we can see that the holes underneath the grille are for air intake, so this will most likely have the larger grilles.
Amreetam also reports the LED headlight graphics seem to point to a newly updated X1 style headlight, but again, it's too early to tell from the photos. They could simply be dummy units.
The Shape Belongs To The M
The side profile seems to remain untouched, with very similar window housing and roof designs. The overall dimensions, seem to be a tad larger. This could be because it may be an M series X3, or due to the demand for larger SUVs.
Our reporter also tells us that the wheel designs are the same as the current generation X3 M40i and sport some Pirelli P-Zero's which furthers the assumption that this is an M model. The quad exhaust setup also suggests that the prototype is most likely of the M family.
Assumptions, Assumptions, Assumptions…
As with any prototype, much of the car is a mystery, as is the manufacturer's wish. Many of the assumptions are nothing more than educated guesses. However, the most educated guesses come from none other than our sister company.
Getting to the interior cabin proves almost impossible but according to Amreetam, the cabin should follow the designs of the latest 2023 X1, M3 touring, and the new 7-series. There will be a single curved-glass unit with a 10.25-inch MID and a 10.7-inch infotainment system with the latest iDrive system.
The powertrain is still unknown at this point. Perhaps a mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid is a possible variant, as it appears that BMW is heading this way. Whatever the engine configuration, we can't wait to see the real truck. It looks to be very promising as the new generation of BMW's best-selling SUV.