It’s been an excellent 2024 for BMW in Britain. Almost unnoticed, it has become the number three brand, even outselling second placed Audi in October. Might that position be snatched from its rival by year-end?
Totals for the first ten months are 107,284 versus 106,223, with BMW beating Audi by 398 cars and SUVs in October. So second place is certainly possible and it’s likely to be a close-run thing. There is no threat to the market leader from either though, VW's registrations being 141,835 for the ten-month period. And fourth placed Kia lags BMW by more than 6,000 vehicles.
Proving that statistics can be sometimes misleading, the full picture of the British new vehicle market needs to be examined. Both BMW and Audi were down compared to October 2023 but the four-rings logo marque has also fallen a fair bit year-to-date. By contrast, BMW is up by 19 per cent. A new X3 is certainly going to greatly help with the brand’s performance in November and December.
G45/G48 replace the global best seller of 2023
This SUV has always been an impressive performer for BMW, second only to the X1 in Germany, Europe-wide and in China. This is also the number one BMW in the USA, the main country of manufacture, though the Mercedes GLC and Lexus NX/RX each outperform it there. Let’s see how the new model does in 2025, while G48, a fresh generation of the special long-wheelbase X3 L, is now available for the Chinese market.
We first saw G45 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, G48 then premiering a few weeks later. Some consider each of the two a mere rebodying of the old-shape models but that undersells the work which has gone into its creation. Yes, the FAAR platform and 2,865 mm wheelbase dimension are shared but engines have been updated and the whole vehicle looks fresh outside and in.
The L is now 4,865 mm from end to end and its wheelbase is 110 mm lengthier than the standard X3, which is 4,755 mm (+34 compared to the old shape) long and 29 mm wider at 1,920 mm.
When do we see the next iX3?
For now, there is no new X3 M or iX3 but each will inevitably appear in 2025. Generation four is also likely to have an unusually long production cycle, potentially as many as nine years due to the regular seven-year convention ending in 2031.
As not all main markets will be defaulting to EVs by the early 2030s, G45/G48 should probably remain being manufactured in South Carolina, Rosslyn (South Africa) and Shenyang until perhaps 2033. So we may not see a facelift until 2029.
Diesel remains available
The line-up revealed by BMW AG is as follows, with some deviations for relevant countries and regions:
25L xDrive, 140 kW & 310 Nm 2.0-litre mild hybrid built in and for China
30L xDrive, 190 kW & 400 Nm 2.0-litre mild hybrid built in and for China
30 xDrive, 2.0-litre mild hybrid for North America
30e xDrive, 2.0-litre PHEV
M50 xDrive, 3.0-litre mild hybrid, replaces M40i, also exported to China
The other reason why the next iX3 was not launched at the same time as the new X3 and X3 L is to do with platforms. The EV will in fact have a different architecture though as with the strategy employed for the IC and EV Minis, looks are expected to be very similar.
That back story matters as it shows just how big a deal G45 and G48 are, as each of the three previous generations of the X3 series has indeed been.
BMW recently let the UK media loose in the new model, just ahead of its arrival in dealerships. First impressions are very good as straight away this looks like a new vehicle.
Four X3s for the UK
Up front there are L-shaped lighting modules comprised of the DRL, parking lights and indicators, between which sits a wide and deep grille. Illuminated for the M50, this so-called ‘Iconic Glow’ is optional for other variants. The UK market also takes the 20, 20d and 30e.
Engine outputs are 153 kW (208 PS) and 330 Nm for the 20, 145 kW (197 PS) and 400 Nm for the 20 diesel, 220 kW (299 PS) and 450 Nm for the 30e plug-in hybrid with the M50 producing 293 kW (398 PS) and 580 Nm. Top speed for the most powerful X3 is 155 mph and 134 for the other three. CO2 averages vary from 21 g/km (the PHEV) to 189 g/km for the M50.
Smaller boot for the 30e
BMW offers the new model with 18, 19, 20 or 21-inch wheels, tail pipes also feature (but only for the M50) and load space is 570 to 1,700 litres for all but the PHEV. In this case, the equivalent volume is 460 litres, expanding to 1,600 due to the battery. The 30e has an improved range in EV too, this now claimed to be 50-56 miles WLTP.
The X3 has always been the leader or close to the best in its class when it comes to handling and roadholding. Now, some twenty years on from the launch of the first generation model, that achievement remains, aided by a wider track and slightly less average weight.
Operating System 9
On the inside, lots of buttons have vanished but thankfully BMW’s rotary controller remains. It also has to be said that the company’s new Operating System 9 is fast, works well and the long, connected screens look great.
All engines have mild hybrid specification and the most powerful one is even more impressive than the unit in the third generation equivalent of the M50. Yes the sound it emits is artificially boosted but when the way it burbles and almost growls is this good, who cares? And as ever in BMWs, the eight-speed ZF torque converter transmission remains difficult to improve upon.
Conclusion
It really is hard not to fall for the new X3 and it will surely sell incredibly well the world over. Is it good enough to push BMW past Audi to take the British market's position two? Indeed it is: come early January and SMMT data may well show that this SUV was key to its maker ending 2024 on a high.
The four BMW G45 X3 launch variants are priced at GBP48,375 OTR (20 xDrive), GBP49,785 (20d xDrive), GBP57,245 (30e xDrive) and GBP66,980 (M50 xDrive).
"Will new G45 X3 make BMW UK’s No.2 brand?" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.
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