BMW 3 Series Touring: A US Comeback Is Possible, but Still Far From Certain

BMW may bring the 3 Series Touring back to the United States, but for now it's an open question rather than a decision. The wagon, codenamed G51, is being prepared for a 2027 debut, though its American fate remains unclear. The odds are roughly even: either it earns a US visa, or it stays a model reserved for other markets. For BMW, this is a meaningful image question.

The brand hasn't sold a 3 Series Touring in the US since 2019, when the F31 generation was discontinued there. Since then, the American lineup has shifted decisively toward SUVs, but the surprising success of the larger M5 Touring proved there's still demand for fast, expensive wagons stateside. The picture is complicated by the electric Neue Klasse lineup. BMW has already confirmed the i3 Touring — a fully electric wagon set to arrive first.

During Oliver Zipse's final address as BMW CEO, the company even showed a darkened silhouette of the model. A conventional 3 Series Touring with a combustion engine should follow, but its US launch hasn't been confirmed. According to a well-known insider on the Bimmer Post forum, the 3 Series Touring G51 is still expected to make it to America in one version.

It's also unclear which variant might land in the US — gasoline, plug-in hybrid, a more affordable four-cylinder, or a theoretical M350. The G51 designation points to a combustion car rather than the electric NA1. That means BMW is weighing not just the i3 Touring, but a more traditional wagon for buyers not yet ready to go electric. The approach makes sense: the company is rolling out Neue Klasse while keeping gas models where demand for them remains strong.

If the 3 Series Touring returns to the US, it would also boost the odds for an M3 Touring. America skipped the current G81, a sore point for BMW enthusiasts. The company has already acknowledged it would consider an M3 Touring for the US if the project gets a green light. For now, only the M3 G84 sedan is confirmed, with an evolution of the inline-six.

A potential M3 Touring is unlikely to arrive before 2029. Following the sedan's logic, it could get a mild-hybrid S58 making over 500 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and an automatic gearbox. For America, such a car would be a smaller, more affordable alternative to the M5 Touring, which has already proven the niche is more alive than expected. Before that, BMW still needs to bring the i3 Touring and the new-generation gas 3 Series to market.

The entire 3 Series lineup is part of the broader Neue Klasse plan: around 40 new and updated models are due by the end of next year, including the iX3, i3, a refreshed 7 Series, the new X5, the upcoming iX4, a second-generation X7, and an updated 5 Series.

For buyers, the takeaway is simple: BMW wagons aren't disappearing, even as the market keeps tilting toward crossovers. The electric i3 Touring is effectively confirmed, and the gas 3 Series Touring G51 is all but certain — but whether it comes back to the US is still an open question.

If BMW does take the leap, it won't just be another version of the 3 Series. It will test whether Americans are ready to buy a compact premium wagon again, with a whole army of SUVs standing right next to it in the showroom.

According to 32CARS.RU, the BMW M3 Touring 24H finished 4th at the Nürburgring and competed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.