BMW's Product Blitz: Six-Cylinder 3 Series, Electric i3, and a Hydrogen X5 Take Shape

BMW firms up next-gen 3 Series and i3 sedan plans, advances hydrogen X5, and raises India prices again as its stock stays down sharply in 2026.

BMW is pressing ahead on several fronts at once, rolling out new model generations while managing a share price that has spent most of the year in retreat. The Munich carmaker has now firmed up plans for two pivotal projects — the next-generation 3 Series and the electric i3 sedan — while simultaneously advancing hydrogen technology and rolling out limited-run special editions.

A six-cylinder 3 Series, minus the diesel

At the heart of the 3 Series overhaul is the M350 xDrive, which BMW says will be the only variant outside the M3 to carry a six-cylinder engine. Provisional factory figures put output at 326 kW, or 443 hp, with peak torque of 580 Newton-meters and a 0-to-100 km/h sprint of 4.1 seconds.

The M340d, by contrast, is being discontinued — a move that eliminates the diesel performance option from the 3 Series lineup entirely. Production of the new generation is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026.

Whether a rear-wheel-drive version of the M350 will be offered remains unresolved. BMW Germany has been tight-lipped, saying only that further details are expected by the end of September. For investors, the strategic signal matters more than the drivetrain question: the performance tier is pivoting decisively toward gasoline six-cylinders and away from diesel.

i3 sedan picks up where the i4 leaves off

Running in parallel is BMW's electric push. The new i3 was unveiled at the BMW Welt, with the first European customer deliveries slated for autumn 2026 and American buyers waiting until 2027. Initial production takes place in Munich, expanding to Mexico from 2027.

A long-wheelbase version, internally coded NA8, is earmarked for Chinese manufacturing — a clear sign that BMW intends to keep serving that market with locally tailored variants. Functionally, the i3 sedan is set to replace the current i4 Gran Coupé. The existing G26-generation i4 is expected to wind down between late 2026 and the first quarter of 2027.

Backing the electric strategy is a new production method at the Regensburg plant, where the battery will be joined to the body before the Neue Klasse vehicle rolls out.

Hydrogen X5 edges toward series production

BMW's powertrain ambitions extend beyond batteries. The construction phase for the third-generation fuel-cell system destined for the X5 Hydrogen has begun, with series production being prepared in Steyr. Market launch is targeted for 2028, and the model will sit alongside fully electric, hybrid, gasoline, and diesel variants.

India: a fourth price hike in a year

On the commercial side, BMW Group India has announced its fourth price increase of the year, effective next month, citing the weak rupee and higher raw material costs. Following earlier hikes in January, April, and July, the cumulative increase now stands at roughly seven percent. CEO Brar puts the increase so far at four to five percent.

The new 7 Series models are among those affected: the 740 M Sport and i7 will each cost 1.95 crore rupees, while the i7 M70 xDrive is priced at 2.65 crore rupees. It is a familiar pattern in India — BMW also raised prices around the turn of 2025 and again in September. The moves cut both ways for shareholders: they protect margins in a market under currency pressure, but they risk dampening demand in an already price-sensitive premium segment.

Nürburgring anniversary and a Z4 swansong

To mark the Nürburgring's 100th anniversary, BMW's M division is releasing six special-edition models in "Nürburgring Green": the M2, M3 Sedan, M3 Touring, M4 Coupé, M5 Sedan, and M5 Touring. Order books for the M3, M4, and M5 open in September, with the M2 following in January 2027. Motorcycle editions of the M 1000 range, badged "One of 100," will accompany them.

Pricing has not been set, and the official opening of the Nordschleife in the anniversary context is planned for June 2027. Such limited editions contribute little to group earnings, but they reinforce the brand's standing in the high-margin M segment.

Separately, the Alpina founding family is launching a limited-run spider under the Bovensiepen name, built on the Z4: 99 hand-assembled examples powered by a 429-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder producing 580 Newton-meters and dispatching 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. Pricing starts at EUR 115,500, with delivery planned for early 2027. Regular series production of the BMW Z4 itself ended in spring 2026, meaning the special edition arrives after the model line has officially closed.

The stock: stabilizing, but far from healed

None of this has yet lifted the shares meaningfully. BMW closed Friday at EUR 62.92, essentially flat on the day. Over 30 days the stock is up 6.0 percent, yet it has shed roughly a third of its value since the start of the year. The gap to the 52-week high of EUR 97.90, reached in December, stands at 36 percent — a measure of investors' lingering caution.

There is a brighter counterpoint: the price sits about twelve percent above the 52-week low of EUR 56.40 touched in July, hinting at a modest recovery in recent weeks. Market capitalization currently stands at EUR 37.51 billion.

Deutsche Bank reaffirmed its buy rating with a EUR 90 price target in early September, though that call is now more than a week old and has been recycled across secondary reports. What matters for the weeks ahead is whether the new models — from the M350 xDrive to the i3 sedan — can steady sales volumes while BMW reshuffles its production footprint across Munich, Mexico, and China. The India price increases and the wave of model launches will likely be read as evidence of operational agility, but on their own they are not enough to establish a durable trend in the share price.