The BMW 3 Series is a line of compact executive cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. It is the successor to the 02 Series and has been produced in seven generations.
The first generation of the 3 Series was only available as a 2-door saloon; however, the model range has since expanded to include a 4-door saloon, 2-door convertible, 2-door coupé, 5-door estate, 5-door liftback (“Gran Turismo”) and 3-door hatchback body styles. Since 2013, the coupé and convertible models have been marketed as the 4 Series; therefore, the 3 Series range no longer includes these body styles.
The 3 Series is BMW’s best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the BMW brand’s annual total sales (excluding motorbikes), and has won numerous awards throughout its history.
The M version of the 3 series, M3, debuted with the E30 M3 in 1986.
The E21 replaced the 02 Series and was initially available as a 2-door sedan (also described as coupé).
At launch, all models used carburetted 4-cylinder engines; however, fuel-injected models were introduced in late 1975 and 6-cylinder engines were added in 1977.
A cabriolet body style – manufactured by Baur – was available from 1978 to 1981.
