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Is this the new 2026 BMW 3 Series?

Could the next-gen BMW 3 Series, the G50, share some key styling cues with the anticipated i3 electric sedan?

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All the talk around BMW's 3-badged sedan in recent years has been about the upcoming electric i3 – but this could be our clearest look yet at how the petrol version will look.

These speculative renderings by Photoshop wizard Theottle – based on spy photos published by enthusiast site BMW Blog – suggest we can expect the new 3er to share some key design cues with its electric counterpart.

Key among them is BMW's retro-inspired new-look face, following the 2023 Neue Klasse concept's throwback styling.

It's expected the new i3 will skew much closer to the Neue Klasse in its final design, as imagined by Theottle not long after concept's unveiling,

However, the regular 3er – likely to be known as the G50 – looks set to wear a more conventional skin but with its own take on the Neue Klasse grille and headlights.

If that's how it plays out, these latest renderings could prove to be an accurate look at what we'll see either later this year or in early 2026.

This thinking may have been made more concrete in a recent interview, too, with BMW’s chief development officer Frank Weber telling Green Car Reports: “We can only have one design, there is no difference between an ICE car and a battery electric car".

Perhaps in reference to the distinct design differences between the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the electric EQE (among others in the range), Weber added that brands styling their EVs differently to their conventional models is "probably one of the biggest mistakes some of the competitors were doing".

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Above & below: The new G50 3 Series as imagined by Theottle
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For the most part, BMW's latest range of EVs and combustion models have shared broadly identical styling, such as the BMW X1 and iX1, the 4 Series Gran Coupe and i4, the 5 Series and i5, and the big 7 Series and i7 twins.

BMW isn't exactly immune to the 'errors' it claims of others, though, with the iX electric SUV standing apart as an anomaly in the range.

And, as the below side-by-side photos show, the new 3 Series and i3 appear to have unique bodies with only the front (and rear?) styling to connect them.

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What do you think of Theo's 3 Series renders?

Tell us in the comments!

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