First BMW M3 Touring confirmed for Oz

UPDATED 02/09/2020 NOON: Fresh spy shots of the first BMW M3 Touring have landed in our inbox and we've added them here for your viewing pleasure.

UPDATED 31/08/2020 9:00am: A new video posted to Facebook by BMW M overnight shows the first BMW M3 Touring in its entirety for the first time -- albeit wearing camouflage -- and it appears to confirm the go-fast wagon will adopt the same controversial 'big-mouth' grille as the upcoming BMW M4 Coupe.

13/08/2020: BMW has announced that its upcoming sixth-generation BMW M3 sedan will be joined by the first ever M3 wagon, and the all-new 2022 BMW M3 Touring has been confirmed for Australia.

"We plan to introduce the M3 Touring and will advise arrival timing closer to the launch date," BMW Australia product communications manager Nick Raman told carsales.

Revealed via a single teaser image overnight, the first BMW M3 Touring will be a new challenger for the Audi RS 4 Avant and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Estate.

BMW also confirmed that the first wagon in almost 34 years of M3 history will be powered by the same 375kW/600Nm twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder as both the next-gen M3 sedan and M4 coupe, both of which will be launched next year.

The 2021 BMW M3 and M4 are all but confirmed to be available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive form, and with six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions.

But it remains to be seen whether an entry-level rear-drive manual Pure variant of the M3 Touring will also be available.

Compared to mainstream BMW 3 Series Touring models, apart from its beefier powertrain the M3 wagon will get wider wheel tracks and bigger brakes, plus a dedicated chassis tune.

Set to arrive following the M3 and M4’s launch, the wagon has been tipped to land in all markets in 2022.

More details are expected in the build-up to its launch.