BMW 3 Series reveal next week

BMW will stage the world premiere of its facelifted 3 Series – the first version of its global top-selling model to come with a three-cylinder engine – in Germany next week.

motoring.com.au sources have confirmed reports that the reveal of BMW's most important model release this year will take place in the Bavarian brand's home town of Munich on May 7.

The midlife makeover for the 3 Series – which was first released in 1975, is now in its sixth generation and spans five body derivatives – will coincide with a series of special events to commemorate 40 years of the mid-size model in the lead-up to BMW's centenary in 2017.

The revised 3 Series range will be launched in Europe in July before it goes on sale in Australia around October, with the first plug-in version – the 3 Series eHybrid to follow next year

As these latest spy shots of mainstream and M Sport models show, BMW's answer to the super-successful Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi's upcoming A4 redesign and the all-new Jaguar XE will be more significant beneath the surface, where bumpers and lights appear to be the only changes.

For 2016, the mid-size German sedan is expected to bring a range of new technologies including the option of full LED headlights and advanced driver aids like the 5 Series; traffic jam assistant.

But it's under the bonnet where the big changes will take place for the Mk6 F30-generation 3 Series, which was released Down Under in February 2012 and upgraded for 2015 in February,

The headline act is expected be the availability of BMW's 1.5-litre turbo-triple petrol and diesel engines first seen in the MINI and 2 Series Active Tourer, and also set to power the 1 Series and 3 Series.

The TwinPower Turbo petrol engine should deliver similar performance but better economy than the 100kW/220Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four that currently powers the base 316i.