BMW M340i xDrive sedan confirmed for Oz

BMW has previewed its performance flagships of the all-new 3 Series range by unveiling its BMW M340i xDrive ahead of its official launch at the LA motor show.

Confirmed to go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2019, the BMW M340i xDrive has been purportedly developed in cooperation with BMW M -- the German car maker's high-performance division responsible for cars like the M4 and M8.

That explains why the BMW M340i xDrive, compared to the old 340i, gets a completely reworked TwinScroll turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder that produces 275kW -- 35kW more than the car it replaces.

Torque, meanwhile, also increases 50Nm to 500Nm helping the fastest 3 Series until the next M3 and M4 arrives to hit 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds -- half a second quicker than the last 340i.

Despite the extra power, torque and performance, BMW says the M340i xDrive is still capable of returning 7.5L/100km while emitting just 172g/km of CO2.

Channelling all its power to the road is the car-maker's xDrive all-wheel drive through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

For the small 3 Series, BMW M says the all-wheel drive system can deploy more of its torque to the rear wheels, especially in Sport and Sport+ drive modes.

For enthusiastic driving, the M340i xDrive is also equipped with an M Sport rear limited slip differential for better traction out of corners.

The eight-speed automatic also offers a launch control function, while the dual-pipe sports exhaust gets valves within the exhaust to vary the quality and level of noise.

Handling should be better than ever with the M340i xDrive, as the fast Mercedes-AMG C43 and Audi S4-rival gets an M Sport suspension that rides 10mm lower than the standard 3 Series.

Featuring a wider front and rear track, BMW M engineers have also developed the option of a set of unique adaptive dampers.

Reining in all that performance is a set of large brakes, with 348mm disks up front matched with larger 345mm rotors at the rear.

Helping differentiate itself from the rest of the 3 Series range the M340i xDrive gets a mesh grille, a front splitter, side skirts, a rear lip spoiler, angular exhaust tips and 18-inch alloy wheels, with the option of larger 19s.

Inside, there's a set of sport seats and a M Sport steering wheel.

Pricing and on-sale dates is expected to be revealed at the LA motor show following the M340i xDrive's reveal on November 26. We hope to learn about Australian specifications shortly thereafter.