SPY PICS: 2018 BMW 3 Series at the 'Ring

BMW is knee-deep in dynamic testing for its next-generation 3 Series, as these spy pictures taken at the Nurburgring reveal.

Unfortunately, the pictures tell us little more about the new model than the images we brought you back in January. But if the upcoming 5 Series is any guide, expect the new 3 Series to adopt a look that's rounder at the front than the current model, particularly where the leading edge of the bonnet and headlights wrap over from horizontal to vertical.

Although the car pictured could easily pass for the current F30 model, remove all the tacked-on camouflage and it's set to be a very different machine when it rolls out in 2018. A new modular platform will be complemented by intensive carbon-fibre construction for lighter weight.

Currently Munich is staring down stiff opposition with one arm tied behind its back. The F30 series is already the oldest major entrant in its segment… and that despite the current 3 series being on sale in Australia just over four years.

Alfa Romeo's Giulia is on the way, Jaguar's XE is already here, as is the latest Audi A4 and Benz's W205 C-Class. The G20 series will have to be good to snatch back the crown for BMW.