SPY PICS: Next-gen BMW 3 Series caught on camera

Not before time, BMW's next generation 3 Series is on the way and these spy photos taken in Scandinavia indicate it will follow the usual lines of evolvement rather than revolution.

Proportionally, the next 3 Series won't change much other than expected increases in wheelbase and overall length via the new CLAR cluster architecture that is already seen in BMW 5 and 7 Series, 6 Series Gran Turismo and X3, and will eventually reside in all future rear-drive BMWs.

These photographs of a four-door sedan example of the 3 Series suggest the next model will be hunkier and more masculine. Pumped-out wheel arches and new side character lines emphasise bulk and substance rather than the sleek, upswept look of the current car.

That said, the overall proportions and styling signatures suggest there will be no trouble identifying it as a 3 Series. The Hoffmeister kick at the C-pillars, the kidney grille, the taillight placement and even the boot shut lines are clear giveaways.

Exactly which model has been snapped here is uncertain, although the dual exhaust outlets and the profiling of the side skirts indicate that both cars snapped (one with snow chains on the rear wheels, one without) are six-cylinder variants – but not a quad-exhaust M3.

Rumour suggests the next 3 Series will run essentially the same drivelines as the current series; Inline six and four-cylinder engines and, for some markets, the same three-cylinder turbo engine seen here in the 318i and the MINI range. Rear-drive and all-wheel drive will also figure.

It's also being said the 330e plug-in hybrid will get an improved all-electric driving range, and that a fully-electric 3 Series with a range of better than 320km will debut with the new model too.

Back to the next-gen M3: Although rumours are firming, including speculation on an AWD option, recently breaking news about difficulties for the current model in meeting new emissions regulations brings a focus onto the next-gen 3 Series hotshot.

BMW has reportedly scotched rumours that current-gen M3 production will come to an early halt in May because of the new Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure aimed at bringing a more harmonised approach to emission controls.

But even though Australia is not affected by the new regulations, it appears supplies of the M3 aren't likely to last all that long and will probably peter out early in 2019. That will mean a wait until the arrival of the new-generation M3 in 2020, or possibly 2021 in Australia.

The new 3 Series is expected to make its European debut at the Paris motor show in October, with the Touring version following in 2019 and 4 Series coupes and convertibles coming in 2020.

In the face of declining Australian sales the 3 Series, which was once BMW's biggest-selling model but now sits below the company's X1, X3 and X5 SUVs and is being outsold by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class at a rate approximating three to one, is in dire need of replacement.