The BMW M3 Touring might cost an arm and a leg, but that’s not stopping wagon enthusiasts from placing an order for the long-awaited G81. In an interview with our sister site Bimmer Today, the M division’s boss Frank van Meel said the company was taken by surprise by the strong demand for the much-awaited Audi RS4 Avant rival.
As a matter of fact, the current demand is “enormous” for the long-roof M3, so much so BMW had to adjust production by increasing capacity at the Munich plant where the performance estate is manufactured. The G81 first hit the assembly line in September 2022, following its world premiere in the second half of June at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
One would argue the Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate competitor would’ve been even more of a sales success had BMW brought it to the United States. A decision was taken against selling the all-rounder to North America due to prohibitive homologation costs since the latest 3 Series Touring (G21) upon which the first-ever M3 Touring is based isn’t sold stateside. Another factor that contributed to the G81’s absence in the US had to do with the lengthy process of having it approved as prototypes had to be crash-tested.
BMW M sells the M3 Touring strictly as a Competition model with xDrive and an automatic transmission. Reports state a limited-run CS special edition is under consideration, but with demand for the regular model being this high, we’d reckon the German luxury brand is in no hurry to diversify the portfolio for the time being.
We’re hearing an M3 CS Touring is already being tested but will only see the light of production day if there’s going to be available capacity at the Munich plant. With Frank van Meel saying BMW is making more cars than initially planned, here’s hoping a hotter derivative will happen in the coming years. In the meantime, you can get an M3 CS Sedan or sacrifice even more practicality by waiting for the M4 CS expected to arrive in 2024.
Source: Bimmer Today
