BMW widens 3 Series line- up with 330e

After unveiling the second-from-the-top M340i, a plug-in hybrid with a fresh power-boosting function has been announced.

Isthat M340i gunning for the C43 AMG? For the first time, BMW has given the new 3 Series sedan (code-named G20) a warmed-up performance version called the M340i.

Aiming at the Audi S4 and Mercedes-AMG C43, the M340i uses the latest version of BMW’s B58coded 3.0-litre inline-six petrol-turbo producing 374hp (previous iterations developed peaks of 326hp and 340hp) and 500Nm.

BMW says the M340i will do zero to 100kph in 4.4 seconds. That’s 0.3 seconds quicker than the S4 and C43, both also using 3.0-litre six-cylinder blocks with 354hp and 390hp respectively.

The M340i is equipped with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, as well as M-specific exhaust, brakes and rear differential. Will BMW build it in Thailand?

At the moment, the only second-from-the-top car in this special playground to be assembled in Thailand is the C43, albeit in two-door coupe form. The S4 isn’t sold officially in the country.

Whether the Thai BMW office will contest Mercedes remains to be seen, because they have only started to sell M Performance models. The sole official import so far is the M760Li.

Should BMW find it more suitable to shoehorn the M340i’s engine into a coupe body to directly rival the C43 Coupe in Thailand, this may have to wait for the 4 Series replacement due before 2020.

The 4 Series has never received an M Performance model globally. The best one there underneath the M4 is the 440i, equipped with the older 326hp six-potter. But the 330e plug-in hybrid will surely come … That’s a dead cert because today’s 330e (in previous generation form called the F30) is being built in the country to take advantage of the low excise taxation given to electrified vehicles.

The new G20-based 330e mixes a 2.0-litre petrol-turbo with a plug-in hybrid to produce a combined 252hp.

There’s a new power-boosting function called XtraBoost to temporarily give an extra 41hp of oomph. The 0-100kph time is rated at a scant six seconds.

Another improvement is the all-electric driving range. Thanks to improved lithium-ion batteries, the distance has nearly doubled to 60km.

Expect the new 330e to hit Thai showrooms after mid-2019, with prices in the range of 2.3-2.8 million baht.

The 320d, which would also cost less than 3 million baht, should be the first to launch in March. It comes with the ubiquitous 190hp 2.0litre diesel-turbo, but with tweaks to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.