BMW M adds M3 Touring to the lineup

MUNICH: BMW's M division has announced the coming of a Touring (wagon) variant that will be added to the G20 M3 stable.

News of the addition comes just less than a month before the M3 Sedan's global unveiling in September while the new G22 M4 convertible would follow in 2021.

The high-performance M3 Touring's prototype would soon be making its rounds near the southern German city of Munich - Garching - home to BMW M GmbH.

The M3 Touring effectively combines performance with an increase in available space for added practicality and functionality — something that was seen in the second-generation E34 M5 in 1992 and fourth-generation (E60) in 2007.

However, this isn't the first time that M GmbH has dabbled with the thought of adding a Touring variant to the lineup.

It was in 2000 that a prototype was launched based on the third-generation E46 M3 and now — exactly 20 years later — the sixth-generation G20 M3 Touring will soon become a reality.

Power would come from a tuned-up turbocharged inline-six engine but no specifics have been revealed yet. However, the M3 Touring would have wide axles, BMW's large integrated kidney grille and quad tailpipes.

At present, the M3 Touring has only just begun its two-year development process, which will include testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife so there's still some time to plan for ownership as the variant would only go on sale in 2022.