After years of lost market share to the seemingly unstoppable Audi, and what many perceived as a lost direction as far as design was concerned, BMW has re-focused on its performance history in its latest designs. Here we see the next generation M3, one of the most pivotal cars in the Bavarian automaker’s line-up, getting an aggressive facelift — courtesy of leaked images months ahead of its official debut at the LA Auto Show in November. New to this generation only the 4-door sedan of the 3-Series will be called the M3, the coupe now gets the M4 moniker (possibly to compete more directly with Audi’s RS5?). The M3 will allegedly shed up to 100 kgs, thanks mostly to major carbon fiber substitutes for the roof, hood and trunk. Unfortunately for 2014, the M3’s engine loses a couple cylinders as the V8 drops to a slimmer 3.0L V6 — albeit a twin-turbocharged one with 450 horsepower. That’s 30 hps more than the outgoing model, with a possible torque increase of 150Nm (for a total of 550Nm). Although still not official, the M3 could have a 180 mph top speed limited at 155, with a 0-62 mph time in 4.3 seconds. More info coming as we near official debut time.
Rear view of the BMW 3 Series M3 Saloon below…
via Autoexpress