Ahead of a launch reported to take place this Friday, the new BMW M3 was spotted at a dealership in Malaysia.
The new generation M3 (F80), along with its sibling, the M4, made its public debut at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year. Based on the F30 3 Series, the new M3 now uses a downsized engine thus ditching its predecessor's V8.
Power for the M3 comes from a newly-developed 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with BMWs Twin Power Turbo technology. The engine outputs 431 hp and 550 Nm of torque, and comes paired to a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. With the automatic gearbox in place, the M3 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in a scant 4.1 seconds, and achieves a top-speed of 250 km/h. Owners can have this number optionally increased to 280 km/h if they wish to.
Compared to the older model, the new M3 is 80 kg lighter thanks to several weight saving techniques, one of which is a CFRP (Carbon-fiber Reinforced Polymer) roof. At 1,520 kg, the M3 can average 12.04 km/l under EU driving norms.
The new M3 will launch in India this year, as 2014 is the year of M models, according to BMW India's president, Mr. Philipp von Sahr.
BMW M3 - Spy Image Gallery
[Spy Images from Auto Freaks]
