2012 BMW 3 Series Details Surface Online: Report

Details of BMW's all-new 2012 3 Series range look to have surfaced in the press this week, with reports out of Germany pointing to a line-up of four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines.

Reports earlier this year suggested that a turbocharged three-cylinder engine would open the 3 Series line-up, but the three-pot is nowhere to be seen in today's information.

According to Germany's Auto Bild magazine, the new 3 Series line-up will kick off with the 316i, powered by a 100kW turbocharged four-cylinder. Next in line will be the 135kW 320i, and the 180kW 328i - both also driven by a turbo four. 

At the top of the sub-M petrol range will be the 335i, driven by BMW's 3.0 litre inline six-cylinder twin-turbo engine, producing 225kW.

An ActiveHybrid 3 is also expected, pairing the 3.0 litre turbo petrol engine with an electric motor - just as BMW has done with the ActiveHybrid 5 revealed today.

On the diesel front will be a range of turbocharged four-cylinder diesels, opening with the 85kW 316d and topping out with the 323d.

BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies is expected to be a major element in the new 3 Series, with low-drag aerodynamics and fuel-saving systems playing a role.