Demand for BMW M3 wagon is off the charts, production increased twice already

The popularity of the BMW M3 Touring has already forced the German automaker to increase production twice – to keep up with unexpected demand for the rival to the Audi RS4 Avant and Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate.

On a recent visit to Australia, the global boss of BMW M, Frank van Meel, told Drive demand for the BMW M3 wagon is so strong “we already increased the volume twice or ... three times”.

Mr van Meel says the company expects the M3 Touring to account for 10 per cent of overall M3/M4 sales mix, and noted the performance wagon was attracting new buyers to the brand.

“The customers for the M3 Touring are not jumping out of the M3 [sedan],” Mr van Meel said. “They are coming from other car brands because they say, ‘we've been waiting for a long time’.”

Despite the BMW M3 performance car's 37-year history, this is the first time BMW has offered a high-performance wagon in the range.

In 2000, BMW M created a one-off M3 Touring prototype (pictured below), based on the then current-generation E46 M3.

With 252kW and 365Nm available from its naturally-aspirated (non-turbo) 3.2-litre inline six-cylinder, the M3 Touring Concept, as it was officially known, was the most-powerful six-cylinder M car at the time, eclipsed only by the low-volume M3 CSL.

It remained shrouded in secrecy for 16 years, BMW only confirming its existence in 2016.

The new M3 Touring, the first to go into production, boasts the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six found in the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, with an output of 375kW and 650Nm to propel the performance wagon from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.6 seconds.

Mr van Meel told Drive the timing was right to add a BMW M3 wagon to the line-up.

“If you look at the M3 itself, it has grown volume-wise quite strongly from generation to generation,” said Mr van Meel. “The segment now is so big that the only way to increase the segment is to add something on top of that.

“The timing was just right because the segment has grown. Especially we have grown very strongly in sales numbers. So the time was right.”

The BMW M3 Touring arrived in Australian dealerships earlier this year, priced at $180,100 plus on-road costs.