BMW is working on a redesign for the best-selling X3 compact crossover and the latest prototypes discovered are for a plug-in hybrid variant.
We know them as hybrids because there are covers for both the charging port (driver’s front fender) and fuel loader (passenger rear rear fender). One of the prototypes also has “Electric Vehicle” labels on the sides, but it’s not fully electric as it has an exhaust system, as indicated by its rear-mounted silencer.
The current X3 was briefly offered in the US with a plug-in hybrid option, X3 xDrive30e comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine mated to a single electric motor integrated with the transmission. However, this option has been removed after 2021.
It’s unclear if BMW plans to once again offer the X3 plug-in hybrid in the US, and there’s a good chance we won’t see that as the automaker is expected to offer a running iX3. Power is here alongside the new generation, at least in standard guise. The current X3 also has a electric iX3 option that we miss.
Hybrid spy photo BMW X3 2025 – Photo: S. Baldauf / SB-Medien
It is also possible that one or more versions of the redesigned X3 offered by BMW M skunkworks will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, including the next X3 M, and any such model is a Safe option for sale in USA. Versions with the M badge of the latest 7-Series plug-in hybrid power feature and we know it too M5 . redesign and XM is coming Both will have plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The redesigned X3 is expected to launch in 2024 as a 2025 model, and a standard plug-in hybrid will be available at launch or shortly after, depending on the market.
The platform of the new X3 is expected to be an updated version of the X3’s current CLAR design, meaning rear-wheel drive with the option of all-wheel drive.
The X3 is a car that BMW wouldn’t want to touch. In 2021, BMW sold 75,858 units in the US alone, making it the automaker’s most popular vehicle here.
