Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Oliver Zipse is being replaced as CEO of BMW by Milan Nedeljković, and he's been at the helm of the automaker through some of its greatest hits, but before he leaves, he's telling the world about one more important car, teasing new images of the next 3 Series Touring, or station wagon. The shadowy imagery shown could be of either the gas car or the i3 Touring, the all-electric wagon that will precede the combustion model, though he says both are important. Zipse was speaking during the company's 106th Annual General Meeting, giving his final speech as CEO, and the images were displayed behind him as he explained the importance of this body style.Oliver Zipse Says BMW Wagons Are Still In DemandBMWBMW is one of the few automakers still to offer a longroof variant of a sedan, another body style that has been on life support since the explosion in popularity of the SUV, but Zipse explained that BMW has no plans to stop selling it. "The 3 Series is more than just a sedan, and it will remain that way in the future," he said. "The 3 Series Touring is very popular with families and business customers, which is why we have already confirmed this model." The electric wagon, internally codenamed NA1, will be produced in Munich alongside the i3 sedan (NA0), likely in 2027. Production of the sedan will start in August, so the wagon will have to wait a while. Insiders say a combustion-powered G51 wagon will happen, and since an electric M3 is happening, it seems entirely feasible that an electric M3 Touring may also appear sometime around the end of the decade. But what will we get in America?U.S. Likely to Get More High-Performance Wagons, Not Slow OnesBMWBMW Senior VP of Brand and Product Management, Bernd Koerber, indicated that BMW wants to sell more wagons in North America, with the company being delighted by the response to the M5 Touring. However, it seems unlikely that run-of-the-mill non-M Tourings will be sold here, as American buyers in need of practical cars choose crossovers and SUVs instead. Those who buy the wagons available to them are the sorts of people who would have purchased a high-performance car anyway but chose things like the M5 Touring or Audi's RS 6 Avant because they liked the blend of speed and a station wagon's style; it was an emotional purchase. With high performance comes high cost, and those who can afford an M5 ($123,300) don't mind paying a little more for an M5 wagon ($125,300). Perhaps the same would be true of M3 buyers, but we'll have to wait and see if BMW plans to give them the option.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on May 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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