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2019 BMW 3 Series teased for Paris Motor Show debut

BMW looks to regain segment leadership with the unveiling of its seventh-generation icon.

Manuel Carrillo III Automotive Reviews Editor
A Porsche 911 S brought Manuel Carrillo III home from the hospital after he was born, so it's no surprise his lifelong trajectory has centered on cars, leading him to a robust career creating rich automotive media for publications prior to joining CNET.

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2019 BMW 3 Series Teaser
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2019 BMW 3 Series Teaser

From earlier coverage, we already have a good sense of the next 3 Series' shape, but this Paris Motor Show teaser image gives us a better look at the kidney grille and LED headlight accents.

 Günter Schmied/BMW

We already know quite a bit about the all-new, next-generation . Back in August, Roadshow's Managing Editor, Steven Ewing, traveled to Germany to get behind the wheel of an 85-percent-complete test mule, even taking the prototype up to 155 mph on an uncorked section of the autobahn. Known as the G20 for those who speak chassis code, this seventh-generation 3 Series looks to address the ills of the current F30 car: namely the lack of steering feel and a numb chassis.

We also already knew it was scheduled to debut at this year's Paris Motor Show . That exhibition being less than a week away -- with the G20 specifically debuting Oct. 2 -- BMW has released a teaser image of the new 3 Series under wraps.

The photo above gives us our best sense yet of how the new sedan's kidney grille will appear and how the next 3 Series' LED daytime running lights will look.

Testing BMW's next-generation 3 Series prototype in Germany

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In our earlier coverage, we noted the G20 will be 25 percent stiffer and a smidge larger than the current car, but will be 120 pounds lighter. The improvements led to Ewing saying, "That new chassis underpinning this 330i is really, really good," also noting that he felt a "stronger connection to the road," compared with the current car.

Interior space is about the same as the F30 3 Series, but the biggest news inside is the addition of a fully digital instrument cluster that's akin to the one introduced in the .

The 2019 BMW 3 Series will be on sale in the US by spring of next year. The turbocharged, four-cylinder 330i will be available to customers first, followed by the turbocharged, straight-six 340i, which will hit dealerships a few months later for the 2020 model year.