As if you needed one more reason to visit the BMW Welt in Munich, the company’s best-selling car is now on display. Well, its successor is. The “G45” follows the “G01,” a model that raked up an impressive 355,000 sales in 2023, beating the 3 Series Sedan. You’ll likely never see a base model at the exhibition center since the German luxury brand typically prefers to display more expensive configurations. Such is the case here with the new X3.
It’s the M Performance version but not the M40i you remember. BMW has rebadged the model as an M50. This one wears the new Dune Grey paint you can’t have on any other model, at least for the time being. At the back, it carries a bicycle rack on its tailgate. Although those wheels “only” measure 21 inches, you can go a size higher via the M Performance Parts catalog.
Visiting the BMW Welt is a good opportunity to see a non-X3 M with a factory quad exhaust system. Compared to the lesser “G45” versions, the M50 also gets a distinctive kidney grille design mimicking real M cars. You can also get used to the new badge on the tailgate where the “i” is nowhere to be found. Not just on the M50 but on all versions powered by gasoline engines.
As previously reported, the hot one seen here will be exclusively manufactured in Spartanburg while the plug-in hybrid will roll off the assembly line only in Rosslyn, South Africa. BMW’s Shenyang plant will build a long-wheelbase derivative strictly for the Chinese market.
Don’t plan to visit the BMW Welt early next year because it’ll be closed for five weeks, starting January 7. The facility will reopen its doors to the public on February 10. Vehicle deliveries will also be suspended during those weeks. Why? Renovation work is planned to spruce up the place.
Source: BMW Welt / Instagram