The facelifted version of the BMW X3 has surfaced prematurely in China. As a result, we can now definitively determine that the model follows the example of the BMW 5-series. Of course, the electric BMW iX3 is also present.
The photos reportedly came from China’s ‘Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China’ and surfaced shortly afterwards on Motor1.com and Instagram. The plates do not bring any major surprises, because the X3 was already extensively camouflaged in front of the lens.
The car has been tightened, but not radically changed. We see somewhat flatter headlights, a grille that has now been fused into one in all versions as with the iX3 and a differently arranged, tighter front bumper. Both cars are dressed in a somewhat sporty way, although we expect a heavier M Sport front bumper. At the rear we see light units based on the facelifted 5-series. A 3D structure is therefore applied against a black background and apparently without covering glass.
Electric iX3
The red X3 is the iX3, or the all-electric version. The fact that that car is being facelifted with the X3 is not surprising in itself, but the timing is. The electric X3 has only just arrived, so the original version will always be a rarity. BMW did something similar earlier with the electric Mini, which also appeared just before the facelift of the base model.
Of course, the photos are about the Chinese version of the renewed X3, but the differences with the European variant are minimal at most.