BMW Is Killing Its M340d As Diesel Prices Hit Record Highs
BMW‘s next-generation 3 Series will keep internal combustion alive, but its six-cylinder diesel won’t be making the jump. BMW says the new M350 xDrive will be the only six-cylinder version of the next 3 Series, effectively confirming the end of the M340d and its 3.0-liter B57 diesel inline-six.
Its disappearance also comes as diesel faces pressure from several directions. Prices have surged in the U.S. and parts of Europe, while tightening emissions regulations, hybrids and EVs continue eating into a market diesel once dominated. BMW hasn’t linked the M340d’s retirement to the current fuel-price spike, but losing one of its most compelling performance diesels adds another chapter to the fuel’s long decline.
BMW’s Next 3 Series Won’t Have A Six-Cylinder Diesel
BMW hasn’t explicitly announced the M340d’s death, but its wording leaves little room for another six-cylinder 3 Series. The automaker describes the new M350 xDrive as “the only variant of the new BMW 3 Series to be powered by a six-cylinder engine,” replacing a current lineup where buyers can choose between six-cylinder gasoline and diesel M Performance models.
The M350 xDrive will instead use a 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline inline-six with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, producing a provisional 443 HP and 428 lb-ft of torque. BMW estimates 0-62 mph in 4.1 seconds and a limited 155-mph top speed. A four-cylinder diesel could still survive, however, as BMW hasn’t revealed the complete engine lineup for the new 3 Series.
Diesel Prices Are Breaking Records At The Worst Possible Time
The M340d’s departure arrives as diesel prices are surging around the world. The U.S. national average recently reached a record $5.85 per gallon, up from $3.71 a year earlier, amid higher crude prices and global supply disruptions. European markets are facing similar pressure, with the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp diesel crack reaching a record $98 per barrel on September 1.
Portugal has also seen diesel reach record prices, prompting protests from drivers. None of this caused BMW to drop the M340d, at least based on anything the automaker has said, but the timing adds another challenge for a fuel already losing ground in the passenger-car market.
BMW Isn’t Killing Its Diesel Engines Yet
The M340d’s disappearance doesn’t mean BMW is abandoning diesel altogether. The latest X3 lost its M40d designation, but BMW still offers the X3 40d xDrive with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel in certain markets, while diesel engines remain available elsewhere across the company’s lineup.
What is disappearing is one of BMW’s more unusual combinations: a diesel-powered M Performance 3 Series capable of pairing long-distance efficiency and substantial low-end torque with genuine performance. Diesel once accounted for more than half of Europe’s new-car market, but emissions regulations and the growth of gasoline hybrids and EVs have dramatically reduced its position since then.
BMW isn’t giving up on combustion with the next 3 Series, either, with new four and six-cylinder gasoline engines being developed alongside the electric i3. The six-cylinder diesel 3 Series, however, appears to have reached the end of the road.
Source: BMW, BMWBlog
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