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Production of the BMW M3 will end in just four month’s time.

According to BMW Blog, production of the F80 generation M3 will end this year, but the M4 will remain in production alongside the standard 3/4 Series. This alleged turn of events is related to the implementation of the Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure, which requires all vehicles to be fitted with an otto particulate filter from June 2018 onward. The fitment of the particulate filter can require significant re-engineering of a vehicle’s underside due to the space required to fit it, so BMW’s elected to kill off the M3 rather than spend the cash.

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Last year it was announced that BMW would have to begin using a steel driveshaft on the M4 from the 2018 model year onward, replacing the carbon fiber driveshaft that has previously been used on the vehicle. This was because the more compact steel shaft freed up room underneath the vehicle for the gasoline particulate filter. This is why the M4 will power forward for the foreseeable future and the M3 won’t.

In the meantime, BMW will turn its attention to the next-generation G20 3 Series and M3. The new 3 Series will adopt BMW’s new CLAR platform (Cluster Rear Architecture) that also serves in the 5 Series, and should also arrive with evolved versions of the automaker’s inline-six and four-cylinder turbocharged engines. The G20 M3 will also lead an M-onslaught that will see BMW introduce 11 full-blown M vehicles and another 15 M-Performance vehicles by 2020, including the upcoming BMW M8 coupe.

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