HOT! First real photos of the next 3-series cabriolet roof in action

I'm going to have visions of an M-powered hardtop convertible dancing in my head as I go to sleep tonight.

Hopefully it will have some trunk room with the top down....

Hard top i think was a mistake.
Trunk space is pretty much gone and it adds to much weight to the car.

they made the current M3 covt, why not a M3 Hardtop convt. , they made M3 Sedan again after all and giving SMG out for free. u know wht they r going to sell for sure.... big fat auto V8 for Americans

Hope there's some trunk room...Otherwise CLK550 here I come.

Who cares about trunk room when the top is up, nobody rich enough to buy this is going to take it skiing or carry plants home from the nursery. We need the trunk room when the top is down so I can fit my kid, the beach umbrella, two beach chairs, and lunch. I think they made a big mistake but it will prob still sell.

They should have put the hardtop on the 650CiC - where I live, the people driving that are in the AARP set...and they don't goto the beach and they'd payup for the coolness factor - 650 is the same demographic of people who buy the Merc SL. 3er is for much younger, active, and practical people.

nybimmer,
not true
a 3 series isn't that expensive, and the whole point of it is that it can be your only car.
i think the trunk space may be a slight issue.

Rupert -
I don't know, say it costs $50K which is pretty expensive to the general public, although perhaps not to the demographics of the Autospies readers.

Also, we in the US have to buy our own cars, the concept of a car allowance is not widespread here unlike Europe :-) where many middle to upper mgt people get a generous part of their spiffy 3's, 5's, C's, E's, A4's or A6's paid for by their company.

nybimmer,
thats the reason we'll probably get a diesel 3 series convertible, as company car tax (a killer, it is huge on a 3 litre+ anything) is based off CO emissions.
the company car has also cemented the reputation of the 3 series as a rep car driven by posers, due to the large number of 318ds.
the point being that you don't have to be loaded to have a 3 series convertible, so trunk space could be a slight issue. (didn't matter to mini buyers though!)

it will sell no matter what and i'll still end up wanting one.
but first i must learn how to drive.

and of course (person above me without a name) it will have run flats. more trunk room. maybe they invented run flats for this car specifically.....

i just read your first comment (beginning hope there's some trunk...) and realised i completely misinterpreted what you were saying.
i didn't read past "who cares about trunk room" so didn't seem "when the top is up".
it matters to my mother, she uses her 3er to do the weekly shop. it all fits in the boot, and if the newer one wasn't so big, a clk might be the better option.

Expect leaks to be a problem.

This weeks stupidity award goes to "efoxS4"

who wrote "In the race to beat Mercedes, BMW had to go this far...Not only are hardtops expensive, heavy and irrelevant, but it makes the coupe almost obsolete. The only selling points the coupe has are the lower weight and the availability of an AWD 328i, assuming the convertible doesn't come with AWD (in the race to copy Audi)."

Here's some reasons for eFoxS4 winning the award:
(a.) On a global basis, hard-top convertibles now outsell vinyl/cloth convertibles. This is why Mazda feels the need to introduce the option of a hard-top convertible. So obviously they are not irrelevant!

(b.) Most luxury, and many high volume, manufacturers have or will very soon have hard-top convertibles including Mercedes, VW, Lexus, Mazda, Pontiac, Peugeot, Volvo etc etc. One notable absence is of course Audi - but then Audi is usually late to the party and hence is a follower (as demonstrated by the late entry into SUVs). BMW is not in a race to beat Audi with the 3 series coupe and convertible, because BMW has been whipping Audi's ass with these vehicles for years!

(c.) The coupe is not obselete, presumably there are people who would prefer to pay $5,000 less for their vehicle and don't need the convertible's open roof - for example folks in the colder regions.

Who will win next week's stupidity award - stay tuned!

efoxS4, and Merc is chasing who by dropping its core values and adopting an AMG badge? No I think a hard top is a logical practical choice.. accept it and stop being bitter!