Here’s why the BMW 3-Series GT is going away

2014 BMW 3-series GT

BMW spent the last decade filling niches that few suspected needed to be filled. Now it’s taking one away. Harald Kruger, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG, confirmed in a press conference this week that the BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo will not be renewed after the current generation.

The 3-Series GT debuted in 2013 for the 2014 model year along with the rest of the 3-Series range, aiming to offer a slightly roomier four-door hatchback sedan bodystyle. The GT boasted a wheelbase that was 4.3 inches longer than the sedan and 7.9 inches longer overall. The car also sat a little higher than the sedan, and the seats were positioned a couple of inches higher as well. Curiously enough, the 3-Series GT offered just 1 cubic foot of cargo room more than the sedan with the rear seats up, despite being quite cavernous with the rear seats folded down.

Related Story

• 

  2020 BMW 3-Series First Drive

Why is the 3-Series GT going away? It’s not the demand, apparently, but rather BMW’s cost-cutting campaign, which would benefit from a reduced variety of models on the assembly lines. BMW offers a station wagon version of the 3-Series and will continue to do so, giving buyers a more versatile version if needed. But the move may signal a swing toward BMW valuing a more streamlined model lineup to cut costs rather than offering dozens of specialized models. We’ll certainly see fewer engine choices from BMW in the coming years — this is perhaps bigger news than the 3-Series GT being cut.

Other GT models including the 6-Series GT, formerly known as the 5-Series GT, are in no danger of going away, but the time to get a 3-Series GT is running out because the current model doesn’t have much shelf time left: BMW debuted the 2020 3-Series sedan at the Paris motor show last year, and the model went on sale in Europe in March of this year. This doesn’t leave the 3-Series GT much time on dealer lots.

Jay Ramey

Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.