BMW drops diesel from the new 3 Series as European demand keeps shrinking
Why it matters: the 3 Series has offered a diesel since 1975, one generation excepted. Losing it, right as Euro 7 rules bite, is a signal of how fast diesel demand is fading in BMW's home market.
BMW has confirmed the new, eighth-generation 3 Series sedan launches in Europe with no diesel option, the first time that's happened since the original E21 in the 1970s. A BMW spokesperson told BMWBLOG the car will be offered exclusively with petrol engines, either on their own or as part of a plug-in hybrid setup. BMW won't spell out its reasoning, but the timing lines up with tougher Euro 7 emissions rules landing 29 November 2026 and years of diesel take-up sliding across Europe, where hybrids (36.9 per cent) now comfortably outsell diesel, down from 51.6 per cent diesel share in 2015.
Source: BMWBLOG, 29 September 2026, corroborated by CarExpert Australia, Motor1, Automotive News and Carscoops.