More People Than Ever Want The M3 Wagon In The USA

A Change.org petition started in the summer of last year is close to hitting its target of 5,000 petitioners, with the final goal of bringing the BMW M3 Touring to America. The number of signatories doesn’t sound like a lot, but that would be a significant number of sales for a performance wagon here in the US.

In case you missed the memo, last year, BMW announced an M3 Touring was happening, based on the latest generation G80 BMW M3. Details have already been confirmed that it will be available in one spec, that of the M3 Competition xDrive, meaning you’ll get 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, all-wheel drive, and dishearteningly, only an automatic gearbox will be available. But that hasn’t stopped US wagon enthusiasts from begging BMW to bring the wagon stateside.

“Please embrace Audi’s decision to bring their RS6 Avant to the US Market and do the same with your upcoming G81 M3 Touring,” the petition reads. “Some individuals have already reached out to local dealers, but this should collectively represent the level of excitement and interest for your first-ever M3 Touring.” At the time of writing, it’s been signed by 4,550 people.

We don’t doubt that BMW has been thinking about it while watching Audi’s RS6 Avant’s reception carefully. It’s worth remembering that Audi was remarkably blunt about its decision to bring the RS6 to the US. At the Frankfurt auto show in 2019, Audi North America Director for Product, Technology, and Motorsports Mark Dahncke told us that the RS6 Avant “is those demanding customers’ last chance to get a performance wagon in America if they don’t buy this one.”

We’ve seen that customers being vocal can have an effect on an automaker’s decision, but automakers are also aware that vocal demand doesn’t necessarily translate into sales.

There are reasons for optimism for the M3 Touring coming to the US. It wouldn’t compete with the full-size RS6 Avant as it’s more comparable to the smaller RS4 Avant that Audi isn’t selling here. That means it would be more affordable than the RS6’s $109,000 starting price. Also, BMW M is coming off a record year for sales worldwide, and the US was BMW M’s strongest market. Right now, though, we can only hope BMW believes there is a business case for bringing the M3 wagon to the US.