Not Even 49,000 Americans Could Get The BMW M3 Wagon To America

While many have built the equivalent, and while even BMW previously built prototypes, there has never been a production BMW M3 station wagon. Many consider this to be an absolute tragedy and a gross oversight as the M5 wagon has always been a highly sought-after collector's item and performance wagons, in general, are just stupidly cool. So when BMW announced that it would be building an M3 Touring based on the latest G80 M3 platform, the world went mad with delight. But there was only one problem for American M fanatics - BMW made it clear from the get-go that the model wasn't planned for the US.

That didn't stop a group of obsessed fans from starting an online petition to get BMW's bigwigs to change their minds. To date, the petition on Change.org has garnered more than 49,000 signatures, but BMW North America has confirmed to CarBuzz that its stance on the matter has not changed.

When reaching out to BMW's North American arm of operations for information on the M3 Touring's new Nurburgring record, a short answer told us everything:

"The car won't be sold in the US, so we won't be publishing any materials related to it on our channels," a BMW representative told CarBuzz.

Not only will it not be sold in America, but BMW is so adamant about that fact that it won't even be publishing any press releases about the model's achievements, no matter how momentous they are. Sadly, it means that not even nearly 50,000 fans could change BMW's mind.

Of course, we know that 50,000 signatures on a petition do not equate to 50,000 buyers willing to put down a deposit. But it does point to there being interest in niche models like the M3 Touring.

And sometimes, a niche halo is good for a brand. Audi of America understood this, which is why it brought the RS6 Avant to the US for the first time in its current generation. Sure, it doesn't sell in droves, but it proves the brand likes to cater to its diehard fans.

Looking at it objectively, Audi had the benefit of already having an A6 wagon homologated for American roads in the form of the A6 allroad. That made bringing the RS6 Avant in much easier. BMW doesn't sell the 3 Series Touring in the USA anymore, so it would need to expensively homologate the M3 Touring, only to sell a limited number of units, making it hard to justify the cost.

However, we still think it would be a good idea. We already know it'll only be available in 503-horsepower, 479 lb-ft Competition xDrive guise with the eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive, meaning it'll carry a premium price in any case. And if it were brought in in limited numbers, specified in a unique manner, and perhaps given a numbered plaque, then BMW could jack up the price and buyers would still pony up, purely for the exclusivity factor. While we understand BMW's rationale, we still think it's a mistake. And we're still disappointed that BMW is no longer the cool enthusiast brand it used to be.