100 Cars That Changed History

“BMW 3 Series E30” by Ryanandlenny – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

15. BMW 3 Series 1975-present Germany

The 3 Series is BMWs most popular selling car of all time. Produced in six different variations with five different body styles, this compact executive car dominated luxury markets, becoming one of the highest selling luxury lines of all time. Sales of 3 Series vehicles make up 30% of all BMW sales. Its first generation, the E21, was released at the peak of the oil crisis. Combining luxury with the gas mileage of a compact car helped to propel the vehicle to instant success. The 3 Series has won so many awards, accolades, and races, it would be too time consuming to list them all here. In 2013 BMW began producing the BMW M3, a high-performance version of the 3 Series.