Production chronology1975–1983
Sourced production or model lifecycle range used by the main catalog timeline.
Wikipedia lead ↗9 years
← BMW
BMW / Model record
BMW3 Series
Production1975–1983
Recorded originGermany
ClassSubcompact Cars
Also known asBMW E21
Built1,354,958 units
Background
The BMW E21 is the first generation of the BMW 3 Series, a range of compact executive cars. The E21 was produced from June 1975 to December 1983 and replaced the BMW 02 Series. The series was exclusively built in a sporty two-door sedan / coupé body-style. Contrary to its predecessor, a 'Touring' body with a sloped rear hatch was no longer offered. Six-cylinder models were made immediately recognizable by quad round headlights, instead of the basic two.
Text adapted from “BMW 3 Series (E21)” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · retrieved 2026-07
Chronology ledger
Dates with their meaning intact
US EPA model years1984–1988
Model years represented in FuelEconomy.gov; a US-market observation, not a worldwide production range.
EPA FuelEconomy.gov ↗Observed bounds
Canadian NRCan model years1995–2026
Model years in Natural Resources Canada retail fuel-consumption data; Canadian-market evidence, not a worldwide production range.
Natural Resources Canada ↗32 years
Netherlands RDW first-admission observations1990–2024
First-admission years observed in Dutch vehicle registrations; this is market evidence, not a worldwide production range.
Netherlands RDW ↗35 years