Is this a good explanation?
When BMW announced that they would build an HTML3 Touring, you can imagine the excitement among high-performance wagon enthusiasts. The M division has not had an answer for decades to the Mercedes-Benz C63 Estate and Audi RS4 Avant. It will now be a fascinating comparison test, with the M3 Touring.
This comparison wouldn’t work in the USA. BMW M stated that they would not be selling the M3 Touring in the US. A spokesperson for BMW USA explained the situation. According to BMWBlog‘s report, “We reviewed whether the car could possibly be homologated for U.S. markets, but unfortunately it was found out to be prohibitively expensive,” stated the representative.
What makes it so expensive for the company to bring the M3 Touring to America? Crash test regulations are the reason. BMW USA has stopped selling Touring models to the country. The current 3 Series Touring was not certified to meet US crash test requirements. The homologation process must be completed to make the M3 Touring legal for the USA.
BMW will also have to crash-test several examples of the car before it can be modified according to the requirements. The M3 Touring is a limited-run car, so it makes business sense for BMW to abandon the US market. An petition was filed earlier this year to bring the model to America. It seems that BMW USA has made that decision.
Audi could be argued to have brought the RS6 Avant to America despite there not being an A6 Avant in the US. The A6 Allroad meets or exceeds US regulations, making homologation of the RS6 a lot easier.
This is a huge blow to US customers who have always wanted a wagon with a BMW roundel and high-performance. There are still ways to bring the forbidden fruit to America. First, the law allows you to display your car. This is a different legal battle because the car has not been launched yet and the government has a list that falls under the rule. This second option requires patience as you will have to wait for 25 years before it can be brought over to the country.