If you've got a BMW tattoo, on your body or brain, chances are this is the car you've been waiting for all year.
The 3 Series is the bread and butter of the BMW line-up, the popular model, and the unveiling of an all-new one is easily the biggest motoring news of the year.
So here you have it - BMW pulled the covers off the sixth-generation 3 Series at an event in Germany this afternoon and the design is not much of a surprise.
Besides the headlights that sneak into the grille area, the new Three resembles a downscaled 5 Series in most respects and designers have surely struck a decent balance that will keep most customers from crying foul.
As with the recently unveiled 1 Series, the 2012 3 Series packs in a brand new range of highly efficient engines, with the petrol units receiving TwinPower Turbo technology. It's not just relying on the new engines, including idle-stop systems across the range, to save you at the pumps, however.
The new sedan is also up to 45kg lighter than its predecessor, despite having grown by 93mm in length. Of course, its bigger dimensions also result in more passenger space, with rear legroom having grown by 15mm and headroom by 8mm.
Back to the engines, the initial range will offer 328i and 335i petrol variants and two versions of the 320d. More engines will follow in the months following the global market launch in February 2012 and you can also expect a full hybrid version to show face towards the end of that year.
For now the flagship will be a 335i fitted with a 225kW/400Nm version of BMW's 3-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine. A notch below, BMW has now fitted a 1997cc turbocharged four-cylinder engine to the 328i, but it's still good for 180kW at 5000 - 6500rpm and 350Nm from 1250rpm.
BMW claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.5 seconds for the 335i and 5.9 seconds for the 328i, with combined fuel consumption from 7.2 and 6.3 litres per 100km respectively.
Although not announced yet, you can be almost certain that the new 135kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo (from the new 1 Series) will filter its way into the bottom end of the range.
BMW's big boasting point on the diesel front is the new 320d EfficientDynamics Edition, which sips just 4.1 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, equating to a hybrid car-like CO2 emissions rating of 109g/km. The conventional 320d consumes 4.5 l/100km and emits 119g/km. The less efficient version is more powerful however, producing 135kW at 4000rpm and 380Nm from 1750rpm (the ED has 120kW and the same torque figure).
The 2012 3 Series will also offer the option of an eight-speed automatic gearbox for those not satisfied with the six-speed manual 'boxes that feature across the range.
As you'd expect from a German car in this day and age, the new Three will be offered with a wide range of gadgets, including a head-up display option and a wide range of driver assistance systems including Active Cruise Control and lane change/lane departure warning with collision warning and Surround view. Certain markets will also have the option of special apps that access social networks.
The premium sedan is also most willing to adapt to the differing desires of its drivers, with a new system called 'Driving Experience Control'. In addition to the more conventional 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Sport+' settings, it also sports an 'Eco Pro' mode, which BMW says can help reduce consumption by up to 20 percent.
As with the new 1 Series, the Three will offer a range of equipment packages, in this case: 'Sport Line', 'Modern Line' and 'Luxury Line'.
Like the current model, the 2012 3 Series will be built in South Africa's Rosslyn assembly plant outside Pretoria for both local consumption and export.