The BMW 315 was introduced in 1981, i.e. towards the end of the production period of the first BMW 3 Series (E21). It presented a particularly inexpensive entry-level model and was powered by a 1.6-liter in-line four-cylinder engine with 75 hp (M10). In order to keep the price of the BMW 315 as low as possible, customers had to reckon with the equipment. As a result, the exterior mirrors could only be adjusted mechanically, the interior materials were not as high-quality and there were no halogen headlights. The BMW 315 was built until the end of 1983, when the first next-generation models (BMW 3 Series E30) were already on the roads.