Last week Autocar brought us more news on the future of the front-wheel drive BMW range, including this Alfa-esque rendering.
The latest info suggests the front-wheel drive BMW will actually be badged as a 1 Series, and not 0 Series as first expected. It won’t replace the existing rear-drive platform, rather, from 2013 you’ll be able to order your 1 Series with front or rear wheel drive.
While the above image relies on some guesswork the expectation is the front-wheel drive 1er will look quite different to its rear-wheel drive sibling.
BMW don’t expect the front-drive 1 Series and the MINI to steal sales from each other. They refer to the Volkswagen Group’s success with the Golf and Audi A3 models as an example of two similar cars appealing to different buyers. Speaking about the BMW-MINI market segments a BMW insider has said to Autocar, “Our research shows BMW and MINI appeal to different buyers.”
Prototypes of the front-drive BMW should be on the roads in about 12 months from now. Expect lots more speculation between now and then, too.
[Source: Autocar]
4 replies on “More news on the front-wheel drive BMW”
boooo
Ewww – looks like someone’s stuck some squashed abomination of a BMW fromnt grill on the front of an Alfa 147!
It’s the new 316i coupe.
The reference to Golf/A3 is a silly one since they are two different brands. If BMW plan to sell the 1 Series as both FWD and RWD versions, they will be offering a completely different concept. The only way I see this working here is if they introduce it as a 3-door FWD car and 5-door RWD car (or some variation). Why we don’t get the E81 3-door hatchback 1 Series is a mystery to me. It’s a much more handsome car than the E87.