Photo: CarPix
BMW is currently working on a new version of the 1 Series, their cheapest model at the moment. The car is turning four next year and is due for a facelift that will bring about a new design for the front end (hopefully) and some new technology. Our spy photographers caught up with the prototypes recently and snapped a photo of the interior.
Since the 1 Series is the cheapest model the Bavarians are currently making and has to remain that way until it goes out of production in 2018, the car won’t be undergoing major changes. However, BMW has to do something about the front end that has been criticized ever since the car was originally launched.
According to our spyshots, that’s exactly what the engineers and designers are working on at the moment, along with the rear end of the car. Up front, we might even see a familiar face, one that resembles the 2 Series Coupe. After all, the two models share their underpinnings and there’s no reason why the 1 Series Hatchback couldn’t borrow some of its brother’s good looks.
Round the back, new LED strips could be introduced as suggested by the prototypes but it’s too early to make any assumptions or clear statements.
Inside the car, as you can see, the design remains roughly the same even though the one in our pics seems to be wearing camouflage over the center air vents and the CD player. From what we can make out, on top of the dash sits a new iDrive screen that has a different shape compared to the one in cars manufactured these days. While the current model has a more rectangular-shaped screen, this one seems to be sporting some curved edges, similar to the screens found on other, more up-beat models at the moment.
New B-family engines to be introduced as well
The iDrive controller will remain the same, restricting your access to touch-sensitive controllers. However, there are bigger things at play here, including the engines.
At the moment, the 1 Series is the only model that is still using older 1.6-liter PSA-developed engines, the ones that were also available on the previous generation of MINI cars. With the facelift version, they will come to the end of their production cycle that spans over the last 8 years.
That means the 114i and 116i models will get new 3-cylinder 1.5-liter turbocharged plants as well as their diesel counterparts. These are the same engines used in the 2 Series Active Tourer and the MINI.
At the same time, the higher-tier models will keep their engines until the end of production, like the 125i and the 120i versions that will stick to the N20 plants.
The facelifted 1 Series is expected to be launched early next year, with production to begin in March 2015.
UPDATE: We added four more photos, including one extra of the interior. No new details are noticeable but we thought you might enjoy a couple more shots.
According to our spyshots, that’s exactly what the engineers and designers are working on at the moment, along with the rear end of the car. Up front, we might even see a familiar face, one that resembles the 2 Series Coupe. After all, the two models share their underpinnings and there’s no reason why the 1 Series Hatchback couldn’t borrow some of its brother’s good looks.
Round the back, new LED strips could be introduced as suggested by the prototypes but it’s too early to make any assumptions or clear statements.
Inside the car, as you can see, the design remains roughly the same even though the one in our pics seems to be wearing camouflage over the center air vents and the CD player. From what we can make out, on top of the dash sits a new iDrive screen that has a different shape compared to the one in cars manufactured these days. While the current model has a more rectangular-shaped screen, this one seems to be sporting some curved edges, similar to the screens found on other, more up-beat models at the moment.
New B-family engines to be introduced as well
The iDrive controller will remain the same, restricting your access to touch-sensitive controllers. However, there are bigger things at play here, including the engines.
At the moment, the 1 Series is the only model that is still using older 1.6-liter PSA-developed engines, the ones that were also available on the previous generation of MINI cars. With the facelift version, they will come to the end of their production cycle that spans over the last 8 years.
That means the 114i and 116i models will get new 3-cylinder 1.5-liter turbocharged plants as well as their diesel counterparts. These are the same engines used in the 2 Series Active Tourer and the MINI.
At the same time, the higher-tier models will keep their engines until the end of production, like the 125i and the 120i versions that will stick to the N20 plants.
The facelifted 1 Series is expected to be launched early next year, with production to begin in March 2015.
UPDATE: We added four more photos, including one extra of the interior. No new details are noticeable but we thought you might enjoy a couple more shots.
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