Photo: BMW
It was back in the late summer of 2004 when BMW launched its first compact car, trying new waters for the Bavarian company. The 1 Series made its debut in typical fashion, coming out with the brand’s characteristic driving dynamics, a new look and a couple of advantages compared to the competition.
Today we’re celebrating 10 years of 1 Series brilliance and we’re taking a look back at what this model brought for the German manufacturer and its aficionados.
Over the years almost 1.9 million units of it were sold, becoming one of the best selling cars they ever made. Now at the second model in its history, the 1 Series won a couple of awards along the way as well, such as the “World Green Car of the Year” in 2008, due to the fact that it was the first BMW model with less than 100 grams of CO2 released into the atmosphere over one kilometer (on the ActiveE model). At the same time, the incredible BMW 1M Coupe won the “Goldenes Lenkrad” award from Auto Bild in 2008 and 2011.
The 1 Series was writing history just 3 years after it was originally launched. In 2007 it became the first BMW model to feature Auto Start Stop technology, a gearshift indicator, brake energy regeneration and electric power steering to reduce fuel consumption.
It wasn’t always an easy road, though. A lot of money went into marketing and the brand used famous icons to promote the new model, including Kermit the Frog that, with his unconventional, self-mocking charm, proved to be the ideal figure to promote it.
Initially, the car was launched in a 5-door hatchback variant, only to be joined in the range by a 3-door model in the spring of 2007. None of them were as cool as the one that followed in November of that same year, the 1 Series Coupe that would eventually get its own M model as well. The convertible completed the line-up in April 2008.
Over the years though, due to BMW’s naming scheme, only the hatchback models remained within the 1 Series, the Coupe and Convertible migrating into what we’ve come to know as the 2 Series today, keeping the same standards up and high within the compact luxury segment.
Over the years almost 1.9 million units of it were sold, becoming one of the best selling cars they ever made. Now at the second model in its history, the 1 Series won a couple of awards along the way as well, such as the “World Green Car of the Year” in 2008, due to the fact that it was the first BMW model with less than 100 grams of CO2 released into the atmosphere over one kilometer (on the ActiveE model). At the same time, the incredible BMW 1M Coupe won the “Goldenes Lenkrad” award from Auto Bild in 2008 and 2011.
The 1 Series was writing history just 3 years after it was originally launched. In 2007 it became the first BMW model to feature Auto Start Stop technology, a gearshift indicator, brake energy regeneration and electric power steering to reduce fuel consumption.
It wasn’t always an easy road, though. A lot of money went into marketing and the brand used famous icons to promote the new model, including Kermit the Frog that, with his unconventional, self-mocking charm, proved to be the ideal figure to promote it.
Initially, the car was launched in a 5-door hatchback variant, only to be joined in the range by a 3-door model in the spring of 2007. None of them were as cool as the one that followed in November of that same year, the 1 Series Coupe that would eventually get its own M model as well. The convertible completed the line-up in April 2008.
Over the years though, due to BMW’s naming scheme, only the hatchback models remained within the 1 Series, the Coupe and Convertible migrating into what we’ve come to know as the 2 Series today, keeping the same standards up and high within the compact luxury segment.
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