BMW Confirms the Death of 2 Series Active Tourer, Will Lure Customers With SUVs

Contrary to popular belief, the Active Tourer is not the same thing as an MPV. It's a normal car with a tall roof, yes, but it's designed for cross-country trips and active families, not just supermarket runs.

While Tiff Needell thinks the 2er doesn't handle like a BMW should, as it understeers into corners on the track, that may actually be true for other small Bimmers. The Active Tourer, together with its 7-seat twin, sold 68,000 units last year. That may be down from the 100,000 high of 2016, but it's still better than the niche models with strange roof designs. Profitability may be a problem too, when you consider all the separate powertrains they have to offer.

Speaking to Autocar magazine, BMW brand’s product management vice-president, Peter Henrich confirmed the death of the two models, saying that are “not at the center of what our brand stands for."

In order not to lose all those sales, BMW will instead try to convince customers into an SUV. The X1 seems like the obvious contender here, with it being based on the same platform and all. But if seven seats are what you're after, you can't find them in anything below the X5.

We'd argue that the X7 isn't at the center of what the brand stands for either, but it happened anyway. And just like the X7, the Active Tourer was birthed from the urge to compete with another German automaker, Mercedes to be more precise.

Their B-Class was, for a couple of years, the best selling car in Germany, ahead even of the Golf. But it too is falling victim to the SUV trend, as Mercedes has even developed a direct rival in the form of the GLB-Class. And the funny thing is that the 2 Series AT, which BMW will kill in a couple of years, has overtaken its Mercedes rival in sales.

Renault, Peugeot, Opel and VW are all players in this segment as well. But they've either killed off all their contenders or are developing just one fresh contender.