Even though the US market is its second biggest in the world, BMW doesn’t offer all of its models on the North American continent. Out of the complete line-up, at the moment, the 1 Series is missing and plenty of people are asking for it as soon as possible.
According to Automotive News, the 1 Series will arrive in the US in 2017 but it will be a completely different breed compared to what the F20/F21 platform is today.
As we all know, the 1 Series will migrate to the UKL platform on the next model, joining hands with the upcoming X1, 2 Series Active Tourer and other models. Basically, everything under the 3 Series will get front-wheel drive configurations, with xDrive available as an optional feature.
All the other cars, from the 3 Series up (3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series) will be using the new 35up platform that will be destined exclusively for rear-wheel drive cars (and all-wheel drive with some exceptions).
Therefore, the BMW aficionado from the States will have access to the 1 Series but starting with 2017 and with front-wheel drive. This will be a move aimed directly at the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and the Audi A3 Sedan that are currently unchallenged on the American market if you ignore the 2 Series Coupe model.
However the 2er is a bit more expensive and less practical, appealing to a different demographic than you’d expect. At the same time it has the upper hand in driver engagement compared to the other two, as it has a rear-wheel drive setup and is available with a manual.
If the upcoming 1 Series (sedan) will be priced under or just around $30,000 Mercedes and Audi will get a run for their money. Literally.
As we all know, the 1 Series will migrate to the UKL platform on the next model, joining hands with the upcoming X1, 2 Series Active Tourer and other models. Basically, everything under the 3 Series will get front-wheel drive configurations, with xDrive available as an optional feature.
All the other cars, from the 3 Series up (3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series) will be using the new 35up platform that will be destined exclusively for rear-wheel drive cars (and all-wheel drive with some exceptions).
Therefore, the BMW aficionado from the States will have access to the 1 Series but starting with 2017 and with front-wheel drive. This will be a move aimed directly at the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and the Audi A3 Sedan that are currently unchallenged on the American market if you ignore the 2 Series Coupe model.
However the 2er is a bit more expensive and less practical, appealing to a different demographic than you’d expect. At the same time it has the upper hand in driver engagement compared to the other two, as it has a rear-wheel drive setup and is available with a manual.
If the upcoming 1 Series (sedan) will be priced under or just around $30,000 Mercedes and Audi will get a run for their money. Literally.