Photo: Original image by autoevolution
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.
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