Watch Out Volkswagen
Who would have ever thought economy car manufacturer Volkswagen and sport/luxury automaker BMW would one day square off?
It seems to be the case more and more regularly now, with VW having edged into the luxury car market with last year's W8 Passat vying for 5-Series business, and it's most recent SUV entry, the Touareg, targeting the X5. What's more, the "peoples' car" company is readying a $100,000 plus luxury car aimed straight at BMW's flagship 7-Series. What could be next?
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| Watch out VW, with the success of the Mini under its belt BMW is planning to make an even bigger splash into the lower end of the market with the 1-Series. This unofficial artist's rendering shows how the 3-door hatchback might look. |
It looks likely that the next strike will come from BMW, but at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Bavarian marque is determined to hit the lower end of the market with a two-edged sword. The first edge of the blade, the highly successful front-wheel drive Mini, has already caused such a stir in VW's traditional market that Golf and GTI sales have suffered. But that's not all BMW has planned. The other edge might even cut deeper. Set to hit showrooms next fall is an all-new spiritual successor to the much loved '70s era 2002 sedan.
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| The new 1-Series is set to hit showrooms next fall, what many believe to be the spiritual successor to the much loved '70s era 2002 sedan. The unofficial artist's rendering shown depicts the 3-door hatchback. |
The upcoming 1-Series will be a breath of fresh air to BMW fans, many of which find the current 3-Series too large and refined for their liking. The 1 will be much smaller, even than the Compact hatchback (previously sold here as the 318 ti), targeting such luxury economy leaders as Audi's A3 (not available in North America) and once again, Volkswagen's Golf and Jetta.