Most are speculating that something close to a production ready 1-Series will debut in Detroit this coming January,
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| The 1-Series interior should follow the brand's minimalist approach, and be outfitted with high quality materials. CS1 concept door panel shown. (Photo: BMW AG) |
Its interior should follow the brand's minimalist approach, with high quality plastics, leatherette seats in base models and leather available. Don't expect a lot of complicated electronics, just a good audio system, available navigation, and a raft of safety technologies such as ABS, EBD and BMW's own DSC stability control.
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| To be taken seriously, and have a real shot of grabbing market share, the 1-Series will have to come to market with a sticker price under $30,000, and hopefully closer to $25K. |
And what will it cost? It has to enter the Canadian market at under $30,000 to be taken seriously. It would be best to target the Mini's $25K pre-Classic base price, but like the Mini don't expect any stripped, bare-bones 1s to be available anywhere outside of Europe and lesser developed countries. Even BMW's fun-loving Brit features power windows, power mirrors, power locks with remote access, air conditioning and tilt steering in its least expensive $22,700 Classic model - new for 2004.
When it does arrive, expect the 1-Series, in its various body styles and trim levels, to boost the brand well past rival Mercedes-Benz in sales. No other luxury brand manages to build as many variations from a single platform as BMW, optimizing economies of scale and providing variety for its customers. Getting multiple duty out of components also improves reliability, one of the reasons BMW factors better in most surveys than Audi and Mercedes-Benz, for instance.