Do you remember the 1 Series, offered here only briefly a few years ago? It remained alive and well overseas, and in the case of the sedan, was only available to the Chinese market until recently. BMW even stated that it had no intentions of marketing elsewhere.
Well, scratch that and let's start over. The smallest four-door car offered by the German automaker will make it's North American debut.
However, hold on before running to your local BMW dealer to place a deposit; this model will only be available in Mexico.
The sedan, which shares a platform with the MINI, will join the 1 Series hatchback, with which it shares a common engine. Adding to the confusion, the hatch is available in a three and a five-door version.
Nothing is simple at BMW.
The newcomer, a FWD sedan, will be delivered in a single model, the Sport Line, and will be offered at a price around $24,500 USD, about $2,250 less than a 3 Series model.
The car is powered by a 1.5-litre turbo, 3-cylinder that delivers 136-hp and 162 pounds-foot of torque. You guessed it; this is the same engine that is found in the MINI Cooper. It will be paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
A 2L turbo, 4-cylinder engine, this time offering 192 horses and 207 lb-ft of torque, is also available. This one is behind the S version of the Cooper, the difference in this case is that it will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
This version will be recognizable by the name 120iA, while the other will be called the 118i.
The news of it's North American arrival only pertains to Mexico for now, but that may be a signal that other things are afoot. Whenever a manufacturer swears that a particular model will not be sold in a particular region of the world, it often means that the strategy is under review upstairs, and that it may finally end up there eventually.
Consequently, we'll have to keep an eye on the next North American auto shows to see if the 1 Series makes it's debut.
We're betting that if it makes a return, it would be successful, particularly as a hatchback.