BMW to Offer Full Range of 1- and 2-Series Models Based on Same Architecture
Will BMW's much anticipated 1-Series come to Canada? It is more likely to make it north of the 49th than to the U.S., based on recent comments made by Tom Purves, CEO of BMW North America.
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| BMW has officially released photos of its upcoming 1-Series 5-door. (Photo: BMW Canada) |
In various Detroit trade paper news stories the German automaker's CEO has been reported to have said the jury is still out on whether the 1-Series will enter the U.S. market or if it will merely be indefinitely delayed. And if it does make it over the Atlantic, just which iterations will be available.
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| With the release of the actual pictures, speculation is building as to which models, if any, BMW will bring the to North America. (Photo: BMW Canada) |
The news came days before BMW offered media a first look at a 5-door version of the car in question, by releasing photos. Alongside the 5-door hatch, it is expected to be available in Europe as a 3-door hatch and a four-door sedan, plus a two-door coupe and convertible model that will most likely take the numerical designation of 2-Series - to follow the company's recent renaming process that features coupes and convertible on even numbers (the 3-Series coupe and convertible will reportedly be renamed 4-Series cars. It's even possible that BMW will offer a tiny Mazda MX-5 Miata fighting Z2 at some point.
The car, as sold in Europe, will feature BMW's inline four-cylinder engine family, made up of 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter displacements. BMW hasn't sold a 4-cylinder engine in North America since the departure of the 318i sedan, coupe and convertible, as well as the ill-fated E36/5 318ti hatchback.