[marcva]

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

give it to me with xdrive and msport and its the nice replacement for my gone but not forgotten e46.

Just wait a couple (Few?) more years for the new 2 GC. You'll get your four doors and rear drive. (?!)

[MalibuBimmer]

FWD. What's next? A V6?

[mkoesel]

I didn't say 6.8s was bad, I said it seemed a bit slow. You bring up another data point - the E36 M3 - that further demonstrates this. Thank you.

So, F20 125i, F30 325i, E36 M3, we could throw in the E46 328i too, and probably a half dozen others. In any case, we agree its a about a half second slower (give or take) to 100km/h than one might expect.

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

6.8 isn't that bad at all.

hmm... I wonder what the E36 M3 did... it had 240 hp.... 0-100 in around 6.2-6.3 sound right ? This of course is no M car..

wondering why there are not ACTUAL vehicle photos?

[JRobUSC]

Originally Posted by E30M3Brill

Great - so we are building VW Jettas now!!!

"we"? Do you work for BMW?

Anyway, "they" are building their version of an Audi A3 and Mercedes CLA, and I have absolutely zero problem with that. Actually, I have one problem with it -- they aren't bringing it here.

Audi and Benz each sell 2-3k A3's and CLA's per month in the U.S. That's 4-6k units per month their competitors are sharing that BMW has nothing competing with. Enter the 1er sedan, a vehicle that looks like a BMW, is as nice or nicer than either, is as tech laden or more than either, and is likely dynamically superior to both (all based on the fact the X1 is superior in all those ways to the Q3 and GLA). If BMW had that car here last year, and simply split that 6k unit monthly sales pot three ways between the 1er, A3, and CLA (i.e. taking 1k units/mo from Benz and Audi and adding 2k 1-Series units to BMW's tally), BMW would have been #1 luxury sales for the year, without all the minuscule niche splitting they've been relying on. And as a fan of the brand, I'd rather see them increase sales by coming out with desirable cars people actually want than by splitting off variants of cars that they end up having to give away.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Matski

So to describe this car as a 2-er sedan more accurate than calling it a 1-er... IMHO.

You have to remember that the upcoming F40/F41 1 Series hatchbacks, set to replace the current F20/F21 next year, will also be built on UKL just like this sedan is. They may even share some front end styling, but in any case will probably look similar. In that regard the 1 Series name makes a lot of sense here.

Originally Posted by marcva

Just wait a couple (Few?) more years for the new 2 GC. You'll get your four doors and rear drive. (?!)

This isn't confirmed, and it may not even be the most likely course at this point. While it is still possible that they could build a Gran Coupe based on the upcoming RWD G42/G43 2 Series, it is also possible that they will choose to go with a UKL vehicle instead. Or they could do neither and choose to sit out of the game yet again.

[Maynard]

From what I hear, this is actually real good looking for a car designed for the Chinese market - they LOVE the chrome and trim bits over there, so prepare for a bling-fest. Not my taste, but rather they butcher something novel, rather than tear the guts out of the 2 series.

[KSERGEI-BY]

Originally Posted by E30M3Brill

Great - so we are building VW Jettas now!!!

Please stop insulting jetta.

[KSERGEI-BY]

Originally Posted by JRobUSC

"we"? Do you work for BMW?

Anyway, "they" are building their version of an Audi A3 and Mercedes CLA, and I have absolutely zero problem with that. Actually, I have one problem with it -- they aren't bringing it here.
.

Are u serious? Look, i have nothing ageinst fwd, but seeng this after so many great renders and drawings.... Well im so disapointed they ended up bringing a set of x1+mini parts screwed together.
CLA is at least looks somehow unique. A3 has a small sedan and a practical station wagen.

[Silververtu]

Highly doubt it has such rear legroom

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by KSERGEI-BY

CLA is at least looks somehow unique. A3 has a small sedan and a practical station wagen.

The CLA gets plenty of hate for its aesthetics as well. It takes the current Mercedes design language and forces that onto a car with FWD proportions. "Unique" is one way to describe that, sure. I can think of other ways. And I don't necessarily hate the way it looks myself. It sure isn't a pinnacle of small car design though.

Regarding the A3's availability as both a sedan and 5 door - BMW has that covered with the 1 Series hatchback. In fact, they also have a 3 door just like Audi does and a convertible just like Audi does too. However, BMW also adds a coupe to the lineup.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by JRobUSC

"we"? Do you work for BMW?

Anyway, "they" are building their version of an Audi A3 and Mercedes CLA, and I have absolutely zero problem with that. Actually, I have one problem with it -- they aren't bringing it here.

Audi and Benz each sell 2-3k A3's and CLA's per month in the U.S. That's 4-6k units per month their competitors are sharing that BMW has nothing competing with. Enter the 1er sedan, a vehicle that looks like a BMW, is as nice or nicer than either, is as tech laden or more than either, and is likely dynamically superior to both (all based on the fact the X1 is superior in all those ways to the Q3 and GLA). If BMW had that car here last year, and simply split that 6k unit monthly sales pot three ways between the 1er, A3, and CLA (i.e. taking 1k units/mo from Benz and Audi and adding 2k 1-Series units to BMW's tally), BMW would have been #1 luxury sales for the year, without all the minuscule niche splitting they've been relying on. And as a fan of the brand, I'd rather see them increase sales by coming out with desirable cars people actually want than by splitting off variants of cars that they end up having to give away.

So agree here !


I would personally prefer they had made/make a 2 series sedan because it would be RWD of course.. the same attribute that sets the 2 series models away from the others in performance as well as being unique in the category.

[JRobUSC]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

So agree here !


I would personally prefer they had made/make a 2 series sedan because it would be RWD of course.. the same attribute that sets the 2 series models away from the others in performance as well as being unique in the category.

The enthusiast in me would rather it be RWD too, but the realist in me knows a rear wheel drive sedan that small would be impractical compared to its direct rivals. Look at how much more spacious the new X1 is than the old X1 and you can immediately see why a sedan that small is better off on the UKL platform than a RWD one. The 1-Series hatch in Europe, as great as it is to drive, is routinely criticized for lack of room compared to the competitors from Audi and Benz (and Ford). I'm all for them building a small RWD sports car, where practicality isn't a concern, but if they're going to make a small sedan (and they should, they really, really should), it needs to drive well AND be practical. And the 1-Series sedan should be able to fit that bill. Besides, if everyone is so up in arms about FWD they could always do what they did with the new X1 and only bring it stateside in xDrive form. Based on how a John Cooper Works Mini drives, I bet a 300+hp M135i xDrive (or whatever they'd call the hot version of the boosted 4-cyl) would be a blast.

[Nar]

This just looks like a fully-loaded Chevy Cruze. I'm not a fan one bit.

[raysspl]

I have to say -- this would sell well in the USA

[SCOTT26]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

You have to remember that the upcoming F40/F41 1 Series hatchbacks, set to replace the current F20/F21 next year, will also be built on UKL just like this sedan is. They may even share some front end styling, but in any case will probably look similar. In that regard the 1 Series name makes a lot of sense here.



This isn't confirmed, and it may not even be the most likely course at this point. While it is still possible that they could build a Gran Coupe based on the upcoming RWD G42/G43 2 Series, it is also possible that they will choose to go with a UKL vehicle instead. Or they could do neither and choose to sit out of the game yet again.

The CLA would be nicer if on the C-Klasse platform then you could really stretch it out. As it is CLA looks like a slug that crawled into a pool of salt.

Yes the next 1er Sporthatch is FWD based on the UKL architecture.
But we have other markets interested in the Sedan. It's a very youthful car and it's aimed at that particular demographic. Especially for those that would like to own a BMW as our biggest market China has a rapidly growing BMW community.
The compact segment in China shows growth in sedans as well as hatches when you compare to Europe and North America where it's SUVs and crossovers driving compact sales. It is also of particular interest that in China there is a large preowned market for BMWs. Another advantage this car will have for people that could not originally afford new.

[psuibmw]

BMW 125 sounds weird

[ron_jeremy]

the concept was so promising, then this.
A boring FWD UKL solution.
It´s not a core BMW, some will make a case this is a new modern E46, far from it. It´s a cheap easy way out, leaving the core BMW values in the dust.
But hey, maybe the notorious copycat area deserves nothing more.
On a different note, why is it everyone accept the unique and protective way of doing business with China?
Trump got that one right.

[TheBry]

Yichhh!

[Dackelone]

Just found these new videos of the Chinese market 1er sedan... Let's just say they are "different" than what we have seen from BMW before.

[wdeerfield]

Originally Posted by marcva

Just wait a couple (Few?) more years for the new 2 GC. You'll get your four doors and rear drive. (?!)

thats definitely what im banking on. a 2gc with the hatch the 4gc has in an msport with a nice turbo 4 and xdrive (i drive to the mountains in the winter)

in 3 years ill be ready to move on from the f30.

then again.. we'll have an x3m by then too.

[GeorgeA]

Originally Posted by Matski

I doubt it. IMO all the good stuff about BBA comes from BMW, Brilliance are there because BMW are required to partner up with a Chinese company, and that's pretty much it.

Of course Chinese engineers might have a better idea what the Chinese market wants, so I'd imagine the BMW engineers did take their advice on what the product should be, but probably not on how to achieve it.

I'm thinking cars from Zinoro have much more development input from Brilliance, who use the X1 simply as a base.

Ah I see, that makes much more sense. It's probably a government regulation in China, that's why they teamed up with brilliance?

[GeorgeA]

Also wonder how this would compare to a CLA and A3 sedan. There is a market for it in the US as well.