1-Series Coming

BMW of North America LLC says it will not market the hatchback version of the upcoming 1-Series, which goes on sale in Europe later this year.

BMW says it will not offer the 1.8L 4-cyl. in its new entry-level product. BMW will introduce the 1-Series in the U.S. in 2005, a year after its European debut.

“Our plan is to sell a 1-Series (in the U.S.), but we have not yet finalized which model we will bring,” BMWNA CEO Tom Purves tells Ward's during a media program for the 6-Series here. “There isn't any logic to bringing a hatchback here, because there has never been much of a hatchback market in the U.S.”

BMW's determination to keep its image as a performance brand intact is what drove Purves and his team to rule out the possibility of selling a 4-cyl. version of the 1-Series in the U.S.

“In its normal form (the 1-Series) has a 4-cyl. 1.6L or 1.8L engine, and for us to bring to the U.S. a 1.6L 4-cyl. engine and continue to be accepted by the public (as we) describe our cars as ‘the ultimate driving machine’ we think is a risk,” he says, adding when BMW previously had 1.8L cars in the U.S., they were criticized for not being fast enough.