2009 bmw 1-series
BMW should offer a full range of body styles for the 2012 1-Series. The 2009 BMW 1-Series is shown here. See pictures of the 2010 BMW 1-Series.
Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2012 BMW 1-Series

A ground-up redesign promises big changes for the smallest BMW. Besides new powertrains with higher mpg and lower CO2, the redesigned 1-Series should offer more body styles and maybe all-wheel drive.

What We Know About the 2012 BMW 1-Series

The BMW 1-Series bowed in America for model-year 2008, but has been sold elsewhere since early 2004. That means a redesign is coming due, and BMW is now working to finish it. Various overseas reports indicate a European rollout starting in calendar 2011, which suggests a 2012-model U.S. debut.

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According to Britain's Autocar magazine, "BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer has vowed to make the [new] 1-Series a key component of the company's growth plans, in which it has targeted two million sales annually by 2020." That's a global goal, but it could mean an expanded role for the 1-Series in the vital North American market, which is slowly but surely moving to smaller, more economical vehicles in just about all categories.

If our hunch is right, the redesigned 2012 BMW 1-Series will offer a full range of body styles for consumers on this side of the Atlantic, with the Euro-market mainstay 2- and 4-door hatchbacks joining the coupe and convertible that were created mainly with America in mind. There's also talk of a 1-Series Touring wagon, plus a notchback sedan, and a coupe-styled 4-door hatch in the mold of the just-announced 5-Series Gran Turismo. All would be firsts for the 1-Series line regardless of market. Also rumored is a related entry-level "Z2" roadster that we cover separately in "Notable Feature" below. Last but not least, the next 1-Series may also sire a 2-door specialty coupe with raised suspension and all-wheel drive, something like the 2000 X-Coupé Concept that heralded BMW's "flame surfacing" design theme. The AWD, which might also be listed for other body styles, would be based on that of the 2011 BMW X1 premium-compact SUV.

But we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. Like today's models, the 2012 BMW 1-Series will share many underskin components and some structural elements with the company's 3-Series premium-compact cars, which are getting their own redesign for a probable U.S. landing as 2013 models. That project is codenamed F30; the redesigned 1-Series is F20. Reporting by Autocar and Britain's CAR magazine indicates the new baby Bimmers will follow the 3s in adopting a longer wheelbase--stretched here by 1.5 inches to 106.2--and axle tracks widened by 1.5 to 2 inches. We think overall length and height will stay roughly the same, and that curb weights will see modest gains of only 100 pounds or so, depending on body style and equipment. Styling appears to be a cautious update of today's look, judging by test prototypes photographed in Europe. The main change should be a somewhat higher hoodline with a correspondingly taller front fascia, this to comply with the European Union's new pedestrian-protection standards.

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