The 2014 BMW 1-Series Compact will come in 2- and 4-door-hatchback body styles. The European-market 2008 1-Series hatchback is shown here. See pictures of the BMW 1-Series.

BMW goes front-wheel drive--really--for a new smaller car based on its next-generation Mini. Slotting below the compact 1-Series, it aims to snare new customers, maximize investment, and outsell rival minicars. And, no, it won't be called "0.5-Series."

What It Is

The smallest BMW in 50 years and the company's first production model with front-wheel drive. According to Automobile and Britain's Autocar magazines, the baby Bimmer will be positioned below the compact 1-Series in size and price. The launch is said to be on for calendar 2013, which could mean a 2014-model U.S. debut.

The 2014 BMW 1-Series Compact will share a new modular architecture with the third generation of BMW's British-built Mini (expected to start rolling out in calendar '13) but will have different dimensions and BMW styling cues. Name? Not yet decided apparently, but Autocar believes the front-driver will be tagged 1-Series as well, which is bound to cause confusion, as the larger rear-drive 1s will continue. (They're being redesigned for a calendar-2012 reveal.) We use the Compact suffix here for clarity and because BMW might do likewise--as indeed it did circa 1990 to distinguish a price-leader bob-tailed hatchback coupe based on the contemporary 3-Series. In any case, marketers will have a tough time minting a moniker consistent with BMW's existing oddball model nomenclature.

Autocar says the 2014 BMW 1-Series Compact will be offered as a tall 4-door hatchback with a short nose and "one-box" profile, and as a lower, sportier 2-door hatch with a longer front and "two-box" shape. Both body styles will stretch less than 160 inches long, putting them somewhere between today's Mini Cooper and Clubman and the current 1-Series coupe and convertible. The new unibody platform--designated UKL, short for unterklasse in German, i.e. "entry level"--can accommodate a range of wheelbases and track widths to suit both future Minis and the baby Bimmers. It's also engineered for optional all-wheel drive with the addition of a multi-plate clutch and rear differential, as on the upcoming 4-door Mini Countryman.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

• 2010 BMW 1-Series Review and Prices
• 2010 Consumer Guide Best Buy and Recommended Award Winners: Check out which cars won our Best Buy and Recommended awards for 2010.
• Future Cars: Step into the automotive showroom of tomorrow with reviews, analysis, pictures, and preliminary specifications on scores of vehicles that will be appearing next year and beyond.