The next-generation BMW 1 Series hatchback has been
photographed testing in Europe. The new 1 Series hatch won’t be the first BMW
utilising a front-wheel drive platform, but it will be the first model from the
company’s global core sedan, hatch and coupe range.
The next-generation 1 Series sits on the UKL front-
and all-wheel drive platform that underpins the Mini range, as well as the
China-only 1 Series sedan. It will mean the new 1 Series will have a more
accommodating interior, even if exterior dimensions don’t increase.
We can’t make out many of the car’s styling details
as BMW is still using temporary lights at both the front and back, and there
are false body panels fitted underneath the camouflage wrap.
Motivation will come from a familiar selection of
turbocharged three- and four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. A plug-in
hybrid model is also strongly tipped, and a pure electric variant is a
possibility.
With this car’s hunkered down suspension, low
profile tyres, deep sills, and large diameter dual exhaust tips, we believe
this vehicle is a prototype of the rumoured M140i xDrive, which will come
standard with a powerful four-cylinder turbo and all-wheel drive.
It’s likely the new third-generation 1 Series hatch
won’t make its debut until 2018. If so, the car won’t go on sale in Australia
until later in the year.
