BMW 1-SERIES TO SWITCH TO FWD NEXTYEAR

New compact hatchback should be lighter and roomier and handle better in front-drive guise

BMW’s front-wheel-drive revolution is set to kick into high gear in 2019 with the launch of the thirdgeneration 1-series, although the flagship M130iX M Performance model will be four-wheel drive.

The next 1-series, known by the internal codename F40, is described by one high-ranking official as a distinct turning point for the German car maker, which last year surrendered the global luxury car sales lead to its key rival, Mercedes-Benz, for the second consecutive year.

The M130iX hot hatch will be a crucial part of the overhaul to FWD as BMW bids to prove that it can offer a credible FWD performance model, alongside its traditionally successful rear-wheel-drive M cars.

Currently in the early stages of development, BMW M’s future competitor to the Volkswagen Golf R, Audi S3 and upcoming Mercedes-AMG A35 is scheduled for launch in 2020. It will feature a uniquely tuned version of BMW’s turbocharged 2.0litre four-cylinder petrol engine, developing in the region of 300hp, together with a multi-plate-clutch xDrive 4WD system.

BMW controversially halted a long tradition of RWD and 4WD models with the introduction of the 2-series Active Tourer in 2014 and the subsequent launch of the larger 2-series Gran Tourer in 2015. The car maker now plans to bolster its FWD ranks with the new 1-series, which forgoes the longitudinal engine mounting of today’s second-generation model for a spacesaving transversely mounted engine.

The move is set to provide the new 1-series with a lower kerb weight and improved packaging, together with simplified production processes and greater profitability than its RWD predecessor. Nothing is official just yet, although BMW production experts suggest the new model will offer savings of up to €750 (about 30,000 baht) compared with its more complex predecessor.

With 91,802 sales in the first half of 2017, the 1-series is among BMW’s bestselling models worldwide. It also attracts the youngest buyers of all BMW models, making it a particularly important model for the future development of the brand.

The new Audi A3 rival is the first model to be based on BMW’s FWD platform called FAAR ( frontantriebs-architektur in German). According to BMW’s head of development, Klaus Frohlich, this structure is a progression of the UKL platform that underpins the 2-series Active Tourer and 2-series Gran Tourer as well as the existing Mini line-up, but with added modularity and the flexibility to support full-electric drivetrain and battery combinations.

It won’t be the first FWD 1-series model, though. That distinction goes to the 1-series saloon, which is based on the existing UKL platform and produced in a joint-venture operation between BMW and Brilliance at a factory in Shenyang, China. Although it was initially considered for sale in export markets as a rival to the likes of the A3 saloon and upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class saloon, it will not form part of the new third-generation line-up in other markets like in Europe, according to BMW.

Instead, the German car maker is lining up a new FWD four-door sister model to the new three-door and five-door 1-series hatchback models that is likely to be called 2-series Gran Turismo. Set for a launch in 2020, it is aimed at a niche currently occupied by the Mercedes-Benz CLA with what is described as a “more expressive design” than the existing 1-series.

As well as supporting FWD, the new FAAR platform has been engineered to offer 4WD with a lower weight penalty than that of the existing 1-series’ RWDbased structure. Although it is still early days, insiders suggest 4WD will add some 55kg to the weight of equivalent FWD models.

Despite the switch to BMW’s latest FWD platform, the exterior styling of the new 1-series is set to retain the cab-back influences that have distinguished it from its rivals since its addition to the BMW line-up in 2004.

As with all future BMW models, the new hatchback is set to feature its own uniquely shaped grille and headlights in a move aimed at providing greater visual differentiation between the German car maker’s individual model lines. Increases in both the wheelbase and the tracks will cause the new 1-series to grow marginally in size.

It is inside where BMW’s decision to place the 1-series on its new FAAR platform will show the biggest changes. The transverse engine mounting and less intrusion from the transmission tunnel is set to combine with the car’s longer wheelbase and extra width to provide the new model with significantly more interior space and greater flexibility than today’s 1-series.

The new 1-series hatchback and its 2-series Gran Turismo stablemate will be powered by updated versions of today’s turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder and 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engines. The more powerful versions are planned to adopt a particulate filter in an attempt to reduce CO2 emissions to a model-linespecific average of less than 120g/km, according to BMW engineering sources.

Also, from the outset of sales, there will be revised 1.5-litre three-cylinder and 2.0litre diesel engines – the most powerful of which is set to offer up to 240hp. The hot M130iX M Performance will follow in 2020.

With doubts hanging over the future of diesel sales in many key European markets, BMW has future-proofed the new 1-series by providing it with at least one mild-hybrid drivetrain in the form of a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine fitted with an integrated starter motor and 48V electric system. Similar to the system Mercedes plans to bring to the new A-class, it is claimed to provide fuel savings of up to 20% compared with today’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder 125i.

As part of further plans to meet the 95g/ km emission regulations set for introduction by the EU in 2020, BMW is also readying a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid variant of its new entry-level hatchback running a similar set-up to today’s 225eX Active Tourer, with a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor and a lithium ion battery pack.

To appease customers seeking traditional RWD dynamics, BMW plans to base the second-generation 2-series Coupe and Cabriolet, due out in 2020 and 2021 respectively, on an updated version of its CLAR platform, meaning they will retain the standard RWD and optional 4WD of today’s models.