Earlier this year, we showed you the first and then-only official (front three-quarter) image of the BMW 1 Series Sedan, a new vehicle built exclusively for the Chinese market. And now this little sedan has finally made its debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show.
Sales of the new front-wheel drive sedan – which will compete with the likes of the Audi A3 Sedan and Mercedes-Benz CLA – are set to start in China in the first half of 2017.
Based on the Munich-based group’s UKL platform (which it shares with the likes of the Mini Cooper, BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and BMW X1), the 1 Series Sedan shares a few styling cues with the two-door 2 Series up front.
BMW has now also revealed the engine options that will be available at launch: a 101 kW 1,5-litre turbo (118i), a 143 kW 2,0-litre (120i) and a 173 kW 2,0-litre turbo (125i). All three mills will be offered with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The cabin of the 1 Series Sedan boasts an 8,8-inch central display linked to BMW’s familiar iDrive system. According to reports, the little sedan will also be available with a colour head-up display, leather seats, dual-zone climate control and an array of optional features.
Will the 1 Series Sedan eventually be available outside of China, too? Well, while BMW makes it brutally clear that this model has been tailored “exclusively” to the Chinese market, it wouldn’t surprise us if a global version were ultimately conceived to do battle with the A3 Sedan and CLA.
