Purists will wince at the latest example of the brand?s transformation: A concept for a compact, front-wheel-drive BMW MPV will be unveiled at the Paris auto show late next month. The existence of this Paris-bound concept has been rumored for months?most recently reported by Auto Express?and was confirmed to us by a high-ranking BMW source.
Its front-wheel-drive architecture will be shared with the next-generation Mini, and its engines will come from the corporate parts bin. Under the stubby nose we?ll see the new, modular three- and four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. We believe the 1-series Gran Turismo?which we understand will likely be its name when it begins production?will be powered by a 1.5-liter three-cylinder unit, but a pure EV won?t be offered. ?We don?t want to dilute our i sub-brand,? our source tells us.
What?s new is that the 1-series GT?which we?ve managed to catch here in a few spy photos?will be launched just one year after the concept, at the 2013 Frankfurt auto show. Its styling will be unspectacular given the packaging constraints, but will feature distinct BMW cues. Front- and all-wheel-drive versions will be offered; a hybrid could come later, but it?s not a priority.
Why does BMW need a small people mover? The brand has studied the purchasing behavior of shoppers in its home market and discovered that BMW is weak in a market dominated by cars such as the Mercedes-Benz B-class and the Volkswagen Golf Plus. While a typical BMW customer in Germany may have a diesel-powered 5-series as a company car, that customer won?t be able to add an affordable, practical second BMW for everyday use. That?s where the opportunity lies for the 1-series GT, and the company is betting that purists will prefer this dynamic people mover, with its Mini and BMW genes, to the even more mundane offerings of the competition.
Nevertheless, it is a risky proposition. There is a strong focus on fuel economy, the i sub-brand, and hybridization at BMW. Where is the fun? Brand loyalists wait for more lightweight cars, they mourn the disappearance of the straight-six from the mainstream models, and they would love to see a mid-engined supercar to compete with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Audi R8. We wish the 1-series GT success, if only to enable BMW to do a few of the aforementioned high-performance projects. The downside is that the people mover will pave the way for more front-wheel-drive vehicles?the third-generation 1-series could be next.
