BMW 1 Series and 2 Series brighten up

BMW has confirmed it will soon offer both the BMW 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupe with its BMW Individual paint finishes that expand the total number of hues available to more than 160 colours.

There is a catch, though. The car-maker says that if you want, say, your Volkswagen Golf GTI-rivalling BMW 128ti hot hatch in a fetching magnolia shade, there will be a waiting time of at least 10 weeks as BMW's Leipzig factory can only paint five vehicles a day in the unique colours.

Until now, the BMW Individual colour option was only available on more expensive models, but that's changed following the Leipzig plant's paint shop being upgraded with the latest tech.

For an undisclosed price, buyers who want a truly unique finish for their 218i, or more likely a BMW M2, are now offered the further opportunity to actually create their own colour.

To allow the plant to offer more than 160 finishes, plus extra one-off creations, the paint shop now features a manual sign-off process that sees cars physically inspected to ensure the paint is perfect on every car.

Adding to the complexity, the new Individual palette includes two matte colours – Frozen Black and Frozen Orange – that take an extra 30 minutes to prepare before applying.

Already available in markets like Germany, BMW Individual colours like yellow, blue, red and purple are all proving popular among 1 Series and 2 Series owners.