Front-drive small car won't be 1 Series: BMW

There has been some speculation that BMW will build a front-drive 1 Series, but such rumours have been quashed by BMW Australia's Head of Corporate Communications, Piers Scott. That's not to say that BMW won't build a front-drive small car, it's just unlikely it will be named 1 Series.

Speaking with motoring.com.au during the international media event for the new M5, Scott explained that BMW has been working on a vehicle that will be positioned lower in the company's product range than the 1 Series — on the basis of wheelbase specifically — but that doesn't mean the car will be called '1 Series' simply because there's no number lower than '1'. Scott didn't admit that the new car is driven through the front wheels, but did confirm that a smaller car was on the way — something already established from spy pics of the car undergoing field testing.

"I wouldn't say that there's going to be a front-drive 1 Series; only that there will be a front-wheel drive BMW compact car," he responded.

But given the local launch of the new-generation (F20) 1 Series yesterday, rear-wheel drive for BMW's current smallest car in the range is very much on the menu for some considerable time to come, as Scott himself says.

"The 1 Series remains rear-wheel drive; we're still a long way off from saying what the drivetrain of the next generation of 1 Series will constitute… that's still about six years away. But we will be looking at introducing more vehicle concepts in the compact and sub-compact class, which will potentially be front-wheel drive."

Why would BMW, well known as a bulwark of the rear-wheel drive philosophy, introduce a front-drive model to the range? That's the question on the lips of practically anyone who knows anything about BMW. Scott has an answer of sorts.

"In many respects it makes more sense, because rear-wheel drive is only the superior drivetrain from a practicality and space perspective down to a certain size. When you get below a certain size it actually involves compromises with the driveline being where it is."

BMW seems committed to front-wheel drive in a small-car package, since Scott wouldn't be defending the drivetrain layout to the media otherwise. So forget "potentially", the new sub-1 Series car will be front-wheel drive. When asked whether the new front-drive sub-compact hatch would share much in the way of underpinnings with the rear-drive i3, Scott offered that "if anything, you're more likely to see platform-sharing between BMW and the MINI brands", further reinforcing the view the new BMW will be FWD.

The German company is understandably protective of its brand image and the profiles of individual models, so the current confusion within media circles concerning the front-drive hatch and the 1 Series seems at odds with what we know about the brand historically. Why has this confusion arisen then?

"I think it's because we currently don't have a smaller car," replied Scott. "So everybody assumes that the smallest car in the line-up — and there's no number under a '1' — will be the front-wheel drive car. But the reality is we've got other concepts yet to be unveiled and named, which would sit, potentially, beneath the 1 Series — if you're talking just straight wheelbase. And [they] would be potentially front-wheel drive…"

If the new FWD model is not to be named 1 Series, what will it be called? Scott wasn't saying, but given word in the past that the company was re-evaluating its nomenclature, it's also possible the front-drive BMWs will score a leading letter appended to the name. The precedent exists, with SUV's named X with a number following to denote the position in the product range. There's 'Z' for sports cars too and the company's two i-branded models unveiled recently are named with a leading 'i' to distinguish them from conventional passenger car models.

Assuming that the current passenger-car icons (1, 3, 5, 6 & 7 Series) will continue to be marketed as they are, we speculate that any front-drive models will be distinguished by a leading letter, but what will that letter be?

Why wouldn't the company name it 'i1', in keeping with the models to be sold under the i brand? From what Scott said, models to be sold as i-branded cars are more likely to be bespoke alternative-energy vehicles, whereas the sub-1 Series hatch sounds much more conventional. Its MINI underpinnings point to higher-volume production than the advanced architecture of BMW's i models.

"The vehicle architecture of the i brand [models] is unique for electric vehicles," Scott explained. "So the DriveLife concept as it has been called, constitutes two components essentially: the drive module, which is the chassis — which is comprised of the battery pack (and that is designed in such a way that the weight of the batteries is as low as possible) — and a single-structure carbonfibre-reinforced plastic passenger cell that sits on top of it."

BMW is known to be involved in a joint venture for high-volume production based on carbonfibre vehicle construction, but the sub-1 Series doesn't seem to fit the i brand's remit. While it's not impossible that BMW might choose to group the front-drive hatch with the i3 and i8 under the i brand, it just doesn't seem likely on the face of it.

We're not the kind to fritter away hard-earned dosh on a wager, but 'C1' could be an even bet, as a name for the new model. BMW has already sold a quirky, partially-enclosed scooter named 'C1' in the past. With 'C' being the leading letter in the English word 'City', it would make sense for the new front-drive model. The only problem is that if the front-drive model range expands, Citroen already has dibs on 'C2' and 'C3'. Perhaps 'U' for 'urban'...?

Picture courtesy Carparazzi

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