BMW has officially launched the 1 Series sedan at the 2016 Guangzhou Motor Show. The 1 Series is the smallest sedan from the Bavarian manufacturer and is positioned below the 3 Series sedan.
Prices for the 1 Series sedan ranges between 180,000 to 260,000 Yuan (approx. Rs 17.84 lakh – 25.77 lakh) when it will go on sale in China next year. Indian launch of this compact sedan is unclear, but will surely make it to our market once BMW decides to take the model to international markets. It currently being specifically manufactured for the Chinese market, but is likely to be introduced in India as well. It will go up against the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz CLA Class and Citroen DS5 LS in China.
BMW 1 Series sedan is based on the ‘Compact Sedan Concept’ which showcased last year. It is based on BMW’s front-wheel-drive UKL platform which also underpins the entire Mini brand. By the looks of it, the 1 Series is unmistakably a BMW There is a kidney grille upfront, LED headlamps, 3 Series inspired taillights, strong creases and character lines and a shark fin atop the roof. The 1 Series sedan measures 4,456 mm in length, is 1,803 mm wide and 1,446 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,670mm. Available with up to ten different colour options, the 1 Series Sedan gets additional two exclusive body colour – estoril blue and luminous gold.
On the inside, there is the typical BMW interior design. The dual-tone beige and black colour combo on the dashboard, an 8.8-inch floating infotainment screen for the BMW’s iDrive, atop the centre console. There are steering mounted controls and heads-up display, with the centre console slightly oriented towards the driver. It also gets an auto stop/start and brake energy regeneration, which work together with one of the three driving modes - Comfort, Sport, and Eco Pro.
BMW 1 Series sedan is offered with three petrol engine options in China. The three variants of the compact sedan are – 118i, 120i, and 125i. Under the hood of the 118i is a 1.5-litre TwinPower turbo three-cylinder engine which develops 136bhp mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Whereas the 120i and 125i packs a 2.0-litre TwinPower four-cylinder engine which produces 192bhp and 231bhp respectively and coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
