Although BMW officially announced its new 1-Series Sedan back in July when they released a single picture of the car, they’ve mostly kept us in the dark about their new compact saloon that will be made for, and sold exclusively, in China.
But China, being China, new photos and information about the 2017 BMW 1-Series Sedan have already trickled out on the internet ahead of a reported world premiere at the 2016 Guangzhou auto show in November and before it goes on sale in the first quarter of 2017.
These images, courtesy of China’s Autohome, provide a first look at the 1-Series saloon’s rear end, which may give some of you a US-market VW Jetta/Passat vibe, along with the exterior differences between the various trims.
They also tell us that BMW’s Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA rival will be available in China in at least three model flavors, including the 118i said to be powered by a 1.5-liter turbo’d gasoline 3-cylinder producing 136 horses, the 120i featuring a 192 horsepower 2.0-liter turbo gasoline four, and the 125i with a 231 horsepower version of the aforementioned 2.0L unit.
When the Germans announced the 1-Series Sedan that was previewed through the Concept Compact Sedan last November, they said it’s the “first compact sports sedan under the BMW brand”. While technically true when compared to today’s compact and mid-size models, at 4,456mm (175.4 in.) long, 1,803mm (70.9 in.) wide, 1,446mm (57.7 in.) tall, with a 2,670mm (105.1 in.) wheelbase, the 1-Series Sedan is actually longer than the E36 3-Series (4,432mm / 174.5 in.).
The 1-Series Sedan, which shares the company’s front (and all-wheel drive) UKL architecture with the MINI, BMW X1 and 2-Series Gran Tourer, will be manufactured exclusively with Brilliance Auto, BMW’s joint venture partner in Shenyang, China.
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