Talk about the misuse of the term “GT”, which is an abbreviation of the words “Grand Tourer” in English and “Gran Turismo” in Italian, by BMW.
While most of us grew up associating the term with fast, usually four-seater, coupes (okay, with Sony’s game as well), the Bavarians have applied it on their taller-riding and -roofed hatchback editions, including the existing 5-Series GT and 3-Series GT, and case in point, the upcoming 1-Series GT, which was filmed on the Nürburgring by YouTuber, TouriClips.
The five-seat version of the series (there will be a longer, seven seater model as well – see it here in prototype trim) was scooped along with a new generation Mini hatchback that was on its tail chasing it around the German circuit.
The two models are related as they are both based on the BMW Group’s front-wheel drive UKL1 platform architecture and will be offered with a similar engine lineup, which will include a new generation of 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline and diesel units.
Production of the 1-Series GT in five-seater format is expected to begin next year.
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