The new BMW 118d - the 2012 1-Series gets bigger, wider, with more cargo and passenger space.
There are some curious and conflicting trends you’ll spot wandering the vast halls of the Frankfurt Motor Show: automakers are moving ever-smaller with their newest models – even as their existing small cars get bigger.
A case in point is the 2012 BMW 1-Series, which is making its debut at this year’s German car show. Introduced six years ago as the smallest model in the maker’s line-up. But the newly-updated 2012 1-Series will be both longer and wider, according to BMW tech chief Klaus Draeger, addressing concerns about the car’s limited interior and cargo space.
The Bavarians introduced a range of variants of the next 1-Series during their Frankfurt press event, which opened this year’s well-attended show. Speeding around an indoor test track, the line-up includes a mix of diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles, such as the 118d.
The new 1-Series will be offered with a variety of powertrains - and customization options.
There’s also a new M Sports Package that will launch next March, according to Draeger, offering a variety of visual and performance enhancements derived from the BMW M catalogue.
Missing was a replacement for the 1M, the current BMW micro-supercar, which was introduced earlier this year and which will only remain in production for a few more months. In typical BMW fashion, the next M isn’t scheduled to come for more than a year into the new 1-Series lifecycle.
As is increasingly common, no matter what the brand, BMW put huge emphasis on the high-tech systems it is incorporating into the new 1-er, no surprise since many young buyers are more smitten with the wattage of a sound system and the size of an LCD screen than they are with horsepower figures.
In a word, said Draeger, expect “more” in every category of electronics, from infotainment to safety systems.
The new 1-Series will also step up the availability of parts and accessories that can be used to personalize your new car, he added.
Expect to see final numbers that show an improvement in fuel economy despite the larger size of the new line. Credit efforts to restrain weight gains and such niceties as a new 8-speed gearbox and Auto Stop/Start which shuts the engine off rather than idling at a stoplight.
The new 116d, for example, will produce just 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer even with a reasonably peppy output of 160 horsepower.
BMW officials note they’ve sold over 1 million 1-Series products since the line was launched in 2004 – and they’re hoping that the improvements of the new 1-er will click at a time when Europeans, as well as Americans, are increasingly interested in downsizing.