The next BMW 1-Series isn’t just a car. It is two different vehicles sharing a badge. Arriving in 2028.
Most brands try to force one vision down your throat. BMW isn’t going to bother with that. The new hatchback splits right down the middle. One version keeps the combustion engine. The other goes full electric. They wear the same clothes, sure. The design cues from the i3 and iX2 will bleed over onto the metalwork. Designer Oliver Heilmer hints at a unique grille and surface treatments. Maybe a three-door option makes a comeback. If you go electric, of course.
Inside, familiarity reigns. You will get the Panoramic iDriver. That means the big screen spanning the dashboard, the new wheel, and the usual tech layout. It is familiar enough not to alienate people buying into a brand new platform.
Autocar reports 200,001 sales last year. That number matters.
The 1-Series is a main pillar.
So how do they drive? Completely differently.
The ICE models stay front-wheel-drive. They use the aging UKL2 platform. Same architecture as today’s model. Expect the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter engines to carry over. There is also a plug-in hybrid coming. It might pair that 2.0-liter block with a battery giving you roughly 60 miles of electric range. Not huge. But it is there.
The electric version? Rear-wheel bias. It sits on the new Gen6 architecture. This matters because it changes how the car behaves on a bend. It isn’t sliding the front tires through the snow anymore.
Rumors suggest it will mimic the entry-level i3. That means a single motor in the back pushing 316 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Clean. Simple. There is chatter about an M variant too. Dual motors. All-wheel drive. 463 hp. That sounds fast.
But here is the catch.
The battery won’t be massive. Cost and space are issues. You aren’t getting a 700-mile range car. You are getting something packaged for the premium compact market. Rivals include the Audi A2 e-tron and the Mercedes A-Class EQ.
“The EV will ride on a different platform.”
One car name. Two chassis. Two driving philosophies. One will feel like a traditional BMW has finally evolved. The other feels like a traditional BMW stuck in its ways. Which one will you want to sit behind?
