BMW to start production of
front-wheel-drive models
expected to be called the 0-Series
BMW is planning to release as many as 20 different front-wheel-drive models, Auto Express has learned. The new models will use the same platforms as the next-generation MINI and the production version of the Concept Active Tourer.
“We’ve got plans to produce up to 20 new models on this platform. Not all of them have been approved yet –
we’ve got approval on 10-12 new models,” said Ian Robertson, member of the board of management at BMW.
Although the first to arrive will be the new MINI Hatch, the firm is understood to be planning a range of MINI derivatives such as the Convertible, Coupe and Clubman models.
BMW’s offerings are thought to include the next-generation X1 crossover, a small convertible
sports car that could be called Z2 and the next-generation
1 Series, which is set to arrive in
2017.
first front-wheel-drive car Active Tourer
Under the hood lies
a 1.5-liter, turbocharged 3-cylinder engine -- also a precursor of the units that will power future small BMWs. In the Concept Active Tourer, it's yoked to electric motors driving the rear wheels and a battery pack that would allow it to travel 19 miles on electricity alone. BMW estimates the CAT would hit 62 mph in eight seconds, roughly what the 1998 BMW 318ti could accomplish, while sipping fuel at a rate of 92 mpg.
It also comes with a ECO PRO efficiency driving coach that, in BMW terms, uses the navigation system to "provide tips such as 'Remove foot from accelerator' if a tight bend or speed limit is approaching which the driver cannot even see yet."
BMW will likely have to sell cars like the Concept Active Tourer widely. BMW executives have been quoted that a majority of its
small-car buyers in Germany didn't know if their 1-Series cars were front- or rear-wheel drive --
and a big part of its future rides on the rest of the world caring less about which axle does the work and more about the badge on the hood.
