Filed under: Crossover, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury
BMW is putting a lot of its chips on the success of its forthcoming front-wheel drive models, and it's making a big bet on the company's future in hoping that customers will accept them. Its front-driving UKL platform is underpinning not just the current crop of
Minis but a host of BMW vehicles too. The rollout starts with the
2 Series Active Tourer in Europe later this year. But the Bavarian brand confirms to
Automotive News Europe that the next one is the
X1 crossover,
slated to come to Europe next June. It will also be joined by the
X2 next summer,
confirming earlier rumors about the fashionable CUV's existence.
As the previous spy photos suggest, the X1 is even smaller than the current model, and
it supposedly uses the same crop of turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines as Mini. But according to
Automotive News Europe, the little guy is getting an extended, three-row version for the US, Russia and China. Like with the
X4 or
X6, the X2 shares most of the mechanical parts with its more conventional-looking sibling but features sleeker styling.
To make all of these UKL-based models possible, BMW is sharing development among them as much as is practical. According to
Automotive News Europe, the next generations of the
Mini Countryman,
Clubman, X1 and X2 share the same electrical systems, drivetrains and more. Adding in the Active Tourer and still mysterious
Family Active Sports Tourer to the mix, and the result is a big gamble that needs to go Bimmer's way.
2016 BMW X1 will be second model on company's front-drive platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Aug 2014 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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