BMW shows off its 3cyl
 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/256570/

While checking their scoop on the FT-86, I noticed this as another story on the page.

The 3Cyl thing is really whatever....but FWD? Really? Never thought I'd see the day BMW would make a fronter...
Yes, I realize about Mini...but this article was talking about a car wearing the BMW badge being a fronter. Hadn't heard about this before.

That would be a shame if they end up moving the 1 series to FWD or something like that. That is BMW's entry level car afterall so I assume that's what could happen. Using it in the Mini I could understand since they're already transverse/FWD. It looks like the Autocar writer is confused about what it will be used in though. The current 1 series is longitude engines so that excludes that. And the 1 series already has efficient 4 bangers so it's probably just for their Mini brand cars. Which has been FWD since it's inception. So nothing will really change other than the number of cylinders.

Talk about a major paradigm shift for BMW to introduce a FWD vehicle. I see some potential in this! Curious to see what small car they currently have in mind.

There were talks in BMW where they will introduce the fwd as the next 1 series. The current 1 series will then be bumped to 2 series. The company did a survey of their current 1 series owners and the majority (85%?) do not know the 1 series are rwd. I think I saw this a while ago in some Canadian blog. Apparently the survey was done in north America.

Apparently, someone is buying the emblem, not necessary the car or it's performance.

^...wtf LOL

but hm...maybe they will be a "0" series? that would be kinda cool

Sounds like most Americans I know.

See if I can make this work....

Joe: so what do you drive, son?
John: a Zero thirty-five.
Joe: so a Nissan Z35. A nice car.
John: ..........

I'm not opposed to FWD cyl engines, but BMW might lose some of it's standards. Almost any BMW car can go 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, but now that won't be so. However, most people buy BMWs for the status, not for the specs. This is probably a city car to help BMW's average MPGs, like how Aston Martin made the cygnet.

BMW sells 4 banger Gasoline and Diesel versions in Europe so that's only their mid-top range engines/cars. It's only in the US that we get the 6 cylinder only treatment. We don't get the hatch 1 series either :(.

Yeah, even the first M3 was a four cylinder. Could you imagine if they did that now? Even if the engine and car was EPIC, there would be a huge outcry of protest.

Like if Porsche made a 4 banger based car :rolleyes:?

Precisely haha.