New BMW 1 Series set to arrive in 2028 and return to rear-wheel drive
The next-generation BMW 1 Series hatchback is also to be offered as an EV with cutting-edge Neue Klass tech
BMW has announced it’s launching a new entry-level EV in 2028 that will be tailored for Europe. Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but we’re certain this is the next evolution of the hugely popular BMW 1 Series.
In an exclusive interview with Auto Express last year, Bernd Koerber - who is now BMW’s chief marketing officer - said that an electric take on the 1 Series was needed in order to keep it alive in key European markets, and it seems that’s exactly what we’re getting.
The future Audi A2 e-tron rival will feature some of the cutting-edge ‘Neue Klasse’ technology from the groundbreaking new BMW iX3 SUV and i3 saloon, plus the electric version of the next-generation X5. The zero-emissions 1 Series, which could potentially be called the ‘BMW i1’, will be the car to bring these innovations to the higher volume compact hatchback segment.
BMW fans will be excited to hear that the move to battery power will make the new 1 Series rear-wheel drive, like it was when the premium hatch first launched in 2004. That’s due to the fact that BMW’s latest sixth-generation ‘eDrive’ e-motors can’t support a front-wheel drive set-up, because only the ones designed for the rear axle have an integrated gearbox.
We assume the BMW i1, or whatever it’s officially called, will sit on the same EV-dedicated architecture as the Neue Klasse iX3 and i3. But it could also benefit from some brand-new technology, specifically more low-cost LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries. Stefan Kerscher, head of battery development, said on that subject: “Something is coming. We are thinking about other battery chemistries."
Importantly, there will be petrol-powered versions of the new 1 Series, but these will use the platform from the outgoing model. This is the same strategy the latest 3 Series and MINI Cooper utilise and, like them, the combustion and electric 1 Series versions should look practically identical. Hybrid tech should be more prevalent in the new model range, though.
Was the future of the BMW 1 Series ever in doubt?
“It has never been a question that we step out of the small-car segment”, brand boss Bernd Koerber told us. “There are many markets where that is highly relevant; go to Greece, go to Spain, go to Italy – take out the 1 [Series] and that’s one-third of your business. So, if you’re a global player, you had better do things in your home markets which are relevant.
“[Secondly], it’s a very important [car], because what you see in the 1 Series is the highest share of younger drivers. How else are you going to get [those] people into the brand?”
The 1 Series, for two decades, has acted as a profitable entry point into BMW ownership, and an important model for conquest sales. As Koerber has hinted, the hatchback also has one of the youngest demographics of any model in the brand’s line-up.
Koerber continued: “The third one, a benefit of having MINI in the BMW Group, which is sometimes overseen, is that the small-car segment forces you into clever solutions – cost-efficient [ones]. If you step out of the small-car segment, what you lose is the perspective of clever, cost-efficient solutions; in a small-car segment you are forced into it.”
BMW’s new marketing chief went on to state that while car companies often use flagship models to develop innovative, high-cost technology, the same is possible the other way around.
“Once you find [solutions], you can use them also in higher segments where they apply,” he said. “If you ever forget that you have to do a lot with a little, you lose the ability altogether.”
What will the new BMW 1 Series look like?
The new 1 Series will feature many of the design elements already seen on the other Neue Klasse models. So like the latest 3 Series, there will be a fresh take on BMW’s famous kidney grilles that stretches the width of the car.
The front end could be smoother and less pointed than the current car’s, but we’re sure to see plenty of M-inspired details, big wheels and sharp creases, plus flush door handles to make the car as aerodynamically efficient as possible.
The 1 Series is likely to keep its traditional hatchback shape, mostly because the X1 and iX1 already fill the firm’s small SUV requirements, and will continue to do so as a facelifted version with the Neue Klasse design language is coming soon.
How about the interior?
Inside, the 1 Series should get the maker’s latest panoramic iDrive infotainment system, scaled down for both cost and size considerations. We’ll see the usual dark trim and body-hugging sports seats on top-spec versions, plus big-car kit such as wireless phone charging and in-built app connectivity – including the ability to access certain functions from your smartphone. It’ll be continuously connected, too, with the ability to receive over-the-air (OTA) software updates.
The new platform should also see a boost in practicality – not a 1 Series strong point previously – with the longer wheelbase resulting in significantly more rear legroom. A projected boot-capacity figure of around 400 litres would make it more practical than its predecessor, too, if a little short of the class best.
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