Updated on 3rd September 2013
The BMW 1-Series is the smallest offering from the company in India, the company claims that it will not be compromised in any way because of the said fact though. The 1-Series will deliver the company’s ethos of driving pleasure as much as any other model in their lineup. The BMW 1-Series thus has a 50:50 weight distribution, rear-wheel drive setup and two twin-turbocharged motors among other features to make it a driver’s car.
Prices
The BMW 1-Series will be available in four variants: the 116i, the 118d, 118d Sportline and the 118d Sportline Plus.
Prices are as follows:
BMW 1-Series 116i: Rs 20.90 Lakh
BMW 1-Series 118d: Rs 22.90 Lakh
BMW 1-Series 118d Sportline: Rs 25.90 Lakh
BMW 1-Series 118d Sportline Plus: Rs 29.90 Lakh
Features
BMW is highlighting the fact that the 1-Seires does not compromise on the core values of a BMW car even though it is the smallest offering from the company in India. There is a lot of emphasis on performance and handling so we will first look at the performance aspect of the car.
Engines and Tansmission
The BMW 1-Series is powered by two motors: a 1.6-litre, 134 BHP/220 Nm, twin-turbo petrol motor and a 2.0-litre, 141 BHP/320 Nm, twin-turbo diesel motor.
Both the motors are coupled to an 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission as standard, there is no option for a manual-transmission.
The petrol motor equipped 1-Series has a 0-100 acceleration time of 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 210 KMPH. The 1-Series in the diesel avatar does the 0-100 KMPH dash in 8.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 212 KMPH.
Handling
As we have mentioned before BMW claims that the handling characteristics of the 1-Series have not been compromised one bit. The specs on paper do look promising.
Dimensions of the car are as follows (L x W x H in mm): 4324 x 1984 x 1421. It has a wheelbase of 2690 mm.
As you can see the car is short, low and has a long wheelbase; good characteristics for driving-oriented car. Couple this to the lightweight construction of the car, 50:50 weight distribution and a rear-wheel drive setup, you have a car which should be a hoot to drive. The car is shod with 16-inch wheels on the 116i, 118d and 118d Sport variants and 17-inch wheels on the 118d Sport Plus variant along with run-flat tyres.
Features like Servotronic (electric) steering, Sport and Sport+ driving modes make the car more engaging to drive.
Paint Options
- Alpine White
- Black Sapphire
- Crimson Red
- Deep Sea Blue
- Glacier Silver
- Midnight Blue
- Mineral Grey
- Valencia Orange
Exterior Features
Standard
- Front fog lamps
- Automatic headlamps
- Rear parking distance sensors
- Run flat tyres
- Alloy wheels
Sport and Sport Plus
- Black high-gloss slats on the grille
- Black-chrome tail-pipe
Sport Plus
- Anti-dazzle mirrors
- Xenon headlights with washers
Interior Features
Standard
- Air conditioning
- Leather multi-function steering wheel
- Start/Stop button
- CD player with AUX
- Black cloth upholstery with silver trim
Sport and Sport Plus
- ‘BMW Sport’ sills
- Sport multi-function leather steering with red stitching
- Black sport seats at front, with contrast stitching
- Black gloss interior trim with red highlights
- 2-zone automatic air-conditioning with rear-air-vents
- Sliding front armrest
- Glass roof
- iDrive controller with 16.5 cm display and CD player
Sport Plus
- Anti-dazzling interior mirror
- Interior lighting package (mood lighting etc.)
- Hi-fi speaker system
- Bluetooth and USB connectivity
Safety Features
Standard
- 6 air-bags
- Anti-lock Braking Sytem (ABS)
- Cornering Brake Control
- Stability Control with Traction Control
- Side-impact protection
- 5-star EURO NCAP rating
Updated on 7th August 2013
The BMW 1-Series will be launched in India on the 3rd of September 2013.
The entry-level car from BMW will be offered with two engine options in India according to Autocar:
- A 2.0-litre, 143 BHP diesel motor
- A 1.6-litre, 136BHP turbocharged petrol motor
Both the engines will be mated only to an 8-speed automatic transmission. BMW has received good reviews in other markets for following the perfect recipe of a longitudinal engine layout-50:50 weight distribution-rear wheel drive in its smallest offering. The N=BMW 1-series will hopefully be as good in India even though it does not get the same engine options as other markets.
We do hope the M1 comes to India too, that is certainly a car to look forward to.
Updated on 22nd July 2013
BMW has started testing the BMW 1-Series in India. The car seems to be in the final stages of testing as it was being driven with minimal camouflage.
When launched in September 2013, the BMW 1-series will be the smallest car in BMW’s lineup in India and will be marketing as a luxury hatchback like the Mercedes A-Class. The car, in international markets, gets various engines options including
- 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, twin-turbo petrol
- 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol
- 1.6 litre, four-cylinder petrol
- 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel
- 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel
BMW has not specified which engines it will be offering in the 1-Series in India though.
photo courtesy – Autocar India
The BMW 1-Series will be assembled in India, in BMW’s plant at Chennai and the price is expected to be in the range of Rs. 20-25 lakh.
You can check out more photos of the BMW 1-Series below:
BMW 1-Series Photo Gallery:
[nggallery id=20]
Updated on 15th June 2013
BMW has officially started promoting the 1-Series in India. They’ve posted an online contest, called ‘The Dynamic 1’, which promises to take 10 winners to experience the new 1-Series at the BMW and MINI Driving Academy in Maisach, Germany. The winners will be taken on a 4-days/3-nights all expenses paid trip, and will drive the 1-Series along with cricket maestro and BMW India brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar and racing driver Armaan Ebrahim. The contest ends on 30th June 2013.
And that should probably be the time when BMW debuts or launches the 1-Series in India. The 1-Series will directly compete against the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class and to some extend with the Audi Q3 and the recently launched Volvo V40 Cross Country. Stay tuned for more news.
photo source: BMW ‘The Dynamic 1’ contest page
Updated on 30th April 2013
BMW is taking Indian market very seriously, and want to continue with its leadership position in luxury car market of India. BMW recently launched the new facelifted 7-Series in India. On the occasion BMW India’s President, Mr. Philipp Von Sahr commented about the possibility of the BMW 1 Series India launch. He said that the BMW 1-series will be launching in India in September 2013. This hatchback will be assembled through CKD kit in India at the Chennai situated facility of the German car maker.
Expressing his views on the India EU trade agreement he further said that they are still not clear about the terms and conditions that were decided in the FTA. Therefore, he appreciated to refrain from commenting on the issue unless everything is clear to them.
He was also asked about if they plan to assemble more mini cars in India like Mini Countryman he said that they have been considering the matter but the final word will be given after some time.
BMW India, at present, has been assembling a wide selection of cars through Completely Knocked Units (CBU) route in India. The step has been taken on account of the Indian Government continuous increase on import duties with each passing year. The strategy has done well in favor of the Government as more and more car makers are now assembling their vehicles in India including premium car manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz.
Source – IndianCarBikes
