A fresh report out of Europe suggests the future of small, front-wheel-drive BMW models hangs in the balance. Here’s a look at why that’s the case…
The automotive industry is in the midst of a seismic shift, particularly in European markets, where electrification has taken centre stage. There are, of course, bound to be casualties and BMW’s small, front-wheel-drive models may be among them.
According to a BMW source speaking to Autocar, the future of any next-generation compact models from Munich is very much “under review”. It all goes back to the development costs associated with a replacement for the UKL platform that underpins everything from the 1 Series (which is due a facelift soon) and 2 Series Gran Coupé to the outgoing Mini range.
The British publication claims ever-tightening emissions regulations in Europe will mean any potential successor to the UKL architecture will need to be capable of accommodating plug-in hybrid gubbins with a set minimum all-electric range. As things stand, this sort of technology tends to require a larger, more expensive platform.
“There are a number of issues to consider. Firstly, the size of UKL makes electrification harder because the potential size of a battery is restricted,” the source told Autocar.
“Secondly, the scale of UKL is an issue. [Cars based on it] sell in very low volumes in the US. The biggest potential market is probably China, in the smaller cities, but there they only want a sedan rather than a hatchback. But the volumes are quite good and such a car is important as ‘my first BMW’. If we left that market, we would be giving the market share away to rivals,” the source added.
As the publication points out, Audi has already confirmed its current-generation A1 hatchback and Q2 crossover will be discontinued at the end of their respective lifecycles, proving just how difficult it is to build small, premium electrified (never mind fully electric) vehicles with low enough price tags and large enough margins. Time will tell whether or not the likes of the 1 Series will join these two Audi models…
