BMW is planning a range of 30 rear-drive and 15 front-drive cars, according to company development boss Herbert Diess.
Talking to industry journal Automotive News Europe, Diess said the upcoming 2-series Active Tourer was the only BMW-badged front-drive model so far committed to production. However, the plan for 15 front-drive cars suggests that, as well as several Mini variants, at least five will be BMW-badged.
The 2-series Active Tourer is likely to go on sale over the summer in five-seat guise, with a seven-seat version also arriving before the end of the year. A reveal at the Geneva motor show next month is expected.
BMW sources have told Autocar the shift to using a front-wheel-drive architecture in the Active Tourer hasn't meant compromises, saying "it has been designed with dynamism and athleticism in mind. It is still a BMW".
BMW is likely to use a three-cylinder turbocharged engine to power the bulk of the range. A more potent four-cylinder 235i model is also tipped to be offered, complete with around 231bhp on tap and a top speed of 146mph.
While Europe is expected to take the bulk of orders for the 2-series Active Tourer, interest in the model is also reportedly strong in Asia and the US.
Diess also revealed that BMW was shifting to a twin-architecture future, in which the company will use single, very flexible rear-drive components set alongside the UKL1 front-drive platform. The majority of the future engine line-up is also based on the same layout of 500cc per cylinder.
Join the debate
Add your comment
RIP BMW and M...
Curious....
How many times have you posted the exact same comment (or words to the same effect) on here?
Overdrive wrote:david RS
Doesnt make him wrong
artill wrote:Overdrive
Well, he's been saying it for some time now, and so far hasn't been right, has he?
I suspect a lot of this
We all know that a BMW should come with a straight 6 petrol engine, but how would they get their cars down to the 95g/km average required by 2020 sticking to that!
To be able to still make big powerful consumptive cars you now have to sell a huge number of dull things to get the average down.
Quality