Competition within the luxury market is intense, especially in China, and premium automakers appear to be relying more and more on small entry-level cars to keep their sales numbers headed in the right direction. That may be why BMW chose China's Auto Guangzhou 2015 show to introduce its latest concept car. What better venue than a huge auto show in BMW’s largest market to let the world see what the company has in mind—perhaps for its BMW 1 Series entry-level sedan.
BMW calls it the BMW Concept Compact Sedan. BMW Group’s Senior Vice President for Design Adrian van Hooydonk explains the company’s vision, saying, “The BMW Concept Compact Sedan reveals the potential we see in a compact sedan. It not only gives the driver and passengers generous amounts of space within a compact area but does so while providing the sporting ability you’d expect from BMW and an elegance otherwise only available in large BMW sedans. The quality and intrinsic value of the BMW Concept Compact Sedan are clear signals of our premium intentions for the car.”
Translation: It’s a small, entry-level car, but it’s a really nice, small, entry-level car that will look, feel, and handle like a BMW should.
Even though it has front-wheel drive.
The BMW Concept Compact Sedan is not the next 1 Series, which will be nearing the end if its model life within the next couple of years. However, we would not be surprised if the next 1 Series looked a lot like this concept. For example, BMW previewed what would become the i3 and the i8 with “concept” cars that were almost visually indistinguishable from the production versions.
BMW sees the new generation of young drivers in China as one of its biggest market segments. According to BMW, they will be drawn to quality, aesthetically pleasing, fun cars. “The characterful design of the BMW Concept Compact Sedan embodies the driving pleasure offered by a sporting car with minimized exterior dimensions. It is as distinctive as it is essential—and, as such, it injects new life into the compact segment. This four-door sedan stands for everything that sets BMW apart,” said Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles.
Hence the BMW Concept Compact Sedan.
The car looks like a BMW, with its substantial, sweeping hood, set-back greenhouse, pronounced swage line, short overhangs, and Hofmeister kink. Distinctive flared wheel arches containing 20-inch light-alloy wheels impart the sporty nature of the vehicle.
The car is being revealed with Liquid Metal Bronze paint, an exclusive color that shifts between dark and light depending on the angle and brightness of the light. The window surrounds and mirror stalks are an understated polished aluminum—classy, but not detracting from the extraordinary paint.
The kidney grilles are big, and so are the center and two side air intakes that automatically make you believe the car means business. The LED headlights demonstrate the evolution of the BMW hallmark quad circular lights. This newest iteration makes it clear that the recent trend continues—that of chopping off the top third of the headlights that have now become more angular—hexagonal—than round.
The rear is clean and both high and low. It seems to be a big back end for a smallish car. The traditional L-shaped taillights have given way to a more elongated, amorphous shape, but inside the red plastic lies an L-shaped LED element to reassure BMW fans when it gets dark.
Any BMW driver will feel at home inside the BMW Concept Compact Sedan. Everything is where it should be. Instruments and controls needed by the driver are angled toward the driver. The central information screen is a large 8.8 inches and the driver also gets a head-up display.
With the exception of the large panoramic roof, the interior of the BMW Concept Compact Sedan seems much more related to the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car than any previous BMW sedan. The shape of the steering wheel, the position of the gear selector, iDrive controller, driving mode selector, and especially the orange contoured accent lighting are all extremely familiar to the i8 owner. It’s obvious BMW is set on trickling down not only technology, but look and feel from its flagship hybrid sports car.
The interior of the Concept Compact Sedan is decked out in Nappa leather, open-pored wood, and brushed aluminum. The leather seat colors are warm Ivory and Grey Brown, with accents in Velocity Tulip, which is an orange that goes very well with the contour lighting.
Right up front, BMW tells you that only two people will fit in back. That might work great with China’s average family size, but eventually a growing family—or one with a lot of extra traveling equipment—might need to move into a 2 Series Active Tourer or a larger sedan. Rear passengers still get the advantage of the extra-long panoramic roof, contour accent lighting, touch-control door openers, touch-sensitive window controls, and a separate climate-control unit.
A 1 Series sedan based on the BMW Concept Compact Sedan—if such a thing ever happens—would almost certainly be based on the same UKL platform as the BMW X1, and would most likely come in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. Three- and four-cylinder engines like those in the X1 and the Mini family probably would comprise the range of likely powerplants.
If the BMW Concept Compact Sedan is, more or less, the next 1 Series Sedan, we’re fine with that. Having BMW show us the possibilities in a polished, beautifully appointed concept is much better than waiting for a progression of less- and less-camouflaged pre-production mules, prototypes, and test cars. Thanks for the preview, BMW.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
