BMW 0 Series to be Based on Next Generation MINI?

Thing is, we all know the MINI is made by BMW, but the majority of folks out there don’t. A more mainstream looking small car with a BMW badge will attract a new group of folks. Sure, there will be some cross shopping with the MINI, and perhaps even with the 1 series hatch in europe, but I suspect when it’s all said and done each car will appeal to a different type of buyer.

I wonder how much outcry there will be from the BMW crowd about brand dilution, and going with an even more entry level type of vehicle that’s a significant departure from what BMW has done in the past. But if BMW is going to make it financially, this does make a certain amount of sense…

Ok, so how is there room between the MINI and the 1 series?

Think the platform sharing between the companies makes sense. Kinda odd though as there really isn’t that much room between the 1 series and the Mini. I also wonder how perspective BMW owners would feel about a FWD BMW, I personally find it distasteful. I am sure BMW would provide a good product I do wonder however how this would change the BMW brand image.

Thing is…..ask many current, non-enthusiast BMW owners if their BMWs are rear wheel drive or FWD, and I bet many wouldn’t be able to tell you. Same thing…ask what kind of engine their 3er has, and I bet you might get the answer…”It’s a V6″.

Soooo…..I would guess that many potential BMW ’0′ series owners couldn’t care less if it’s RWD or FWD…as long as it has the spinning propeller up front.

With the modular platform was supposed to support FWD and RWD. Since they were planning on making the Z-2 RWD, there is no reason that an 0 series could not follow that.

I bought a 96 318ti brand new. That was the entry-level E36, stickered right at 27k with options…but the base 318ti came in right under $20k, IIRC. It was my first BMW, and was a great little Bimmer. Still has quite a cult following…light weight…’round 2600 lbs…quick, frugal on gas, fun to drive. Why not let people buy a low to mid 20s BMW?

So when will BMW come out with their -1, -2, and -3 series?

Veggivet – excellent idea on the BMW -1, -2, and -3 series!! I hope you’re in marketing….excellent idea!!! I’d patent it, if I were you!

To Mk1 – the US is getting many smaller cars recently – Fit, Yaris, soon to be new Fiesta, etc…I think a ’0′ series would find a market in the States.

It is a small package, but I still think they could do it with RWD. That would distinguish the car for enthusiasts – a real throwback to the 2002 and the 700 even.

You can’t argue the package is too small. You could put that same argument on the 1 series – the 3 too.

Mk1 – good point in terms of unit volume needed to hit break even. However, hitting the mandated MPG figure in the US may be an overriding concern that would take precedence over the revenue gained by offering a ’0′ series. Heck, BMW can make up the difference in 7er sales!!!

I like your thinking JR, but if if that was the case with BMW, we’d be able to buy the MINI One (60 mpg) in the U.S.

There’s something else at play here. I think the car will come to the US (if made) and here’s why. Up until now BMW has just cut the EPA a check for not making fleet mileage numbers. The EPA is saying that practice will end (we’ll see if they follow through). For makers like BMW and Mercedes, that means smaller engine options, and smaller car options. (To me this is great! I would have loved to get the 1 series 5 door hatch here, and this mandate will make that more likely.)

I also think it makes good marketing sense. Get more buyers to be BMW brand loyalists at a lower price point, and grow what one sells them as thier wealth grows. Now to start into a BMW means that you have a pretty good job if you’re young…

Also, FWD or RWD, I’d vote for FWD otherwise there will be little cabin space, the tunnel would be large for both the driveshaft and the exhaust. But time will tell, for now this is just vaporware.

Matt

if MPG were the issue, we could/SHOULD have gotten the 120d or 123d models.

At the moment I am more interested in what the Mk.VI Tdi will look like,options and price than this future fluke. Plus BMW_NA is notorious for not supporting anything that’s outside the Lux-O-box and performance image…and less in the current gens(e9X) of the performance image.

Lavarda, they built 2 (or 4) cars total I think. That’s far from a fully engineered production effort.

And as far as what car family it belongs to, that will be done by styling. Over the next 5-10 years, all the brands are going to morph. Porsche is doing a hybrid of the SUV and the Panamerica. BMW will do a lot to change what they are now into what they need to be in the future. The US is going to have car size shrink. For those that aren’t into the long history of BMW, for the newbies what makes a BMW is the bragging rights and the grill/badge. Many owners don’t really care what’s under the sheet metal. (Last week, I was getting a new low beam bulb at an auto parts store. It’s next to one of those fast in fast out allignement shops. They had a 750i and Z3 3.0 up on lifts getting serviced. Those owners obviously don’t really care about things automotive, as is true for many who buy BMWs and Mercedes.)

Matt

Hiii Couldn’t we just get the 1-series hatchback?

joseph BMW