The next-generation 1 Series will be a rear-wheel-drive EV.
BMW is keeping the combustion-engine model alive on an updated front-wheel-drive platform.
The two 1 Series flavors will peacefully coexist for many years.
After decades of rear-wheel-drive models, BMW broke with tradition in the 2010s by launching front-wheel-drive cars. To the dismay of purists, all of the company’s compact models are now FWD, except for the 2 Series Coupe. A shake-up at the bottom of the lineup will bring back the RWD formula to more models. Munich is working on a next-generation 1 Series with power going to the rear axle, although this time, it won’t have a combustion engine.
BMW’s smallest car is going electric for its fifth iteration, which is expected to arrive before the end of the decade. Autocar has learned from company officials that the future 1 Series will ride on a bespoke electric platform. However, the EV’s arrival won’t spell the end for gasoline models, as the FWD-based car is set to continue.
