BMW AG is the next OEM in just-auto’s future models series. First up it’s BMW cars. This includes e plug-in hybrids but no i models: these will feature in a separate piece.
The second generation 1 Series is BMW’s rival for the Audi A3, A3 Sportback and A3 Sedan as well as for the Mercedes A-Class. It introduced the platform which is also used for F30, the soon to be replaced 3 Series sedan. Unlike the cars with which it competes, the BMW is rear-wheel drive.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The first bodystyle to be announced was a five-door hatchback. This had its global debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2011. The three-door followed at the Geneva show in March 2012, initially as the M135i concept. Three-door production cars were announced two months later and on sale from the third quarter of that year.
A facelifted 1 Series range had its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in March 2015. Production at both German plants commenced later the same month: the three-door is manufactured in Regensburg while the five-door is made in Leipzig.
The 1 Series sedan was revealed by BMW and BBA in July 2016. It is for the Chinese market only. The car was previewed by the Concept Compact Sedan which premiered at November 2015’s Guangzhou motor show. The production car had its public debut at the Chengdu motor show in September 2016 and went on sale in China during March 2017.
The third generation 1 Series range will be based upon Frontantriebsarchitektur.
BMW caused a surprise by giving the 1 Series a second facelift. This was announced to the media in May 2017 on the same day as the facelifted 2 Series Coupé and Convertible. No further changes are due, with the replacement model likely to be revealed within the next six months.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataThe third generation 1 Series range will be based upon Frontantriebsarchitektur, a new platform derived from the existing UKL1 and UKL2. Unlike the L7 architecture as used by the current 1 Series hatchbacks, Faar, which can also be abbreviated as FAAR, is for front- and all-wheel drive models. As a major issue with many BMWs and most Minis is inadequate rear seat room, the switch to FAAR is also being made to address this.
Some sources believe BMW is developing another derivative, tentatively named ‘1 Series Sport Cross‘. This would be a crossover to be sold as a cheaper, smaller model than the next X1. It would be launched in 2020, 9-12 months after the arrival of F40, the first of the next generation 1 Series cars.
There are two pairs of cars in the 2 Series range: the rear-wheel drive two-door Coupé and Convertible, and the front-wheel drive five-door Gran Tourer and Active Tourer people movers/MPVs. The second pair is especially successful in the German market, having overtaken the 3 Series, which had been the marque’s best seller for decades.
F45, the shorter of the pair of MPVs, is 4,342mm long and has five seats. The 2 Series Gran Tourer has been in production in Germany since July 2014. The same applies to F46, the 2 Series Active Tourer. Aside from their lengths, the other major difference is the AT’s seven seats.
The plug-in hybrid 225xe had its world premiere at the Frankfurt IAA in September 2015. It is distinguished not only by the recharging flap on one of the front wings, but by eDrive badges on the C pillars. BMW claims a range of up to 25 miles on electricity. This compact minivan uses the same powertrain as the i8 supercar, though it is mounted differently: the three-cylinder petrol engine is under the bonnet and drive goes to the front axle. There is also all-wheel drive thanks to a motor which delivers torque to the back axle.
Facelifted versions of the Gran Tourer and Active Tourer were released earlier this year, which means the next generation 2 Series Gran Tourer and Active Tourer should be revealed in 2021. The current models use Untere Klasse 2, with the replacements to be based upon FAAR. This architecture, an evolution of the UKL2 platform, will also be used by various future Minis as well as the future BMW X1 and X2.
The seventh generation 3 Series is codenamed G20. The architecture it will use is BMW Group’s G3UP, also known as 35up or CLAR and as introduced in 2015 by the 7 Series. The sedan will be shown for the first time at the Paris Mondial de l’Automobile in October. The Touring and China’s long-wheelbase four-door will then be revealed in due course.
The lead plant will of course be in Germany but BMW will also make this car at its forthcoming second manufacturing site in North America. The company stated in July 2014 that it would have a new factory in the city of San Luis Potosí up and running with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year in 2019. The Mexican factory will have body, paint and assembly shops. Anxious to avoid upsetting unions in its home market, BMW will manufacture the engines for all vehicles made at San Luis Potosí in Germany and Austria. The same has always applied for the SUVs it builds at Spartanburg in South Carolina: there is no BMW powertrain operation anywhere in North America.
Some sources have claimed that the enormous demand for the Tesla Model 3 in the USA is the reason why BMW is developing one or more fully electric vehicles in the D segment. Whether or not one of these will be an electric 3 Series sedan is a topic open to much conjecture. Certain suppliers have stated that there will only be a new 330e, which is the PHEV 3 Series, not a specific battery-electric ‘i330’ variant.
The next 3 Series GT (project code: G24) will use the 35up architecture.
It might be the case that the electric 4 Series (see below) will be available in European countries as well as certain others, with an extended wheelbase i330L to be possibly built and sold in China. Such a car could be exported to the USA from China or, in standard wheelbase form, from Mexico. Whatever the case, any electric 3er would need to have a range of up to 500km or 310 miles to be seen as a serious alternative to the Tesla Model 3.
Including the future iX3 electric SUV, D segment EVs, could form a strategic part of Harald Krüger’s plan to accelerate BMW’s move into rechargeable passenger vehicles. The company’s chief executive created the Strategy Number One Next plan in 2016, one of the intentions of which is to be selling up to 500,000 electric cars annually by 2025. That would be around one fifth of the Group’s annual output by that year and around 20 times the number of EVs that BMW Group was making as recently as 2014.
BMW is expected to reveal a concept version of any electric 3 Series a year or so ahead of the arrival of a series production car. That means a prototype may appear within the next six months.
The 3 Series GT is two years younger than the sedan. Launched in 2013, this was not only the first five-door hatchback in the history of the 3 Series but more importantly the first derivative to offer generous space for back seat occupants. The Gran Turismo is 200 millimetres longer than the 3 Series Touring, comes with a 110-millimetre longer wheelbase and stands 81 millimetres taller. Its 2,920mm wheelbase is in fact identical to that of the 3 Series Li, the long wheelbase sedan built in China. The 520 litre boot capacity outstrips that of the 3 Series Touring by 25 litres.
The next 3 Series GT (project code: G24) will use the 35up architecture. Like the sedan, LWB sedan and Touring, it is due for launch in 2019.
The first two cars in the 4 Series range replaced the 3 Series Coupé and Convertible in 2013, while the 4 Series Gran Coupé had its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in March 2014.
The 4 Series Gran Coupé and 3 Series Gran Turismo would appear to each being going after the same customer. But while each is a five-door hatchback, there are size differences, the GC has a lower roof and is 4,628mm long with a 2,810mm wheelbase. The GT is lengthier, measuring 4,824mm. It has a 2,920mm wheelbase.
The 4 Series Coupé is manufactured in Munich, the Convertible in Regensburg and the Gran Coupé in Dingolfing.
Facelifts for the 4 Series range premiered at the Geneva motor show in March 2017. There likely won’t be anything more than minor updates between now and the arrival of replacement cars.
The plug-in 4 Series should be based on the replacement for the Gran Coupé.
The G22 4 Series Coupé, G23 4 Series Convertible and G26 4 Series Gran Coupé are expected to use 35up. They are due to go on sale from 2020.
Some believe that the G24 and G26 projects have been merged into one future five-door hatchback. If that proves to be true, then BMW will probably eliminate the 3 Series GT model name in favour of the pricier and therefore more lucrative 4 Series GC.
As well as successors for the existing three cars (Coupé, Convertible and GC), BMW is said to be planning an electric 4 Series as part of the next generation line-up. The plug-in 4 Series should be based on the replacement for the Gran Coupé.
Like Audi, which plans to have its own alternative, BMW wants to attack the 4.4-4.8m long premium-make EV segment, currently dominated by the Tesla Model 3. There should also be i4 model, more details of which will be revealed in the i models report due to be published later in August.
Returning to the overall 4 Series line-up, facelifted versions of G22, G23 and G26 should be released during the second or third quarter of 2023, with the next generation 4 Series expected in 2027.
G30, the seventh generation 5 Series sedan, went on sale 18 months ago. The time around, the 5er is available only as a sedan and a Touring (G31), a successor for the poor selling five-door hatchback Gran Turismo having been merged with the replacement for the 6 Series Gran Coupé.
The long-wheelbase 5 Series Li sedan, built in Shenyang by the Brilliance BMW joint venture, had its world premiere at the Shanghai motor show in April 2017. This car continues to be a special model for China.
BMW should facelift all three 5 Series bodies during the second half of 2021/first half of 2022. The global roll-out of the eighth generation 5 Series is due to take place from 2024.
The 6 Series GT is a new model and the replacement for two cars: the discontinued 5 Series Gran Turismo and the 6 Series Gran Coupé. Intended as a a rival for the Audi A7/S7 and Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, the 5,090mm long G32 6er GT became available from November 2017.
The GT is the only car for the new generation 6 Series, the former Coupé having just been replaced by the pricier 8 Series with an 8 Series Convertible due to be added in 2019.
The first three variants for European markets were as follows:
- 630i, 1,998cc four-cylinder petrol, 190kW (258hp) 400Nm (295 lb-ft)
- 640i & 640i xDrive, 2,998cc six-cylinder petrol, 250kW (340hp), 450 Nm (332 lb-ft)
- 630d & 630d xDrive, 2,993cc six-cylinder diesel, 195kW (265hp), 620 Nm (457 lb-ft)
A PHEV version, expected to be called 640e GT, is due for release later in 2018. There will inevitably be other engines to come over the next few years, and then a facelift in 2021 or 2022. The next 6 Series is pencilled in for market launch in 2025.
The next 7 Series is due for market release in 2022. There might be a fully electric version.
In an attempt to improve its popularity, the current 7 Series will be having a major facelift in 2019. This big sedan was the first model for G3UP/CLAR/Cluster Architecture/35up.
Production and SKD/CKD assembly is at the same locations which made the F01-F04 series 7 Series sedan. Dingolfing, the lead plant, commenced series production in July 2015. The main markets are China, the US, Germany, the Middle East, Russia, Korea, the UK and Japan.
There are three PHEV versions:
- 740e
- 740Le (long wheelbase)
- 740Le xDrive (LWB and all-wheel drive)
All are powered by BMW’s B48 four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor, which together generate total system output of 240kW/326hp. So-called eDrive technology enables all-electric and therefore locally emission-free driving at speeds of up to 120km/h (75mph) and with a range of up to 40 kilometres (25 miles).
The three plug-in hybrid versions of the 7 Series have been available since 2016. These were the first cars for BMW’s iPerformance sub brand.
After the facelift for the PHEV and other variants takes place next year, G11 and G12 (LWB) should remain largely untouched until being replaced in 2022. There could be a fully electric version of the next 7 Series.
The 8 Series is BMW’s most recently announced additional model. This two-door, 4,843mm long 2+2 seater is aimed at the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé. The car made its public debut at Le Mans two months ago on the eve of the race in which the M8 GTE competed. Series production commenced on 2 July. As with all other M models, the M8 will be covered in a future report on the Motorsport division.
What BMW calls the “market launch” of the coupé will take place from November. The first two variants are to be as follows:
- M850i xDrive Coupé M Performance, powered by a new 4,395cc biturbo petrol V8 with claimed outputs of 390kW (530hp) and 750Nm
- 840d xDrive Coupé, powered by a 235kW (320hp) and 680Nm 2,993cc in-line six-cylinder diesel
An 8 Series Convertible and an 8 Series Gran Coupé should be revealed during 2019. There will likely also be rear-wheel drive (sDrive) variants.
BMW will facelift the 8 Series in 2022 and release the future 8 Series some time between the fourth quarter of 2025 and mid-2026.
For now, there is no four-door car above the 7 Series or two-door vehicle with a combustion engine priced above the 8 Series. Will that change? BMW denies that it has plans to launch one or more cars in the price and market segment where the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class exists. Nonetheless, rumours persist that a 9 Series may be in the early planning stages. In theory, it could be a 7 Series-based low-roof sedan and a bridge between the BMW and Rolls-Royce price ranges. On the other hand, an 8 Series Gran Coupé could fulfill that role.
The average annual planned volume over the Z4’s seven-year life cycle is hoped to be 18,000 cars.
The BMW Grand Lusso Coupé Pininfarina, a concept at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2013 was the first time that BMW aired the idea of such a model in public. A second concept, the Vision Future Luxury, premiered at the Beijing motor show in April 2014. There have been no further concepts though.
Insiders claim that any possible 9 Series is not (yet) signed off and so in any event would not happen until the 2020s.
As for the new Z4, even though clear shots of the M40i variant appeared on the web last week, BMW has not yet released official images to counter the less than flattering photos.
A Z4 concept was revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August 2017, with the production car’s world debut to be at the 2018 edition of the Californian event later this month.
Magna Steyr will manufacture both the Z4 and the Toyota Supra, the cars having been co-developed using BMW Group’s 35up platform. A company insider told just-auto in June that average annual planned volume over the Z4’s seven-year life cycle is hoped to be 18,000 cars. There should be a facelift in mid-2022.
At the moment, it seems unlikely that BMW is unable to make a business case for developing any other Z models on its own. There could though be a future Z1 or Z2 spun off Toyota’s project to add a sports car in the size and price segment where the Mazda MX-5 and Fiat/Abarth Spider dwell.
It will have taken BMW AG and TMC almost seven years to bring the Z4 and Supra to market by the time they finally appear in showrooms. Therefore no-one should hold their breath waiting for a small BMW roadster or roadster-coupé, even if some inside TMC claim that the company is secretly working on a model which is not dissimilar to the S-FR small sports car concept.
Recent reports for many other manufacturers’ future models are grouped in the OEM product strategy summaries section of just-auto.com.
Future product program intelligence
More detail on the past, current and forthcoming models for BMW AG’s car brands can be found in PLDB, the future vehicles database which is part of QUBE.
