BMW had built the 1 Series sedan for the Chinese market only based on Mini’s UKL1 front-wheel drive platform back in 2017. But when they drove it to the Brazilian market in March earlier this year, we thought that India would be next on its map. Now, within two years of the introduction of the F52 1 Series, BMW has already begun working on its facelift and we think it might just work for BMW in India.
Since this is a facelift of the F52, the body shell remains the same and so does the top hat. But BMW has reworked the bumpers both fore and aft. The grille should become sharper like all new BMWs and the bumpers more aggressive. The headlamps and the tail lamps will also get their share of tweaks. The 1 Series sedan is obviously longer but more importantly wider than the 1 Series hatchback which was launched in India a few years ago.
While the interiors are simple, they have been laid out neatly in the 1 Series and the facelift should ideally not have a lot of changes except for the little alterations to refresh the looks. Under the hood, it gets the three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol like the ones offered on the Mini. Since it is the Mini platform, which is already being assembled in India, the 1 Series will most certainly get the 2.0-litre diesel if it ever drives down here. An eight-speed automatic will be standard though, across the range.
It does make sense for BMW to bring the 1 Series especially when the Mercedes CLA is doing well along with the Audi A3 in the Indian market. Mercedes is also mulling over the A-Class sedan even as we are eager for Volvo to build a S40.
