Instead, BMW may rebadge the successor of the current 1-Series a 2-Series, freeing up the 1-Series badge for the new front-wheel drive model. Of course, this is only conjecture but there are some vital clues that strongly suggest such a possibility.
Just this month BMW filed U.S. trademark applications for 228, 230, and 235--the same engine designations as the current 1-Series range. And to add further fuel to the speculation fire, back in June BMW also trademarked the M2 moniker, according to Car and Driver.
The change could come as early as the middle of next year when the current 1-Series Coupe and Convertible are expected to undergo a heavy facelift. Further down the track there could even by hybrid variants of BMW’s future front-wheel drive models as the automaker just this month also announced an agreement with France’s PSA Peugeot Citroen group to develop new hybrid technology for front-wheel drive cars.
Pictured above is a computer-generated rendering of the next-generation BMW 1-Series Convertible, which if the rumors prove true could be called a 2-Series Convertible.
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Dave Posted: 10/27/2010 6:23am PDT
R2Dad Posted: 10/27/2010 12:35pm PDT
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