BMW will soon update its still new baby 1-series small hatch. Most of the changes are merely cosmetic but a slight increase in power across the four-cylinder engine range is also expected. Visual changes include revised head and tail lights and more compact bumpers as well.

The big news is that the 135i receives BMW’s heavily underrated twin-turbo inline six. If you’ve seen some of our previous posts you’ll know that this engine produces a lot more power than its official 306hp rating suggests. Top speed of the new car will be electronically limited to 250km/h. It’s unlikely that the small car will get BMW’s famed M1 label.

For the 7-series, BMW will make significant changes to both the visuals and driving dynamics to keep up with the more modern S Class. The new car will feature a much cleaner look with less character lines and flame surfacing. The exterior gets new head and tail lights with splashing of chrome across the trunk lid as well as around the glasshouse. Inside, the gear selector moves from the steering column back to the center tunnel.

The new 7 also gets an adaptive pneumatic cushioning suspension system, the active steering treatment and BMW’s Xdrive all wheel drive mode as an option. Both the updated 1 and 7-series cars will be released late next year as 2008 models.

[Source: AutoBild]