That's the story according to CAR Magazine, at least, adding to the talk propagated a year and a half ago. The idea makes sense, adding room for a smaller 1-Series range below the current 1-Series, while at the same time allowing BMW to move the 2-Series and 4-Series further up-market.
The question, of course, is whether we'll see the move here in the U.S. The 1-Series itself didn't join the fold on our side of the Atlantic until halfway through the 1-Series' model run, and it's already seen an update to the next iteration of the car in European hatchback form.
Of course, we expect the coupe and convertible of the next-gen 1-Series to come here--it's just a matter of whether BMW will preserve the name change. Being predicated on the existence of a smaller car to fill the 1-Series slot, the 2-Series name might not make much sense otherwise.
On the other hand, it could be that the efficiency of keeping names consistent across markets, as well as the potential for future smaller BMWs being relevant here, will lead the brand to include us in the name change.
But enough about badges--what we want to see is the next-gen compact BMW, whatever it's called.
