You can make your own mind up about the styling of the upcoming 2012 BMW 1-Series hatchback, but one thing is for certain: with larger dimensions and more efficiency, the appeal of BMW's smallest model will be broader than ever.

Most exciting for tech fans will be the EfficientDynamics and ConnectedDrive infotainment technology helping to make the new compact ultra efficient and safe whilst retaining all the qualities driving enthusiasts expect.

ConnectedDrive will bring high-beam assistance, adaptive headlights, parking assistance with reversing camera, lane departure warning, collision warning, adaptive cruise control, internet connectivity and more, including Facebook and Twitter apps. Quite impressive for a compact car, BMW packing all this into a new 166.7 inch body.

Central to EfficientDynamics is the new eight-speed automatic transmission. With all those ratios to choose from the new auto 'box should mean you're never left wanting for the ideal gear to make progress and for refined cruising.

An automatic Start/Stop function will improve economy in city driving for both manual and automatic transmissions, and the ECO PRO mode demoed in the BMW ActiveE 1-Series will also make an appearance. ECO PRO picks the optimum driving mode for fuel economy and suggests ways to improve your economy for maximizing efficiency.

Also instrumental to the car's efficiency are latest incarnations of BMW's turbodiesel engines. The launch 116d, 118d and 120d are essentially the same 2.0 liter unit in different states of tune, ranging from 116 horsepower up to 184 horsepower. An ultra efficient 116d EfficientDynamics will also be available, and its 99 grams per kilometer of CO2 which should equate to over 60 miles per gallon on average.

Whether the diesels will appear Stateside is a different matter, but if the hatchback reaches the U.S. market a range of efficient 4-cylinder turbocharged and twin-turbocharged gasoline engines will be available. These, combined with the typical BMW handling characteristics, should keep keen drivers happy.

The 2012 BMW 1-Series will make its official debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

[BMW via Motor Authority]