![\"bmw](\"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/bmws-bold-future-the-next-gen-1-series-set-to-embrace-electric-power-by-2028.jpg\" "\\"bmw")
<\/a><\/p>\nBMW says its smallest car has a \u201cvery important role to play\u201d as it moves into the Neue Klasse era<\/p>\n
The BMW 1 Series<\/a> will return for a radically reinvented fourth generation within the next three years, as the German brand goes against its rivals in committing to its entry-level model.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Mercedes-Benz prepares to retire the A-Class<\/a> for good at the end of its current generation\u00a0and Audi winds down production of the A1 and Q2<\/a>, BMW<\/a> says its smallest car remains an important part of its model range\u00a0and a next-generation model will be the entry point into the new-gen Neue Klasse<\/a> family.<\/p>\n BMW will launch this new EV line-up in September with the unveiling of the second-generation iX3<\/a> at the Munich motor show, before following that up soon after with the closely related next-generation 3 Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prototypes for the Neue Klasse X5<\/a> have been spotted recently\u00a0too, and the current 5 Series<\/a> will receive a substantial design overhaul to bring it into line with its new siblings.<\/p>\n BMW hasn’t officially confirmed plans for a new 1 Series, but Autocar previously reported it had\u00a0been green-lit<\/a> internally\u00a0and now BMW product boss Bernd K\u00f6rber has said the hatchback still has a crucial role to play in Munich.<\/p>\n “We are a global player and we cover the full portfolio; the entry models have a very important role to play for various reasons,\u201d he told Autocar at the Shanghai motor show<\/a>.<\/p>\n “First of all, take markets like Italy and France, where the 1 Series has shares of 20, 30, 40% in some regions:\u00a0if you want to be a global player, you have to also take care of markets where the share of 1 Series is extremely high, otherwise you run the danger of losing them.\u201d<\/p>\n K\u00f6rber<\/span> also said that offering a BMW model at a lower price point than the big-selling saloon and SUV<\/a> models is important in the context of broadening the brand\u2019s reach and diversifying its target market.<\/p>\n “The 1 Series is especially important for younger customers. If you want to keep the brand young, if you want to develop customers within your portfolio, the 1 Series is very important.”<\/p>\n Finally, he said, remaining in the notoriously challenging and low-margin small car market will help BMW to be as competitive and efficient as possible across all its segments.<\/p>\n “You have to stay in the challenge, and it’s a similar story with Mini<\/a>. A lot of the capabilities in terms of ‘how flexible are you?’ and ‘how cost-efficient are you?’\u00a0you gain in competing in the small car segment.\u00a0To retreat out of the small car segment means you get out of the challenge of being the most cost-efficient player.\u00a0<\/p>\n “So for us\u00a0it has the role of gross volume being relevant in all markets.\u00a0But it also has a relevance for the brand in terms of younger customers\u00a0and for the pressure we put on ourselves to find solutions that work in lower-cost segments.”<\/p>\n K\u00f6rber didn’t give any details of the next 1 Series, but it\u2019s expected to arrive in around 2028,\u00a0with the current car having recently been updated and BMW planning to complete its Neue Klasse roll-out within the next three and a half years.<\/p>\n Like its rangemates, the next 1 Series is expected to be offered with a choice of petrol and electric powertrains – meaning it will continue to serve as a rival to traditional ICE competitors like the\u00a0Volkswagen Golf<\/a> and Audi A3<\/a>\u00a0while also being put up against new contenders like the Cupra Born<\/a> and Renault Megane E-Tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}