When I first saw the announcement of the BMW 1-Series coming to the USA I thought it was a good move.
Then when I read that they weren’t going to wimp out and put some lame engines in their low end stuff like every other manufacturer has done in the past (including BMW on the old 318ti), I thought it was REALLY cool.
But the more I think about this move, the more I think they have a revolution in the making.
And the Spies say it will be both a trend revolution and a sales revolution.
Our sources tell us their competitors are watching this play closer than any other move BMW has made in the USA in a long time.
Even closer than their move into SUV’s.
Why?
Because they have an opportunity if done right, to post even higher sales numbers than what they did in the SUV market.
How, you say?
Because we think the USA is finally ready to change their driving habits and downsize if necessary.
But they don’t want to give up performance.
And the 1-Series will have great performance and good gas mileage.
One of my good friends who writes for one of the really cool European mags said it this way when I asked him to describe the main difference between the European manufacturers and the USA manufacturers.
His exact words and I quote were; “In the low end in the USA they make shitboxes but in Europe they make REALLY GOOD shitboxes.”
And boy, is he right!
Just look at Peugeot and others…they make inexpensive cars that you would actually want to drive and own.
One of the reasons Americans don’t like small cars is because there are very few good ones here.
BMW dipped their toes in the water with MINI and what a homerun that has been.
But even when you buy a Cooper S, the image is there but the performance is lukewarm.
Drive an Audi A3 and it is wonderfully made but it’s heavy and slow.
But put a 328 and 335 engine in an even lighter BMW body, with BMW suspension and handling, make it affordable and you see the AutoSpies.com revolution detector reading off the charts!
Let us make a few predictions about this 1-Series hitting our shores…They are gonna sell like there is no tomorrow, even greater variants will follow (convertibles, diesels etc.) and every competitor will have something in the segment within 3 years of their introductions.
And BMW will move further away from its competitors and will be real lonely at the top for some time to come.
Are we right?
Let us hear your opinion.