Spied: First look at BMW 1 Series, caught testing in Sweden


By AUTOWEEK

BMW was set to reveal to the world its 1 Series at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, but we hear that debut has been pushed back to the Paris show in October. Regardless of its official unveiling, we have the first-ever on-road look at the little Bimmer, courtesy of our intrepid spy shooter who spotted this 1 Series undergoing winter tests in Sweden.

The car is slated for launch late this year with the five-door, shown here, first out of the blocks. A three-door will follow six months after that. An interesting feature seen in these pictures is the small rear hatch, making it look sportier than the Volkswagen Golf, one of its main competitors.

Power in Europe includes a variety of gas and diesel engines; there are no announcements yet on U.S. specs. Expect prices to be about 20 percent less than a 3 Series, putting it in the $25,000 neighborhood. Can a 2 Series be far behind?