Originally posted by The Apple
To me, that seems awfuly pricey for a 115hp car. I appreciate BMW trying to return to its roots and offering a car for us common folk, but c'mon. A base model Toyota Corrola or Nissan Sentra offers more power. To me, $26,000 warrants at the very least 180 horsepower. Afterall, this is "The Ultimate Driving Machine" we're talking about here. 
I agree completely. Consumers these days are gonna require more than a white propellor in a blue sky, RWD, good fit and finish, and a whiny 115 HP 4 banger. I had heard whispers of a 120-130 HP/L car (Like a 2.0L getting 240 HP, I think, just like the S2K) in the 1 series as well as in the Audi A3, but obviously an Audi engine and not a BMW engine.
Yianni, since everything in the article was given in US dollars it leaves me to believe that they wrote this for the USDM.
BTW, am I crazy or does that look like a 5th gen Civic hatch with a bad projector headlight conversion and distasteful side strakes on the hatch?