What Are You Doing Here? Chinese BMW 1 Series Spotted in the U.S.

by Matt Posky

July 26th, 2019 4:25 PM

what are em you em doing here chinese bmw 1 series spotted in the u s

With the 2020 BMW 1 Series having debuted (as a hatchback) earlier this year, we knew a new sedan was en route. In fact, spy shots of the vehicle started cropping up in Europe and China almost immediately. However, that particular vehicle turned out to be a refresh of the Chinese-made 1 Series (F52). But it wasn’t of much concern to us. Here in the United States, the smallest modern BMW sedan to grace our shores (at least until the 2 Series Gran Coupe arrives) is the 3 Series… or is it?

Delivering to us a bit of a head-scratcher, a friend of the site offered up a handful of photographs of a Chinese-market 1 Series donned in camouflage. The twist? It was sitting inside of a warehouse located on our East Coast and not halfway around the world.

Though a quick scan of the VIN revealed the car’s origin, it doesn’t even begin to explain why the front-wheel drive Bimmer is in North America. The car is in question is a BMW 118i, packed with a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission — making it a rare find in this part of the globe.

Has it simply lost its way in a shipping mishap? Was some Chinese importer/exporter desperate to sneak one inside the United States? Or is BMW bringing it here for some, yet unknown, official purpose? What’s the point of camouflaging a pre-refresh model? We’ll see if we can pry some answers from the manufacturer but you’re free to speculate in the meantime.

#BMW #Bmw1-series #F52 #Mysteries #SpyShots

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9 of 39 comments

Nick_515 on Jul 27, 2019

While I have no interest in this FWD 1 series, I would have loved for BMW to bring the previous gen five door RWD 1 series to the US. For the past year I have been driving a hatchback A3, and in many ways it is a lovely car. That 2.0T is a little wonder. But I make several long trips a year, and the Audi is not quite in its element maintaining 80+ for hours on end in terms of NVH. How can I get most of that with even better highway ease in the same size and format? Too bad we only got the two door version.

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- OliverTwist78 on Jul 28, 2019
  
  Good dear! I live in Germany and have driven a hired five-door 116i with manual gearbox for a few days. I regretted not upgrading to 525d xDrive Touring for €30 more per day. My good friend got a fleet car, 118i, and hated it with venegeance. He counted each day with passion until the corporate lease expired. Utterly, the worst German car I've driven. Thirsty and lacklustre engine. Tiny fuel tank. Depressing and cramped interior. And so on. Good thing BMW didn't send 3-door and 5-door 1-Series to the US.
  
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- Nick_515 on Jul 28, 2019
  
  @OliverTwist78 Whoa! Thanks for the input. I was hoping it was a baby 3 series. Will have to rent one while in Europe.
  
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- Lockstops on Jul 28, 2019
  
  @OliverTwist78 Poppycock. The F20 LCI 118i is a magnificent car, absolute motoring perfection for that price and actually even if it was much higher in price it would be hard to beat. The engine is surprisingly thirsty if you have a lead foot though, but if you tread lightly it is very frugal.
  
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- Art Vandelay on Jul 28, 2019
  
  @Lockstops Nooo, I've driven them too and the OP is correct...they are garbage.
  
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- Lockstops on Jul 29, 2019
  
  @Art Vandelay Great RWD chassis no different to 3- and 4-series, engine is far more sonorous and characterful than the earlier 4-pots (and the automatic models have the pretty damn perfect ZF transmission), it's pretty quiet and comfortable too, and as it's a BMW it has the best ergonomics in the business.
  
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- Art Vandelay on Jul 29, 2019
  
  @Art Vandelay Maybe, but this car ain't that...the Chinese market 1 series pictured here rides on a FWD platform. I've driven this car and it blows.
  
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- Lockstops on Jul 30, 2019
  
  @Art Vandelay I was referring to the OP in this thread that begins: "While I have no interest in this FWD 1 series, I would have loved for BMW to bring the previous gen five door RWD 1 series to the US." The subject here was F20 1-series which is RWD. I agree that the FWD BMWs are crap. Actually I don't even care to evaluate them or waste time thinking about them, FWD crap does not interest me in any way.
  
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Dukeisduke on Jul 29, 2019

Chinese-made BMWs? These should make the Yugo look good.

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