Goodbye rear-wheel drive — was the title chosen to reveal the first data on the successor to the BMW 1 Series (codename F40), which will arrive in 2019. It will definitely be a radical change for the German brand's access model, which will make it… equal to the competition, at least as far as the architecture is concerned — transverse engine and front-wheel drive, or, optionally, all-wheel drive.
The platform is an evolution of the UKL that is already found in the X1, X2 and Series 2 Active and Gran Tourer, and is called FAAR (Frontantriebsarchitektur). This allows for greater flexibility and modularity to support alternative powertrains, such as fully electric with batteries.
BMW 1 Series with 400 hp?
New rumors are now emerging about the most powerful of the Series 1 futures. With the Audi RS3 having been the first to reach 400 hp and with confirmation that the future Mercedes-AMG A45 will surpass that mark, BMW will also be preparing a Series 1 with 400 hp, as we've announced before?
Apparently no. According to Autocar, the future Series 1 will have as a top version a M130iX M Performance , with date scheduled for 2020. Translating to "kids", it means a rival not for the A45 and RS3, but for the future A35 and current S3, in other words, a hot hatch with powers around 300 hp, obtained from a 2.0 turbo liters and, practically, all-wheel drive.
BMW has mentioned several times that this “everything ahead” architecture will not include an M, in the mold of the M3 or M5. As it happens today, fighting the 400 hp of the A45 and RS3 will be in charge of the BMW M2. The successors of the Series 2 Coupé and Cabrio, starting in 2020, unlike the Series 1, will maintain rear-wheel drive. A new M2 is also in the plans.