The future of the small builder alpine it will pass through its interpretations of the new X7 and also of the Series 8 Gran Coupé, the four-door version of the top of the German range. What we won't see are Alpina born from the new Series 1.
It's not just the new 1 Series that is out of Alpina's plans, but every other model derived from the UKL or the new FAAR, BMW's (and Mini) front-wheel drive platform.
The fact is that Alpina never had any model based on the 1 Series, despite the first two generations being rear-wheel drive — Alpina's more compact models have always taken the BMW 3 Series as their starting point.
Why not?
However, the justification for Alpina not considering a hot hatch based on the new 1 Series is not just a question of brand image, according to Andreas Bovensiepen, director of Alpina and son of the founder, in statements to the Australian Motoring.
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The main factor is development costs. It should be remembered that, having manufacturer status, the models in Alpina's catalog must go through the same certification process that all other manufacturers go through, that is, the mechanical changes they make to original BMW blocks require a process of repair. -certification to comply with the strict emission standards in force.
Thus, Andreas Bovensiepen prefers to remain faithful to the very few engines that he can use in various models and to the ZF transmission (eight-speed automatic transmission):
We like to use one engine in several cars. For example, the V8 that we had in the past, we had it in the 6 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series. With our Diesels, we have the same engines in the X3, (e) in the 5 Series, and the inline six cylinders ( gasoline) only in Series 3 and Series 4.
The front-wheel drive architecture would add complications to this optimized scenario. Bovensiepen gives the example of the ZF (8HP) transmission, designed for engines in longitudinal position, as in the models mentioned above, without a correspondence for engines in transverse position, as in the new Series 1.
The solution would involve working with another supplier, in this case Aisin, which supplies the transmissions for these front-wheel drive models, which would entail additional costs, making it difficult to achieve profitability in this category of cars, whose price is lower.
M itself has also resisted the idea of a pure M (like an M2 or M3) based on the new 1 Series, mainly for image reasons. The latest rumors, however, point to the possibility of a Series 1 positioned above the M135i, to better rival the Mercedes-AMG A 45 and Audi RS 3 — at the moment, that role falls, alternatively, to the M2 Competition.
Source: Motoring.