[Senna4Ever]

BMW has discontinued the 1-series from India. The premium hatchback is no longer listed on the BMW India's official website, making the X1 the new entry-level BMW.

The news was made public about a month ago. Apparently, the production was stopped all the way back in January.

BMW India is presently assembling eight product ranges at its factory near Chennai. It has discontinued assembly and sale of BMW 1 series from January this year.

Source: Business Line



Launched in 2013, BMW introduced a facelift back in September, 2015. The 1-series was since only available in a single 118d SportLine variant and just two colour options, white and red. The 118d was powered by a 2.0L, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine capable of 148 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 320 Nm of torque @ 1,500-3,000 rpm, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and RWD. 1-series was last priced close to Rs. 31 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Related article

[agambhandari]

It lacked the only thing that the rival A class was selling for, the style.

The facelift fixed some design stuff, but i think the damage was done. The limited space and poor looks really limited the mass market appeal. Nobody outside this forum or on the roads cares about RWD.

Good thing? I hope the depreciation takes its toll and we can get a good deal on the LCI models in the used market

[ToyotaFan]

I just saw a 1 series outside my college today afternoon and was thinking how lacklustre the car looked. The car looked almost like a Polo from the rear unless one saw the badge. The white car which I saw mingled with the other cars on east delhi roads (filled with mostly budget/mid segment cars) without having any special aura or even something that warrants a second glance. The A looks like a million bucks and whenever I see one with the diamond grill, I ogle at it for quite some time. I agree the 1 series had more power and was more fun to drive than the A but that segment requires more show than go. Hope there are huge discounts on existing inventory (if any) or in the used car market which might make sense as a budget German driver's car.

[deetjohn]

The interior of the 1 series was really low rent when it was launched. The higher variant was better, but it was too expensive. It really didn't make much sense to pick the hatch over the 3er. After all, the sedan was not that expensive 5 years back as it is now.

Even otherwise, the 1 series was not a car which was going to succeed in our market. It makes more sense in countries where the owners will take the car to a track over the weekend and have fun. A rear wheel drive hatchback is so rare.

In comparison, our market love SUVs with plusher interiors and more kit. Doesn't matter even if its a front wheel drive car from BMW. And that's what the new X1 is.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The interior of the 1 series was really low rent when it was launched. The higher variant was better, but it was too expensive. It really didn't make much sense to pick the hatch over the 3er. After all, the sedan was not that expensive 5 years back as it is now.

Even otherwise, the 1 series was not a car which was going to succeed in our market. It makes more sense in countries where the owners will take the car to a track over the weekend and have fun. A rear wheel drive hatchback is so rare.

Yep these were exactly the issues in the 1 series. I was really interested in it. However when I went to test drive it, they didn't even have a td car as no one bought it. Also the 118d engine was a bit anemic. The 1 series is meant to be self driven and that means it required some potent engines. However what we got in India was an all show no go hatch. On top of that, the car had many bits missing compared to the 3 series even though the pricing differential wasn't too much. Apparently the facelift had softened the suspension which kinda took away some of its fun factor.

[GTO]

It can be small, but it can also be premium. This is something Mercedes understood (with the A-Class) and BMW never did. When the 1-Series was launched, the petrol was available only in a poverty variant (with fabric seats and no bluetooth, no climate control!). No one was going to pay 25 - 30 lakhs for such a car.

The 1-Series launch was completely botched up - just one of the many mistakes by ex-BMW boss, Philipp von Sahr who was pretty clueless about the Indian customer.

[nirvanaguy19]

Good decision in many ways, 1 series always felt under kitted with dated styling. The 2 series is much better looking and a better value proposition. I wish they would have brought the 2 series to India instead, especially the performance variant (M2). Many consider the M2 to be the best M car, a throwback to the original M3

[vb-saan]

They actually ironed out quite a bit of the issues – especially on the looks front, with the facelift. But there was no proper marketing; the model was just there for the sake of it. They had an opportunity to market it as the only RWD hatchback in the market with some good choice of engines (even the 140i); the less than ordinary 118d had nothing much to offer for the enthusiast.

[shrjun]

Originally Posted by ToyotaFan

I just saw a 1 series outside my college today afternoon and was thinking how lacklustre the car looked.

Strange that the 1 series failed in India.Its probably related to the spec of car that they brought in and pricing.
Personal opinion since I own one but the M-sport variant does look decent.

[Mission_PGPX]

I would like an honest review of 118d. Technically this looks like a drivers car in a compact package best for people who need compact car to drive around city and some fun on highway trip with a family of 3. I come across this beautiful Red color 118d sportline plus variant of Oct 2014 with 70000 kms on odo. Currently it is under second owner, but i checked the transfer history and it is transferred in the same family.

Asking price is 11.5 lacs, slightly negotiable. Can users recommend the best price to buy this at, considering everything goes well within BMW check? The current owner is a known member of the club we go together. His son moved to Australia and hence no more needs 118d.

Also, what are the expenses we are looking in future other than usual maintenance stuff?

[shankar.balan]

It is a lovely car. One of the last of the RWD's. With thst long fighter plane hood and superb precise driveability and steering coupled with the super responsive auto transmission it is a real little pocket rocket.
I also had seen and evaluated a dark blue second hand one in Bangalore some months ago. The asking price for a late 2014 model with 54k on the clock was 17.75 but the chap said he'd settle for 14.

In the event, I walked away from the option for reasons of liquidity and the fact that I do not drive more than 500km a month for which my existing Yeti which has very low mileage on it, is more than enough.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Mission_PGPX

I come across this beautiful Red color 118d sportline plus variant of Oct 2014 with 70000 kms on odo.

Asking price is 11.5 lacs.

Also, what are the expenses we are looking in future other than usual maintenance stuff?

I will suggest you find a 3 series instead. It will be more practical and also have more power. For some reasons, I found the engine on 1 series more a tractor like and you can certainly feel the difference if you drive a 3 series back to back. If you are looking a hatchback for the city, you can look at a 3 doors Mini as well or even GLA/ GLC.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I will suggest you find a 3 series instead. It will be more practical and also have more power. For some reasons, I found the engine on 1 series more a tractor like and you can certainly feel the difference if you drive a 3 series back to back. If you are looking a hatchback for the city, you can look at a 3 doors Mini as well or even GLA/ GLC.

The 118d that I tested had a smooth and powerful engine. Really quite a pocket rocket.
And a largish hatch actually has more boot space and is far more practical than many sedans, especially since one cannot put the rear seats down in most sedans...
The 118d indeed has a fantastic amount of rear boot space with the seats down. No comparison to a Mini. And the GLA? Well, that is seriously expensive even in the second hand market as compared to the 118d.
Being a low slung car, the 118d is (to me) the next best thing to owning a Z3/Z4....

[sgiitk]

Obviously it was not popular. I do not recall seeing even a single 1 series Beemer. See plenty of 3xx and 5xx and even the odd 6xx and 7xx. In any case with the platform being drastically changed a change was inevitable.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Obviously it was not popular. I do not recall seeing even a single 1 series Beemer. See plenty of 3xx and 5xx and even the odd 6xx and 7xx. In any case with the platform being drastically changed a change was inevitable.

And most probably why it didn’t become popular is because there are very few people who can really appreciate that car. Most people who have that kind of money, are buying automobile real estate along with the prestige of the brand rather than anything else. And anyway most of them are chauffeur driven...