This weekend, BMW unveiled a sorta-successor to its 1M barnstormer, the M135i, offering 320 hp and a choice of transmissions in a hot hatchback shape. It's a sharp package, and one that as of now has no plans to embark to U.S. customers. Maybe BMW should rethink its opinion about how us Yanks feel toward hot hatchbacks.
BMW's reluctance toward the M135i involves a complicated bit of marketing. The normal 1-Series hatchbacks aren't sold in the United States to begin with, in part because hatchbacks don't have a luxury pedigree among American buyers. The M135i isn't a true M-Power track monster, but a version of what BMW calls its M Performance line, an attempt to carve out space between traditional M models and its regular cars with hotted-up performance variants that still offer all of BMW's luxury comforts.
But those differences wouldn't really matter to a driver wanting a hatchback that can hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds with the six-speed manual; the eight-speed automatic does it in 4.9 seconds. The power comes from a turbo version of the company's classic inline six engine, with maximum torque of 332 ft.-lbs. available at 1,300 rpm. And if the three-door look above seems too confining, there's also a five-door variant.
If the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S furor has shown anything, it's that there's a healthy demand among American car buyers for modern rear-wheel-drive performance cars. The 1M turned into such a hit some dealers were slapping $20,000 markups on the sticker. Don't keep the candy behind the counter, BMW.
Other stories this morning:
GM faces union fight in European restructuring: GM wants all its factories running three shifts a day -- but at least in Germany they still serve beer in the plant cafeteria. (Wall Street Journal)
VW rules out Formula 1 for now: (Autosport)
GM, Chrysler soar in supplier survey: Turns out treating suppliers well works better than beating on them for cost cuts and holding their payments up for months. Whocoodanode? (AutoNews)
Ferrari tops $41.8 million Monaco sale: Ancient Ferraris remain a rapidly appreciating asset class. (Bloomberg)
