SCOOP NEW BMW 1 SERIES

REVEALED Baby Beemer is set for a shake-up, with Neue Klasse frontend and a choice of hybrid or battery electric powertrains when it arrives in showrooms in 2027

- Richard Ingram

BMW needs to reinvent its big-selling 1 Series if it is to continue operating in key European markets, brand boss Bernd Koerber has revealed. The plans will most likely see the firm launch electric and hybrid versions of the popular hatchback in tandem, as previewed in our exclusive images, when the current model is replaced in 2027.

“It has never been a question that we step out of the small-car segment”, Koerber told Auto Express in an exclusive interview at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show. “There are many markets where that is highly relevant; go to Greece, go to Spain, go to Italy – take out the 1 [Series] and that’s one-third of your business. So, if you're a global player, you had better do things in your home markets which are relevant.

“[Secondly], it’s a very important [car], because what you see in the 1 Series is the highest share of younger drivers. How else are you going to get [those] people into the brand?”

The 1 Series, for two decades, has acted as a profitable entry point into BMW ownership, and an important The 1 Series, for two decades, has acted as a profitable entry point into BMW ownership, and an important model for conquest sales. As Koerber has hinted, the hatchback also has one of the youngest demographics of any model in the brand's line-up.

Koerber continued: “The third one, a benefit of having MINI in the BMW Group, which is sometimes overseen, is that the small-car segment forces you into clever cost-efficient solutions – cost-efficient ones. If you step out of the small-car segment, what you lose is the perspective of clever, cost-efficient solutions; in a small-car segment, you are forced into it.”