6 series convertible pictures, x3 and 1 series

oliie · #1 (**permalink**) 10-23-2002, 04:32 PM

and the new X3

and last, but not least, the new 1 series

Text from AutoWeek:
"We might as well start calling 2004 the “year of the BMW.”
As part of a five-vehicle onslaught by the German automaker that year, we’ll see two all-new models in the 1 Series and X3 sport wagon, as well as the cabrio version of the 6 Series coupe. We’ve already shown you the next 5 Series due in 2004, but our spy shooters have yet to catch a glimpse of the Z4-based M Roadster also expected in ’04.

The four-seat 6 Series, based on parts from both the 5 and 7, will arrive in 2003 after its official introduction next spring in Geneva.

The convertible, equipped with a traditional power-operated canvas top, will debut at Geneva in 2004.

Earlier this year BMW chairman Helmut Panke said the 6 will come with a range of inline six-cylinder engines, starting with a 240-hp version (AW, Aug. 19). Other likely powerplants include a 272-hp 3.6-liter V8 and a 333-hp 4.5-liter V8. BMW is still considering whether to build a performance M6 model, possibly fitted with a 5.0-liter V10 capable of producing 500 hp.
At the opposite end of the BMW range, just a notch above the oh-so-popular front-wheel-drive Mini, comes the everyman Bimmer, also known as the 1 Series. Based on the CS1 convertible concept BMW debuted at Geneva last spring, the 1 Series (estimated sticker price: $26,000) is expected to be the first “affordable” BMW in many, many years.

Due in 2004 as a direct competitor to Volkswagen Golf-sized cars, the front-engine, rear-drive 1 Series is routinely referred to by BMW as a car aimed at “the upper segment of the lower middle class.” Whatever.
Look for the 1 Series to debut with a 1.8-liter, 115-hp four-cylinder engine and some 3 Series underpinnings. The car will initially be offered as a five-door hatch, but later coupe or convertible variants are likely, possibly dubbed M or Z2 models. A 177-hp 2.0-liter engine will power performance versions. BMW expects to produce more than 150,000 econo-Bimmers annually.

Somewhere in that vague middle ground occupied by sport wagons and sport/utility vehicles, BMW plans to add the X3, a smaller version of the X5 based on the 3 Series chassis. Due by late 2004, the X3 will offer high ground clearance and a wide chassis like its bigger X5 SUV brethren, while retaining more of a tall sport wagon appearance.
Look for the X3 to get the 231-hp 3.0-liter inline-six from the 330xi and all-wheel drive adapted from the X5. First year production will likely be about 30,000 vehicles, but capacity could be bumped to 60,000 per year if demand exists.

source

Oliver