BMW has officially stated that the 1 Series shares sixty percent of its components with the current BMW 3 Series E90. The BMW 1 Series vehicle is built in Leipzig and Regensburg, Germany. Some of its parts are manufactured in a factory in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
In the summer of 2007, it was announced by BMW that they would be releasing a new 1 series Coupe. The Coupe is slated to become available in the European Union in the autumn months of 2007. Three engine specifications will be available for this 2008 Series 1 Coupe: the traditional 120d, as well as two new bi-turbo engines - the 240 hp 123d and the 306 hp 135i.
The new Series 1 Coupe has been announced in the United States of America and Canada as a 2008 model. With a code name of E82, this vehicle will be the very first 1 Series ever to be sold in the United States of America. It will be sold in two versions: the 128i and the 135i.
The former will come powered by a 3.0 L, 230 hp inline six cylinder engine. The latter will feature a 300 hp, twin turbocharged 3.0 liter inline six cylinder engine. Both of these engine models are also found on 3 series models 335i and 328i. A lot of BMW enthusiasts have expressed anger that only the coupe version of the Series 1 will be made available in the United States of America and Canada. There will also be no diesel option available for the American market.
As a means of reducing fuel consumption, the 2008 Series 1 Coupe will feature Efficient Dynamics components. The Coupe version of the vehicle is somewhat longer than the hatch. It features about twenty extra liters of boot space.
The Series 1 Coupe is considered to be a replacement vehicle for the BMW New Class. It uses the same nose design as the other vehicles in the 1 Series as a means of maintaining consistency within the range. The Series 1 Coupe will be priced around $8,000 less than the Series 3 Coupes.