After Being Known Last June, BMW Started The Latest Series-1 Production

The latest BMW Series-1 is produced at the Leipzig factory, Germany. (Doc. BMW Group)

JAKARTA - BMW has introduced the latest generation Series-1 in early June. This model brings a number of significant changes with dimensions greater than ever.

After being introduced, the German manufacturer has now inaugurated the production of this hatchback at the Leipzig factory, Germany or in the same line as the Gran Coupe Series-2 line, Series-2 Active Tourer, and Mini Countryman.

"The new Series 1 BMW will remain a key factor in maintaining the use of high capacity at the Leipzig plant," said Plant Director Petra Peterhansel, quoted from the official BMW Group website, Wednesday, July 3.

The Leipzig plant has experienced a systematic increase since 2018. The company has produced up to 350,000 units per year or more than 100,000 vehicles compared to before.

Then since November last year, the production of this factory has been boosted with the presence of the latest Mini Countryman. Now, assembly in this facility has increased to more than 500 units of BMW and Mini vehicles per day.

The increase in production volume secures existing jobs and creates new jobs. An additional 900 people will join the production of vehicles alone, and by the end of 2024 the Leipzig Factory will employ about 7,000 people.

This latest model has dimensions slightly larger than the previous 4,361 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, and a height of 1,459 mm. Overall, it maintains the same proportion as the long engine hood and some striking lines.

In terms of design, the latest BMW Series-1 has a more subtle and elegant style when compared to other models. This can be seen from the size of the medium-sized kidney grip with a pair of compact headlights.

Then, the back has a difference from before by adopting lights like the current generation of X2 crossovers.

The interior looks the same as the other BMW models. For Series-1, the cabin is equipped with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.7-inch infotainment display placed in a curved panel offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

BMW presents the fourth generation Series-1 with several options ranging from pure ICE movers to mild-hybrid options.

The 120 variant has a 1.5 liter 3-cylinder engine with a mild-hybrid 48V system. However, the resulting power is greater with 168 dk and 280 Nm torque which can speed up from 0 to 100 km/hour in 7.8 seconds.

The M135 xDrive variant is the highest in Series-1. It is equipped with a turbocharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine that produces 296 dk of power for the European market and 312 dk for other countries and 400 Nm of torque.

With this machine, it is able to make M135 xDrive run from 0 to 100 km/h within 4.9 seconds with the highest speed reaching 250 km/hour.

All variants are only offered in the Steptronic version of seven dual-clutch accelerations. Which means for the first time in 20 years, BMW doesn't offer manual transmission in Series-1.

This car will be offered in the European market starting next October at an undisclosed price.