BMW BLOG

A surprise from BMW North America today: they have officially acknowledged that the BMW X1 will make its way into the American market in 2011. The initial reports were very skeptical regarding the possibility of bringing the new entry level compact SAV to the U.S., but shortly after the Paris Motor Show unveiling, more and more unofficial voices were reporting that the X1 will eventually make its way here.

The marketing for the U.S. market will start in 2010 and will debut a year later. No other details are being revealed at this time, but it seems that both the rear-wheel drive and xDrive models will be available for the American customers. While we expect the gasoline engine to be one of the options for us, we also suspect that one of the diesel offerings will come as well. In our opinion, the xDrive23d with the powerful but still fuel efficient diesel engine, will be a perfect fit for us.

As we progress in the year, expect more news or rumors to come up, but in the mean time, this is exciting news for some of us. Of course, with the launch of the new X3 next year, the BMW SAV line-up might get a bit crowded, but with a reasonable base price set, the X1 could indeed become a viable option for many BMW customers.

Press Release

It was confirmed today that the BMW X1 is planned to debut in the United States in calendar year 2011. The X1 has been conceived with the flexibility to offer traditional rear-wheel drive and xDrive all-wheel drive configurations, as well as a wide variety of gasoline and diesel powertrain choices. In light of rapidly evolving US market demands, fuel prices, and regulatory standards, elements of the X1’s US launch plan, including engine and drivetrain configurations, will be forthcoming closer to the time of launch.

The BMW X1 will debut in Europe this fall with a choice of four engines – one gasoline and three diesels – and will be available in rear-wheel drive and xDrive all-wheel drive configurations. The X1 will set new benchmarks in the premium compact segment for efficiency, comfort, utility, and of course driving dynamics. Achieving up to 5.2 L/100km (45.2 miles per US gallon) on the European test cycle, the BMW Advanced Diesel-powered X1 sDrive18d will provide remarkable fuel efficiency while still achieving a top speed of 200km/h (124mph). Each drivetrain choice for the X1 will showcase the latest results of BMW’s EfficientDynamics engineering strategy, which is focused to reduce emissions and consumption while enhancing the performance expected of any BMW.

[Source: BMW ]