Australian BMW management has said that the first four-door sedan version of its upcoming next-generation 1 Series hatchback, which will switch to front-wheel drive, will not be coming here.
That would leave the German brand with a big hole in its product line-up, given the small premium sedan segment is already being taken advantage of by its major competitors, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
Whatever its public position, it's hard to believe BMW would not want to offer a rival to the likes of the CLA and A3 sedans in Australia, especially when it will have access to one for the first time when BMW AG produces a sedan version of its next-generation 1 Series, due in 2016.
The next 1 Series hatch which will join the 2 Series Active Tourer – BMW's first front-drive model, based on the same UKL1 platform as the new MINI range – in featuring a driveline configuration that is in direct contradiction of what were considered to be intrinsic, heartfelt BMW philosophies.
Even if that blow is softened by the realisation that the company has actually had a front-driver in the family for years – the current-generation MINI – the policy shift indicates the company is not incapable of shifting from a seemingly iron-clad position.
Although it’s understood the 1 Series sedan, which has been spied before but not at the Nurburgring, is essentially a product of Chinese market demands, the belief that a four-door is a no-go for buyers in Australia’s premium small car segment is open to question.
It’s informative to look at the Mercedes-Benz A-Class to get some indication of the way a four-door variant can influence sales.
In 2014, Benz sold 4676 A-Class hatchbacks. The A-Class based CLA sedan, which was launched a few months after the hatch in 2013, added a further 2682 sales, bringing total A-Class based sales to no less than 7358.
Audi also offers a (highly acclaimed) sedan version of its A3, which has enjoyed a similar level of success within an expanded A3 range that more than doubled its sales last year.
So you can bet BMW will have its market researchers working at fever pitch once the front-drive 1 Series hatch is launched.