2028 BMW 1 Series Could Return to Rear-Wheel-Drive Roots

The 2028 BMW 1 Series is shaping up to be the most interesting reinvention of the hatch yet, with rear-wheel drive making a possible comeback alongside fully electric power. Set to land as the fifth generation of the badge, the new car will offer both EV and combustion options and will take cues from the wider Neue Klasse family. The 1 Series has always pitched itself as the most accessible way into BMW ownership in many markets, blending sharp dynamics with a more polished feel than your average hatch, and that brief looks set to carry over into the next chapter.

Globally, the hatch remains a strong seller, shifting more than 200,000 units last year with particularly healthy numbers in Italy and France. The new model will line up against fresh takes on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the Audi A2 e-tron, although where those rivals lean into MPV-flavoured shapes, the 1 Series sticks closer to a traditional hatchback silhouette. Both petrol and electric versions will share styling, much like the current 5 Series and i5 pairing, with the wider Neue Klasse design language stamped across the bodywork. BMW’s compact car design boss Oliver Heilmer, told Autocar the brand has always wanted its smaller cars to look distinct from the bigger saloons, never simply shrunken-down 7 Series replicas.

A sportier three-door variant could also make a return, something that has not been part of the line-up since the second-generation hatch. The bodystyle would be more straightforward to engineer for the EV, which sits on the scalable Gen6 electric architecture. Inside, the cabin is expected to mirror what the i3 saloon and iX3 SUV have already shown off, pairing a hexagonal central touchscreen with a wide driver display stretched along the base of the windscreen. It is a clean, screen-led approach that already feels at home in the larger Neue Klasse cars.

Under the skin, the petrol and electric versions take quite different paths. Combustion variants will carry over an evolution of today’s largely front-wheel-drive layout, with 1.5-litre three-cylinder and 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines on the menu and a plug-in hybrid option in the mix. The electric model is the more intriguing one, switching to the Gen6 platform that supports rear-wheel-drive and is expected to run a detuned version of the i3 saloon’s drivetrain with a smaller battery and either single or dual motors. That would mark a return to the rear-driven layout used by the first two generations of the hatchback, a rarity in the segment that gave those early cars their sharp steering and engaging chassis behaviour.

Range figures should land in healthy territory given the iX3 SUV already manages up to 434 miles between charges, so a smaller, lighter 1 Series should perform respectably. Pricing is also expected to slot beneath the i3, keeping the BMW badge within reach of a wider audience. The downside for North American buyers is that the hatchback’s return to the United States looks slim. Many hatches have been quietly dropped from American showrooms in recent years, and neither Audi nor Mercedes-Benz sell their equivalent compact hatches there. A rear-driven, three-door electric 1 Series would have made a fine adversary for the Volkswagen Golf GTI and R, plus their future electric versions, but for now it remains a treat reserved for other markets.