BMW SHOULD be bringing hatchbacks to the US,

[vintage]

it's a hot and untapped market, look how many people drive VW Golfs, MINIS, Focus etc.. I know the 1 series is a bit more expensive than those models but I bet they would sell very well here.

[bubba451]

These are also selling well: Mazda 3, WRX

plus there's the whole "crossover" segment, which I thought was what everyone has been so excited for.

[ckolsen]

I think the real reason is that BMW NA likes their high class image and doesn't want a 1 series cutting into their profit margins. I think they know the car would sell, which is exactly why they don't want it.Chris
'95 325i

[BritishGreen]

I've always loved hatchbacks. I had several GTIs and even a 318ti in the mid-90's. The problem is that most Americans think hatchbacks are "cheap" cars, and that definitely doen't fit in with BMW's image in this country. Maybe things are changing with cars like the Golf R32 and the WRX, but I doubt BMW is willing to go that far "down-market".

[bubba451]

This reminds me a bit of the MB's C-Coupe. For me that hasn't really tarnished the name of MB (especially given what the SL 500 has done to improve it).

Frankly, I'm more worried about the reputation of BMW being tarnished by the cars getting bigger and heavier.

[mrbelk]

The E60 is actually lighter by a fairly good bit over the E39. In the case of the E60, it's bigger in response to customer feedback in that the rear legroom in the E39 was too short, trunk opening wasn't big enough, etc.

My suspicion is that the new 3er will be on-par weight-wise with the E46. It will certainly be bigger than the E46, but the 1er is there to fill the gap.

I think the 1er hatch looks awesome and I wish that BMWNA would bring it to the states.

-MrB