I personally believe that car houses a different engine which is intended for the USA market in a 2-series bodied car (but exact same engine, drivetrain, ecu, etc just inside a 1-series body right now). That way they can essentially test the 2 series in the USA market where its going to get the most sales, without having to worry about shipping a cladded prototype here where there is less security from photographers, etc..
To me this is just one more step closer to the 2 series in the USA
