When will Hatch arrive in the US??

[BForbes]

Originally Posted by DaSlowMoseS

Anyone have any ideas when the hatch would be arriving in the US if BMW were to bring it here? Theres lots of nice pics up now & its got me thinking if I should wait.. I dont know if I can.

I personally believe that BMW will bring the hatch to the U.S. a few months after never. They arent too keen on making the same mistakes twice.

[kurichan]

Originally Posted by ibeam81

I'm guessing that you meant disingenuous (as in lacking sincererity),

Nope, I meant disingenuine. Some people like to suggest that it isn't a word, but I think it has become one, just like "incentivize."

[Vornado]

Why, exactly, are they so practical? What can you do w/ a hatch that you can't do with a coupe, besides get laughed at in the happy-go-retro people pusher?

[ibn]

they are more practical because of the trunk space. some people have more to haul around than a blackberry.

[Propagator]

Originally Posted by Vornado

Why, exactly, are they so practical? What can you do w/ a hatch that you can't do with a coupe, besides get laughed at in the happy-go-retro people pusher?

:iono: You mean why a 5 door hatch with a real cargo area is more practical than a 2 door coupe?

I know many american families have an SUV or a pickup for hauling stuff, but the point of hatches and wagons is that you don't need to own those big vehicles for the occasional small furniture/big screen TV/musical instruments moving.

[jkoral]

At the time I owned only a 318ti and a E46 323i, any large objects required the ti. I couldn't fit anything in the E46 sedan and close the trunk.

Even after owning my ti for 11+ years, I'm still amazed at how much I can haul (especially the large bulky items).

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by 1ster

...BMW got burned big time by the 318ti...

Please explain how. Everyone claims this, but no one can back it up with facts.

How about this fact from Autocar (E46 Compact vs. MB Coupe comparo article in 2001):

"... when production ceased in September last year almost 400,000 E36 Compacts had been sold worldwide without any palpable drop in brand strength. And the killer statistics are these: according to BMW's research, two out of every three people who bought a Compact were new to the marque, and roughly two-thirds again of those buyers went on to buy another BMW next time. In short, it's been a runaway success for BMW."

[bozola]

Joe..

Now 2 Ti folks here! :thumbup:

Frederic
Yahoo 318ti Group Moderator!

[321]

I have always liked the 318
and i see them in a much higher frequency than any other bmw..(doesn't say much but still)
To me it always had a lot of potential(motor swaps:biggrin

[marvenmassey]

I'm more of a lurker and dont post much..IMHO I just returned from London and given the choice I would get the hatch in a heart beat. I really dont like the coupe too much, well the back that is..so I may just opt for the 335.

M.

[ManMachine]

Well, I think the fact is that the 318ti did not sell well in the U.S. I don't think BMW headquarter will object, but it's the BMWNA that decides a hatch would not sell well and that it would just dilute the brand appeal in the U.S. They also have a hard time selling the sport wagons. Most in the U.S. would just buy the X3 or X5 if space is needed. So you just have to pay extra for a the 328iT. And no 335 version either.

Now if the gas price continues to rise, and the economy continues to tank for another year, then we might see changes.

[MEENEEBoy]

I've been waiting since 2002 and it seems like "NEVER", that's why I ended up with an A3. I luv the hatch and still hope they'll be here someday. The neighbor on the south has it, why shouldn't we? Dawwn it BMW!

[mateo]

Never!

[rdkind62]

Originally Posted by OniKoroshi

Am I the only one that wished we got the 5 door wagon?

Most likely.

[mateo]

Originally Posted by rdkind62

Most likely.

[ManMachine]

BMW should make it available to order. The market for it is small, probably 800 a month, and BMW has to do the all the crash tests etc. I'll drive one for sure.

[Kayne]

Originally Posted by ManMachine

BMW should make it available to order. The market for it is small, probably 800 a month, and BMW has to do the all the crash tests etc. I'll drive one for sure.

I agree. I would take the hatch over coupe for sure. First of all, that would mean more head space in the back for rear passengers. Also I prefer the look of the hatch to the coupe.

[Nikos120i]

BMW in the US is synonymous with fast, expensive, big, prestigious, coupe and luxury cars.

The 1er hatch is about half of that. BMW wants to retain its image in the US and I think that the 1er hatch will never make it to the States.

The 1er Coupe is very, very well priced (in a different topic I mentioned that I paid for my 120i 3dr the same money you guys pay for the 135i Coupe), it's fast, good-looking and its a BMW.

What's the point of bringing a 120i BMW for example? :iono:

The 130i hatch, however, could be a logical choice...but it would be priced very-very closely to the 135i. I'd say it'd be about $5.000 less than the 135i.

So far, the 128i Coupe covers that market segment...which is exactly what BMW is for the US, as I mentioned above. :smile:

By the way...the Coupe has more rear legroom and a bigger trunk than the 3dr.

[jrc]

All other things being equal, I would trade my 135 coupe for a 5 door 135 hatch in a second (hell I'd even pay a premium)

[Nixon]

I would give a 4-door based upon the 135i coupe when they redesign the 1-series in a couple of years a better chance of making it to the US than a 3-door or 5-door hatch.

[blacke87]

Its not that hard to import one overseas, I did it. The challenge is getting someone who will make sure the papers go through with this car i didn't have much trouble finding insurance thankfully, unlike some other cars I've imported from japan in the past *sigh* One of them I have to keep in canada because it's legal there but not down there =/