1 Series USA sales by year

[PcarDefector]

Ever wonder why it's hard to find an used 1 series? That's because there wasn't many sold over its 6 year lifespan.

• A total of 60,678 1 series were sold from 2008 to 2013.
• That's less than 10% of 3 series sales in the same period.
• Even the 2 series has 7% more sales over a 6 year period despite a slow start and higher price tag.

Source: https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/bmw-1-...sales-figures/

[Guillaume135i]

I'm assuming having xDrive as an option on the 2er helped sales. Coming from the northeast, I can confirm that the lack of AWD/4WD is a dealbreaker to many consumers. Some (my parents for example) see it as necessary to combat the snowy winters.

[PcarDefector]

Originally Posted by Guillaume135i

I'm assuming having xDrive as an option on the 2er helped sales. Coming from the northeast, I can confirm that the lack of AWD/4WD is a dealbreaker to many consumers. Some (my parents for example) see it as necessary to combat the snowy winters.

xDrive probably helped the 2 Series appeal but not enough to stem declining sales. You will notice that sales dropped 24% in 2017, 1 year after the xDrive was introduced. (See chart below)

By comparison, the Mercedes CLA outsold the 2 Series by 2.8x in 2018. I think the real problem with the 2 Series platform is the lack of a 4 door offering. The 2 Series Gran Coupe is trying to address that gap but it's really a Mini platform on steroids.