BMW unveils 1 Series Convertible

Monday, October 01, 2007

1 Series cabrio with fabric roof
Five engines available
Stop-start technology standard

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BMW has unveiled its 1 Series Convertible, just three months after it announced it would build a coupe version of its small family car.

The Convertible is the fourth derivative of the 1 Series, following the three- and five-door versions and the Coupe.

The new car will have a fabric roof that opens or closes in 22 seconds, and at speeds of up to 25mph.

Engines
Five engines will be available - one diesel and four petrols. The 120d diesel is a 175bhp common-rail unit developing 258lb ft of pulling power.

Petrol versions include a 141bhp 2.0-litre 118i, a 168bhp 2.0-litre 120i, a six-cylinder 215bhp 3.0-litre 125i and a twin-turbo 302bhp six-cylinder 3.0-litre 135i.

Among the new car's features is an air-conditioning system borrowed from the 3 Series convertible, which recognises when the roof has been opened and defaults to a 'Convertible' mode.

This triggers the ventilation system to react less to the interior temperature and more to the outside temperature and sunlight to determine the intensity of the ventilation required.

For safety, two rollover bars extend from behind the rear seats in a fraction of a second to protect the occupants should the sensors detect that the car is about to flip over.

Environmental features
All 1 Series Convertibles get a host of measures to make the cars run more efficiently and produce less carbon dioxide, part of a programme BMW calls 'Efficient Dynamics'.

Among these is regenerative braking - this uses an 'intelligent' alternator and a special battery to recover energy lost from the engine when braking or using the engine to slow the car.

There's also stop-start technology to save fuel by stopping the engine when, for example, the car is at a halt at traffic lights, and a gearshift indicator to inform the driver of the most economical gear to use.

A new clutched air-conditioning pump prevents further fuel waste - when not needed, the pump decouples and uses only 10% of the power normally needed to drive the pump.

Finally, all models except the 135i have electronic power steering. In contrast to conventional hydraulic power steering systems, this system operates only when it's needed, which reduces the need for energy from the engine to drive the steering pump.

There's no word on pricing yet, nor when the car will reach UK showrooms.