BMW has developed a bit of a reputation for trailblazing new niche markets in its pursuit for automotive dominance. First it was the Sports Utility Vehicle, then the Sports Activity Vehicle and now the Family Activity Sports Tourer or FAST – if you catch where BMW is going with this. Except the new BMW FAST is unlikely to be ‘fast’ at all and is actually going to be the basis for a new front-wheel drive only sedan that we can expect to see in showrooms around 2017.
Mercedes-Benz fired the first shot in the front-wheel drive offensive in the form of the latest generation A-Class/B-Class and BMW will utilise the available architecture from its third-generation MINI arriving later this year. It’s reported that the ‘UKL’ front-wheel drive architecture will eventually serve up no less than 15 new models for BMW and MINI.
If the upcoming MINI is indeed the donor car, the BMW FAST is likely to be powered by a new 1.5-litre and potentially the i3’s eDrive hybrid powertrain. The front-wheel drive BMW’s entry is still a good four years away and that should be just enough time for BMW-philes to get over that fact. Around 80% of all BMW 1-Series owners don’t realise their car is rear-wheel drive, so is it really as big a deal?
In line with this FAST concept, the front-wheel driven BMW 1-Series will most likely get a practical spin to it, in the vein of the 5-Series and 3-Series GT cars that almost double as spacious MPVs. This cheaper model will join the Compact Active Tourer (pictured here) and a second-generation BMW X1 in an effort to supplant the 3-Series sedan that’s moved decidedly upmarket of late.
