- Strong European sales of the BMW X1 and a weak dollar-euro exchange rate have convinced the automaker to put the U.S. launch of its compact crossover on indefinite hold.
- BMW expects the larger X3 will remain its volume seller in the segment in North America.
- The company won't likely bring the X1 to the U.S. until a midcycle freshening slated for 2013.
WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey — Strong European sales of the BMW X1 and a weak dollar-euro exchange rate have convinced the automaker to put the U.S. launch of its compact crossover on indefinite hold. BMW, which twice has postponed U.S. launch plans for the X1, now likely won't bring the vehicle to this market until a midcycle redesign slated for 2013.
"It can be a positive to wait until the midcycle change and bring in a freshened vehicle," a BMW executive told Inside Line. "Global demand for the X1 is still extremely strong in markets where our volume potential is high for this type of vehicle. Here in the U.S., the X3 is and likely will continue to be our volume (crossover)."
At the 2011 Detroit Auto Show in January, BMW said it had postponed the U.S. introduction of the X1 until late 2011, at the earliest. In April, the company said there was still "no decision yet " on U.S. plans for the car, although BMW Canada confirmed that its dealers would begin selling the X1 later this year.
Inside Line says: Introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, the X1 went on sale across Europe in 2010 and originally was scheduled to arrive at U.S. dealers in late 2010.
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b_boy_007 says:
09:52 AM, 08/28/2011
@ostrich001
I didn't realize we don't get the TSX wagon in Canada (yet). That's really disappointing. Why the hell not, Acura Canada?
kamigo_factory says:
09:49 PM, 08/27/2011
I drove an X1 today and liked it a lot. It has lots of go and phenomenal brakes. It also goes around a corner like it's on rails and is great over bumps, railroad tracks and other imperfections. The seats are comfortable and the nav system pretty cool (uses sat photos). At full rev the engine sounds fantastic. Cruising around it's pretty quiet inside and visibility is very good except in the back corners. On the downside the 8 speed tranny seems a bit confused on take off, revving high in one gear and then blipping through the next few quickly. And at low rpm just plodding along the engine sounds a bit agricultural.
The interior, like pretty much every car under $60K, is a lot of plastic and it's not all that inviting (like say and Infiniti or Jag would be) but it is very functional.
It is true that an X1 with a couple of packages costs the same as a base X3 (which is comparably equipped with a packaged-up X1), but keep in mind that the X1 is lighter, faster and more fuel efficient. I'm driving the X3 on Wednesday for comparison. They are selling like hotcakes and the one demo my dealer has is in high demand. According to my salesman the X3 is a softer ride with a higher centre of gravity than the X1 so more body roll.
superm says:
06:55 PM, 08/26/2011
Way too expensive, too costly to operate for the US market..also the dealers won't touch something that doesn't include $10k of add-ons to be market competitive. DOA in the USA.
ostrich001 says:
06:45 PM, 08/25/2011
So for a change, we get a nice vehicle in Canada, but NOT in the States!? YAY! LOL Now, now, don't complain now, you guys have the absolutely wonderful Acura TSX Sport Wagon in the States but we cannot get it here in Canada.... sigh!
Even though the X1 is on sale here, if I were to get a BMW SUV now, I would get the X3 rather than the X1, because the price difference is strangely not that great between X1 and X3. It would make a lot more sense to me to get the X3 instead.
eurocarlover19 says:
03:45 PM, 08/25/2011
Guess I'll be purchasing my one-way ticket to Canada soon(comparing the canadian to american dollar exchange rate)......
infinitifx50s says:
03:00 PM, 08/25/2011
BMW is just greedy and loves to sell americans more expensive vehicles. Too bad, I am really anticipating this, will have to look elsewhere !
hotrodw says:
02:46 PM, 08/25/2011
Bad news. I don't see myself purchasing one, but I'm concerned this will further delay Audi's Q3. Considering the number of CUV's flooding the market, it's hard to believe the selection of premium compacts is so limited.
compressor says:
10:45 AM, 08/25/2011
Stupid. Was looking forward to trading in my 9-2x for this (if it had a stick). But, I am not waiting till 2013 for a car that will be 3 years old. And I am not getting a CUV.
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smallfield says:
07:45 AM, 08/25/2011
Good - leave this one in Europe after 2013 too. We really don't need a smaller X3.
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Smallfield - Personally, I don't need the larger X3 since the X1 does everything it does equally or better.
blueguydotcom says:
09:18 AM, 08/25/2011
X3 and X5 are selling so well they don't want to threaten those money makers. X1 is a huge hit overseas, so just like the 1 series wagon (also a booming sales hit elsewhere), BMW is not willing to threaten bread and butter sales in the USA.
I'd guess the flop of the 5 Series GT also has them wondering if tallish, ugly wagons sell well in the US v. more traditional truck-like SUVs.
blueprint1 says:
09:16 AM, 08/25/2011
It's been on sale for a couple months now in Canada and proving quite popular. There's even one on my street. The X3 will suffer because of its upsizing, so dealers really needed the smaller CUV.