Click above for high-res gallery of the Concept 1-Series tii We've known that BMW has plans to revive the tii series name ever since the automaker unveiled the
Concept 1-Series tii at the
Tokyo Motor Show. While we don't have anything as official as a press release from the Munich-based automaker, CAR online got BMW chief Norbert Reithofer to fess up that tii models are on their way. What we don't know, however, is whether they will be equipment packages that include upgraded mechanicals, perhaps that can be ordered a la carte, or full fledged models that have been fleshed out by BMW engineers. Reithofer did indicate that the 1-Series and
3-Series will be first in line for the tii treatment, and that subsequently an M model of the 1-Series is not being planned.
Over the past 20 years, BMW has managed to back up its claim of building Ultimate Driving Machines despite each of its cars growing in size and gaining weight with each new generation. It's done this largely by adding bigger, more powerful engines to its cars. With new CAFE standards demanding more fuel efficient vehicles in the U.S., and BMW already indicating that
cutting cylinders to help meet those standards is a distinct possibility, the tii ethos of subtracting weight and focusing on handling more than passing power seems like the most probable path down which BMW will run.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/02/b...-and-3-series/