BMW X1 - first car in the wild!

The new BMW X1 on the road for the first time

The launch of the BMW X1 is only about a month away, and the first undisguised BMW X1 has been caught out shooting a new piece for a German TV show.

The X1 is designed to be a proper, compact SUV, aimed at a younger market, with less to spend, than most of BMW’s current offerings. Based on the 1 series platform, this shot seems to look exactly like the concept car (BMW X1 Concept gallery at the end). Not sure about the brown paint job, though.

Unlike its big brothers – the BMW X3 and X5 – the X1 is expected to come with a choice of both 2 and 4 wheel drive. This gives the X1 a big marketing advantage, in that the cost savings made by dumping the 4WD will translate in to cheaper entry-level models. It will also help with fuel consumption – a big issue at the moment. And frankly, the BMW X cars are not all that wonderful off-road, so the loss of the 4WD will not really worry most buyers, who buy for the high-drive position and ‘butch’ appearance more than the off-road abilities.

Official photos for the BMW X1 are expected in early June, with the official reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.