AutoMK.com

For those of us looking for the spiritual successor to the BMW 2002, we've been waiting patiently as the folks across the Atlantic were able to walk into their local BMW dealer and order up a 130i. BMW's excuses for not importing the 1-series to North America centered on the weak dollar and a supposed lack of interest in hatchbacks (MINI anyone), but we've been told that's about to change.

Way back in January of this year, BMW's CEO, Tom Purves, was quoted by Automotive News as saying that the 1-series, "is absolutely coming" and up until now, that's the last we've heard.

Now, in another interview with AutoNews, Norbert Reithofer, BMW's newest CEO, says, "We will definitely bring the 1-series to the United States, but it will not be a hatchback." Instead, we should expect a coupe, sedan and station wagon (although we're not quite sure how that's different from the image above) in the future.

We're not ready to hold our breath, but it's nice to know that the possibility is still on the table.

[Source: Automotive News ndash; Sub. Req.]