Market
The 1 Series Coupé was marketed in the US as a spiritual successor to the BMW 2002, a two-door from the 1970s known for its light weight and high level of performance (relative to the era). It was visually distinctive with its long bonnet, slim cabin and short rear.
In the 1-series hatchback commercial, Kermit the Frog was shown driving a BMW 1 Series around in a desert making figure eights, showcasing the car's agile nature and playful handling.
BMW is showing a 3-episode web movie promo (filmed in Hamburg with a New York cast) that looks almost like a film noir and feels more like a mini–TV movie or film, with the main focus on the actors and more subtle appearances of the car itself. These episodes were made for viewing in Japanese movie theaters.
BMW recently released a viral campaign to promote the BMW 1 Series. The campaign centered on an online video 'mockumentary' called Rampenfest that chronicles the adventures of a small Bavarian town attempting to use a giant ramp to literally launch the new BMW from Germany to the U.S.
Jeremy Clarkson, and other journalists raised a number of other complaints about the 1-series which were or are aesthetic, and have influenced sales demographics. At varying times, the 1-series has been described as having 'Bread-van' looks, or as a 'Shameless attempt by BMW to sell a badge rather than a car'. Clarkson in particular had described the average BMW 1-series owner as receiving the following assessment from his next door neighbours: 'Hmm, that’s an expensive car. He must be off his rocker.' Clarkson went so far as to end his review for the Sunday Times with 'The 1-series is crap.'
Critical response has dramatically changed in recent years with the introduction of the Coupé, and convertible model - which have been described as 'returning BMW to its roots', and the 135i has been described as the spiritual successor of the original E30 M3 of the 1980s. Clarkson himself awarded the 2008 model five stars, and had the following to say: 'The 135 coupé is the best car BMW makes.' Generally, the 1 Series coupé is more popular with critics and fans than the hatchback model.
The BMW 118d, which is not sold in North America, won the prestigious 'World Green Car Award' in 2008 being the only performance oriented car with CO2 emissions and fuel consumption comparable to Toyota Prius.
Read more about this topic: BMW 1 Series (E87)
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