BMW hopes that rising fuel prices will help the sales of the new BMW 1-Series coupe in North America. At the recent press launch of the 1-Series in Sweden, BMW’s Falko Radomski said “We believe there is a change happening in this market. Increasing fuel prices mean that customers are becoming more interested in fuel efficient cars.”

Radomski said that BMW expects a large part of the 1-Series coupe sales to come from the US. Pricing for the U.S. has not been announced as of yet but the coupe is estimated to start from the low to mid $30,000s range while the convertible is expected to start at the low $40,000s. Both will arrive in the U.S. in spring 2008.

Also reported before, BMW is hoping for a high number of 1-Series coupes to be sold before it hits the U.S. markets next spring. BMW will entice buyers by putting a special badge on each 1-Series showing its first year of sales in the U.S.

Both the convertible and the coupe will be powered by the same engine. The 128i will be powered by a 3.0 liter inline 6-cylinder engine producing 230 horsepower. The 135i will be powered by BMW’s twin-turbocharged 3.0 liter inline 6-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower. BMW says that it will do 0-60 in 5.6 seconds.

2008 BMW 1-Series Coupe Gallery:

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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