BMW’s first front-wheel drive vehicle, the 2 Series Active Tourer is skipping the U.S. market. “There are currently no plans to bring the Active Tourer to the US market”, said Tom Plucinsky, BMW North America spokesperson.
Back in 2013, BMW said it was weighing the benefits of bringing the 2 Series front-wheel drive on this side of the pond. With X models sales going strong in the U.S. and a potential high price point for the Active Tourer, the business case doesn’t seem to make sense, at least for now. BMW is known to often revisit their decisions so if the premium front-wheel drive market will grow in North America, those plans might change.
In the foreseeable future, the premium segment is likely to grow more quickly than the basis segment. The BMW Group expects to see increasing demand and an average annual growth of more than 4.5% (2013 – 2020) worldwide.
The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer follows in the tire tracks of the Coupe as the second member of the new BMW 2 Series line-up and impresses from every angle with its sporty presence and harmonious proportions.
Measuring just 4,342 millimeters long (170.9 inches), 1,800 millimeters (70.8 inches) wide and 1,555 millimeters (61.2 inches) in height, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer offers similar inside space as larger X vehicles.
The Active Tourer is the first ever BMW with front-wheel drive and the first core-brand BMW to become available with a three-cylinder engine. The new front-wheel drive architecture – with a transversely installed engine – allows maximum usage of the interior volume in a relatively small vehicle.
Moreover, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is the first BMW to benefit from the modular engine concept.
The main markets for the 2 Series Active Tourer will be Europe and China. Europe is likely to account for some 40 per cent of sales and China around 15 percent.
