Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
BMW courts young drivers with entry level 1-Series
Models pose next to the all new BMW 118d Sport hatchback during a launch event at the company’s showroom in southern Seoul, Monday. The diesel powered facelift second generation 1-Series model has high performing TwinPower Turbo engine that meets Euro 6 emission standards. Its price starts from 38.9 million won. / Courtesy of BMW Korea
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
BMW launched the latest version of its BMW 1-Series hatchback here Monday, courting young customers.
The 1-Series is one of the company’s best-selling models, with 2 million sold globally over the past decade. BMW sold 2,700 1-Series last year, which accounted for nearly 7 percent of its total sales of 40,000.
The facelift second generation BMW new 118d Sport is the cheapest diesel powered car under the BMW badge with a price tag of less than 40 million won.
With its new sharpened exterior, the car claims to offer the best options in that segment.
The rear-wheel drive hatchback mounting 4-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine delivers agile performance and meets the Euro 6 emission standards.
“The most important thing is that despite the upgraded features and engine, we didn’t raise its price,” said a company official during a launch event at its showroom in southern Seoul, Tuesday. “We think this will be the model young and budget-minded customers in their 20s and 30s will regard as their first cars,”
BMW says the new 118d has a maximum 150 horsepower and takes 8.1 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour.
Its fuel efficiency amounts to 17.4 kilometers per liter of fuel.
The new 1-Series is equipped with many high-level convenience and safety features such as parking sensors, a rear-view camera, electric sun roof and 17-inch wheels.
It also has a real-time tire-checking system, thus the driver can check the air pressure of tires through the inside monitor.
BMW Korea said that the new 1-Series received five stars from the Euro NCAP crash test.
The base price for the new 118d Sport starts from 38.9 million won.