Autobild, our favorite German tabloid of a car rag, has gone on another speculation spree, and this time it's related to the new 2009 BMW X3 and first 2010 BMW X1. The pending refresh of the compact SUV will come just in time to duke it out with new offerings in the form of the Mercedes Benz GLK and Audi Q5. But what kind of new goodies can we expect for this duo? Well, for starters, the X3 will be growing slightly, up 8 cm in wheelbase and with a corresponding slight bump in width. But also expect to see the fruits of the GM/BMW/Chrysler hybrid program come to fruition.
Along with the dual e-motor transmission for hybrid action, the X3 also gets active steering, active roll stabilization, the electro-hydraulic brake system, and cruise control with brake-to-stop function; we'd assume that means some sort of Jag-ish radar-controlled braking feedback loop. All well and good, but since nobody actually buys an X3 for the driving dynamics, it's a good thing BMW will also be adding better materials to the cabin, an on-board hard drive, and a night-vision system (we'll believe that when we see it — at night).
But what about that X1? Das Bild speculates that the new sub-X3 will be seeing the light of day by the third quarter of 2009, and will be just what it seems: a smaller, lower crossover. At some point, they're just going to have to call them wagons. The X1 will sport a bevy of engines, ranging from a 1.4-liter four sourced from Peugeot up to a 3.5-liter V6 fire-breather from BMW, along with the now-inescapable automatic or hybrid transmission setup.
Guess this finally answers the age-old question: "If a soccer mom cries out for a tall station wagon, does BMW hear it?" [Autobild (translated) via Carscoop]