BMW is running out of numbers and letters. There's a 1 through 7 series already. X models are about to go straight up through 6. And when finding a name for the Concept Active Tourer, they had a problem.
A company executive reportedly told Top Gear magazine that there was a slight fuck up when trying to name this front-wheel drive tall hatchback. The new 2-series nameplate was supposed to be reserved for coupe-like vehicles, as is 4 and 6-series.
But that exec said when BMW went searching for a new letter to stick in front of the number (T, V, whatever), all were trademarked. So instead of calling it a 1-series, BMW picked the 2 because it's clearly a larger car than the 1 hatch and they already had a confusing situation on their hands.
In other news, we were kinda sorta joking about the upcoming BMW 225i Active Tourer being "the BMW C-Max you've been waiting for." It turns out we actually weren't far off.
Edmunds confirms that the 225i Active Tourer will, in fact, be coming to the U.S. early next year, according to BMW North America head Ludwig Willisch.
What's interesting is that Edmunds says the powertrain will be the 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder from the 2015 Mini Cooper, mated to an electric motor to produce 190 horses. Therefore it's a plug-in hybrid tall wagon, like a Ford C-Max Energi.
So if you like the C-Max – which is a fine package that can haul four Jalopnik writers and (most) of their luggage around Detroit for the auto show – but find it too mainstream, BMW will likely have the more expensive solution for you in about a year.
Just don't make comparisons to the 2-series coupe. That's a totally different story.
Photo: BMW