A look at BMW future products

BMW and Toyota have agreed to work on a sports car, fuel cells, electric-vehicle components and lightweight materials.

The agreement underlined BMW's determination to make its new i electric-vehicle subbrand a success. It has built a special showroom for i vehicles in London and will do the same at its company-owned New York City dealership.

The i subbrand will be launched with the four-seat electric i3 in the fall of 2013, followed by the i8 plug-in hybrid supercar in 2014. There are reports that a smaller i1 city car and an i5 small van are in development but haven't been approved because of cost concerns. By working with Toyota, BMW can lower costs.

Earlier this year, BMW launched a four-door based on the two-door 6-series called the Gran Coupe. A new crossover called the X4 will be built next year in Spartanburg, S.C.

1-series: The coupe and convertible are scheduled for a redesign in 2014. They are the only 1-series models sold in the United States. There are reports that these two models will be renamed the 2 series.

An all-new 1-series sedan comes to the United States in 2015. The rear-wheel-drive sedan is expected to draw customers turned off by the increased size and price of the redesigned 3-series sedan.

In 2019 or 2020, the 1 series will be redesigned and will switch to BMW's new front-wheel-drive platform.

3-series: The redesigned sedan went on sale in February. The ActiveHybrid 3 version will debut this fall. It has a start/stop feature and an eight-speed automatic transmission mated to a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine and a 55-hp electric motor. The combined horsepower is 335.

Next spring the new Sport Wagon will be added. It is 3.7 inches longer than the current wagon, and the wheelbase grows by about 2 inches. The larger size gives the wagon more rear passenger room and 10 percent more cargo space.

In 2013, a five-door hatchback version of the 3 series will debut that likely will be called the Gran Turismo, or GT. Styling will be similar to that of the larger 5-series Gran Turismo.

The redesigned 3-series coupe goes on sale in late summer 2013, and the convertible debuts in late 2013. BMW will decide this fall whether to rename them the 4 series.

The redesigned M3 high-performance model goes on sale in early 2014.

A Gran Coupe model similar to the new 6-series Gran Coupe is expected in the fall of 2014. It may be called the 4-series Gran Coupe.

5-series: The redesigned M5 high-performance sedan goes on sale next month. The 5 series gets a freshening in the fall of 2013.

5-series Gran Turismo: The five-door hatchback gets a freshening in 2013.

6-series: The M6 convertible, the fastest open-top car BMW says it has ever made, went on sale this summer. The 560-hp car has a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 from the M5 and M6. The M6 coupe goes on sale this month.

The new four-door, four-seat 640i Gran Coupe with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder engine debuted this summer. It competes with the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Porsche Panamera and Audi A7. In late summer, BMW will add the V8 650i Gran Coupe and all-wheel-drive 650i xDrive.

An M6 version of the Gran Coupe is expected next year. BMW hasn't released specific timing.

7-series: The flagship gets a mild freshening this fall. The freshened ActiveHybrid 7 version goes on sale this fall. A 315-hp, 3.0-liter, inline six-cylinder engine replaces the 4.4-liter V8 in the current model. Combined horsepower is 455.

BMW will replace its flagship in late 2015 or early 2016 and move from an all-steel to a carbon and aluminum body. The new generation will have a 50-state clean diesel, a plug-in hybrid and possibly a four-cylinder engine that may not be sold in the United States. BMW is considering a high-performance M version of the 7 series for the first time.

Z4: The two-seater will get a freshening in 2013 and a redesign in 2015.

Toyota/BMW sports car: The two companies agreed in June to work together on an "environmentally friendly" sports car. Details and timing were not discussed. The cars will not be identical or share a common exterior design.

X1: The 1-series-based crossover goes on sale this fall. The X1 went on sale in Europe in 2009, but BMW waited until the midcycle freshening to bring it to the United States.

X3: The crossover will be freshened in 2014.

X4: BMW is adding a fifth crossover to its range to fill the gap between the X3 and the X5. The new coupelike X4 is expected in 2014. It will have the lower roof line and coupe styling of the larger X6. The X4 will be 183 inches long, the same length as the X3. It will use the same six-cylinder engines as the X3 and will be available with BMW's xDrive awd system.

X5: The crossover will be slightly larger when it is redesigned in 2013, but it won't get the full third row of seats like the competing Mercedes-Benz GL or the Cadillac Escalade.

X6: The crossover with coupe styling will be freshened later this year and redesigned in 2015.

Fwd compacts: BMW is likely to get a small minivan and sporty compact wagon off its new fwd platform.

i3: The four-seat, rwd electric car, called the Megacity Vehicle during development, goes on sale in fall 2013.

i8: The plug-in hybrid sports car debuts in early 2014. It will use a modified electric drive system from the i3 Concept that is fitted over the front axle as well as a three-cylinder internal combustion engine with 220 hp.

By Diana T. Kurylko- Automotive News