Last week Autocar brought us more news on the future of the front-wheel drive BMW range, including this Alfa-esque rendering.

The latest info suggests the front-wheel drive BMW will actually be badged as a 1 Series, and not 0 Series as first expected. It won’t replace the existing rear-drive platform, rather, from 2013 you’ll be able to order your 1 Series with front or rear wheel drive.

While the above image relies on some guesswork the expectation is the front-wheel drive 1er will look quite different to its rear-wheel drive sibling.

BMW don’t expect the front-drive 1 Series and the MINI to steal sales from each other. They refer to the Volkswagen Group’s success with the Golf and Audi A3 models as an example of two similar cars appealing to different buyers. Speaking about the BMW-MINI market segments a BMW insider has said to Autocar, “Our research shows BMW and MINI appeal to different buyers.”

Prototypes of the front-drive BMW should be on the roads in about 12 months from now. Expect lots more speculation between now and then, too.

[Source: Autocar]