Range Topping 2019 BMW 1 Series To Be M130iX M Performance

The front-wheel drive revolution is gearing up at BMW with the third-generation 1 Series arriving next year but the range-topping M130iX M Performance will get four-wheel drive.

The M130iX is currently in the early stages of development and will aim to compete with the Mercedes-AMG A35, VW Golf R and Audi S3 by the time it is launched in 2020.

It will feature specially tuned version of BMW’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, developing around 300 horses, together with a multi-plate-clutch xDrive four-wheel-drive system.

The M130iX hot hatch will be a crucial part of the overhaul to front-wheel drive as BMW tries to prove that it can offer a credible front-driven performance model alongside its traditionally successful rear-wheel-drive M cars.