In a recent interview with Automotive News, BMW of North America CEO, Jim O'Donnell, offered more insight into the brand's future plans and upcoming cars. In the all-encompassing and detailed interview, O'Donnell touched on some of the "hot" topics for the brand: future front-bicycle bulldoze vehicles, four-cylinder 3 Serial and more 1 Serial variants coming to the U.s..

Here are some of the key points extracted from the interview.

You're talking further out with the pocket-size cars?

Aye, the 2014 and 2015 period with the front end-drive cars. But what I do encounter happening is that the premium segment will aggrandize. At the New York motorcar show, Mercedes-Benz was showing the A class. Nosotros will be expanding into new niches. The consumer will exist spoiled for choice.

bmw teen driving school 71 655x407 Are engine choices irresolute considering of the cost of fuel?

Not substantially. Diesel has changed it slightly. We take added the vi-cylinder 740i sedan, and a four-cylinder engine is coming for the Z4, and I am looking at bringing the 4-cylinder into the three series.

All your competitors target the 3 series. How do yous keep the momentum going?

Each generation has been slightly bigger and slightly meliorate and better equipped and has more safety features, etc. We proceed setting a new benchmark, and the others follow.

Is demand increasing for the small ane series — and can yous become more?

We are not bringing in whatsoever more one serial. We do non like to push that car. We like to go out information technology equally a pull. It is congenital at the same plants as the 3 series, and we'd rather have more than 3 series. There is more demand for the iii serial at the moment.

BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer recently said BMW Group plans to sell ane.five million cars worldwide this twelvemonth, up from i.46 million in 2010. How does the United States fit into that equation?

We are a big part of information technology. We will abound this yr between ten to xv per centum, depending where the market ends up. We are obviously vying with Germany to be the No. 1 state. We're definitely No. 1 if you include Mini.

Full interview at AutoNews