Spy Shots: 2012 BMW 1 Series three-door caught in Munich

The next-generation BMW 1 Series three-door has been spotted again, this time on the streets of its hometown in Munich, Germany. Despite the swirlies covering all its details, it's clear that the basic shape, size and proportions of the new iteration aren't going to change much from the current model, which has never been offered in North America. We Yanks have only had the fortune of sampling the 1 Series in coupe and convertible form, though no one's complaining.

The headlamp clusters on this three-door 1 Series prototype appear to be sloped back and stretched along the top of the fender line like those on the new 5 Series. Similarly, the wider grille has been pushed forward to be flush with the bumper line below it. The profile shot also indicates that the hood now features the increasingly familiar clam-shell with side cut-lines and a higher arc to provide improved pedestrian protection.

Judging by the hood-to-cabin proportion of this prototype, it's also safe to say that the next 1 Series has not been converted to front-wheel drive (even though 80 percent of owners already think it is FWD) as BMW has indicated it might do with future smaller models. We expect the new 1 Series will debut sometime next year as a 2012 model, and until that time we have the high-performance 1 Series M Coupe to look forward to.

[Source: Carpix]