BMW of North America CEO Jim O’Donnell says that he believes the German automaker could eventually sell more than 100,000 BMW vehicles powered by four-cylinder engines in the United States as automakers are forced to comply with the federal government’s stringent 35.5 mpg fleet standard.
“We see potentially a significant market that could get to 100,000 four-cylinder engines†in the United States, O’Donnell told Automotive News.
The automaker will introduce twin-turbo four-cylinder versions of its next generation 3-Series for the 2012 model year, although it remains unclear whether an extra-high mpg diesel would arrive in the fleet. The automaker introduced a nearly 60 mpg version of its diesel 320d (pictured) at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, although that variant will not be available outside of the European market.
The automaker is also contemplating four-cylinder variants of its X1 and X3 crossovers for the North American market. The lucrative U.S. market hasn’t received a four-cylinder BMW since 1998, when the 318i and Z3 1.9 were offered.
