For how big it is, the American car market tends to miss out on a lot of cool models. The 90s saw us missing out on some of the best Japanese sports cars ever made, and these days it's the Europeans withholding some of their cooler creations. In a tragic turn of events, it would seem that BMW will not be bringing its all-electric iX1 to the US. This comes as a heavy blow as we get ready to welcome the first all-electric 7 Series, the BMW i7, in April. Last month the 2023 BMW iX M60 arrived in Chicago to great fanfare, but now that we know that we'll be missing out on the brand's smallest new EV, we're kind of bummed.

Considered a baby brother to the BMW iX3 - also not for the US market - we got our first look of the iX1 in November of 2020. Back then we expected the iX1, which is being constructed in Regensburg, Germany, to arrive on US soil in late 2023 or early 2024. BMW has not made any official statement regarding this matter, but according to BMW Blog, it could be due to its limited driving range, or the fact that BMW wants to fully focus its efforts on the iX before pushing its smaller EV cars. This makes very little sense to us, as the US market is absolutely flooded with small crossovers, and there's always an appetite for another premium offering in this class. Perhaps BMW is scared of taking on Musk and his mighty Tesla Model Y?

The iX1 will share BMW's FAAR front-wheel-drive architecture with the standard X1 and the forthcoming Mini Countryman and is expected to make use of a dual motor setup, endowing it with AWD. The entry-level FWD vehicle is expected to deliver around 180 horsepower, while a more powerful AWD trim will offer around 250 hp, an 80 kWh battery pack, and a range close to that of the Volvo XC40 Recharge (around 270 miles). When launched in Europe and elsewhere, it will compete with other premium offerings such as the Mercedes EQA and Volvo XC40 Recharge. Do the right thing BMW and give us the iX1.