A BMW 120i 1-Series Convertible, seen in Beijing in 2017. The open-top Bimmer was dusty, as all cars are in the capital, but otherwise okay, although the top seemed a bit loose at the back. It was painted in beige with a black top and gray wheels. Must be one of the most unassuming BMW cabriolets ever.
The first generation E88 BMW 1-Series Convertible was made from 2007 until 2014. In China, it was sold only for two years, in 2011 and 2012, and only in 120i spec. It didn’t sell well. Common wisdom says open cars are simply not popular here due to the air pollution, noise, and a lack of open-driving tradition. This wisdom is totally true. Even now, with much cleaner air in Beijing than in 2013, this hasn’t really changed.
Many car makers tried to sell convertible cars in China anyway and all of them failed. Only exception was Peugeot, which managed to sell quite a few of their funky 207 CC and 206 CC open-toppers. The BMW 120i Convertible was powered by 2.0 four with 152 hp and 200 Nm. In China, the only gearbox option was a 6-speed automatic. Power went to the rear wheels and top speed was a pretty speedy 212 km/h. BMW asked 368.000 yuan for the tiny convertible, which was a large pile of cash.
