I had this exact conversation with my local dealer on Saturday (2nd Feb 13) and they told me the new 1 series has a 7 year life-cycle (as do all BMW's) and to expect a mid-life 'face-lift' in 3 years or so - all the journalism around BMW is suggesting this will be the last RWD hatch as the 'common customer' wouldn't even know the difference - shame really. Makes my upcoming F21 M sport all the more exciting