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BMW 1 Series

WBAUE320Stock varies — page stays live

The Japanese-market LCI 120i retained a revised version of the Valvetronic naturally aspirated engine (N46N) instead of the direct-injection N43, due to local fuel sulfur levels, paired with a standard 6-speed automatic transmission.

Engine
N46N 2.0L Valvetronic Inline-4
Displacement
1,995 cc
Drive
2WD (FR)
Gearbox
6AT
Fuel
Petrol
Body
Hatchback
BMW 1 Series WBAUE320BMW 1 Series — representative 1st Gen (E87 LCI Japan/Export) image

Chassis variants of the 1 Series

WBAUF120N46B20 2.0L Valvetronic Inline-41,995 ccFR6MT / 6ATWBAUE120N43B20 2.0L High Precision Injection Inline-41,995 ccFR6MT / 6AT
WBAUE320N46N 2.0L Valvetronic Inline-41,995 ccFR6AT

Dimensions & shipping volume

Length
4,240 mm
Width
1,750 mm
Height
1,430 mm
Weight
1,420 kg
Shipping volume
10.61 M³

Manufacture year vs. registration year

Japanese paperwork shows the first registration date, but African customs count age from the month of manufacture. Verify with the chassis serial before purchase:

Serial prefixProduction periodSeries
UE31/UE32XXXXXXMay 2007 – Sep 2011LCI Japanese Specification with N46N Engine

Import eligibility by country (2007–2011)

KenyaNot eligible
8-year limit from manufacture — all units now exceed it.
UgandaCheck unit age
Only units manufactured Jul 2011 or later qualify (15-year limit).
TanzaniaEligible
No age ban; vehicles over 10 years pay additional excise duty.
ZambiaEligible
No age limit; surtax applies to vehicles older than 5 years.
MalawiEligible
No age limit; duty calculated on cc and age band.

Common questions about the WBAUE320

Why did the WBAUE320 use the N46N engine instead of the N43?
BMW opted not to export the direct-injection N43 engine to Japan and several other markets because the local high-sulfur gasoline degraded the NOx storage catalysts rapidly, relying instead on the updated N46N Valvetronic engine.
What transmission is standard on the Japanese WBAUE320?
The Japanese market WBAUE320 features a 6-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic manual shifting as standard, with manual gearboxes not being standard options there.