BAYERISCHE Motoren Werke AG yesterday began the sales of its 1-Series hatchbacks in China to grab a bigger slice of the luxury car market with the new offering.

The imported 1-Series cars cost from 273,000 yuan (US$39,374) to 445,000 yuan, the world's largest maker of luxury cars said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. The model will be available in three versions with an engine capacity from 2 liters to 3 liters.