The 300hp M135i previews the BMW 1-Series M Performance, the latest addition to company’s M Performance Automobiles family.

Like other M Performance cars, the M135i is powered by a six-cylinder turbo engine, but it’s a petrol not diesel.

So the car is a 300hp three-door hot hatch, and it’s a BMW. It’s a hugely appealing prospect, but my God it’s ugly. This generation of the 1er is definitely not BMW Designers’ finest hour. Pity.

The M135 features many M Performance parts, which you can order very soon for your ordinary 1-Series as well. They include M sports braking system, M sport suspension, 18-inch M light alloys with a double spoke design, and an M body kit.

The body kit features bigger air intakes at front, new side skirts and mirror caps, and a new rear apron in Dark Shadow metallic with the exhaust system’s double tailpipe that features a dark chrome trim.

The BMW M135 will debut alongside other M Performance cars at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.