Photo: BMW
With the media launch for the 2 Series facelift recently organized, we have about three to four years left in the current life cycle. So we got curious about the future of the car and found a controversial report in German media.
A little while ago, Auto Bild claimed the 2 Series Gran Coupe is coming. While adding practicality to a great car sound like the best news ever, it's actually the exact opposite. In order to reduce costs, the car will be based on a front-wheel drive platform, presumably related to the UKL1. 2020 or 2021 is when it will come out and we will be forced to say goodbye to the M2.
That ties in with previous reports that the 2 Series GC is codenamed F44 since F45 and F46 are the Active Tourer and its 7-seat big brother while F48 is the X1. All of those are traitors to the BMW cause, primarily powering the front wheels.
According to the report, the 4-door 2 Series will measure about 4.5 meters and slot under the 3 Series sedan. You can think of it as a premium Jetta with sleek design or a direct competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class.
Initially, the project was started out the right way, with a RWD platform. However, as Oliver Zipse, BMW’s manufacturing chief, previously said: “Our aim is to reduce production costs by 5 percent year over year."
Couldn't they save 5% by simply not making this car? Well, idle hands are The Devil's workshop, plus they would lose customers in America, where the CLA-Class and A3 are doing quite well. BMW already has a 1 Series sedan in China but said it wouldn't bring it into its fully-developed markets.
To get an idea of how bad things are going to become, in the future, four factories will build FWD cars and five RWD ones (it's about platforms, as both architectures allow xDrive). So the sacrilege that started with the X1 and will continue with the 3rd-generation 1 Series hatch is going all the way.
Another interesting part of the story is the design, which will supposedly resemble the classic 2002. Which is why we're showing you last year's 2002 Hommage Turbomeister concept. Not bad, right?
That ties in with previous reports that the 2 Series GC is codenamed F44 since F45 and F46 are the Active Tourer and its 7-seat big brother while F48 is the X1. All of those are traitors to the BMW cause, primarily powering the front wheels.
According to the report, the 4-door 2 Series will measure about 4.5 meters and slot under the 3 Series sedan. You can think of it as a premium Jetta with sleek design or a direct competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class.
Initially, the project was started out the right way, with a RWD platform. However, as Oliver Zipse, BMW’s manufacturing chief, previously said: “Our aim is to reduce production costs by 5 percent year over year."
Couldn't they save 5% by simply not making this car? Well, idle hands are The Devil's workshop, plus they would lose customers in America, where the CLA-Class and A3 are doing quite well. BMW already has a 1 Series sedan in China but said it wouldn't bring it into its fully-developed markets.
To get an idea of how bad things are going to become, in the future, four factories will build FWD cars and five RWD ones (it's about platforms, as both architectures allow xDrive). So the sacrilege that started with the X1 and will continue with the 3rd-generation 1 Series hatch is going all the way.
Another interesting part of the story is the design, which will supposedly resemble the classic 2002. Which is why we're showing you last year's 2002 Hommage Turbomeister concept. Not bad, right?
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