Photo: SB-Medien
British media is reporting that BMW will launch an M2 Gran Coupe as early as next year, and that it will be rear-wheel drive, powered by the same 3-liter engine as the current M2 Coupe.
Our knee-jerk reaction was "oh no, another story like the one about the Mercedes SLS being based on a defunct Viper." But we gave it time and... it still doesn't make sense... sorry.
A few days ago, Autocar magazine published the same 2 Series Gran Coupe photos we did. The only difference is they called it an M2 Gran Coupe and presumed it would rival the RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45.
Even that would be possible to a degree. But the publication is saying the M2 Gran Coupe is powered by a 370 PS (365bhp) 3-liter inline-six turbo.
The big problem with that is that the 2 Series Gran Coupe is based on a FWD platform, the same one that underpins the X2 launched a week ago. There's no way to 100% confirm that what we're saying is true, but the RS3 and CLA 45 are also based on FWD platforms.
As far as we know, both the 1 Series and 2 Series are going to ditch their RWD configuration soon. However, Autocar goes as far as to say that successors to the coupe and cabriolet are due out in 2020.
There are other inconsistencies in the story too. Comments dating back to 2016 criticize the publication for saying that the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a 4-door, like the 6 Series version. Of course, this part of the original text is missing, suggesting they mistook the recent M235i sighting in Scandinavia for the M2 they themselves fantasized about two years ago.
So, we're back to square one. The M2 GC is not real, but an M Performance version of the car will be available. Though we have not yet seen the engine for this car, rumors have been talking about a 300 horsepower 2-liter turbo. This should debut in either the X2 M35i or the M135i hatchback, both of which have been sighted on several occasions.
A few days ago, Autocar magazine published the same 2 Series Gran Coupe photos we did. The only difference is they called it an M2 Gran Coupe and presumed it would rival the RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45.
Even that would be possible to a degree. But the publication is saying the M2 Gran Coupe is powered by a 370 PS (365bhp) 3-liter inline-six turbo.
The big problem with that is that the 2 Series Gran Coupe is based on a FWD platform, the same one that underpins the X2 launched a week ago. There's no way to 100% confirm that what we're saying is true, but the RS3 and CLA 45 are also based on FWD platforms.
As far as we know, both the 1 Series and 2 Series are going to ditch their RWD configuration soon. However, Autocar goes as far as to say that successors to the coupe and cabriolet are due out in 2020.
There are other inconsistencies in the story too. Comments dating back to 2016 criticize the publication for saying that the 4 Series Gran Coupe is a 4-door, like the 6 Series version. Of course, this part of the original text is missing, suggesting they mistook the recent M235i sighting in Scandinavia for the M2 they themselves fantasized about two years ago.
So, we're back to square one. The M2 GC is not real, but an M Performance version of the car will be available. Though we have not yet seen the engine for this car, rumors have been talking about a 300 horsepower 2-liter turbo. This should debut in either the X2 M35i or the M135i hatchback, both of which have been sighted on several occasions.
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