Although not the best-looking cars in the premium compact class due to their humongous grilles that have sparked numerous jokes, the BMW 4 Series family ticks all the great driving boxes. However, it might be on its dying bed. Yes, that includes the range-topping M4, too.
Nothing is official at this point, yet BMWBlog quotes undisclosed sources as saying there are no plans to make a next-gen internal combustion-powered 4er based on the CLAR architecture. This platform underpins the 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, and 6 Series and the Z4/Supra duo, X3, X4, and iX3.
Mind you, that doesn't mean the nameplates for the Coupe, Convertible, and Gran Coupe, as well as the M4, might not return from the dead. Still, the outlet states they might be fully electric. Thus, like it or not, the next-gen 4er lineup might ditch all combustion engines, embracing electron-sipping powertrains, to the despair of some enthusiasts, with a number of them likely jumping onto the Audi and/or Mercedes bandwagon for a similar ICE-powered ride.
This move is certainly not unheard of, and besides the 4er lineup, it has also been rumored that the Munich auto marque might pull the plug on the 8 Series Coupe and Convertible and the Z4 roadster, which shares countless nuts and bolts with the latest Toyota Supra. But is there any truth to it? We don't know yet, so we'd take this report with a grain of salt until BMW steps forward and makes an announcement.
Photo: BMW
Nevertheless, it appears BMW is not entirely convinced of whether it should discontinue the 4 Series family. This piece of information comes from the same quoted outlet, which claims that they are "already hearing about conversations in Munich regarding the prospect of offering a regular 4 Series in the future." If given the green light for production, then it might be some four to five years away, meaning that we might see it in 2028 or 2029.
On a similar note, it appears a gasoline-fed next-gen BMW M4 is not in the pipeline, and that's no surprise, considering the company's plans to go electric. In all likelihood, if there will be no ICE-powered future M4, there will likely be an i4 M based on the Neue Klasse construction, which should retain the great driver's car credentials of its predecessors, wrapped in premium compact proportions and perhaps offered as a two-door coupe and convertible, and who knows, maybe a Gran Coupe, too.
Even if BMW decides to drop the 4 Series and M4 and turn them into electric vehicles, it will likely keep making similarly-sized models fed by gasoline, so we're going to treat this as a rumor for now, and so should you. But would you be sad if the 4er (and M4) won't be renewed?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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