While the BMW X4 didn’t make its debut in January at Detroit Auto Show, the small Sports Activity Coupe will finally arrive in dealerships next year.

In a statement today during Annual Accounts Press Conference, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said that the X family will expand with one more model.

“We created the premium Sports Activity Vehicle segment. Until then there were no all wheel drive cars on the roads that were so sporty. From the late 1990s to date, we have sold over 2.7 million BMW X models, said Dr. Reithofer. “Next year we will expand our offering in this segment with the BMW X4.”

bmw-x41

Built under the code F26, the X4 shares the same platform as the new X3, and will be positioned, price wise, below the X5. According to our sources, the X4 is 4.65 meters long (183 inches), same length as the F25 X3. The “baby-SAC”, short for Sports Activity Coupe, will compete against the Porsche Macan that is scheduled to launch around the same time.

The 2014 BMW X4 will differ visually from the X3 in the same way as the X5 and X6 pair. The design language begins with the X6 lines in mind, but with the latest BMW design language deeply embedded into the final product which translates into a redesigned front fascia and athletic rear end with an angled one-piece tailgate.

Under the hood we expect to see the same power options as the X3, in both petrol and diesel, with four and six-cylinders.

BMW will begin production of the X4 later this year at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina.