BMW is almost always at the forefront of automotive innovation, and 2018 is no different — the luxury car company has some big surprises planned for us in the coming year. What can we expect from BMW in 2018?
The New BMW 3 Series
It actually doesn’t feel like that long ago that the F30-gen BMW 3 Series came out. It actually still seems kind of fresh. The F30-gen 3er debuted in 2012 and, right on time, the new one will be hitting the road in 2019, after being unveiled late this year.
Built on BMW’s new CLAR architecture, the new G20-generation 3 Series will shed about 80 kg (176 lbs) over the current-gen car. Our own sources also say that the 3 Series will have its own identify within the BMW lineup, and it will not be a smaller 5 Series.
Electric Cars
It seems like everyone is getting on the electric car bandwagon, especially after the popularity that Tesla has gained over the past couple of years. This isn’t a bad thing, especially when you add BMW’s penchant for luxury vehicles to the mix.
At the Frankfurt Motor Show where they premiered their SUV, BMW also showed off a new fully electric sedan — the i Vision Dynamics. While this particular model is still a concept, BMW is gearing up to start mass producing electric cars by 2020 and are planning to have 25 electrified models — with 12 of those being fully electric — by 2025.
An i3 with a larger battery pack will also be unveiled this year.
Dead — The M6 Coupe
One surprising change is that sometime in 2017, BMW stopped producing the M6 Coupe. The snazzy little hardtop was quietly eliminated from the production lineup in such a way that it flew under the radar of most car news sites. If you’re a fan of the 6 series, don’t fret though — you can still get the convertible and the Gran Coupe. It’s just the hard top that’s seen its last days.
More Aluminum
Last year, BMW managed to shave 137 pounds off the weight of their 2017 5 Series cars by moving away from the solid steel model and replacing some parts with aluminum, magnesium, and high strength steel. This was an extremely successful demonstration of what a manufacturer like BMW can do with lighter materials when paired with modern construction techniques — it can be up to 50% lighter than steel, but just as strong when manufactured properly.
Should we expect to see more aluminum incorporated into upcoming models though? We’ll have to wait for spec releases from BMW to know for sure which cars are getting a chassis remake.
The Z4 Roadster
In 2013, BMW entered into a partnership with Toyota to create sports cars but the first new roadster, the Z4, isn’t going to be a product of that partnership. It was first spotted during testing at the end of 2017, and often after. It will appear in front of our eyes in Fall 2018.
Other premieres this year include the new X4 and X5, i8 Roadster and the 8 Series Coupe.
A lot of BMW’s new models are being played really close to the chest, which makes for an exciting year to come!
