I believe you will find the below information quite useful. It comes from someone very close to BMW and a member of Germancarzone. To summarize some of the key points:

• apparently the new BMW Z4 E89 will launch in December
• BMW is also looking into the possibility of an M Z4
• Efficient Dynamics BMW Z2 Roadster, read hybrid

But here is the information, unedited:
 
With the new BMW Z4 Roadster (launching in December) forgoing a classic roadster soft top and instead using a folding hard top configuration.

Much of the discussion is focused on how much the weight of the car will increase with the now folding hardtop.
Although the use of lightweight materials on key areas of the car do not satisfy the curiosity of many.

Although brought in to prop up Z4 sales and originally a project put on hiatus when the E85 was in development. BMW brought forward the Z4 Coupe as a more performance focused model than the roadster.
Because of the introduction of the Coupe , Z4 sales increased and with the Z4 Coupe proved as a successful product for BMW, that BMW have green-lighted a Coupe version for production.

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Sorry guys, the new BMW Z4 wasn’t present at the L.A Auto Show, despite the previous confirmations of the new roadster presence there. Apparently, there was an issue with the sDrive trademark name and due to late legal issues, BMW decided to hold off the November launch.

I know most of you are disappointed as I am as well, but honestly, not many of the auto journalists here were crying over it. I think this is mostly a bimmer fan thing, but I did look into it and asked a few extra questions.

I heard from two BMW executives that Detroit is on the map, but they did not want to confirm it 100%  yet. All I can say that I am pretty damn confident we will see it there. So hold tight guys, I will look into this some more tomorrow.

As we mentioned before, we expect the first official photos of the all new BMW Z4, to hit the web this week. There have been many signs pointing to an early reveal, a couple of weeks before the L.A Auto Show.

Two of the most helpful people and with the most insight when it comes to BMW, EnI and Scott27,  have posted some teaser photos on the Germancarzone forum. Even though the images don’t show the Z4, yet, we get an idea of what to expect from the official trailer and also, what the new BMW Z4 slogan might be. 

Hold tight my friends, we’re close!

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So far we have seen the 2009 BMW Z4 in the following colors: red, Space Gray, Deep Sea Blue, Cashmere Silver and today, white. 

The fellows at MotorAuthority seem to be all over the Z4 subject and almost every day, they have a different set of photos for us. The Z4 in these photos is barely disguised and we can clearly see some of the design elements that we have talked about for a while: a wider grille, larger intakes up front, smoother corners and some elements similar to the CS Concept. One thing that stands out in these photos is the hood, longer than the one in the current Z4, which in my opinion, it gives the car a sportier and more aerodynamic look. 

Enjoy these spy photos since they might be the last ones, my sources say that the car will be revealed any day now and the “silly spy photos game” will be over.

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Just a few hours ago, I said that we should see more sph photos of the 2009 BMW Z4 within the next days, but…I was wrong.

A few hours later, a gold looking BMW Z4 was spotted by the british folks at imotormag.co.uk, with the same minimal camo and a lower stand than the Deep Sea Blue Z4 we saw yesterday.

That’s all I have to say for now, enjoy.

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We are most likely two weeks away from the official release of 2009 BMW Z4 marketing materials. Even though the car will be unveiled at the L.A Auto Show, the official photo will be made available before that.

But in the mean time, we are continuing the funny silly game of spyshots and today we have some new, different ones. We have seen the bright red colored Z4, but today, we have a new color: Deep Sea Blue.

Before you jump with any conclusions, the BMW Z4 will not sit as high as the one in these photos. This test mule is still sitting on delivery blocks, hence the higher stand. Also, the wheels seem to be smaller than what we have seen before. (more…)

We all know that we are a little nuts when it comes to our bimmers and sometimes we go to extreme to satisfy our needs, yes, some of us even name our cars, but when you add about 100 mods/parts to your car, then you are a crazy true bimmer fan.

Nivola, a member of bimmerforums.com, is the one guilty of the above sins. So did he do? Well, he took a stock 2000 BMW Z3 M Coupe and turned into a real racing car. 

How did he do that? Get ready for the answer. 

He started with this:

And after adding ALL of those mods………

Accessories (OEM):
◦ Chrome door lock pins
◦ Chrome interior door handles
◦ Chrome review mirror (S54)
◦ Clear front corner lenses
◦ Extended tool kit
◦ Fire extinguisher & seat mount
◦ First-Aid kit
◦ Magnetic fender guards
◦ Mudflaps (F & R)
◦ Oil-bag
◦ Sunroof sunshade
◦ Tire pressure gauge 
◦ Touch-up paint kit 
◦ TrafficPro (with Stygar harness)
◦ Valve caps
◦ Warning triangle
◦ Wheel Roundels (new style)

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One of the most common request in our survey was for us to focus on some BMW tuning, modding and any other “look improvements”. So, we listened to you and we started looking for some great photos.

Our friends at Bimmerforums, which btw is an amazing forum, had a big topic filled up with BMW Z3 roadster photos. It doesn’t cease to amaze me how committed and passionate the BMW community really is and the following “then and now” pictures will illustrate that.

And since yesterday our article on the matte black BMW X6 made the headlines of several auto blogs, I thought I will start the first round of photos with a matte black BMW Z3.

Then:

Now:

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Another day, another new photos of the next generation BMW Z4. These are the first photos where we can clearly see how the grille will look like and as expected, the kidneys are larger than in the current generation and…I totally dig it.

No need to mention again that the new Z4 will be a “rockstar” and it will become a tough competitor for the existing roadsters.

Stay tuned my dear readers, we will definitely have more photos shortly.

[Source: More photos at Autoscoop.biz via Worldcarfans ]

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Should I even mention what I just told you earlier? That more and more BMW Z4 photos will start to pop up and soon we should see the real deal. So, for the past couple of days, we have seen some of the best exterior photos, here and here.

Today, it’s time to see the interior of the next generation BMW Z4, codename E89. So, what do we have here? An interior design that resembles the CS Concept? Yes, it has definitely imported some elements from the CS, such as the round control button on the dashboard or the electronic brake. 

What we see also here is the DCT gearbox, which will control the powerful 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine. 

I think the interior will match the Mercedes-Benz roadsters and it will set a new standard for BMW. It is clear that BMW has listened to its fans and starting with the new 7er, decided to give them more than just the Ultimate Driving Machine, an ultra luxurious vehicle. 

For those of you that don’t remember the CS Concept interior design, here is a cool Youtube video

And here are a couple of more exterior shots.

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I remember mentioning a few weeks back that soon we should see clearer, better and different BMW Z4 photos, and it seems like I was right. Yesterday, we have seen THE best spy shots of the next generation Z4 roadster and today, Worldcarfans comes through again.

They posted a new set of shots showing the 2010 BMW Z4 being tested at Nurburgring. Underneath the “famous” pattern camouflage, we can see a new color, different from all the shots we’ve seen so far. As I’ve said yesterday, the car’s proportions are just right and it looks way better with those larger beautiful wheels.

Here is my inside source prediction: we will see the official photos within the next three weeks.

[Source: More photos at Worldcarfans ]

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Finally we get to see some decent photos of the next generation BMW Z4. With about a month away before the official unveiling at the L.A Auto Show, the new roadster has been spotted in Munich, in a new red exterior paint and very little camouflage.

As we suspected, the car’s proportions are just perfect and pretty close to Jon’s Z4 renderings that were posted a while back. As we mentioned before, we are about two weeks away from the moment the first official photos will be released to the press, so hang in there, we will see the real deal quite soon, if they won’t get leaked even before that.

So, what do you think? Does it have potential? Would it be a slam dunk?

More photos at MotorAuthority

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Update: Based on the suggestions given, Jon has updated the renderings a bit. Decide which one you like better.

We are just a few weeks away from the official launch of the 2009 BMW Z4, codenamed E89, which is going to be unveiled at the L.A Auto Show in November, but with marketing materials released to the media a few weeks prior to the show.

With all this painful wait, many rendering artists are trying their best to come up with a CGI that will be as close as possible to the real deal. We have seen the guys at Autoexpress giving it a shot(not bad I might add), also the LeftLaneNews with an interesting, fresh take on the Z4, and today, our friend Jon Sibal came up with other renderings, both of the coupe and Roadster versions.

Jon believes that based on the recent light-camoed test mules spotted out there, he feels comfortable to show us his own interpretation.

Initial Rendering:

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Jason, one of our readers has just sent us some photos of the BMW Z4 parked on Gleandale Blvd next to Echo Park in Los Angeles. It’s interesting to see spy photos of the Z4 on U.S soil, rather than the typical Munich shots we have kept seeing for a while.

The test mule still has the plastic panels on it, so the car is still in the pre-FEP stage, where most of cold / hot weather testing is done, with all the plastic cladding on the car.

Thanks for the tip Jason.

[Source: Flickr ]

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The friends at carscoop seem to have the latest scoop for us. While we knew for a while that the 2009 BMW Z4 will indeed get the award winning 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine, they are going even further and speculate confirm that the M version of the Z roadster, will inherit the M3’s V8 4.0 liter engine.

The twin-turbo 3 liter engine that will power the regular Z is the updated version of the engine found in the current 3 Series and the one found in the new 7er. The N54 will output 326 ponies, about 20 more than current one. The 2009 BMW Z4 will be launched in Europe with an entry level 4 cylinder engine that will allow BMW to compete pricewise with the other european roadsters.

The BMW Z4M is rumored to be launch sometimes in 2010, most likely as a MY2011, but we’re still a few years out and things might change. 

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