More than a year ago, BMWBLOG was the first publication to shy away from calling the next BMW roadster, the Z5. Majority, if not all the automotive media, were stuck on the Z5 nomenclature, based on whispers coming from Munich and other “insider” info.
Around the same time, we’ve reached out to our own sources to confirm our initial assumption – the new roadster will continue to use the Z4 badge, one that carries a lot of history and prestige.
So it comes as no surprise that earlier this week, BMW America’s CEO, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed our previous statements.
“There’s no such thing,” said BMW Americas boss Ludwig Willisch during an interview with AutoGuide.com. “There will be a sports car, yes, but it’s not going to be a Z5. That’s something that someone else has made up.”
When pressed for details Willisch said, “It will be called Z… probably 4.”
BMW’s new Z4 is built under the internal codename G29 and aims to take on the likes of the Porsche 718 Boxter.
The new platform has been engineered to support petrol-electric hybrid power and four-wheel drive. Sources suggest the BMW roadster will weigh little more than 1400kg in turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder entry-level guise.
We should also be seeing a return for form for BMW. Its new chassis and soft-top roof will make it significantly lighter than the outgoing car and should be more fun as well. The soft-top roof alone is a big advantage, in terms of dynamics, over the folding metal hard-top, as it weighs significantly less and brings the center of gravity down. It’s also far less complicated, therefor more reliable.
BMW’s newest engines will make their way into the new Z4. These include the latest evolution of its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant, the B48, delivering around 248bhp in the Z4 sDrive30i, and a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder unit, the B58, in the Z4 M40i M Performance.
I don’t understand anything about the Z names. Why did we have a Z1, Z3, Z4 & Z8?
Why don’t they just use the Z1 (convertible) and Z2 (coupé) monikers?
Tbh the Z refers to roadsters so they shouldn’t have a coupe version
Z4 name is fine for me
I don’t get why they don’t wanna make a Z4 M though, the M2 is only offered as a coupe so a Z4 M Roadster could fit as a small M convertible
Every name of the BMW Z car after the Z1 didn’t make sense. The Z didn’t initially stand for roadsters. The Z (Zukunft) stood for future. The Z1 was used to develop several new technologies for the period. The name might have been fitting for the Z9 but there wasn’t anything advanced or ‘future’ about the Z3 (E36/7) which used components from earlier generation 3 series. Z has since become synonymous for BMW’s smaller two-seater sport car. No one can make sense of BMW’s naming convention anymore. It’s very anti-German to not follow some sort of convention (process) but then MB has gone down the same path as well.
The Z3 was the only one that didn’t really fit in the “Z” nomenclature… but that’s my opinion.
The importance of this disclosure cannot be overstated. Oh, wait . . . .
I wish there was a coupe version. And z8 as highly luxurious 2 seater coupe and roadster
The truth is that the bavarians are really evil, stupid, arrogant and nazi and I will never buy a BMW!