Now that the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is finally here, it’s time to talk about it. I don’t mean I’m gonna tell you what it’s about because we’ve already done that. Instead, let’s talk about its very existence and what it means for BMW. Make no mistake, the 2GC is going to be big for BMW. Very big.
The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe isn’t exactly the enthusiast’s choice. It’s front-wheel drive-based (even though it will have all-wheel drive options), it’s powered by engines no larger than 2.0 liters and four cylinders, it only comes with automatic gearboxes in America and the most powerful version only has around 300 hp. So it’s not exactly a purist’s sports car, now is it?
Having said that, it’s going to sell like crazy. At least here in America. Like it or not, the 2 Series Gran Coupe is going to be an absolute smash hit in the ‘States. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts to cannibalize 3 Series sales. Americans are going to lose it over the 2GC.
Why do I say that? For the simple fact that it’s going to be the cheapest way to get into a BMW in a long time. Customers in America absolutely love entry-level premium cars. Both of the 2GC’s main competitors — the Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and Audi A3 — are both almost obnoxiously popular. I live in typical American, middle-class suburbia and I don’t have enough fingers to count the CLAs and A3s I see combined every day on the road. Low starting prices and attractive lease deals attract middle-class buyers like moths to a flame. The same will happen with the 2 Series Gran Coupe.
In fact, I think the 2GC has a chance to sell even better than both of those aforementioned cars. Not only is it newer than both, making it the hot new item, but it has all of the right marketing bait to attract suburbanites. It’s stylish, supposedly sporty and comes with a cool name — “Gran Coupé”, so customers will feel like their $35,000 front-wheel drive-based sedan is far more special and exotic than it is. Plus, for the same price as a well-equipped V6 Camry, they can drive home in a genuine BMW every day.
BMW’s used to have a reputation for being a yuppie brand. The brand as a whole may have strayed from that stigma over the past decade or so but it might just get it back with the 2 Series GC. Any young person with a decent paying job is going to be eye-balling the 2 Series Gran Coupe and its attractive lease prices. I know this because the same thing happens with the Audi A3 and Mercedes CLA-Class in middle-class suburbia.
That’s not such a bad thing. BMW is going to make a lot of money with the 2GC. Because most of its development was shared with the 1 Series hatchback, it’s not crazy expensive to make. And because BMW won’t be able to keep it on dealer lots due to wild popularity, it’s going to be a big money maker for the Bavarian brand.
All of that extra money, you’d hope at least, will go toward developing new performance cars and EVs. So while you might not like the 2 Series Gran Coupe, it’s hard to deny its importance to the brand and just how popular it’s going to become.
