BMW issues first official tease of new Z4

BMW has released the first official tease of its long-awaited all-new roadster ahead of a scheduled global debut next month.

And motoring.com.au sources have confirmed the newcomer will retain the Z4 moniker.

Announcing its Porsche 718 Boxster rival will be revealed in California at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance  on August 17, BMW uploaded this single line-drawing silhouette onto its social media channels over the weekend.

Styling clearly takes a radical departure from the current generation and seems to feature a targa-style removable roof.

Overall the sketch suggests BMW’s new small sport car may resemble a junior i8.

Along with confirmation the Z4 badge will be continuing, the other big news is the ditching of the current generation's retractable hardtop in favour of a lighter fabric roof.

Sharing its platform with the eagerly anticipated all-new Toyota Supra, the little BMW is rumoured to be clothed in lightweight body panels which will likely employ some of the carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics technology developed for both the i3 supermini and i8 supercar.

Set to be built in Austria as part of a joint-venture with Toyota, the majority of Z4s will be rear-wheel drive and powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol.

Range-topping versions may run the turbocharged six-cylinder engine from the little M2 - so the Z4 performance flagship could be good for 272kW/465Nm.

As well as that M-version, the Z4 will also be offered with all-wheel drive and even a hybrid powertrain.

And there's some speculation BMW hasn't ruled out an even lighter coupe version.

We expect more teases of BMW's all-new roadster ahead of its global debut at Pebble Beach next month.