SPY PICS: BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe
Bavarian car-maker testing new compact sedan as part of model range expansionLatest spy photos from Germany show an intriguing new vehicle from BMW -- a compact four-door sedan that could be priced below $50,000.
Tipped to be called the 2 Series Gran Coupe – not because its target demographic is your grandmother, but because BMW can’t spell grand – the new model is part of BMW's continuing product range expansion that will spread into the electric car arena.
The company insists that by 2025 one in five cars it sells will be electrified and, despite this fully camouflaged vehicle wearing provisional headlights and brake lights, the car's silhouette is sporty and elegant and the finer details will no doubt borrow a few design cues from the sporty 2 Series Coupe and Convertible.
Until now, apart from the China-only 1 Series sedan, the smallest and most affordable sedan in the German brand's portfolio was the BMW 3 Series, which starts at $57,300 in Australia.
Indeed, the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe will change the state of play with a stylish new offering from the Munich-based car-maker designed to attract new customers and cater for buyers looking to downsize from mid-size luxury sedans.
Logical rivals include the Audi A3 sedan and upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan, which will be sold alongside a sleeker new four-door CLA-Class 'coupe'.
As with Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport with their respective compact sedans, it’s also likely BMW's M division will get in on the ground floor and develop an M2 Gran Coupe.
Thus far, it's not clear whether the 2GC will be based on the same underpinnings as the existing 2 Series Coupe and Convertible (and therefore the cracking M2), which have been confirmed to continue with a rear-wheel drive layout into their next generation, or whether it will be front-drive like the next-gen 1 Series hatch and 2 Series people-mover, the latter of which may be axed in Australia due to lack of demand.
Will style-focussed 2 Series Gran Coupe customers even care which wheels are driven?
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