SPY PICS: BMW 4 Series Coupe

BMW’s existing 3 Series Coupe will be replaced next year by a model known as the 4 Series, and test mules of the latter have been spied pounding around the Nurburgring by the folks at Carparazzi.

The logic behind rebadging the two-door is part of BMW’s strategy to bump the coupe upmarket, helping it to compete directly against Audi’s A5 coupe (which is essentially a two-door A4).

The nomenclature would also mirror BMW’s naming protocol further up the range, with the two-door equivalent of the 5 Series wearing 6 Series badges since the 1970s. Of course, there was the 8 Series in the interim (1989-1999), but that proved to be an aberration in the overall scheme of things.

Apparently the top brass in Munich had planned to use the 4 Series nameplate as far back as 2006 with the current E92 coupe, but opted not to at the time on the basis that it would dilute the 3 Series range’s strong position in the market.

However, this time around the strategy is in place, and the same logic is expected to trickle down lower in the range, with future generations of the 1 Series Coupe and Convertible expected to wear 2 Series badges.

The 4 Series coupe (known by the internal designation F32) is scheduled to debut in mid-2013, with the F33 hard-topped convertible tipped to land in the first half of 2014. They will be joined in 2015 by the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

As per the current 3 Series Coupe, the 4 Series will feature frameless side windows and a rakish profile, but it will gain greater visual differentiation from the latest F30 3 Series than was the case between the E90 3 Series sedan and its E92 Coupe derivative.

It’s believed the 4 Series will usher in a new interpretation of BMW’s trademark twin-kidney grille, while the car’s aerodynamics will allegedly benefit from vertical slots in the bumpers to smooth airflow around the nose and flanks.

The engine line-up will mirror that of the 3 Series range, with four-cylinder turbo power in the lower-end models, and the familiar 3.0-litre inline six (in both atmo and turbo forms) propelling the range-topping petrol models. Alongside these will be the usual mix of diesels.

As for whether the iconic M3 badge will make way for ‘M4’, there’s as yet no clear answer, but it is likely the sedan will continue to be known as the M3, while the two-door could be dubbed the M4.

Purists may lament the fact that the existing M3’s sonorous, free-spinning 4.0-litre V8 will be turfed in favour of a tri-turbo 3.2-litre in-line six, but the good news is that this unit is tipped to kick out 335kW.

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