10
NEWS
SPY PICS: BMW 4 Series GranCoupe
Slip of the tongue by BMW exec confirms auto industry's worst-kept secretBMW has delivered the broadest hint yet that it is planning a full three-car family around its 4 Series coupe.
The sleek two-door 4 Series (which was, until recently, known as the former 3 Series Coupe), will return to the streets of Europe in the third quarter this year – but it won’t be alone.
BMW changed the Coupe’s name to 4 Series largely to give it more scope for more models – and one of those is almost certain to be a swoopier GranCoupe, as per the Carparazzi spy pics here, along with images of the Cabrio version undergoing cold-weather testing.
BMW’s board member for product development, Herbert Deiss, all but confirmed the car’s existence this week while defending the innovation of the 3 Series GranTurismo layout against comparisons.
“The A5 Sportback is different to this concept. This is nothing like the A5 Sportback. That car has a lower seating position and we are much more focused on comfort and functional features.
“That will be much closer to the 4 Series four-door coupe,” he slipped.
BMW is squeezing its niches hard to lift its volumes beyond 2 million cars a year and its new 3 Series architecture is being asked to do the lion’s share. It has already delivered the sedan, wagon and now GranTurismo five-door layouts and the 4 Series will have coupe, convertible (also pictured) and a sportier, more adventurous-looking four-door sedan.
“The 4 Series GranCoupe will be on a longer architecture than this [the 3 Series GranTurismo] and will still be built in Dingelfingen,” Mr Deiss said.
“If we ever did it, of course,” he recovered.
The 4 Series GranCoupe will give BMW a slightly longer and more outrageous looking model off the 3 Series architecture, in much the same way the CLS gives Mercedes-Benz a second bite at the E-Class architecture.
Even the 4 Series two-door will be significantly larger than the 3 Series Coupe it replaces. At 4641mm, it will be 29mm longer than the outgoing car and its wheelbase is a significant 50mm longer, at 2819mm.
The two numbers mean the 4 Series Concept Coupe has shorter overhangs than the 3 Series Coupe, which will enhance its long-bonnet proportions.
The broadening of BMW’s rear-drive model base is a far cry from the days when it had just the 3 Series sedan, Touring and Coupe, as the 3 Series GranTurismo highlights.
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Written byMichael Taylor
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