BMW has had a remarkably eventful year with numerous product launches, yet the year’s excitement is far from over. The team in Munich is gearing up to reveal another model. This fall, the 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, marking the second generation of the rakish sedan, will be unveiled with very few surprises. We have already glimpsed the new 2 Series Gran Coupe through numerous spy photos and patent images, providing a solid foundation for the renders shown here.
Yes, we think it’s going to look like a 1 Series with a trunk. That’s to be expected, right? Our design exercise is based on the king of the hill – the M235. The rear badge might look strange but that’s how BMW does it with the new M135. The “M” and “1” have the same size while the “3” and “5” are slightly smaller. To the untrained eye, that makes the hot hatch look like an M1. It should be the same story with the M Performance version of the 2 Series Gran Coupe but that won’t make it an M2 by any stretch of the imagination.
How Did We Get To These Renders
Upfront, this 2025 BMW M235 heavily resembles the sporty looks of the recently presented 1 Series in its M Sport configuration. This includes the new headlights with the dual vertical LED signature, the hexagonal kidney grille with horizontal M slats, and the large trapezoidal lower intake with the central bisection piece.
Looking at the side view, there are a couple interesting changes that we wouldn’t normally expect from a facelift. But, given the Gran Coupe will be skipping its Life Cycle Impulse and head straight into its new “F74” generation, designers might take the freedom to smooth out the character lines that run across the doors into the rear fenders. As depicted on these renders, recent patent leaks indicate we could be seeing the door handles be replaced by the flush-style we’ve seen on the newest models. Nevertheless, this smoothed-out door design could be reserved for the China-bound stretched version of the Gran Coupe (F78).
Moving onto the rear three-quarter view, the changes of this new generation become more evident. While the previous generation featured an inverted Hoffmeister kink, it appears designers will opt for a more traditional design with this one. It remains to be seen if they’ll engrave the model name like they did on the new 1 and 5 series.
Departing from the thin L-shaped tail lights connected by the black trim piece that characterized the Gran Coupe, this new generation will see its tailgate redesigned in favor of a much more menacing look and overall more consistent with that from the new 1 Series. The main changes in this rear end include: the dual LED signature taillights with the lower notch —alike the 1 Series and X2—; vertical air intakes housing the light reflectors in typical M-style; the new placement of the number plate further up; and most noticeably, the new diffuser we saw on the M135.
Quad Pipes For The First Time
Previously reserved for true M cars, quad exhaust pipes will also be coming to the new M235. Alongside these, the M mirror caps, the contrasting roof and a larger “M2” rear logo —eclipsing the “35” engine designation— will serve to emphasize the sporty character of this new generation.
The 2 Series Gran Coupe is going to soldier on as a sedan. Some of us would’ve wanted a more practical liftback body style like the 4 Series Gran Coupe and its tailgate. Much like the new X2 will indirectly replace the X4 after the latter runs its course, the 2 GC could supersede the 4GC later this decade. We’re hearing BMW won’t do another generation, at least not with combustion engines.
Speaking of ICEs, the new four-door 2 Series is likely to have the same three- and four-cylinder engines as the latest 1 Series. Similarly, it should inherit the dual-clutch, seven-speed automatic transmission, along with mild-hybrid tech for some of the powertrains. BMW won’t be making a plug-in hybrid or a fully electric version for that matter.
Following its premiere this fall, the new 2 Series Gran Coupe will enter production in November. A separate long-wheelbase version (“F78”) will be produced in China from January 2025. That car will replace the lesser-known 1 Series Sedan that has already been discontinued.
