This year will bring the departure of the current BMW 2 Series range as we know it. The real 2 Series, of course, not the Gran Coupe variety. The new G42 model is under development and will enter production in Q3 this year. Therefore, testing is under full speed right since the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing winter, cold weather conditions are perfect for some in-depth tests. (We don’t own the photos, but they can be seen here)
That’s why BMW is now pushing hard, trying to make the most of the snow and lower temperatures we have on our hands right now. The upcoming BMW 2 Series was spotted doing the usual rounds, heavily camouflaged unfortunately. We can’t really make out anything of its design but we already know that it will keep its classic Coupe-lines. Unfortunately for fans of open-air cruising, the Convertible will reportedly be retired, as sales of the current range weren’t doing too good.
On the technical side of things, the G42 2 Series will be built atop the CLAR architecture and keep its rear-wheel drive setup. It will come with a selection of 2.0 liter and 3.0 liter petrol and diesel engines. The choice will vary from market to market and, at the moment, there’s no mention of a potential electric of PHEV model. However, we’re looking at a planned production span of 7 years, so we shouldn’t be surprised in case such electrified versions come out in the future.
Our info says the 2 Series range will include models like the 220i, 220d, 230i, 230i and M240i models, to which you can easily add the xDrive versions. The best news is that we’re in line for a BMW M2 successor which will most likely use a de-tuned version of the S58 engine on the new M3 and M4 models. It will be very interesting to see how the new M2 compares to the popularity the original had.
[Source: Top Image @anchaya.media on Instagram | Motor1]
