The joint venture between BMW and Toyota to jointly develop a sports car will spawn two models, but the Bavarian brand ensures that the BMW Z4 will be very different from its Japanese cousin.
Speaking to the Australian publication Car Advice, Marc Werner, CEO of BMW Australia, admitted that this joint venture is a way to reduce costs, as the roadster segment is going through a complicated phase. Launching a new roadster “from scratch” and alone at this point would not make sense, which is why the new BMW Z4 will have something in common with the long-awaited Supra.
Despite sharing the same platform, the exterior design will be completely different as well as the driving and handling experience. The new BMW Z4 will be a pure and exclusive BMW, according to Marc Werner.
The BMW Z4 concept was unveiled in August and is expected to be very close to the production version.
The new rear-wheel drive roadster will be available with a 2.0 liter 180hp petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. Another version with the same engine should deliver around 250hp. As usual, the six-cylinder block will be available on the M40i, with approximately 320hp. The two most powerful versions will be equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission from the ZF. As in other models of the brand, the Competition Package will be available, which will be able to add 40hp of power to the most powerful version of the range.
A version coming from the M division is not expected, as it would mean deep changes to the model, a nonsense in this joint venture.
Source: Car Advice