BMW Unveils Concept Z4 Roadster at Pebble Beach

MONTEREY, CA – BMW previews its third-generation Z4 with the unveiling of a racy new concept version of the upcoming 2-seater called the Concept Z4 at the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance of America here.

Boasting an all-new look, contemporary underpinnings and revised drive lines, the new roadster has been developed in a joint engineering program alongside the new Toyota Supra. The two cars share a common platform, suspension and driveline but have been conceived to appeal to differing buyers, with the latter set to be offered exclusively in coupe form so as not to compete directly with the BMW Z4.

The unveiling of the Concept Z4 comes more than six months before BMW plans to unveil the production version of the new Z4 at the Geneva auto show in 2018, with North American sales launching during the second half of next year.

While some of its more flamboyant design flourishes are to be toned down before the Z4 reaches showrooms, the overall styling and detailing of the concept is claimed to be very close to the production version.

“It expresses the new BMW design language from all perspective and in all details,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president-BMW Group Design. “From the dynamic-looking front to the striking flanks to the clean-cut tail: a few lines and the subtle interplay between surfaces are enough to generate a sense of power.”

It is bigger, too, with a longer wheelbase and wider tracks adding greater confidence to its appearance. Van Hooydonk says his design team rethought the proportions in a bid to provide the new car with a more focused look. “A shorter bonnet and crisp overhangs ensure the driver sits closer to the center of the car than in previous BMW roasters,” he says, adding, “The outline of the car follows a distinct wedge shape.”

The new approach signals BMW’s determination to move the new Z4, codenamed G29, further upmarket. At various stages during its development BMW board members considered renaming it. However, the German automaker’s naming system groups even numbers among its coupes and cabriolets, so the long-discussed Z5 name never was seriously considered.

“We would have had to call it the Z6. And while there has been a move upmarket, it’s not quite big enough to warrant that name. In the end, we settled on the retaining the Z4 name,” a BMW source tells WardsAuto.

Up front, the Concept Z4 features yet another interpretation of BMW’s signature kidney grille – the third in less than a year after that of the Concept X2 and Concept 8-Series. In place of the customary vertical bars, the insides of the low-set kidney grille feature a new mesh treatment van Hooydonk says was inspired by the functional treatment used on early BMW roadsters, including the iconic 328 Mille Miglia.

Bookmarking the new-look grille are large headlamps housing separate vertically stacked LED corona lamps for the daytime running lamps and main beams. The indicator units point diagonally toward the kidney grille from above. The long hood, meanwhile, retains the clamshell design of previous Z4 models. On the concept, it features two longitudinal vents to accentuate its length.

Distinctive Profile

Certain similarities with the Concept 8-Series revealed at the Concorso d’Elegance in Italy in May are evident along the flanks, which are dominated by large air-breather units positioned behind the front wheel houses. On the Concept Z4, they form the starting point for a rising swage line that runs backwards through the doors, forming a distinctive shoulder line before blending in with the rear haunches and ending within the upper section of the taillamps.

The resulting wedge gives the new car a forward-leaning stance when viewed from the side, mirroring the effect set up by the forward lean within the upper section of the kidney grille.

Another prominent design feature within the flanks is the rising shut line within the bottom of the doors. It is emphasized by a crease within the bodywork that extends back almost to the rear wheel arch. This makes the body appear closer to the road, BMW says. Continuing the treatment on previous generations of the Z4, the sides are quite structured with differing volumes within the surfacing.

As is common with early styling concepts, the windshield of the new BMW concept does without the sturdy surround of the production version. Behind the cabin are two metallic domes conceived to act as rollover protection. Pictures of prototype versions of the ’18-model-year Z4 suggest they also will be replaced by more conventional rollover hoops on the production version of the new roadster.

Toward the rear, further similarities with the Concept 8-Series can be seen in the duck-tail effect within the trailing edge of the trunk lid, distinct OLED taillamp treatment with horizontal blade elements emphasizing the width of the new Z4, a heavily structured bumper with integrated breather units on either side and trapezoidal-shaped tailpipes set within a black valance cover.

Although BMW has not confirmed it, the third-generation Z4 eschews the folding hardtop of today’s second-generation model for a traditional fabric hood. Already sighted on prototype versions of the new 2-seater, it folds and stows underneath a dedicated tonneau cover at the rear of the cabin to preserve the car’s appearance when running with the roof down.

BMW provides a clear glimpse to the look and layout of the new Z4’s interior. There is the usual concept-car frippery, but the flowing design of dashboard and relatively wide center console will be retained on the production version of the new car, as will the digital instrumentation and head-up display.

However, the brushed aluminum and carbon fiber trims will be replaced by more cost-effective composite plastic materials. With a longer wheelbase and wider tracks, accommodation is said to have improved. Trunk capacity is also claimed to top the 10.9-cu.-ft. (308 L) of the outgoing second-generation Z4 with the roof up.

The new Z4 is underpinned by BMW’s CLAR (cluster architecture) platform already used by the 5- and 7-Series and set to be adopted by the upcoming 8-Series as well as the keenly anticipated successor to today’s sixth-generation 3-Series.

It is allied to a multi-material body structure, featuring a combination of high-strength steel, aluminum and magnesium. Official details are yet to be revealed, though insiders suggest the new roadster will hit the scales at under 3,086 lbs. (1,400 kg) in its most basic form despite a moderate increase in dimensions.

An internal service document seen by WardsAuto reveals the new Z4 will offer the choice of two gasoline engines from the start of sales in 2018. Included is a turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl. engine known internally as the B48. It is expected to develop around 181 hp in the Z4 sDrive20i and some 248 hp in the Z4 sDrive30i.

The highlight of the initial range, though, is likely to be the Z4M40i. It receives the latest incarnation of BMW’s B58 turbocharged 3.0L in-line 6-cyl. engine tuned to develop the same 355 hp as it does in the X4 M40i.

A full-blown M version of the new roadster powered by the BMW performance-car division’s 425-hp twin-turbo 3.0L in-line 6-cyl. also been under discussion, though it is yet to be officially confirmed by the German automaker.

Holding true to tradition, the three initial Z4 models retain the rear-wheel-drive layout that has been part-and-parcel of the 2-seat roadster’s appeal since its introduction to the BMW lineup as a successor to the Z3 in 2002, with buyers to be offered the choice of either a 6-speed manual or 8- speed automatic in combination with all engines.

Production of the new Z4 and its Toyota Supra sibling launches in early 2018 at manufacturing specialist Magna in Graz, Austria.

Z4 Teams With Toyota Supra to Shore Up Flagging Coupe, Roadster Demand

The appearance of the Concept Z4 not only provides tacit clues to BMW’s upcoming third-generation roadster but also serves to stir interest in its sister car, the upcoming Toyota Supra.

To be sold only in coupe form in a move aimed at distancing it as much as possible from its BMW sibling, the new 2-door is set to resurrect the Supra name in 2018 after a 16-year absence.

The decision by BMW and Toyota to jointly develop the Z4 and Supra comes amid dwindling coupe and roadster sales in many key markets. The resulting cost savings are claimed to make each model profitable at much lower volumes than if they were developed and produced independently.

First alluded to by a pair of Toyota FT-1 concepts designed at the Japanese automaker’s Calty Design and Research studio in California, the Supra uses the same platform, inner body structure and suspension as the Z4. It also receives BMW-engineered engines in combination with an 8-speed ZF-sourced automatic gearbox. However, the Toyota is tuned differently from the BMW.

In a departure from BMW, no manual gearbox is planned to be offered on the new Toyota. Internal documents reveal a trio of Supra models is planned from outset of sales, including the 20i, 30i and 40i.

As with the Z4, the 20i and 30i are to receive BMW’s turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl. with 181 hp and 248 hp, respectively, with the 40i likely getting a BMW-produced turbocharged 3.0L in-line 6-cyl. tuned to develop around 340 hp.