3rd gen G29 BMW Z4 (2019-202X)

[Supra93]

BMW Concept Z4 shows bold design direction of upcoming roadster

Rear-wheel-drive two-seater boasts fresh styling, revised engines and a new soft-top; it previews a production Z4 due next year

BMW has revealed the Concept Z4, a preview of the German firm’s third-generation roadster, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

Boasting a fresh look, new underpinnings and a revised range of engines, the two-seat soft-top has been developed 
in a joint engineering programme with the new Toyota Supra, which will be offered exclusively in coupé guise.

The appearance of the Concept Z4 comes more than six months before BMW plans to unveil the production version at the Geneva motor show in 2018. UK sales will be under way by the middle of next year.

While some of the more flamboyant design features will be toned down, the overall styling and detailing of the concept is claimed to be 
very close to the production car. Design boss Adrian van Hooydonk said the car “expresses the new BMW design language from all perspectives and in all details”.

The Concept Z4 is bigger than the current model, with a longer wheelbase and wider tracks. BMW rethought the proportions in a bid to provide it with a more focused look. “A shorter bonnet and crisp overhangs ensure the driver sits closer to the centre of the car than in previous BMW roadsters,” said van Hooydonk. The approach signals BMW’s determination to shift the Z4 further upmarket. During the car’s development, BMW board members considered renaming it. However, the German car maker’s naming system groups even numbers among its coupés and cabriolets, so the long-mooted Z5 badge was never seriously considered.

A BMW source said: “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 retaining the Z4 name.”

The Concept Z4 features another interpretation of BMW’s signature kidney grille, seen recently on the Concept X2 and Concept 8 Series.

In place of the customary vertical bars, the insides of the kidney grille feature a new mesh that van Hooydonk said was inspired by the functional treatment used on early BMW roadsters, including the iconic 328 Mille Miglia.

The long bonnet, meanwhile, retains the clamshell design of previous Z4 models. On the concept, it features two vents. However, these are unlikely to make production, according to Autocar’s sources.

Certain licence has also been taken with the concept’s windscreen, which does not have the sturdy surround of the production version, and the two metallic domes conceived to act as rollover protection will be replaced by more conventional rollover hoops on the production roadster.

Although BMW has yet to officially confirm it, the new Z4 eschews the folding hard-top of today’s model for a traditional fabric hood. Already sighted on prototype versions of the two-seater, the hood folds and stows underneath a dedicated tonneau cover at the rear of the cabin.

BMW has provided a clear glimpse of the look and layout of the new Z4’s interior. The production car will have a flowing dashboard and relatively wide centre console resembling those of the concept. Features such as the digital instrument panel and head-up display included in the show car will also make their way on to the new roadster. However, the brushed aluminium and carbonfibre trims will be replaced by more cost-effective composite plastic materials.

Accommodation is said to have improved thanks to the car’s increased overall dimensions. Boot capacity is also claimed to top the 310 litres of the outgoing Z4.

The new Z4 is underpinned by BMW’s CLAR (cluster architecture) platform. It is already used by the 2, 5 and 7 Series and is also set to be adopted by the upcoming 8 Series and the successor to today’s 3 Series. The CLAR platform is allied to a multi-material body structure, featuring a combination of high-strength steel, aluminium and magnesium. Insiders suggest the new roadster will tip the scales at under 1400kg in its most basic form, despite the increase in dimensions.

An internal BMW document seen by Autocar revealed that the new Z4 will be offered with a choice of two petrol engines from the start of sales. The first is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit expected to develop around 181bhp in the Z4 sDrive20i and 248bhp in the Z4 sDrive30i. The second engine powers the Z4 M40i and is the latest incarnation of BMW’s B58 turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine. It is rumoured to develop the same 355bhp as it does in the X4 M40i.

A full-blown M version of the roadster, running the BMW performance car division’s 425bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder, has also been mooted, but it has yet to be officially confirmed by BMW.

True to tradition, the three initial Z4 models retain the rear-wheel-drive layout that has been part of the two-seat roadster’s appeal since its introduction in 2002. Buyers are set to be offered the choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic in combination with all engines.

Production of the new Z4 and Supra will start at the plant of Austrian manufacturing specialist Magna in early 2018.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...shows-bold-design-direction-upcoming-roadster

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[NYC_Supra]

From Pebble Beach...

 

[johnny_10196]

The BMW Concept Z4 Roadster is sporty and progressive BMW design study encapsulating the BMW Group’s vision of a modern roadster. According to Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design, “The concept expresses the new BMW design language from all perspectives and in all details. From the dynamic-looking front to the striking flanks to the clean-cut tail end: a few lines and the subtle interplay between surfaces are enough to generate a sense of power and emotion.”

The BMW Concept Z4 Roadster adopts classical roadster design cues, such as a long wheelbase, a low-slung, stretched silhouette and a compact rear end, wraps them in a fresh, confident package and enriches them with the contemporary BMW design language. A shorter bonnet and crisp overhangs ensure the driver sits closer to the center of the car than in previous BMW roadsters. This gives the new proportions a focused, sporty and agile feel. The outline of the car follows a distinct wedge shape, which fills the BMW Concept Z4 with dynamism before it even pulls away. The large domes stretching out rearwards from the cabin elegantly integrate the function of rollover bars and provide a sporting conclusion to the low-to-the-road silhouette at the rear.

http://www.bmwusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=3063&mid=

 

[jm6k]

Looks extremely good to me. I was having trouble envisioning a Z4 that could actually look as good as the Jaguar F-Type, but if the concept is close then they've got it.

 

[Supra93]

 

[vb22]

Live photos

 

[BrettS]

Apparently this guy works at BMW and says the production model will look nothing like this concept

 

[vb22]

More live photos

 

[SupraGuy19]

Very nice. Come on BMW, hurry up and show the Supra!

 

[Haros]

Looks good!

 

[SupraGuy19]

Z4, M5, and Supra, wow BMW is on a major hot streak this year.

 

[Timmo598]

wow, im actually really liking this.
Although its only a concept, its very promising.

Interior is looking pretty rad too. Big fan of the driver focused cockpit.
I wonder if the Supra interior had anything to do with BMW implementing that into their Z4 design as well ?
Interesting ...

 

[Supra93]

Finally. The wait is finally over!

BMW has not been building a crunchy roadster for more than a year. 2018 finally the Z4 successor to come.

For the first time with a flat kidney, the headlights are now superimposed. New are the shark nose and the honeycomb structure of the cooler instead of the classic kidney bars. The engine draws in air through wide radiator openings. The engine hood arched over the wheels, almost without joints and edges - very smart. Stylish ventilation slits indicate this.

Carbon to the front, rear and the entry rails reduce the weight. The production car is estimated to weigh 1.4 tonnes. The typical gills at the A-pillar and the curved door provide more light and shade - this gives visually more power. "This makes the study very sporty," says designer Marc Girard, head of the conceptcar department at BMW.

From the front, however, the concept car recalls a Jaguar F-Type.

The light red soft top will be hidden behind long drawn-out hooves with an integrated rollover bar. In the short tail are duckbürzel, carbondiffusor, 3D-LED taillights, bullige exhaust tailpipes and in the center in between a small red lamp - as with Supersportwagen. The 20-inch wheels integrate cleanly into the wheel arches.

The thin mirror arms, retractable door handles and the fanned taillights will not make it into the series. The next Z4 will opt for the larger 8 series, which also comes 2018. "86 percent of the study will be seen in the production model next year," says Girard.

First impression: Nobel, nobel!

The study is a one-off, I must be very careful. An employee wipes my fingerprints at the door immediately with a cloth. I can only touch the clever leather steering wheel carefully. The instruments aim at the driver. New: Both displays can be combined and the presentations can be moved back and forth by touch. The keys are missing in the center console. Via voice control or the I-Drive rotary / push control in the center, the entertainment can be used.

The new roadster (internally G29) is to get right under the long bonnet. BMW does not yet specify any technical data and prices. Only so much: The standard model is to be ready next year, weigh little, have rear-wheel drive and be fired by strong four- and six-cylinder engines. Between 200 hp and 360 hp would be in it.

So the next summer can come. We look forward to the first ride.

http://www.bild.de/auto/auto-news/b...ster-test-design-innenraum-52874446.bild.html

BMW Concept Z4 shows bold design direction of upcoming roadster

Rear-wheel-drive two-seater boasts fresh styling, revised engines and a new soft-top; it previews a production Z4 due next year

BMW has revealed the Concept Z4, a preview of the German firm’s third-generation roadster, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

Boasting a fresh look, new underpinnings and a revised range of engines, the two-seat soft-top has been developed 
in a joint engineering programme with the new Toyota Supra, which will be offered exclusively in coupé guise.

The appearance of the Concept Z4 comes more than six months before BMW plans to unveil the production version at the Geneva motor show in 2018. UK sales will be under way by the middle of next year.

While some of the more flamboyant design features will be toned down, the overall styling and detailing of the concept is claimed to be 
very close to the production car. Design boss Adrian van Hooydonk said the car “expresses the new BMW design language from all perspectives and in all details”.

The Concept Z4 is bigger than the current model, with a longer wheelbase and wider tracks. BMW rethought the proportions in a bid to provide it with a more focused look. “A shorter bonnet and crisp overhangs ensure the driver sits closer to the centre of the car than in previous BMW roadsters,” said van Hooydonk. The approach signals BMW’s determination to shift the Z4 further upmarket. During the car’s development, BMW board members considered renaming it. However, the German car maker’s naming system groups even numbers among its coupés and cabriolets, so the long-mooted Z5 badge was never seriously considered.

A BMW source said: “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 retaining the Z4 name.”

The Concept Z4 features another interpretation of BMW’s signature kidney grille, seen recently on the Concept X2 and Concept 8 Series.

In place of the customary vertical bars, the insides of the kidney grille feature a new mesh that van Hooydonk said was inspired by the functional treatment used on early BMW roadsters, including the iconic 328 Mille Miglia.

The long bonnet, meanwhile, retains the clamshell design of previous Z4 models. On the concept, it features two vents. However, these are unlikely to make production, according to Autocar’s sources.

Certain licence has also been taken with the concept’s windscreen, which does not have the sturdy surround of the production version, and the two metallic domes conceived to act as rollover protection will be replaced by more conventional rollover hoops on the production roadster.

Although BMW has yet to officially confirm it, the new Z4 eschews the folding hard-top of today’s model for a traditional fabric hood. Already sighted on prototype versions of the two-seater, the hood folds and stows underneath a dedicated tonneau cover at the rear of the cabin.

BMW has provided a clear glimpse of the look and layout of the new Z4’s interior. The production car will have a flowing dashboard and relatively wide centre console resembling those of the concept. Features such as the digital instrument panel and head-up display included in the show car will also make their way on to the new roadster. However, the brushed aluminium and carbonfibre trims will be replaced by more cost-effective composite plastic materials.

Accommodation is said to have improved thanks to the car’s increased overall dimensions. Boot capacity is also claimed to top the 310 litres of the outgoing Z4.

The new Z4 is underpinned by BMW’s CLAR (cluster architecture) platform. It is already used by the 2, 5 and 7 Series and is also set to be adopted by the upcoming 8 Series and the successor to today’s 3 Series. The CLAR platform is allied to a multi-material body structure, featuring a combination of high-strength steel, aluminium and magnesium. Insiders suggest the new roadster will tip the scales at under 1400kg in its most basic form, despite the increase in dimensions.

An internal BMW document seen by Autocar revealed that the new Z4 will be offered with a choice of two petrol engines from the start of sales. The first is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit expected to develop around 181bhp in the Z4 sDrive20i and 248bhp in the Z4 sDrive30i. The second engine powers the Z4 M40i and is the latest incarnation of BMW’s B58 turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder engine. It is rumoured to develop the same 355bhp as it does in the X4 M40i.

A full-blown M version of the roadster, running the BMW performance car division’s 425bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder, has also been mooted, but it has yet to be officially confirmed by BMW.

True to tradition, the three initial Z4 models retain the rear-wheel-drive layout that has been part of the two-seat roadster’s appeal since its introduction in 2002. Buyers are set to be offered the choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic in combination with all engines.

Production of the new Z4 and Supra will start at the plant of Austrian manufacturing specialist Magna in early 2018.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...shows-bold-design-direction-upcoming-roadster

 

[vb22]

I'm happy to hear that 86% of the concept will carry over.

 

[Chuck Mason]

I have to give it up to BMW. This Z4 looks fantastic. With the Supra and M5 next, they are doing an amazing job.

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