A New BMW Z2 in Development ?
Originally Posted by toy4two
fire Bangle and then we can get back to BMW being a desired brand, his designs are fugly. The Z3 looks better than that POS.
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CL Community Team
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More . . . BMW Z2, The German carmaker’s entry roadster
By GREG KABLE
AutoWeek | Published 08/29/06, 6:42 am et
Press reports from Germany suggest BMW is readying an affordable roadster below the Z4 to challenge the Mazda MX-5 for supremacy in the entry-level sports car market.
The new two-seater is said to be the centerpiece of a plan devised by the German carmaker’s outgoing chairman, Helmut Panke, to extend what insiders describe as the Z-car lineup. Just as the German carmaker’s X-car lineup was expanded to include the X3 and X5, BMW also sees demand for a Z2 to complement the existing Z4. The Z4 moved upmarket to challenge the Porsche Boxster when it replaced the Z3 back in 2002.
Illustration by Radovan Varicak
Details remain scarce, but insiders say the new entry-level model would take at least four years to bring to market, suggesting it probably won’t arrive until after the next-generation Z4 arrives in 2009. The Z2 name is likely, considering it was trademarked by the German carmaker as long ago as 2001.
As with the Z4, the new car is likely to share components with the existing 1 Series and 3 Series models to keep costs down and streamline development. That makes it highly likely the Z2 will be built alongside the next-generation Z4 at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
AutoWeek sources say the Z2 was conceived with four-cylinder power only, most likely with normally aspirated 1.8- and 2.0-liter engine choices. Also under consideration is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder performance model with up to 300 hp.
The latter engine is already under development. It is expected to appear in a hot version of the 1 Series, as part of a program that will see BMW introduce a range of new turbocharged engines to its lineup in coming years. Transmission choices should include a standard six-speed manual and an optional double-clutch unit with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.
source : autoweek
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This Z2 looks great though and I'm sure it will sell extremely well should it be introduced here. Like I said in my previous post, it will probably replace quite a few Z4 sales in addition to the new sales opportunity it'll provide BMW.
M.
With the Solstice and Sky making waves in the automotive community, I think that it may work. The market is saturated already, but I think BMW will realize that this will only take away from Z4 sales. I doubt that they will sell the same amount of Z4 if alongside with the Z2. I can see BMW taking sales away from themselves, not GM...
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BMW likely to build new roadster in S.C.
Smaller entry-level Z2 is expected to begin production by 2010
A Detroit automotive magazine has reported BMW is considering building a smaller version of its roadster to be called the Z2 — probably to be built in Spartanburg as soon as 2010.
The car is likely to be limited to a four-cylinder engine and designed to compete with the Mazda Miata, according to AutoWeek.
“Details remain scarce, but insiders say the new entry-level model would take at least four years to bring to market, suggesting it probably won’t arrive until after the next-generation Z4 arrives in 2009,” AutoWeek reported.
“As with the Z4, the new car is likely to share components with the existing 1 Series and 3 Series models to keep costs down and streamline development. That makes it highly likely the Z2 will be built alongside the next-generation Z4 at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg,” it said.
BMW’s sales of Z4s have risen 10 percent through August. If that rate holds, BMW would sell about 11,000 Z4s this year, far short of the 20,169 cars sold in 2003, the roadster’s first full year on the market after replacing the Z3.
A 2006 Z4 starts at $36,300, compared with $22,000 for a Mazda Miata. Mazda sold about 9,800 to 10,000 Miatas yearly from 2003 through 2005, but sales through August have more than doubled, reaching 12,558 cars for the first eight months of this year.
— Jim DuPlessis
source : thestate.com
A Detroit automotive magazine has reported BMW is considering building a smaller version of its roadster to be called the Z2 — probably to be built in Spartanburg as soon as 2010.
The car is likely to be limited to a four-cylinder engine and designed to compete with the Mazda Miata, according to AutoWeek.
“Details remain scarce, but insiders say the new entry-level model would take at least four years to bring to market, suggesting it probably won’t arrive until after the next-generation Z4 arrives in 2009,” AutoWeek reported.
“As with the Z4, the new car is likely to share components with the existing 1 Series and 3 Series models to keep costs down and streamline development. That makes it highly likely the Z2 will be built alongside the next-generation Z4 at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg,” it said.
BMW’s sales of Z4s have risen 10 percent through August. If that rate holds, BMW would sell about 11,000 Z4s this year, far short of the 20,169 cars sold in 2003, the roadster’s first full year on the market after replacing the Z3.
A 2006 Z4 starts at $36,300, compared with $22,000 for a Mazda Miata. Mazda sold about 9,800 to 10,000 Miatas yearly from 2003 through 2005, but sales through August have more than doubled, reaching 12,558 cars for the first eight months of this year.
— Jim DuPlessis
source : thestate.com
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