BMW Z2 roadster plotted

A sleekly styled roadster is set to spearhead BMW’s keenly awaited entry into the front-wheel drive ranks in 2015. The model, named Z2 internally, will give BMW an image-building model upon which to establish an extensive range of new entry-level front-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive offerings.

The compact two-seat Z2 could sell for as little as £15,000. A low entry price is made possible by economies of scale because the Z2 is one of up to 23 BMW and Mini models that will be based on the firm’s new UKL1 platform from 2014 onwards.

“We are considering a car in the spirit of the original Z3,” an official with knowledge of BMW’s new model programme revealed. “It is of similar size to the E36/7 [the codename for the Z3 produced between 1996 and 2002] but is planned to use the front-wheel drive platform to keep costs down and achieve a margin level that ensures it is sustainable at comparatively low production volumes.”

Set to occupy a market niche beneath the existing BMW Z4 roadster, the new BMW is planned to provide buyers with an alternative to the upcoming fourth-generation Mazda MX-5, with a limited range of petrol engines. While it’s still early days, the Z2 is expected to be twinned with a successor to today’s Mini Coupé/Roadster pairing, due out in 2017.

In top-of-the-line form, the new BMW roadster could benefit from a new aluminium-block 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with as much as 300bhp. This model would be sold under BMW’s M Performance line and is likely to get all-wheel drive.

The reference to the Z3 suggests that BMW’s new roadster will be little more than 4000mm in length, 1700mm in width and about 1250mm in height. Unlike the larger Z4, it is also expected to come with a simple fabric hood with standard manual operation in a move that promises to keep weight in check.

The long-mooted move to front-wheel drive is a revolution for BMW. The company has forged its widely envied reputation for producing some of the world’s most sought-after driver’s cars around traditional rear-wheel drive platforms, often going to great lengths in marketing campaigns to extol the dynamic benefits associated with such a layout.

But with its line of modern-day Mini models having successfully proven that front-wheel drive is no barrier to driving enjoyment, officials believe that the radical change in engineering philosophy will be crucial in attracting younger customers to the BMW brand in coming years.

“We are moving with the times to diversify our customer base,” said an engineering source. “There is no reason why a front-wheel-drive car can’t offer a similar dynamic experience to a rear-wheel-drive car. The advancement of various driving aids, with features such as electronic differentials, virtually eliminates the influence of drive forces on the steered wheels when done properly.”