BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe Coming With RWD And An M2 Variant?

Challenging the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3 Sedan, BMW is reportedly planning a rear-wheel drive-based 2-Series Gran Coupe model, in addition to the upcoming Chinese market, front-wheel based 2-Series sedan.

As Autocar writes, BMW chairman Harald Krüger’s decision to not offer the front-wheel-drive production version of last year’s Concept Compact Sedan outside of China, as well as the fact that the next 3-Series sedan is set to grow in size, created enough space for a new model in their rapidly expanding lineup.

The saloon version of the 2-Series range is expected to get a slightly longer wheelbase than the Coupe and Convertible models, allowing it to sit half way between the 2-door 2-Series models and the next 3-Series sedan.

It’s unclear if the 2-Series Gran Coupe will come with a four-door body like the 6-Series Gran Coupe or a five-door liftback style like the 4-Series Gran Coupe. Inside, the interior is expected to be heavily updated, as it’s said to gain a new layout that will eventually be adopted by the successors of the current 2-Series Coupe and Cabriolet, expected in 2020.

Under the hood, we should see the usual crop of 3- and 4-cylinder turbo’d petrol and diesel engines as the current 2-Series lineup and depending on the selected version, consumers will get to choose between a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an 8-speed automatic, sending power to the rear axle or an xDrive AWD system.

There’s a rumor pointing towards a plug-in hybrid version too, which might come under the 225e Gran Coupe moniker, using a 1.5-liter 3-banger, an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery, providing enough juice for a zero-emission range of up to 50 km (31 miles).

There may also be a range-topping version, the M2 Gran Coupe, which is said to retain the same 3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-scroll turbo from the current M2 Coupe, rated 370 PS (365 HP) and 465 Nm (343 lb-ft) of torque. Zero to sixty time will be slightly down from the two-door’s 4.3 seconds with the automatic and 4.5 seconds with the manual gearbox due to added weight, but top speed will probably continue to be electronically limited at 250 km/h (155 mph).

BMW’s 2-Series Gran Coupe is believed to come out in late 2018 or 2019, while the range-topping M2 variant could show its fangs a year later.

Note: BMW Concept Compact Sedan pictured