When BMW killed the 3-Series Gran Turismo, it didn’t cause much of a response other than “They still built that?” However, a new report says the company could axe a number of models which are near and dear to the hearts of enthusiasts.
According to Automobile Magazine, the company is planning to eliminate a number of convertibles including the 2-Series, 8-Series and recently launched Z4. They apparently won’t be killed overnight, but rather not redesigned when their current life cycle comes to an end.
Those aren’t the only models headed to the automotive graveyard as the 8-Series Coupe is also expected to die. The 8-Series Gran Coupe, on the other hand, could live.
The standard-wheelbase 7-Series is also said to be living on borrowed time and that doesn’t seem too surprising as most sales come from the long-wheelbase variant. In fact, BMW doesn’t even offer the standard-wheelbase model in the United States.
If that wasn’t enough, the 6-Series Gran Turismo could get date with the undertaker in 2024. The X2 is also rumored to be flirting with disaster, despite being relatively popular in Europe where 36,484 units were sold last year. That number isn’t terrible, but it pales in comparison to the 111,496 X1s that were sold on the continent in 2018.
While a lot of models could eventually be phased out, there a handful of new products in the pipeline. Key among them is an “emphatically sporty crossover” crossover called the X8.
Unlike the X4 and X6, the model won’t be a coupe-ified version on the X7. Instead, it will reportedly be more unique and offered exclusively in M Performance and M guise. The model is also slated to offer an M Power plug-in hybrid system that features a 60 kWh battery and an electric motor with 168 hp (125 kW / 170 PS) and 184 lb-ft (249 Nm) of torque.
The company is also working on a new of plug-in hybrid and electric models including the iX3, i4 and iNext – to name a few.
