A new report finds BMW is preparing to take on the Mercedes-Benz CLA with a four-door version of the 2 Series Coupe.
Tentatively called 2 Series Gran Coupe, the sedan will be to the regular 2 Series (pictured) what the 4 Series Gran Coupe is to the 4 Series. In other words, it will retain the two-door model’s rakish roof line but it will gain an extra set of doors and a longer wheelbase in order to free up a generous amount of space inside. Whether it will be built on a stretched 2 Series platform or on the new rear-wheel drive modular platform that will underpin the next 3 and 5 Series is up in the air.
Power will be provided by four- and six-cylinder engines borrowed from the BMW parts bin. Rear-wheel drive will come standard, and BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system will be available at an extra cost on select models. It’s too early to tell whether BMW will go after the 381-horsepower Mercedes-AMG CLA45 with a range-topping version of the Gran Coupe powered by the M2‘s 3.0-liter straight-six.
If the rumor is accurate, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe will be introduced at a major auto show in 2019 and it will go on sale across the nation shortly after. It will share little more than a handful of design cues with the production version of the front-wheel drive Concept Compact Sedan that is being designed largely for the Chinese market.
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