BMW says it intends to discontinue a whole range of models that it believes to be enjoying insufficient market attention, and thus save the costs for designing new, better models.
Over the course of the next decade, the Bavarian carmaker plans to ditch the 2 Series Coupe and Convertible, the X2 CUV, the 7 Series sedan/saloon (standard wheelbase only), the Z4 roadster, and the 8 Series Convertible.
Down to a certain extent, this plan actually looks understandable. For instance, the 2 Series Convertible is notorious for stealing the customer base of the Z4 Roadster. The 7 Series sedan/saloon is much more popular in the LWB (long wheelbase) version, too. Most customers prefer buying a BMW 5 or 6 Series, rather than the short 7 Series, if they plan on mostly driving alone.
That said, some decisions are downright unexpected. For instance, the BMW X2 is a highly popular compact crossover utility vehicle in the USA and China, among other markets. The newest 8 Series Convertible and Z4 also don’t look nearly bad enough to warrant their removal.
As far as new additions go, a coupe-shaped crossover SUV should soon arrive based on the X7 platform. Its performance counterpart will be called the X8 M. Finally, the Vision M Next may also become a mass-produced model, but this is not certain yet.
