Recent reports have revealed that BMW has stopped production of its Z4 sports car, which is set to disappear from the manufacturer’s line-up by the end of this week.
The second-generation Z4 first started production back in 2009 and the hardtop convertible faced a big challenge taking on the likes of the Porsche Boxster and Audi TT. The final example of the Z4 is already believed to have rolled off the production line earlier this month.
The conclusion of Z4 production will reportedly make room for the arrival of a new BMW coupe sports car called the Z5, which will be launched by 2018 at the latest. The BMW Z5 is being co-developed with Toyota and the two manufacturers will share a platform, with Toyota using the platform for the new, upcoming Supra.
Although little has been revealed about either the Z5 or Supra, Toyota’s chief engineer Tatsuya Tada recently said that its new sports car would be revealed in “the near future”. He also confirmed prototypes had been built and been undergoing testing.
BMW’s own shared-platform sports car is likely to be following a similar development schedule to the Toyota and so the first official details on the Z5 could be published in the not-too-distant future.
What engines the BMW Z5 will use is unconfirmed, but the new Supra is reportedly getting a twin-turbo V6 producing 400bhp or more and a similar unit could be offered for the BMW.