As one half of the joint-venture sports car codeveloped with Toyota, BMW Z4 successor has been one of the most hotly awaited models of the last few years. Originally expected to be called Z5, Autocar now says the two-seater will hold on to its current name when a concept version of it bows at California’s 2017 Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance in mid-August.
The UK publication says the reason the model won’t progress numerically is because BMW’s alphanumeric nomenclature calls for even numbers on performance cars. The 2019 model-year sports car is expected to bow as a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive roadster, with Toyota developing a fixed-head coupe model off the same architecture, which will likely be called Supra. An available hybrid powertrain option has long been rumored, but remains unconfirmed.
