BMW Z2
The German carmaker’s entry roadster

By GREG KABLE

AutoWeek | Published 08/28/06, 3:28 pm et

Press reports from Germany suggest BMW is readying an affordable roadster below the Z4 to challenge the Mazda MX-5 for supremacy in the entry-level sports car market.

The new two-seater is said to be the centerpiece of a plan devised by the German carmaker’s outgoing chairman, Helmut Panke, to extend what insiders describe as the Z-car lineup. Just as the German carmaker’s X-car lineup was expanded to include the X3 and X5, BMW also sees demand for a Z2 to complement the existing Z4. The Z4 moved upmarket to challenge the Porsche Boxster when it replaced the Z3 back in 2002.

Details remain scarce, but insiders say the new entry-level model would take at least four years to bring to market, suggesting it probably won’t arrive until after the next-generation Z4 arrives in 2009. The Z2 name is likely, considering it was trademarked by the German carmaker as long ago as 2001.

As with the Z4, the new car is likely to share components with the existing 1 Series and 3 Series models to keep costs down and streamline development. That makes it highly likely the Z2 will be built alongside the next-generation Z4 at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

AutoWeek sources say the Z2 was conceived with four-cylinder power only, most likely with normally aspirated 1.8- and 2.0-liter engine choices. Also under consideration is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder performance model with up to 300 hp.

The latter engine is already under development. It is expected to appear in a hot version of the 1 Series, as part of a program that will see BMW introduce a range of new turbocharged engines to its lineup in coming years. Transmission choices should include a standard six-speed manual and an optional double-clutch unit with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.