BMW and Toyota are jointly developing two-seater sports cars together. The latter carmaker will resurrect the iconic Supra moniker for the new coupe, while the Bavarian carmaker is working on a roadster that will take the place of the ageing Z4 in their portfolio. The roadster has been spotted on more than few occasions and it was speculated that it would be called Z5 (codenamed G29).However, recent developments suggest that BMW won’t be calling its new roadster with that name at all.
The Z5 moniker was cooked up based on the fact that it will be a successor to the Z4. And back when the Z4 was introduced, it replaced the Z3, so the Z5 name seemed quite believable. BMW has now confirmed saying “There’s no such thing (as Z5). There will be a sports car, yes, but it’s not going to be a Z5”. Although not confirmed still, the new roadster might be called “Z probably 4.”
Other speculations surrounding the new ‘Z probably 4’ is whether it will have a straight-six engine under the long hood and whether the power will be transmitted to rear wheels via the manual transmission. To this, BMW didn't provide any details but, it said that a hybrid powertrain for the roadster is not completely ruled out since the electrified powertrain “does benefit a modern sports car, but not so much”. Meanwhile, the future of the manual transmission in the new roadster looks bleak.
BMW has teamed up with Toyota for this project. While the Japanese carmaker will provide their expertise in electronics and hybrid drive for the new cars, BMW will lend their knowledge in lightweight materials and engines for the development of the sports cars. The G29 will be based on a platform compatible for an alternative powertrain and might tip the scale at 1400kg. BMW’s new range of engines will also make their way to under the hood of the new Z4. When it hits the production line, at the Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria, it will compete against the Porsche 718 and the Mercedes-Benz SLC.
