BMW Z4 Concept unveiled at the Pebble Beach

Given how a roadster looks completely at home on the sunny coastal roads of California, it came as no surprise when BMW unveiled the Z4 Concept at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Z4 Concept is a new design study from the Bavarian carmaker which will spawn the production Z4 Roadster. The new generation Z4 promises to arrive next year and will take its cues from this Concept design study. 

The Z4 Concept itself is no less than a visual feast. This concept car rocks a bold chromed kidney grille and massive air vents on the imposing front bumpers, similar to one seen on the 8 Series Concept. The LED headlamps have a sharp lightning signature which is now stacked up rather than placed side by side like in all other BMWs. The bonnet is smooth with just two sharp creases on either side. Being a concept car, the windscreen and rear view mirrors are slender and futuristic. The air-vents on the front-side fender and the 20-inch two-tone, five twin-spoke wheels complement the flared wheel arches of the Z4 Concept perfectly.

The Roadster’s roll-hoop buttresses behind the seats are ultra-modern and contrast beautifully with the satin steel finish. Sadly, they won’t make it to the production version, which was evident in prototype of the roadster, spied with the top down. The posterior of the Concept is minimalistic with a sleek set of LED tail lights reminiscent of the ones seen on the 2016 Vision Next 100 Concept. The lights are paired with a tight lip spoiler along with blacked-out diffusers and integrated dual chrome exhaust tips. 

On the inside, we have a driver-focused cabin. The sporty steering wheel is futuristic, but it won’t look out of place if placed in the production vehicle. Despite being in the concept guise, the cabin is laid out in typical BMW fashion. All the features and elements are placed exactly where they should be and wrapped in exotic material. A floating touchscreen dominates the dashboard supported by an all-digital instrument binnacle. Interestingly, there is a small digital display at the bottom rim of the steering wheel that provides information on lap-times. The driver seat is wrapped in black Alcantara while the passenger seat gets the same orange hue as the exterior.

Overall the Z4 Concept is a gorgeous looking vehicle. We hope the production spec Z4 Roadster retains most of the design elements from this Concept. The third generation Z4 Roadster will make use of soft top roof, as opposed to the hard-top convertible of the current generation. The powertrain details aren’t available yet. However, the production spec Z4 is expected to be powered by turbocharged four and six cylinder engines with an automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive as standard. 

The production ready Z4 Roadster is expected to be showcased early next-year, probably at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.