The BMW Z4->ke289 has been in a holding pattern since its newest generation arrived in 2009, and this looks to continue through the decade. This is not because so many people love it that BMW->ke178 fears changing it. Instead, it’s because roadster sales have always been slow, and recently they have become even slower, thanks to an 11 percent slide in Europe and a 13 percent slide in the U.S. Additionally, the emergence of China as one of the key automotive markets has further slowed things, as folks in China seem to prefer privacy when driving, something a roadster obviously doesn’t provide.
Despite declining sales, BMW plans to continue offering a roadster, but its plans to release its Z4 replacement have been put on the back burner, as BMW’s chief engineer told Auto News that it hopes to have the Z4 successor in place by the end of the decade. The likely reason for the delay is that this will give BMW the chance to share the development costs with Toyota,->ke88 in accordance with the joint sports car agreement the two companies came to.
So, if you were counting the days leading up to the release of the new BMW Z4, you may want to stop now, as it looks like we are in for quite a long ride.
Continue reading to learn more about the BMW Z4 replacement.
Why it matters
A lot of folks have been anxiously awaiting the successor to the Z4, whether it is a redesigned version of the exiting model or a new model. And I really can’t blame them, as the current BMW Z4 is quite long in the tooth and looks sorely outdated next to its key competitor, the Mercedes-Benz SLK.->ke1683 However, with buyers not flocking to dealers to buy a roadster, it is a wise business decision by BMW to hold off on creating a replacement until it can fully share the costs with Toyota.