According to a new report, BMW->ke178 is seriously considering releasing a four-door->ke142 version of the 2 Series->ke2065 dubbed the Gran Coupe. What’s more, the report indicates that it will retain the rear-wheel-drive underpinnings of its coupe->ke141 and convertible->ke144 siblings.

While the initial release of the Gran Coupe models, like the 4 Series->ke3834 and 6 Series->ke320 Gran Coupes, confused me a bit, I am starting to get the hang of it. Regardless of my comprehension of the concept behind the Gran Coupe movement for Bimmer, I still don’t understand why BMW is moving into this micro-niche.

Sure, the CLA-Class,->ke3130 which will be the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s main competitor, sold great in its first year, but increased competition and a higher price will likely draw buyers away. The chances of the 2 Series Gran Coupe matching the sub-$30k that drew buyers to Mercedes->ke187 lots in herds is highly unlikely though, considering the standard 2 Series Coupe starts at over $32,000.

One great thing that I can pull from this report is that BMW will likely keep the Gran Coupe, Coupe, and Convertible versions of the 2er on rear-wheel-drive platforms. This was up for debate as of late, as the 2 Series Gran Tourer uses a front-wheel-drive setup, leading some to speculate the base 2 Series models would follow suit. This should give the future Gran Coupe an advantage over the CLA when it comes to driving dynamics.

We’ll bring you more updates on this topic as info becomes available.

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Why it matters

Though confusing, these four-door coupes are obviously popular enough to warrant manufacturing them. Additionally, the fact that they are simply slightly modified versions of their respective base models allows for some cost sharing to help make a business case for them.

In the case of the 2 Series Gran Coupe, however, I feel that the initial popularity of this niche market was its low entry fee. With the CLA now well over $30k and the 2 Series Gran Coupe likely to exceed that mark too, I think we’ll see a dramatic cooling in sales. Basically, I think BMW will be too little too late to cash in on this segment.

What’s next? A BMW M2->ke3901 Gran Coupe? Wait, no, forget I said that…

BMW 2 Series

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