The latest BMW 4 Series was unveiled earlier in June 2020, and the only thing everyone is still talking about is the coupe's front grille. Unlike other modern BMW's, the 4 Series sports a taller kidney grille that extends into the bumper. This feature is taken from the BMW Concept 4, and it's a highly controversial element. While many BMW enthusiasts hate it to death, others think that it's a cool design feature that helps the 4 Series stand out. BMW is aware of that and finally decided to answer the big question: will this grille make it on other models? In short, it won't!

BMW wants the 4 Series to remain unique

Speaking to BMW Blog, BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec said that the controversial grille won't be transferred to other models. he said while admitting that the 4 Series is "not for everybody" as far as exterior design goes.

Dukec went on to explain that a successful design should be unmistakable, and that was exactly what BMW wanted from the 4 Series. The second goal was to create a 4 Series that doesn't look like a derivative of an existing model. The previous 4 Series was pretty much identical to the 3 Series up front, so Dukec wanted to avoid a follow up on that. But even though the 4 Series no longer looks like the 3 Series in the front, the two continue to share several body panels and styling cues.

Dukec says that BMW plans to take other nameplates into a more unique design territory in the future, but it will turn to other features, not just a massive grille.

The BMW 4 Series' big grille is not as weird as you think

The BMW E9, famous for the 3.0 CSi and CSL trims, featured a similar grille. This model was produced from 1968 to 1975. Also a coupe, it's a spiritual predecessor to the 6 Series.

The long grille goes back in time even more. The 501, produced from 1952 to 1962, had a grille that was as tall as the front fascia. The limited-edition 503 coupe that BMW introduced in 1956 wasn't very different either. Finally, the 3200 CS from 1962, yet another limited-edition coupe, was similar to the E9.