It’s the end of the road for the 4 Series Gran Coupe in the Land Down Under. BMW is retiring the G26 with combustion engines, but the fully electric i4 is sticking around. The swoopy 3 Series alternative used to be offered in 420i, 430i, and M440i flavors – all of which have now been axed. In Australia, the five-door liftback didn’t have a diesel engine.
Going forward, the body style will continue strictly in electric guise as the eDrive35, eDrive40, and the M50. In a statement to CarExpert, a BMW spokesperson said the decision was taken after evaluating the local product portfolio. The harsh reality is that a 4 Series Gran Coupe was a tough sell this year. Through September, only 224 cars were sold in Australia. The i4 was seven times more popular during the year’s first nine months. Since the 4 GC originally went on sale a decade ago, just 5,798 units have been sold there.
Although the 4 Series Gran Coupe is gone, you can still buy one with a combustion engine. The ALPINA B4 GT was launched in Australia a few months ago. However, it’ll cost you a pretty penny as the fancy G26 retails from AU$189,900. At current exchange rates, that costs about $123,600 or €116,800.
The BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is no longer in the company’s Aussie lineup, but it is still in other markets. We’re hearing production won’t end until mid-2028, with updates for the purely electric i4 coming next year. Rumor has it the plan is to improve the electric motors and/or batteries, resulting in the i4 M50 becoming the i4 M60 with close to 590 horsepower.
Looking ahead, BMW is unlikely to produce a third-generation 4 Series. We’ve heard through the grapevine that all three body styles (Coupe, Convertible, and Grand Coupe) will be discontinued after the current generation runs its course.
Source: Car Expert
First published by https://bit.ly/3sM6JoH
Comments
Post a Comment