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      07-31-2019, 12:26 PM   #1
Grumpy Old Man
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BMW may not build a successor to the Z4 or 8 Series Coupe

https://driving.ca/bmw/z4/auto-news/...8-series-coupe

The German automaker is making plenty of cuts, and its slower-selling sports cars will likely feel the axe first


Cuts at BMW mean a raft of vehicles from its lineup are scheduled to be axed, and the executioner’s list may include a lot of our favourites, Automobile reports.

Say good-bye to the next-generation Z4 (not the current one). The joint venture between Toyota and BMW will be the last you’ll see of the open-top sports car, if the magazine’s report can be believed.

Convertible and coupe versions of the 8 Series two-door will apparently also be leaving us, leaving only the Gran Coupe (four-door). The regular-wheelbase 7 Series will allegedly be nixed, leaving only the long-wheelbase.

The reason for the death of so many models is simple yet complicated, but it all revolves around money. BMW barely makes any profit on vehicles under 40,000 Euros, which pretty much ends everything smaller than a 3 Series that isn’t a performance car. The rear-wheel-drive 1 Series, 2 Series, and lower trim 3 Series models could all be axed, Automobile says, and the small X2 CUV is also likely to have a shorter lifespan.

The brand has also been in a decline the last few years, with shares decreasing 47 per cent since 2015. The car division’s earnings dropped by 22 per cent, and the return on investment fell from 9.2 to 7.2 percent; that number is estimated to drop another 4.5 to 6.5 per cent for 2019.

BMW is also in a serious bind over reducing the carbon emissions of its whole fleet 25 per cent by 2021, lest it incur heavy fines; that’s also contributing to the death of some less-fuel efficient cars and needless gas-powered ones.

Although a lot of models are expected to die, there are still new vehicles planned. A new X8 with M variant is coming, as well as a more conventional replacement for the i3 that won’t be all carbon-fibre.
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