When BMW gave the Z4 a Life Cycle Impulse last year, the sporty roadster was subjected to nearly imperceptible changes. As a matter of fact, it didn’t even get the iDrive 8 you can now have on a lowly 2 Series Active Tourer and soon on a 1 Series. Why was that the case? Because automakers avoid pouring money into a product that they project won’t be a strong seller. For the same reason, the 8 Series LCI also brought discreet tweaks.
Much like the 8er is supposedly going away, the Z4 will bow out in the medium term. It is widely believed the model codenamed G29 will not live to see a next-generation model. Previous reports had stated BMW will discontinue the soft-top convertible in 2025, but new intel suggests it’ll soldier on for a little longer. A well-known insider from the Bimmer Post forums claims production has been extended by five months compared to the original plan.
As it stands, the Z4 will continue to be made until March 2026 when the mechanically related Toyota Supra is also reportedly scheduled to go out of production. It’s worth mentioning the cars aren’t actually built by BMW and Toyota as manufacturing has been externalized to Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. The company also builds the 5 Series, but it’s best known for the Mercedes G-Class it’s been making since the late 1970s.
Before the Z4 drives off into the proverbial sunset, BMW is still planning to put a clutch pedal inside the M40i. Although the Munich-based marque hasn’t said anything about a three-pedal M Performance version, we have it on good authority it’s still in the pipeline. However, it might not be a global product as the company could decide to sell the stick shift Z4 M40i in select markets, with the United States being an obvious candidate since the manual’s take rate is high among M customers.
According to the same insider familiar with BMW’s plans, the three-pedal Z4 M40i will go into production in March 2024.
Source: Bimmer Post