2016 Paris Motor Show: BMW X2 Concept revealed as prelude to new crossover “coupe”

BMW has previewed its next crossover at the Paris Motor Show, with the Concept X2 hitting the stands to show off BMW’s vision for a sleeker alternative to the X1 compact SUV.

It may officially be a styling exercise for now, but behind the Concept X2’s exaggerated proportions (scope that oversized kidney grille and 21-inch wheels), lies the basic concept for the sixth member of BMW’s ever-growing SUV family.

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Camouflaged prototypes of a jacked-up BMW hatchback have been spied before, with a tapering roofline, shallowly-raked windshield and short glasshouse all hinting at the car’s role as a style-focused companion to the BMW X1. While it’s not quite as swoopy as the fast-backed BMW X4 and X6, the BMW X2’s absence of a D-pillar and uncluttered profile gives it a slightly more elegant look than the conventionally wagon-bodied X1.

BMW has also gifted the Concept X2 with some cool retro throwbacks, like the small BMW emblems on the C-pillars that recall the classic E9 coupe and the elongated Hofmeister Kink that links the beltline with the C-pillar. The latter will likely feature on the production car, the former we’re not so sure about.

You can bet those 21-inch alloys won’t be rolling down the production line though, and proper door handles will also find their way onto the showroom-ready X2’s sheetmetal. As for the cartoonishly big front grilles? They should get a more restrained look too.

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BMW makes no claims about the Concept X2’s powertrain, but the production car – which will be built on the same transverse-engined platform as the X1 – will likely be available with a range of 1.5-litre three-cylinder and 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines. An eight-speed auto will be the default transmission, with both front- and all-wheel drive available.

In the future, a hotter M-Sport variant may also join the range to give the X2 the performance credentials to back up its more athletic bodywork.

Expect to see the production BMW X2 range revealed sometime next year.