2019 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe spotted

HOW we cooed at the elegance and proportions of BMW’s 6 Series Gran Coupe when it rolled out in 2012. Then we went all gooey again for the reveal of is smaller 4 Series Gran Coupe sister, and it looks like we’re about to get a third sibling in the family of lookers, with a 2 Series equivalent on the way.

A disguised car that’s purportedly a four-door version of the 2 Series coupe, has been snapped by bimmertoday.de testing on German public roads, and its fastback tail hints at the styling treatment applied to the existing Gran Coupe models, albeit the smallest version yet.

If it’s cast from the same furnace as the other Gran Coupes, the new 2 Series derivative will sandwich a four-door cabin between the long sportscar snout and tucked tail of the coupe, moulded with a more elegant roofline than a conventional sedan.

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Importantly though, while the 6 and 4 Series Gran Coupes have corresponding and closely related 5 and 3 Series sedans, the 2 Series does not. That means a 2 Series Gran Coupe would be the closest thing yet offered to a 1 Series sedan (not counting the China and Mexico-only models).

Until now, arch rivals Mercedes and Audi have been thumbing their noses at BMW in the small luxury sedan market, but a 2 Series Gran Coupe will mean the Munich manufacturer will, at last, have the hardware to compete against the CLA and A3 sedan.

The mounting evidence pointing towards a 2 Series Gran Coupe comes as BMW looks increasingly likely to kill off the awkwardly styled 3 Series Gran Turismo (GT). If the big-booty 3 Series is put out to pasture, it would appear to indicate a shift in BMW buyer behaviour to more style-driven models like the Gran Coupe line-up.

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A GC version of the 2 Series would take the family to four models alongside the coupe, convertible and Active Tourer people mover, and would up the company’s Gran Coupe tally to four as the smallest version underneath the 4 Series, 6 Series and more recent (but also unconfirmed) 8 Series.

Expect 2 Series Gran Coupe powertrains to align with the current coupe line-up including four- and six-cylinder turbo petrol engines driving the rear wheels for Australian versions, although left-hand drive markets are more likely to get diesel and all-wheel drive options.

A full-fat M2 Gran Turismo is also a possibility and would introduce a small four-door M-powered model the likes of which hasn’t been seen in BMW showrooms since the E36 M3 sedan.