BMW are about to realign their naming convention and we’d say they’re following Audi with their A1 to A8 on this one. After all, BMW only need to add a 2, 4 and 8 Series to be on-par with their rival. As we know, the 3 Series Coupé and Convertible will be sold as the 4 Series and the 1 Series Coupé and Convertible will become the 2 Series.
Spied on public roads for the first time, the new 2 Series Convertible will be based on the 1 Series hatchback from where it will draw its engine line-up. As for its design language, BMW has promised to make the 2 Series a little sportier, with slimmer headlights and prominent, forward-leaning kidney grilles to give the car a more aggressive and assertive look than the bloated 1 Series hatch. The 2 Series also looks set to carry over the chunky tail-light design from the existing 1 Series Coupé and Convertible models.
As mentioned, the engine line-up will be similar to the 1 Series hatchback, which means a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder in various states of tune and a diesel of the same capacity. A 3.0-litre TwinPower straight-six is likely to power a ‘M235i’ Coupe and we could even see a more potent ’2 M Coupe’ to follow the success of the discontinued 1 M Coupe.
The BMW 2 Series is set to be unveiled in late 2013, with arrival in South Africa expected the following year.
