A heavily camouflaged test mule of the BMW 4 Series convertible was caught doing test runs. Launch time frame is not out yet, but the drop-top could bow around the year 2020.
A fresh bunch of spy shots captured by Motor1 shows a heavily camouflaged two-door, soft-top Beemer out on test. BMW itself showcased the next-generation 3-Series in camouflage, which shares the same CLAR platform with the 4-Series. Since the 4-Series was spawned from the 3-Series, we can expect the two models to carry a mostly similar front-end design with the sensor for the driver assistance systems in the centre of the lower fascia.
The 4-series test mule is seen with a soft-top as opposed to the hard-top the current model carries. The soft-top should help the convertible shed weight, with a few more kilos shaved from the underpinnings as well. This would make the new generation 4-Series quite a bit lighter than the current one.
The rear of the new 4-Series is also under heavy disguise, but we can still draw parallels with the new 3-Series and guess at the kind of design the former carries. The two models appear to have the same design, right down to the rear bumper cutouts that house the matching dual exhaust tips.
Ever since the two-door 3-Series has been renamed the 4-Series, the two models have used the same powertrains. BMW confirmed that the 3-Series is getting the company's most powerful four-cylinder motor which makes more than 250hp. Eventually, the company will add inline-six and plug-in hybrid options to the powertrain choices too. Expect the 4-Series to get the same set of engines, with a slightly different tune for the six-cylinder engine.
BMW will unveil the next-generation 3-Series in October at the Paris Motor Show, but the 4-Series will not make its debut at the same time. A more realistic timeline for the coupe as well as the drop-top convertible is late 2019 or 2020.
Images: Motor1
