BMW teases upcoming front-drive 2 Series Gran Coupe

BMW announced the all-new 2 Series Gran Coupe today, a front-wheel-drive four-door that will slot in underneath the 3 Series and above the 1 Series hatchback in Europe. We can’t tell much from the single teaser shot of the rear fender that BMW provided, but the car’s front-drive underpinnings will disappoint some enthusiasts who have long held fast to BMW as a haven for entry-level rear-drive fun. Those fans don’t have to worry, because BMW still plans to introduce a new generation of the rear-drive 2 Series Coupe.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe, which shares its UKL2 platform with Mini, will have its first public viewing at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2019. The 2 Series Gran Coupe apparently will wear a sleek fastback roofline but still bears the slightest hint of a trunk lid. In the teased photo, that deck has a lip spoiler, suggesting there may be sporty M-inspired trim packages and/or performance variants.

BMW already sells a 2 Series Active Tourer in Europe, although the future of that model is unclear. Given the L.A. debut and that BMW says the Gran Coupe was “conceived as a global offering” to be launched for the worldwide market next spring, we assume this front-drive 2 Series variant will be sold in the U.S. It’ll compete directly against the Audi A3 and the new Mercedes A-Class.

The 2 Series Gran Coupe will share a platform with the 2 Series Active Tourer, which means we’ll likely get some of that model’s powertrains—a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-three and 2.0-liter turbo-four. A high-output Gran Coupe could get the 302-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the X2 M35i.

The compact four-door will share that UKL2 platform with the next generation 1 Series, to be introduced later this year, as well as some Mini models.