Spied: Next-gen BMW 2 Series Coupe

Attention, those who loath BMW’s front-drive-based 2 Series Gran Coupe: BMW’s successor to the current 2 Series Coupe will remain a rear-drive two-door with enthusiasts in mind.

Our spy shooters captured several camouflaged coupes outside a logistics center in Munich. There are multiple prototypes visible here, one with plain-Jane silver wheels and unpainted brake calipers and another sporting larger, gloss-black rims and snazzy blue calipers. The latter also sports trapezoidal frames around dual exhaust tips.

There’s also a third coupe that’s part of the pack, with the larger black wheels but with silver brake calipers and only a single exhaust.

All share door handles mounted flush with the door panels, which appear to be a gentle evolution of the current 2 Series. Changes to the front fascia, from what we can spot, also appear to be minimal—welcome news for those turned away by BMW’s recent wide-nostril aesthetic.

Though we don’t have any official details, we are expecting BMW put this new 2 Series coupe on a version of the modular CLAR platform also used in the 3 and 4 Series. For engines, it’s likely we’ll see a 2.0-liter turbo-four in the base models (making roughly 255 hp) and a turbo straight-six for an M-lite variant to slot in below the range-topping M2. We wouldn’t be surprised if that next M2 packs a toned-down version of the twin-turbo 3.0-liter six currently in the X3 M; that powerplant makes 473 hp in the “regular” X3 M and 503 in the X3 M Competition. In the comparatively featherweight M2, that engine’s output could hover north of 420 hp. (For reference, the current M2 Competition makes 405 hp from its S55 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six, itself a detuned version of the current 425-hp M3 engine.)

The 2 Series coupe is expected to debut late next year, but more concrete details will surely trickle out before then. Declining convertible sales mean we are unlikely to see a drop-top for this generation. Admittedly, it is confusing for BMW to sell two different cars on different platforms and call them both 2 Series, but so far there is no indication about a name change. We’re just thrilled that the compact rear-drive BMW coupe isn’t dead, and we’re holding out that the U.S. market will still get a manual.