Looks like it will feature the bangle butt. I pray that the rear end won't look nearly as disastrous as the 7er and 6er The proportions are super nice though.

Yes, it will feature the "Bangle butt" - since it features a metal folding roof. Eg. MB SLK has similar cut lines on its rear.
But expect the lines & shapes on "B-B" to flow much more organic & softer than on eg. E65 7er or E63 6er.


Btw, the Birdie #1 reports E89 features the broken shoulder line ala CS concept. And the stylized gill ala Z3 is back. Kind a.

I hope we will still see a coupe version despite the hard roof on the convertible.

We most likely will. Just look at the E92, it comes as proper coupe eventhough there is a hardtop convertible option.

To understand that the current Z4 is radical even too much for some .
The next generation Z4 Roadster progresses the radical angle further but is also groundbreaking. Z4 Roadster will be the first performance Roadster , a BMW performance Roadster featuring "Efficient Dynamics"
To help in it's quest for greater efficiency . Construction of the new Roadster is geared towards using lighter materials from areas such as the full aluminium front end , magnesium crankcases and engine blocks and aluminium body panels. Even the folding hardtop offers a lighter steel than used in the E93 3er Cabrio.

Where the BMW Z4 Roadster will be groundbreaking is the introduction of the first BMW diesel powered Roadster. With it's adoption of BMW's highly powerful 204PS diesel engine currently winning acclaim in the BMW 1er Coupe. Using a standard powered soft-top roof to keep weight down to the bare minimum with the lightweight materials already utilised and "Efficient Dynamics" technology to deliver eco friendly driving pleasure , with substantial performance and greater efficiency.

BMW hope to see the Z4 offer best in class performance, dynamics , agility and efficiency. Even moreso the Porsche Boxster remains the benchmark here but the engineers have had their fair share of drives in the Lotus Elise models to deliver a similar type of agility and offer an individual outlook to the segment with the dynamic handling of the new Z4.Roadster.

When the Z4 appears by December you will see it's followed the 3er Coupe and Cabrio and moved up one notch. Although you did eventually see the reason why.
The BMW 1er Coupe and Cabrio.

Which is why you will see the segment below the Z4 become very creative indeed , think of the original Z3 and you can see how many with BMW miss that car's compact proportions and how the new Z4 Roadster opens the door and leaves space for the upoming BMW Z2 Roadster.

What is the broken shoulder line?

Yeap, that's exactly the idea.

This is BMW's new camo that has been developed in order to confuse photoshop experts since it distorts the lines of the bodywork significantly more that duck-tape!

BMW will be using this camo from now on in order to prevent photshops as much as possible.

The lights on the rear are very 6er-ish and the front grill is very CS-ish.

I'm sure it'll be a GREAT car!

Shoulder / character line as seen on CS concept ...







But it will be slightly different on Z4, Birdie said. The longer line (coming from front) will slope below the shorter part of the line (on the rear side) - not like on CS where the shorter part slopes below the longer one.

It's that character line which carves its way through the rear light, over the rear wheel arch and eventually breaks with the rest of the shoulder line.

Not really suprising that the new Z4 would have this design feature. What will be interesting to see is how the other lines on the Z4 interact with this broken shoulder line, because as you can see with the CS, there aren't any other dramatic lines along the side of the body, whereas with the current Z4 there are a number of flexing and sharpened creases going in very unorthodox directions (ie: not simply straight like a normal shoulder line).


Thanks Eni and Scott for the continual updates!

Just one question for either/both of you. When BMW launched the current Z4, they stated that the E65 7er would be the least dramatic of the new BMW models, the Z4 would be the most dramatic, and that the remaining BMW models would be somewhere in between these two models in terms of design flare. Will this spectrum of design flare still apply for upcoming generation of BMWs?

I really hope for something like this, but even more aggressive front, which judging by recent FEP pics will be the case. Rear looks great in these chops too and i'm sure it'll look even better.