Ever since BMW and Toyota announced a partnership four years ago to jointly develop a car that would eventually become the next-generation BMW roadster, the bulk of the automotive-journalism world have been calling it the BMW Z5. It made sense; the last roadster was the Z4, so why wouldn't the next one be the Z5?
Apparently, just because.
Most of what we know about the coming roadster comes from spy photos. BMW has barely acknowledged its existence but recently in an interview with AutoGuide.com, a BMW executive whom we know and respect set the record straight—for now.
Ludwig Willisch, former President and CEO of BMW of North America and currently the head of BMW Group Americas told the web site AutoGuide.com that the next roadster will not be called a Z5.
"There is no such thing," said Willisch when asked about the Z5. He continued, “There will be a sports car, yes, but it’s not going to be a Z5. That’s something that someone else has made up.”
Journalists who guessed it would be badged a Z5 since it will follow the Z4 forget that the most recent Z4, factory code E89, was not called a Z4 because it followed the Z3, because it didn't. The E89 Z4 built from 2009 to 2016 followed the E85 Z4 that was produced from 2002 to 2008. So why would the next roadster be a Z5 instead of the third-generation Z4?
It won't, according to Willisch, who went on to reveal, "It will be called Z… probably 4.”
Willisch also clarified that the "4" in Z4 did not reflect the engine configuration, saying, "“I would call it a Z4 [and] that’s no indication of the number of cylinders.” We hope that means that at least one version of the coming sports car would have an inline six.
We would also bet that the next-generation Z4 will have an electrified version, probably a plug-in hybrid. BMW is actually taking a chance building a roadster because roadsters have not been selling well. On the other hand, sales of electrified BMW have been climbing this year. Perhaps BMW will hedge its bet by building a car that might sell better as a plug-in hybrid than as a pure internal combustion roadster.
Even if Willisch is correct about the next roadster's nomenclature, we won't know for sure until BMW makes an official announcement. Given the dozens of spy photos we've seen, an announcement is past due. And just for the record, we always doubted it would be called a Z5.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of AutoGuide.com.]
