It’s hard to keep up with all the new stuff rolling out of the BMW product development center. Barely two months after filling the stage with an assortment of sedans, coupes, crossovers and concepts at the L.A. Auto Show, the Bavarian automaker says it will have some big news to come in Detroit, as well.
Look for two major announcements at the North American International Auto Show next month, starting with the global debut of the X2, BMW’s newest crossover. Also to debut: a mid-cycle update of the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.
“The BMW X2 represents an expression of modern and extrovert vehicle dynamics,” Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president, BMW Group Design, said in a statement, adding that the “standalone vehicle concept brings a new, fresh and exciting facet of the BMW to the compact segment.”
Picking up on the theme first seen with the BMW X6, the new 2019 X2 adopts more low-slung, coupe-like proportions than a typical sport- or crossover-utility vehicle. But the roofline is less awkward than the X4 or X6, something that should mean improved headroom in an otherwise subcompact package.
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The X2 shares the same front-wheel-drive platform as the more traditionally styled BMW X1 – though it will also be offered with all-wheel-drive. The X2 will be motivated by a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four making 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque and paired with an eight-speed automatic. BMW claims that’s enough to launch it from 0 to 60 in 6.3 seconds, with a top speed of 130 mph.
BMW will also show an M Sport upgrade and is expected to follow with a full M performance package.
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As for the i8 Coupe, it marks the debut of the first mid-cycle refresh for the unusual, carbon fiber-bodied PHEV. The big change comes with an upgrade to the BMW eDrive system, the maker notes. The updated 2+2 now will make 369 hp – up 12 from the original package – and 184 lb-ft of torque. It will hit 60 in an estimated 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of 155 mph.
The eDrive system drives the front wheels with an electric motor – which gets a 12 hp bump to 141 horsepower — the onboard gas engine powering the back axle. The i8’s lithium-ion pack grows from 7.1 to 11.6 kilowatt hours. The original got a modest 15 miles in electric-only mode. That should boost range to somewhere closer to 20, though BMW isn’t yet releasing final specification.
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As in LA, BMW will have something for pretty much everyone appearing on stage in Detroit, including the i8 Roadster that made its world debut in LA, as well as the X7 Performance Concept, the M3 CS, M5 and X3.
