Major car brand discontinues ‘funky' motor after 10 years with ‘no plans to replace it'
Other models have been highlighted as alternatives
END OF THE ROAD Major car brand discontinues 'funky' motor after 10 years with 'no plans to replace it'
A MAJOR motor brand has announced it will axe a popular "funky" luxury SUV from its lineup with no plans to replace it.
The unique motor is expected to be axed as soon as stock runs out, and will not get a facelift or a model upgrade next year.
2
The BMW X4 is a compact luxury crossover, and has four doors, though sometimes referred to as a coupe
2
The larger and more refined second-generation X2 was a big part of the discontinuation of the X4
BMW is scrapping its popular X4 Coupe SUV from its production lineup - and is expected to take it off the market as soon as next year.
First revealed in 2014, the SUV quickly became popular with motorheads who love to drive adventure vehicles with a bit of luxury.
However, over the decade, the car failed to maintain its position as the leading Coupe SUV, with passionate motorists eventually falling out of love with the vehicle.
Due to a lack of popularity, the German brand is expected to stop the production of X4 after the 2024 model year.
BMW will reportedly kill the X4 after the 2025 model year.
Company officials additionally confirmed the Mercedes GLC Coupe rival won't live to see another generation.
But its not all bad news, as BMW still has the new X2 crossover coupe as an alternative.
The price gap between the X4 and X2 has also been substantially narrowed.
And those who are after a larger, or more stylish SUV can look into getting their hands on the big X6.
BMW M135 is a power-packed hot-hatch that's precise, solid & slick… everything about is 'sheer driving pleasure'
The German luxury brand says the new X3 can also provide a more in-between sized vehicle, which unlike the X2 has RWD underpinnings and a six cylinder engine.
It is not yet known exactly when BMW will end production of the X4.
This year has already seen 30 cars on the chopping block, with already 20 more set for next year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
What no-one outside F1 paddock saw about Michael Schumacher as friend speaks out
Sauber F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley considers Michael Schumacher a friend having worked together in the 1990s at Benetton and has opened up on that experience A friend and former colleague of Michael Schumacher has opened up on what it was like to work with the seven-time Formula 1 champion. Speaking to Pit Lane Chronicle, our new FREE weekly F1 newsletter, Jonathan Wheatley opened up on his "tremendous" experience of working with a true sporting great. Now team principal at minnows Sauber, Wheatley is best known by F1 fans for his 18 years spent as a key member of the leadership team at Red Bull. First as team manager and then sporting director, he was a key lieutenant to Christian Horner right up until he departed last summer. But he has been in F1 for more than 30 years in total, starting out in the early 1990s at the same time as Schumacher. The German famously made his debut for Eddie Jordan but was then snapped up by the Benetton team where Wheatley, in his early 20s, was working as a mechanic. "I did one race with Roberto Moreno and then the next race I was carrying a seat out for this guy called Michael Schumacher and that was at Monza," he told Pit Lane Chronicle. Schumacher wasn't yet the global megastar he would go on to become but, already, he had a presence that inspired those around him. Wheatley said: "It was a pivotal part of my career, I think. "You suddenly realise if you had a talisman, you had a driver of that ability in the team, you just saw this team that wasn't super well connected suddenly just joining up, having this person that you wanted to do your absolute best for." His presence helped to galvanise Benetton and that led to back-to-back drivers' title wins for Schumacher in 1994 and '95, the latter also yielding a constructors' championship victory. He then joined Ferrari and added five more titles between 2000 and 2004. But Schumacher was also at the centre of plenty of controversy, such as in the manner of that first championship success. He won the 1994 title by appearing to deliberately collide with rival Damon Hill in the final race in Adelaide, causing race-ending damage to both cars – though Schumacher always maintained his innocence. Sadly, he is no longer able to speak publicly about his past endeavours after suffering life-changing injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013. Few details of his condition have ever been shared with his family fiercely protective of his privacy, though it is known that he continues to require full-time care more than 11 years on. "Michael was a tremendous person to work with, but also I consider him a friend," Wheatley said of his stricken former colleague. "I haven't seen him for a while, but he still checked in. And actually, that's one of the things with most of the great drivers is they're nice people as well, you just don't always see it."
Auto Blog
10 hours ago
- Auto Blog
The Biggest Genesis SUV Yet Is Almost Here
Genesis Is Finally Revealing Some Of The GV90's Looks Genesis is serious about taking on luxury European rivals, and to do that, it needs products in the segments where BMW, Mercedes, and Range Rover are operating. While one side of creating a high-end image is showing one's performance credentials, which Genesis aims to do at Le Mans very soon, another is the luxury element, and the upcoming GV90 will take the Korean brand to new heights, rivaling premium SUVs like the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. Our spies have caught a development mule undergoing testing in Austria, and for the first time, the big SUV is showing its front-end lighting signature properly, confirming a bold new look. The Lighting Signature Will Look Like No Other If these spy shots show a somewhat familiar face, you may be recognizing elements of the Genesis Neolun concept, revealed last year. Like that show car, the prototype in these images has a distinctive lighting signature that sees two LED running lights stretch across the front fascia, pausing over the top of the wheel arches, and resuming at the rear of the front fenders. The bottom DRL deviates slightly near the middle, slanting inward to create a valley that gives the GV90 its Genesis-specific look. A pair of intake grilles above and below the license plate will help with the impression of width, and we suspect there may be additional lighting units on each end of the bumper. Big wheels are a given, as is metallic trim around the glasshouse. We haven't got a great view of the back since there's still a lot of fabric camouflage clad to the car, but another dual-strip lighting design is evident. We expect less chrome than the concept, but the diamond-shaped grille mesh should make production. What To Expect Beneath The Sculpted Skin Source: Autoblog While this particular prototype has conventional doors, earlier spy shots have indicated that the rear-opening coach doors that helped give the Neolun concept so much presence will make production, likely as an option. This could also suggest that a long-wheelbase version will be available, much like the ESV take on the Cadillac Escalade. The GV90 is reportedly codenamed JG1 and is based on a new EV platform called eM, which can be used to underpin SUVs as large as the GV90, along with vehicles small enough for the compact segment. As many as 13 new vehicles are expected to be launched on the architecture by 2030, though that may shift as legislation does. Will it be good enough to beat Audi's upcoming Q9 and rivals from BMW and Mercedes? Time will tell, but the signs are good so far. About the Author Sebastian Cenizo View Profile
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
RAY MASSEY: New electric Mini Aceman packs a bit of poke
Back in the days when Britain really could do 'stuff', we invented the Mini. And not just A Mini. The Mini. Launched in 1959 by design genius Sir Alec Issigonis, this slight but powerful car became an icon of the Swinging Sixties. Measuring 10ft long (just over 3m) it really was small – a point worth reinforcing for those more used to its 21st century incarnations. It passed into the hands of Germany's BMW in 1994, who helmed the next four generations, the latest of which – the all-electric five-door Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) Aceman – I've just been driving. Measuring more than 4m and weighing 1,820kg, it is significantly heavier than the original's 590kg. Progress! Yet it too is a Mini. It also has a very sporty 'John Cooper' twist, made visible by specific exterior JCW bodywork tweaks, interior trim, and the red, black and white JCW logo. The new range-topping JCW Aceman compact SUV, like all in the Mini Aceman range, is available only as an electric. Powered by a 54.2kWh battery, it develops a maximum 255hp which propels it from rest to 62mph in a sprightly 6.4 seconds and up to 124mph. The front-wheel drive JCW is agile and grippy, giving a good lick on the straight and offering a blast around the Cotswold country lanes where I drove it. But you do need to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel to keep the power under control. The racing-inspired interior with high-sitting seats are great, but the rear is a bit of a squeeze even for four, never mind the claimed five, with a compact 300-litre boot. A 24cm, circular digital screen dominates the central dashboard and holds all the information the driver needs. It has seven driving modes, including 'go-kart' option. Claimed range is 243 miles, though real-world range is likely closer to 200. This Aceman doesn't come cheap: prices start from £40,920, putting it into the higher 'Tesla Tax' bracket for EV Vehicle Excise Duty. My car cost £44,570, thanks to extras including £550 for the British Racing Green paint and £3,800 for a 'Level 3' pack, which included a panoramic glass sunroof, front heated and electric memory seats and adaptive LED headlights. The sibling two-door JCW Electric hatchback starts from £39,120. It may be a compact SUV but the JCW Aceman still a far cry in size from the original 10ft long Mini – being more than a meter longer (4.08m compared to 3.05m). At nearly 2m wide it's also much broader (1.99m compared to 1.41m) and also taller (1.51m against 1.35m). At 1.820kg it's also around three times the unladen weight of the original Mini at 590kg. Roof rails are standard as are the larger 19-inch wheels and sports tyres on which it runs (the hatchback version has 18 inch wheels) with red painted brake callipers. Range finder The JCW Aceman has a claimed range of 243 miles, though real-world range is likely closer to 200 miles. An 80 per cent charge at a fast-charging station takes under 30 minutes, says Mini. Rivals It may be premium and a tad niche, but the JCW Aceman is in a competitive market for feisty compact SUVs at a time when prices generally are dropping because of sluggish sales, the influx of cheaper Chinese rivals, and discounts from car-makers desperate to avoid controversial ZEV mandate fines for selling too few electric cars to meet imposed government targets. Rivals include the Volvo EX30, Abarth 600e, Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, and the Smart #1. Summing up its latest model, Mini notes: 'Over six decades ago designer John Cooper developed a sportier version of the classic Mini, becoming an instant success on racetracks and rally courses globally before the name was cemented in history with three victories at the Monte Carlo Rally across the 1960s. 'John Cooper Works has been transferring this success from the racetrack onto traditional MINI models ever since.' VERDICT The new range-topping JCW Aceman is a fun, fast and agile compact SUV that's marginally more practical - if slightly slower – than its hatchback sibling. But while extremely sprightly, it's go-kart handling does need to be controlled as raw power seems to have been promoted at the expense of performance finesse. And it's not cheap. And while German-owned MINI may still class it as a British 'brand', the new Aceman is currently built 5,000 miles from Oxford in Zhangjiagang, China. There were plans to build it in the UK, along with a reintroduced electric Mini hatchback. But in February BMW paused a planned £600m investment (announced in September 2023) to electrify its Oxford factory, citing 'multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry' including a slower than expected take-up of EVs. Legend has it the original Mini of the Swinging Sixties never made a profit. That's not a mistake current owners BMW are ever likely to make. Kia unveils new generation Sportage SUV Kia has unveiled the sleek new generation version of its popular Sportage SUV. With mild styling tweaks, the new Sportage has an upgraded interior and offers a choice of petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Despite a slightly shortened wheelbase, it still offers more than one metre of rear legroom, and up to 1,776 litres boot capacity with second-row seats folded. As a rival to Skoda's Karoq and the Nissan Qashqai, expect prices from around £33,000 with first UK deliveries from this autumn. The five-seater SUV comes in three trim levels and with a choice of 17, 18, and 19in wheels, including exclusive designs for the higher spec versions. The Kia Sportage was the UK's second best-selling car last year (after the Ford Puma) and more than 124,000 of the current model have been sold since 2022, with more than 7 million Sportages sold globally.
