Adding to a long line of BMW 2-Series leaks that started all the way back in April of 2020 when someone snapped a few pictures of a pre-production car in an elevator, is this single image of the G42 codenamed coupe that slipped through the internet today.
Its authenticity hasn’t been confirmed yet and some on social media are questioning if it’s a rather elaborate Photoshop, but beyond the the grille slots that look a bit off (and which may be due to the image being scanned from a video), it does look real and matches everything else we’ve seen before, official or not.
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Either way, we’ll know for sure in a matter of days as BMW has officially confirmed the compact sport model’s debut for next week, on July 8 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Germans will release details on the regular 2-Series Coupe lineup which in Europe, is expected to include three-, four- and six-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engines and possibly, the return of a diesel.
230i and M240i in both RWD and AWD for North America
North America will continue with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot for the base 230i that’s shared with a host of other BMW models, producing around 255-hp and 295 lb-ft of peak torque.It will first be available in RWD with the all-wheel drive 230i xDrive to join the range later on.
Sitting at the top of the lineup for now in all markets will be the 2022 M240i xDrive that BMW has confirmed will come with a TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder engine delivering 382-hp, a 47-hp increase over its predecessor (in Europe, that number is lowered to 368-hp / 275kW / 374 PS).
Power is transferred, in the initial model offering, to the rear-biased BMW xDrive all-wheel drive system through a standard 8-speed Sport Steptronic automatic transmission with an M sports rear differential. BMW said it will also offer a RWD version of the M240i. What it hasn’t said yet if a manual option will be available on either model, which will be a shame if it doesn’t.
Coming this fall, but you’ll have to wait for the M2
The new 2-Series Coupe is expected to go on sale this fall and will be followed next year with the full-fat M2 powered by a slightly detuned version of the M3 and M4’s turbocharged S58 3.0-liter straight-six producing at least 420-hp.
