[Jblack4083]

Originally Posted by barcius

I think it will be very cannibalistic to either coupe or sedan. It will be very interesting to see how much true incremental sales BMW will deliver with it.

I don't think it will. The sedan will not lose sales to it due to its higher price tag. There are still non enthusiasts who are going to like how it looks but not want to justify an extra 5k just for the looks. They will stick with the sedan. Then most people that want a coupe are going to want a real coupe with two doors, once again just for the look. People who come in looking for a coupe in the first place are not worried about seating four people. This is why they are even in the market for a coupe.

What i think will happen is it will create a new market and be either a slow/hot seller on its own. time will tell

[Levi]

Originally Posted by Jblack4083

I don't think it will. The sedan will not lose sales to it due to its higher price tag. There are still non enthusiasts who are going to like how it looks but not want to justify an extra 5k just for the looks. They will stick with the sedan. Then most people that want a coupe are going to want a real coupe with two doors, once again just for the look. People who come in looking for a coupe in the first place are not worried about seating four people. This is why they are even in the market for a coupe.

What i think will happen is it will create a new market and be either a slow/hot seller on its own. time will tell

A5 SB sells well. So many chose it over the A4 Sedan, A4 Avant and A5 Coupé.

[SamS]

Originally Posted by hokie4life03

Agree. Why bother to make this car? It looks nice but coupe means 2-door!

Because they can offer more style, or premium features vs. the 3er sedan, i.e. nicer interior, cooler lighting, etc. And it still can haul 4 people with ease. It's still a pain to use a coupe if you have kids or regularly drive around more than one other adult-sized person.

Originally Posted by gerbs

Not bad.. Glad I ordered my 335i sedan now though before these start rolling out.

Uh, they're not going to stop making the standard sedan.

[aajami]

Originally Posted by gerbs

I see your point. So why are there four doors? If I recall correctly, the 6 Gran Coupe, with it's extended roofline, is a joke in the rear seats and can't really seat people comfortably back there (with regards to headroom).

It's purely for style then? The 4 doors that is.


I think I'm missing something

The panamara, for example, makes sense with regards to its design. It's a wagon; like the F31. But the unrealistically proportioned 4-door "coupes" - I just don't get it.

Yup, purely for style. The 6GC has one less seat than the 5-series and less headroom in the rear, but it's (subjectively) more stylish than the 5. It's for people who want the occasional use of a sedan with the fulltime styling of a coupe.

The Panamera isn't quite a 4-door coupe, but the Audi A7/S7 and the Mercedes CLS are. In fact, Porsche is rumored to be working on a shooting brake version of the Panamera that will slot into this market segment.

[poo16]

I wish BMW would come out with an M3 in this version.

[Wolf]

This car is for guys like me who want a 2 door car and don't want to get out of the damn car for someone to get in the back seats I couldn't care more about head room or leg room of the back seats because I know that I will never ride my car in the back seats... But I won't exactly buy a 4GC.. I would buy a 2GC.. Now flame suit on. I can't be more serious than that.

[GregD]

Release this already! An M Sport would be nice, an M4GC would be fantastic!!

[ZMM_OMG]

Originally Posted by DrivenByE30

Which one is the real one ??

The Prototype ?? or the French Photoshop ??

One isn't promising, the other is damn Sexy !

but neither look like each other...

A couple of points on the test mule:

1) It's clad in quite a bit of camo, which is going to add visual bulk to the body. For example, the front and rear clip are completely hidden.
2) There appear to be a few things on the mule specifically placed to throw off the sense of the real design including: false "frames" around the window, false "pillar" on the rear window glass, and a camo piece over the rear window glass to conceal the true sweep and placement of the Hofmeister kink.

A few points on the render:
1) The area aft of the rear wheel looks too elongated relative to the mule, even accounting for the body cladding. I'd expect a slightly sharper sweep down to the trunk line.
2) The render has a typical B-pillar and window frames, but if the 4er follows the 6er, I'd expect frameless windows.

Overall, I think the render looks pretty good. Just need to throw the M-sport front clip on that bad boy!

[gerbs]

Originally Posted by SamS

Uh, they're not going to stop making the standard sedan.

Right. My point was more that I was interested in what the 3er/4er GC would look like before pulling the trigger on a new ride; and I'm glad I didn't wait around for the GC to debut before purchasing.

[Lemon Jelly M3]

Let all the haters begin to hate! Can't wait what haters will say about the 2 GC lol

Anyways, BMW surely knows how to design a GC (4-door-coupe)
I really love it, can't wait for the M4 GC to come out!

[jlstyle]

If somehow testmule developes into something like that rendering, I would totally get it over 3 sedan IF it doesn't carry $20K premium.
I can only suspect that it will start somewhere around $48000~50000 for 4 cyl version and will be around $60k with couple of options. I think it's going to fill in the gap between 528 and 535.

[ZheHbKa]

why we need a 3-er grand coupe?????

when there is 3 series coupe, sedan and wagon!!

[SamS]

Originally Posted by gerbs

Right. My point was more that I was interested in what the 3er/4er GC would look like before pulling the trigger on a new ride; and I'm glad I didn't wait around for the GC to debut before purchasing.

Ah...

Well, ya did pretty good, even though I think the 4GC will look great. I think the F30 is one of the best looking cars on the road.

[tony20009]

I like the look. I think it's more attractive than the F30. I'm sure it'll have less space in the back seats than the F30, but then so too did the E92 have less space than the E90. Even so, unlike in the 6er, two normally sized adults could sit comfortably in the rear seats of the E92 even for long trips. Hopefully that trait will continue unchanged, and if it does, there will be ample room in the back of the F34, unlike in the 6GC, which despite having four doors, is still tight in the rear.

I suspect price might be the only thing that drives folks to the F30 instead of the F34, assuming there isn't some major difference otherwise. I'm pretty sure this car will carry a hefty premium over the F30. Indeed, as BMW coupes seem to always cost more, it wouldn't surprise me that BMW like the GC designation if only so they can charge more for it. After all it's still based on the 3er.

Rather that cannibalize F30 sales, I think the F34 will garner buyers who would otherwise have bought a coupe, but as the F34 looks decent, will opt instead for it. Thus it'll be F32 sales that are partitioned.

[aajami]

Originally Posted by poo16

I wish BMW would come out with an M3 in this version.

They are. It's the F86, and will be called the M4 Gran Coupe.

[SCOTT26]

The render apparently is traced around the actual prototype from the scoop pictures a bit like the M4 Renders in the M3/M4 thread so you get a faithfull outline of the actual car and then it is a question of filling in the blanks.

Having parked alongside the car today there is multiple camouflage from the rear of the car especially around the C-Pillars and the rear trunk area.

Why the sudden interest in four door Coupe's?
Well the demographic for standard Coupe models is changing because of the emergence of new markets the customers are getting younger and with that demographic comes the responsibilities that the customer requires , extra flexibility for a family or business clients yet they still crave the sleek looks and performance of a Coupe. BMW are not alone in extending their product line to include more practical Coupe models.

The importance of downsizing is also a factor as there are customers who would like the larger luxury concept but find it financially unaccessible.
A similar concept , smaller in size but utilising the same ideas and lustre is appealing to the customer who desires a car like this.
The 4er Gran Coupe and the forthcoming BMW X4 are prime examples of this.

The same goes for the high-end luxury segment also with Mercedes-Benz working on a four door of the next S-Klasse Coupe because the 2dr is impractical for family orientated customers. Such cars will also help sustain the luxury market which is showing a decline for large sedans but an increase for super-luxury SUVs and sleeker four door Coupe models.
Bentley are looking at a four dr GT as are Rolls-Royce investigating an option based on the more sleeker Ghost Coupe.

With the advent of modular platforms and in BMW's case a matrix that can be applied to various models and the eve of a new matrix that will be apparent from every next BMW from the 2er right through to the 7er , creating new models is entirely cost effective and these models are cars that will have a considerable return in the long run.

And given BMW's interest in the development of new niches such as Sport Activity Coupe and Progressive Activity Sedan. BMW have more ideas to present to the world in regards to "remixing" existing conventional concepts in regards to showcase innovation, creativity and individuality to appeal to new customers kind of like MINI has done already and will continue to do with great success.

It does not end here.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

The render apparently is traced around the actual prototype from the scoop pictures a bit like the M4 Renders in the M3/M4 thread so you get a faithfull outline of the actual car and then it is a question of filling in the blanks.

Having parked alongside the car today there is multiple camouflage from the rear of the car especially around the C-Pillars and the rear trunk area.

Why the sudden interest in four door Coupe's?
Well the demographic for standard Coupe models is changing because of the emergence of new markets the customers are getting younger and with that demographic comes the responsibilities that the customer requires , extra flexibility for a family or business clients yet they still crave the sleek looks and performance of a Coupe. BMW are not alone in extending their product line to include more practical Coupe models.

The importance of downsizing is also a factor as there are customers who would like the larger luxury concept but find it financially unaccessible.
A similar concept , smaller in size but utilising the same ideas and lustre is appealing to the customer who desires a car like this.
The 4er Gran Coupe and the forthcoming BMW X4 are prime examples of this.

The same goes for the high-end luxury segment also with Mercedes-Benz working on a four door of the next S-Klasse Coupe because the 2dr is impractical for family orientated customers. Such cars will also help sustain the luxury market which is showing a decline for large sedans but an increase for super-luxury SUVs and sleeker four door Coupe models.
Bentley are looking at a four dr GT as are Rolls-Royce investigating an option based on the more sleeker Ghost Coupe.

With the advent of modular platforms and in BMW's case a matrix that can be applied to various models and the eve of a new matrix that will be apparent from every next BMW from the 2er right through to the 7er , creating new models is entirely cost effective and these models are cars that will have a considerable return in the long run.

And given BMW's interest in the development of new niches such as Sport Activity Coupe and Progressive Activity Sedan. BMW have more ideas to present to the world in regards to "remixing" existing conventional concepts in regards to showcase innovation, creativity and individuality to appeal to new customers kind of like MINI has done already and will continue to do with great success.

It does not end here.

OK...I was with you until your final two legitimate paragraphs. Those last two told me nothing that mattered. Did you really write them or did you have some MBA-intern on your staff do it? Not many other folks can use so many words to say nothing of substance.

[zarafeh]

Pointless, but sick. I kind of like and dislike how BMW is offering more verity now... Which is making Mercedes even throw more car lines. So, if you drive the 3 series and 5 series and don't know what to get next, there's those ones that go in between :-)

[EdwinF10]

hawt!!

[Gras]

Wow! I feel sorry for the people who ordered the sedan..

[Zirenz2006]

Sign me up if it ends up looking like that

[Matski]

Originally Posted by gerbs

I see your point. So why are there four doors? If I recall correctly, the 6 Gran Coupe, with it's extended roofline, is a joke in the rear seats and can't really seat people comfortably back there (with regards to headroom).

It's purely for style then? The 4 doors that is.

To put it in perspective 6GC has more space in the back than a 3 series coupe, so it is a useable space. But compared to the 6-er Coupe - the 6GC is cavernous, the 6-er coupe has the least space in the back, even less than a 1-er coupe.

The 4GC will offer more space in the back than the Coupe, and it will be sleeker than the standard bread and butter saloon ... it's simply for people that like the look of the coupe more than the saloon, but need the praticality of 4 doors and maybe an inch of exra head room in the back.

According to BMW.com rear headrooms as follows:

6-er Coupe 908mm
3-er Coupe 930mm
6-er GC 941mm
1-er Coupe 943mm
X6 946mm
3-er Saloon 957mm
5-er Saloon 973mm
5GT 991mm