The BMW Z models are a line of roadsters manufactured by German automaker BMW. The Z stands for Zukunft (German for future),[1] and has been produced in four different series with six generations consisting of roadster, coupé, sports car, and concept variants.
BMW Z | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Production | 1989–1992, 2007–2016, 2018–present |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Sports car (S) |
Body style | |
Layout | Rear-wheel drive |
The introduction of the M Coupé and M Roadster in the Z3 line marked the first of the Z series to have a high-performance BMW M variant. The first generation Z4 also continued to offer M Coupé and M Roadster variants. The current Z4 (G29) uses BMW's (B58B30) inline-six, its platform is the basis for the current Toyota Supra.[2]
BMW Z1 (E30 based; 1989–1991)
editThe BMW Z1 is a two-seat roadster developed by BMW and was produced from March 1989 to June 1991. It was based on the E30 3 Series platform.[3] The Z1 featured unusual doors which, instead of opening outward or upward, dropped into the door sills and had body panels which could easily be removed and replaced; the car could be driven with all its body panels removed for weight reduction and increased performance.[4] Only 8,000 examples of the Z1 were produced.[5]
BMW Z3 (E36/7/8; 1995–2002)
editThe Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW.[6] It was introduced for the 1996 model year shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. More than 15,000 were sold by the time the car was introduced.[7] The Z3 underwent a facelift in 1999 with the introduction of a coupé bodystyle and featured revised styling, before the end of its production run in 2002.[8] The coupé had controversial styling and was nicknamed as "clown shoe".[9] It was manufactured and assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina.[10]
BMW Z8 (E52; 2000–2003)
editThe Z8 was produced from 2000 to 2003 and was the production variant of the 1997 Z07 concept car, which was designed by Danish Henrik Fisker at BMW's DesignworksUSA.[11] The Z07 originally was designed as a styling exercise to celebrate the 507 roadster of the 1950s, but the overwhelming popularity of the concept spurred BMW's decision to produce a limited production model called the Z8. 5,703 cars were built, approximately half of which were exported to the United States.[12]
BMW Z4 (E85/E86; 2003–2008)
editThe first-generation BMW Z4 was known as the E85 in roadster form and E86 in coupé form.[13] It was designed by Danish BMW-designer Anders Warming.[14]
The Z4's design addressed many criticisms of the preceding Z3; it was larger and featured a significantly stiffer chassis.[15] The Z4 was initially only available as a roadster, but a coupé version was officially launched in 2006.[16] The last model was manufactured on 27 August 2008 at the Spartanburg plant.[17]
BMW Z4 (E89; 2009–2016)
editThe second-generation Z4 was announced on 13 December 2008[18] and debuted at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit the following month.[19] It is the first Z Series model to use a retractable hardtop and meant that there were no longer separate roadster and coupé versions of the car.[20] The top is made of a two-piece lightweight aluminium shell and takes 20 seconds to operate.[21] Manufacturing was moved from Spartanburg, United States to Regensburg, Germany.[22]
BMW Z4 (G29; 2018–present)
editThe G29 Z4 is the third and current generation Z4 and was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on 23 August 2018.[23] It reuses the soft-top convertible roof found on the E85 Z4 instead of a retractable hardtop which now takes 10 seconds for operation. The G29 Z4 shares its platform with the J29 Toyota Supra and is manufactured in the same plant in Austria.[24]
Production and sales
editThe following are the production and sales figures for Z models, excluding the Z1:[25][26][27][28][29]
Year | Production | EU sales | US sales |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | - | 15,040 | |
1997 | 57,100[30] | 30,954 | 19,760 |
1998 | 53,000[30] | 27,776 | 20,613 |
1999 | 51,000[30] | 24,268 | 20,062 |
2000 | 42,800[30] | 18,681 | 16,699 |
2001 | 39,579[30] | 17,358 | 15,884 |
2002 | 26,428[30] | 10,749 | 10,490 |
2003 | 52,016[30] | 24,224 | 20,324 |
2004 | 38,483[30] | 18,593 | 13,654 |
2005 | 28,808[30] | 14,137 | 10,045 |
2006 | 30,981[30] | 15,844 | 12,284 |
2007 | 28,383[30] | 15,281 | 10,097 |
2008 | 18,006[30] | 6,116 | 5,879 |
2009 | 22,761[30] | 13,497 | 3,523 |
2010 | 24,575 | 13,153 | 3,804 |
2011 | 18,809 | 9,417 | 3,479 |
2012 | 15,249 | 7,508 | 2,751 |
2013 | 12,866[31] | 5,970 | 2,480 |
2014 | 10,802 | 5,373 | 2,151 |
2015 | 7,950 | 4,093 | 1,829 |
2016 | 5,432 | 3,006 | 1,187 |
2017 | - | 244 | 502 |
2018 | - | 125 | 4 |
2019 | - | 9,681[32] | 2,941[33] |
Total: | 585,028 | 271,086 | 211,354 |
Z9 Concept (1999)
editThe BMW Z9 (or Z9 Gran Turismo) is a concept coupé introduced at the 1999 Frankfurt Auto Show,[34] with a convertible variant later unveiled at the 2000 Paris Auto Show.[35] The vehicle features unique gull-wing doors that also opened like a conventional hinged door and innovations such as an early concept of BMW's iDrive system, called the Intuitive Interaction Concept, were incorporated into other production vehicles.[36] Much of the styling found on the E63 6 Series is also derived from the Z9.[37]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Toma, Sebastian (2017-05-15). "BMW Z4 Replacement Will Not Be Called Z5, Company Official Says". autoevolution. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "What's the best BMW Z car?". BMW BLOG. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ Oswald, op. cit., p. 258. Production was to commence in June, 1988 but was delayed until March 1989.
- ^ "Retro review: the oddly doored BMW Z1". Top Gear. 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "1989 - 1991 BMW Z1 Review @ Top Speed". Top Speed. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "1996-2002 BMW Z3". www.hemmings.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ Meier, Jeff. "z3roadster.com - Smiting swarms of untamed hippos since 1997".
- ^ "AutoSpeed - New Car Test - BMW Z3 2.2i Roadster". www.autospeed.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-22. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z3M Coupe For Sale: Clown Shoes are getting expensive". www.bmwblog.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Last Z3 Roadster rolls off line at BMW Manufacturing | BMW US Factory". www.bmwusfactory.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "Henrik Fisker's 'Timeless' Automotive Designs". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "Here's Why the BMW Z8 Is Worth $200,000". Doug DeMuro. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "AustralianCar.Reviews: #1 for Reviews and Used Car Valuations". australiancar.reviews. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "Design to Reality: the Z4 Roadster". AutoFieldGuide. Archived from the original on 2009-01-12.
- ^ "2003 BMW Z4". Road & Track. 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "2006 BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe". Car and Driver. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "The last BMW Z4 built at Spartanburg Plant". BMW BLOG. 2008-08-31. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "2009 BMW Z4 Review: The New Landshark has landed". Autospies.com. 2008-12-14. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
- ^ "Detroit Auto Show Preview: 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster". Road & Track. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "2009 BMW Z4 Convertible - Prices & Reviews". www.autotrader.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "New BMW Z4 to debut on Jan 11th". iCars Singapore. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01.
- ^ "BMW Z4 finds home in Regensburg". Automotive News. 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2018-06-05.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Constantine, Chris. "BMW Teases New Model Ahead of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance". The Drive. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
- ^ "2019 BMW Z4 Production Starts In Austria". Autoblog. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z3 US car sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z4 US car sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z8 US car sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z4 European sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z8 European sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m BMW Business figures 1997–2006
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "BMW Z4 European sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ^ "BMW Z4 US sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ^ "1999 BMW Z9 Review @ Top Speed". Top Speed. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Z9 Convertible Concept". Motor1.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ^ "BMW Press Release: BMW Group at the 2001 North American International Auto Show". Press.bmwgroup.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
- ^ "10 things you did not know about the BMW 6 Series". MOTOR SHOW BLOG. 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2018-06-05.