BMW's New Roadster Won't Be Called The Z5 After All

If you’ve been sniffing around the details of BMW’s next roadster, you might be expecting it to be called the Z5. According to reports, though, BMW is apparently sticking with Z4.

The car, which is being co-developed with Toyota, was rumoured to be adopting the new name while Toyota will revive the Supra badge, but the boss of BMW America has said there’s no Z5, in an interview with autoguide.com. Ludwig Willisch said:

“There will be a sports car, yes, but it’s not going to be a Z5. That’s something that someone else has made up.

“It will be called Z… probably 4.”

The move might raise a few eyebrows in the US, after the Z4, whose most recent generation was primarily designed for American buyers, was reportedly discontinued in North America after failing to live up to sales expectations. The 6 Series was also a US casualty at around the same time. It had been thought that BMW would choose to give a replacement roadster a new name to remove any negative stigma attached to the old car.

The interview goes on to suggest that there will be six-cylinder engines and four-wheel drive, while Toyota may be planning to offer a hybrid version. As for manual transmissions, though, autoguide.com says that US uptake of manual BMWs is, “at best, in the single digits,” and it’s unlikely that the more powerful versions will come with a manual option even in Europe, although entry versions may.