The current BMW i4 Gran Coupé. Photo source: BMW
BMW is preparing an i4 Coupé and its first electric convertible. Launch is expected in 2028
The BMW i4 electric family is expected to change radically with the move to Neue Klasse technology. Instead of the current five-door Gran Coupé, the German brand is reportedly preparing two two-door cars: the BMW i4 Coupé and the BMW i4 Cabriolet.
The information has not been confirmed officially by BMW, but the convertible prototype has been photographed during tests on public roads. Several publications close to the Bavarian brand point to 2028 for the start of production. The Coupé is unofficially associated with internal code NA2, and the Cabriolet with code NA3.
The electric convertible is already out testing
Photographs of the prototype confirm a two-door, four-seat body and a retractable fabric roof. BMW appears to be keeping the solution used by the current 4 Series Cabriolet, rather than a folding metal roof, which is heavier and bulkier.
The test car has proportions close to those of a traditional coupé: a long bonnet, a raked windscreen and a low roof line when the top is up. Camouflage hides the final elements, but the front end adopts the new design language introduced by the Neue Klasse family.
The presence of the prototype shows that the project has moved beyond a simple design proposal. Even so, the commercial name, powertrain range, range figures and launch date remain unconfirmed by the manufacturer.
The i4 Coupé would become the fixed-roof partner
Alongside the Cabriolet, BMW is reportedly developing a Coupé version on the same technical base. It would occupy in the electric range the equivalent of the current combustion-engined 4 Series Coupé, but would be designed from the start for fully electric propulsion.
The two cars would mark a change of strategy for the i4 name. The model sold today is a Gran Coupé with four side doors and a hatch, built on an architecture shared with combustion cars. The next generation could use the i4 name only for the two-door electric variants.
There is, at this stage, no confirmation that the current Gran Coupé format will receive a direct successor. The BMW i3 electric saloon and the forthcoming i3 Touring will cover much of the practical space now occupied by the i4.
What Neue Klasse technology would bring
BMW has not published specifications for the two i4 models, but it has already presented the shared technology for its future electrics. The sixth-generation eDrive system uses an 800 V architecture, batteries with cylindrical cells and a construction in which the pack becomes a structural part of the body.
According to the company, the cylindrical cells have 20% higher energy density than the prismatic cells used previously. Across the Neue Klasse range, BMW estimates a 30% increase in charging speed and at least 30% more range, but those percentages are not confirmed separately for the i4 Coupé or Cabriolet.
A convertible has different requirements from a saloon. Removing the fixed roof requires structural reinforcement, and that adds mass. Integrating the battery into the floor can help rigidity and lower the centre of gravity, but engineers also have to keep the space needed for the roof mechanism and the boot.
A nearly empty segment
The supply of electric convertibles is still small. Battery mass, the cost of reinforcements and shrinking convertible sales make such a model hard to justify. Most manufacturers have preferred SUVs, saloons and crossovers, which sell in higher volumes.
BMW does, however, have long experience with the 4 Series Cabriolet and can use components shared with the future Coupé. If the model reaches production, it will be the brand’s first series-production electric convertible and one of the few four-seat electric cars with a retractable roof on the market.
Combustion models could continue in parallel
The move to an electric i4 does not automatically mean the immediate disappearance of the combustion-engined 4 Series. Industry information indicates the current Cabriolet will be kept until 2029, which would allow a period in which the electric version and the internal-combustion one are sold at the same time.
BMW already uses a similar strategy in other segments: Neue Klasse electric models are introduced gradually, while some combustion cars continue on updated platforms. The exact timetable will depend on regional demand and emissions rules.
When they could arrive in Romania
Reports indicate production will start in 2028, with no confirmed presentation date. If BMW keeps its usual European distribution, Romania could receive the models around the continental launch, but the local importer has not announced prices, versions or a schedule.
Until the official presentation, figures for power, battery and range should be treated as estimates. The elements supported by evidence are the existence of the Cabriolet prototype and the development of Neue Klasse technology, which BMW intends to extend across the electric range.
