With the all-new BMW 4 Series on the road, there wasn’t much doubt that a convertible version would be on the way soon. BMW may produce some iconoclastic vehicles, but the brand remains locked in a perpetual deathmatch with Audi and Mercedes, and since the A5 and E-Class offer droptop versions of their sport-luxury two-doors, the 4 Series doesn’ t have much choice but to follow suit. BMW will officially unveil the topless 4 Series at the Los Angeles International Auto Show on November 20.
The new 4 Series convertible is bigger than the 3 Series droptop it replaces. The car features a retractable hardtop for maximum dual-purpose entertainment, and should offer similar handling to the coupe. It goes on sale early in 2014 with a starting price of $49,675 for the 428i and $55,825 for the 435i.
Visitors to the Los Angeles International Auto Show will also get to check out the production version of the i8 plug-in hybrid supercar. It may look like a concept, but the i8 is going into production in the spring and hits the streets with a starting price of $135,700. It justifies that price with a 4.4-second 0-60 run and exotice carbon-fiber construction.
BMW also plans to preview the Concept X4, which is a precursor of the upcoming junior partner to the X6 crossover coupe. Here’s hoping it will be better-received than the hatchbacked 5 Series Gran Turismo. The production version of the Concept X4 is also due sometime in 2014.
