BMW’s 4-series grille garners mixed reaction

You either like it, or you don’t … in fact, one critic said it resembled a cabbage shredder. Whatever.

Regardless of how you view it, BMW unveiled the design of its next 4-series Concept 4 coupe at the Frankfurt auto show, Automotive News Europe reported.

The surprise addition to BMW’s stand divided show-goers here with its bold interpretation of the brand’s traditional kidney-shaped grille, which has got steadily larger with successive model launches.

The new car is broadly similar to the production car that BMW is expected to launch in mid-2020, according to media reports. BMW described the front end as “the new face of the 4-series range.”

The 4 series is the sporty version of the 3-series sedan and wagon, both of which have been replaced recently, the report said.

Sales of 4-series models have declined this year as it nears the end of its life cycle, with European sales of the 4-series four-door coupe down 30 percent to 11,069 in the first half the year, the two-door coupe down 43%  to 4,385 and demand for the convertible down 24% to 5,339, according to data from market analyst JATO Dynamics.

The Concept 4 “embodies the aesthetic essence of the BMW brand,” Adrian Hooydonk, head of BMW Group design, said.

The upright grille with its chrome surround and chunky grating was described as an “immediate advert” to the car.

BMW said the vertical orientation of the grille referenced sporting cars in its past, including the 328 from 1936 and the 3.0 CSI from 1971.

The profile of the car, with its long bonnet, stretched wheelbase, curved roofline and short overhangs, were described as “elegant and dynamic” by the company. It highlighted the “ultra-pure” surfaces that suggest performance without too many contours or creases, the company said.

The car has a slender LED light running the width of the vehicle on a back end that BMW describes as looking “brawny.” Further design details include 21-inch wheels and slender rearview mirrors described as “minimalist” by BMW.

The intent is to give the car its own character, which is why it’s got a new kind of BMW face,” BMW Design’s Stefan Woerns told the UK’s Autocar. “It’s clearly different from the 3 Series, and unique to the 4 Series, which is as it should be. The intent is to position this car as more exclusive and upscale.”

Asked why Woerns went big on the grille, he responded:

“It’s a new shape of kidney, but it fits the proportions of the car. It’s more vertical than on our other models, but it references coupés from our past, like the 328.”

The engine line-up is expected to be similar to that of the 3 Series, using a range of 2.0-litre four-cylinder and 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol and diesel powerplants, with a plug-in hybrid model likely.