It’s safe to say we all had realistic expectations from the Z4’s Life Cycle Impulse since BMW wasn’t going to make drastic changes to a niche product. The 2023MY is here and brings subtle cosmetic tweaks to the stylish roadster without making the transition to the iDrive 8. A new official video puts the spotlight on the M40i and guides us through the tweaks made for the LCI.
Finished in Thundernight Metallic – a new color alongside Skyscraper Grey and Portimao Blue – the Z4 in M Performance guise shows its reconfigured kidney grille with a fresh pattern lending it a sportier look. Those headlights are the same as before, only now you can get them with a Shadowline treatment featuring dark inner accents. BMW also revised the front bumper to accommodate new air intakes, but the revisions are quite discreet.
Also black are the new 19-inch alloy wheels with M branding and a V-spoke design. Interestingly, the alloys have regular center caps instead of the 50 year of M anniversary badges. We’d argue the retro-flavored emblem would’ve made the Z4 look even better. Nevertheless, the subtle LCI doesn’t alter the design too much, and that’s a good thing because the Toyota Supra’s soft-top sibling was already one of the prettiest BMWs money can buy.
We have it on good authority this is not the last update for the Z4 as sources from within Munich have told us that a manual gearbox for the six-cylinder model is still coming. Expect the three-pedal M40i to arrive in 2023, but it might be sold only in certain markets. The United States is one of them, and given a recent faux pas by BMW’s Dutch division with its online configurator, the 6MT will be available in The Netherlands as well.
BMW has sold over 55,000 units of the third-generation Z4 (G29) to date, which isn’t too bad given the SUV-hungry market. However, it might not be enough to warrant the development of a new generation. It is believed production in Graz, Austria at Magna Steyr’s plant will come to an end in 2025 and there won’t be a successor.
Source: BMW
