End of the Line for Bimmer Z4 Roadster

BMW AG will stop making the Z4 roadster next month, BMW Blog reports. The Bimmer enthusiast website notes that this will leave a temporary gap in the carmaker’s lineup until the all-new roadster BMW is co-developing with Toyota Motor Corp. is launched sometime in the next two years.

The current Z4, which was launched seven years ago, is built at BMW’s plant in Regensburg, Germany. But recent media reports speculate that its replacement—possibly called the Z5—will be assembled by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.

The next-generation roadster will share a rear-wheel drive platform with the upcoming Toyota Supra. The car also will feature a cloth soft-top convertible roof instead of the Z4’s retractable hardtop and is expected to focus more on driving performance than did the outgoing luxury-leaning  model.