The new BMW iX3 isn’t just another SUV hitting the market. It’s the first chapter of BMW’s Neue Klasse era, a massive rollout that will see around 40 new or updated models by 2027. But not every familiar badge will make it through this transition. Three long-standing nameplates are on their way out.
The first is the X4. Launched in 2018 and facelifted in 2021, it won’t be getting a new combustion-powered generation alongside the latest X3, which arrived in 2024. That decision effectively ends the X4’s run. The smaller X2 will step in as a sort of indirect replacement, while whispers of a fully electric iX4 point to a future model based on the same Neue Klasse platform as the iX3.
The 8 Series is another quiet exit. Originally launched in 2018 and lightly updated in 2022, the range never became a volume seller. It came in coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe form, with the four-door version taking most of the sales. It’s still on sale in the US, but the 2026 model year will be its last. BMW has already revealed the M850i Edition M Heritage, limited to 500 units globally, which will likely serve as the farewell.
BMW hasn’t said anything about a new 8 Series, and the rumoured 6 Series comeback hasn’t materialised. That leaves only the 2 Series and 4 Series holding the coupe line in the current range.
The third model headed for retirement is the Z4. The two-seater roadster will remain on sale through the 2026 model year, but production at Magna Steyr in Graz will wrap up in 2026. With no replacement planned, BMW will step out of the roadster segment entirely. Its platform twin, the Toyota GR Supra, is also ending soon, with Toyota developing its own successor.
BMW fans are still holding onto hope for a new sports car within the Neue Klasse lineup. Spy shots from last year showing a sleek electric coupe helped fuel those hopes, but BMW is staying silent for now.