BMW accidentally leaked the names of its new models arriving in 2027, and it’s just a bunch of strings of numbers and letters.
On February 27th, Motor1 reported that BMW listed the names on its US online shop, revealing a wide range of vehicles from a manual all-wheel-drive sports car to an all-electric luxury SUV. It honestly looks like a pretty exciting year ahead for BMW, though the carmaker’s names continue to leave me numb.
The car community has been speculating about an all-wheel-drive version of the BMW M2 for a few years now, and it looks like it has now been confirmed for 2027. The M2 xDrive will likely be an eight-speed automatic and heavier than the regular M2. Purists will need to stick with the regular M2 if they want a manual.
Next is an M350 xDrive in the 3 Series, which was previously spotted at the Nürburgring with a bold grille and headlight design. It’s said to retain its B58 turbocharged engine with about 400 horsepower if it has a small touch of hybrid assistance. For fans of electric crossovers, there’s the i3 40 xDrive and i3 50 xDrive EVs. This is accompanied by the iX4, a coupe-styled crossover expected to have a sleeker look than the iX3. This will come with both 40 xDrive and 50 xDrive options. There may even be an M version later on.
Moving to the luxury segment, an X5 SUV is coming with an RWD 40 sDrive configuration, along with the electric iX5 60 xDrive. The 7 Series is the final leaked vehicle, although the accompanying image was blurry since BMW hasn’t revealed the model and its updated looks just yet. It’s said to be announced in a few months. This, of course, comes with the i7 as well.
If you are not a huge BMW fan, these paragraphs may feel almost headache-inducing to understand. BMW continues to have some of the worst names in the automotive world, devoid of any emotion. When you hear “Subaru Forester,” you envision a rough-and-tumble vehicle ready to navigate — even dominate — the wilderness. When you hear “Ford Mustang,” you picture an aggressive stampede of wild horses kicking up dust as they charge over the horizon (even though Mustang is named after a WWII fighter plane). Hell, even “Nissan Leaf” makes you think of an environmentally conscious, lightweight, wholesome little guy.
While BMW’s names do have meaning (I swear), they just don’t evoke any feeling or vision. They don’t give you any indicator of the vehicle’s spirit, strengths, and style. I personally think that’s more important than names that can be categorized and interpreted literally rather than figuratively and emotionally. It’s sort of the opposite problem of Polestar, which has admitted that the numbers in its name mean nothing and shouldn’t define the vehicle at all. For BMW, the names are solely meant to categorize their vehicles, not make you feel a single thing.
What do BMW’s names even mean?
As I previously promised, BMW’s names do mean things. They’re just uncreative and lame. Here is how you can better understand what kind of vehicles were even leaked by Bayerische Moteren Werke (that’s BMW) earlier this week.
First, there are series:
- 2 Series: Small, two-door coupes and convertibles
- 3 Series: Compact, four-door sedans, sports wagons, and Gran Turismos
- 4 Series: Compact two-door convertibles, coupes, and four-door Gran Coupes
- 5 Series: Midsize four-door sedans or Gran Turismos
- 6 Series: Midsize two-door models available as coupes, convertibles, four-door Gran Coupes, or ALPINA Gran Coupes
- 7 Series: Full-size four-door sedan or ALPINA sedan
I feel this was already lost to anyone who isn’t into BMWs. But I’ll keep going. So, some of the words in there are just various BMW brands. For example, the Gran Coupe is a four-door version of the coupe with a sleek design and extra space. The Gran Turismo is a four-door sedan with a spacious interior. ALPINA is a brand that operates independently from BMW within the same facilities, making variants of BMW’s 6 and 7 Series vehicles.
On top of these numbered series, BMW also has four groups of vehicles organized by letter:
- X: SUVs and crossovers
- Z4: Two-door roadster
- M: High-performance versions
- i: Electric and hybrid vehicles
So, about the numbers on vehicles like the 340i and stuff. The first number is the series (3 Series) and the next two are inspired by the vehicle’s overall performance, with higher numbers having higher specs (the 340i has better overall performance than the 320i).
Finally, there is the “xDrive” portion of some vehicle names. This simply means the vehicle has all-wheel drive. If you see “sDrive,” it means it’s a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, or maybe even a front-wheel-drive vehicle. Guess these two get the same name. Maybe BMW got sick of making all these little shorthands. Wait, did I say “finally?” Sorry, then there are the vehicles with “X” in front of a number, which means they come with either all-wheel drive or rear-wheel-drive.
So, let’s do a quiz. The 2027 i3 40 xDrive: what can we infer from its name?
- i: It’s electric
- 3: It’s a compact, four-door sedan from the 3 Series
- 40: It’s not as powerful as the 50 variant
- xDrive: It’s all-wheel drive
Did that make sense? Yeah, mostly. But did it make you feel anything about this leaked vehicle? Not really. Hearing that the “i3 40 xDrive” had been leaked didn’t evoke any feelings in me, I can tell you that. Then again, I’d not feel anything about an electric car coming out no matter what it’s called.
