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BMW is continuing to rack up the miles during development of its next-generation Z4 in order to ready the car for its 2019 launch date - and these new pictures show the car in greater detail than before.

The future Z4 model, which is expected to go on sale in March 2019, can be seen wearing production-spec bodywork covered by light camouflage. It sits on smaller diameter wheels than earlier spotted cars, suggesting it's a lower specification model.

The latest sightings follow an earlier video (see below), where the car looks composed when cornering at pace and can be seen wearing winglets on its nose - suggesting BMW was assessing the car's performance when under load.

Powering the new Z4 will be a choice of BMW's latest turbocharged petrol engines. The Z4 sDrive30i will get a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that produces about 248bhp, while more powerful variants will likely get a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder, shared with the M240i, producing about 335bhp.

Both engines will come with standard rear-wheel drive and a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The Z4 shares parts with the upcoming Toyota Supra, and is similarly expected to be offered with a hybrid drivetrain. Such a drivetrain would likely come with four-wheel drive.

BMW's decision to equip the Z4 with the same rear axle as the M3 and M4 rear suggests its hardware will be compatible with the 425bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six-engine of those models, or the 365bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder powerplant from the M2, along with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

This car would be badged as an M model and therefore get its own bespoke bodywork and a more focused chassis set-up.

BMW has been testing development versions of its next Z4 for almost a year. It announced the future car's arrival back in 2015 and revealed a concept version to preview its design last year. The soft-top, two-door model is expected to be revealed later this year before sales kick-off in 2019.

The car's relation to the Toyota Supra comes as part of Toyota and BMW's decision to co-develop a new sports car platform.

While the BMW will be a convertible, the Toyota will be a spiritual successor to the Supra and as such will wear a hard top, as shown by spotted development cars.

Inspiration for the Toyota's design has been taken from the striking FT-1 concept, first seen at the Detroit motor show in 2014.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...-specs-details