If a new report is to be believed, prepare to say goodbye to the BMW M440i sDrive in Germany. Our friends and colleagues at Bimmer Today have it on good authority that the M Performance version of the 4 Series lineup will lose the rear-wheel-drive model with next year’s facelift. Whether it’s the coupe or the convertible, the 4 Series LCI in M440i flavor is apparently set to go xDrive-only later in 2024.
According to the same publication, the M440i Gran Coupe will also drop the rear-wheel-drive option not long after the two-door models. The report follows a similar rumor that emerged at the beginning of the year when a well-known insider spilled the beans on the Bimmer Post forums. He actually went further by speculating BMW intends to discontinue the RWD model globally, not just in Germany. In other words, the M440i facelift in all three body styles could be sold strictly with xDrive all over the world once the mid-cycle facelift launches.
Since nothing is official at this point, all we can do is speculate about the potential decision taken by BMW. Perhaps the take rate of the rear-wheel-drive M440i is low, and most people tend to get the xDrive model for its all-weather capabilities. The extra weight commanded by AWD isn’t much of an issue since the 4 Series Coupe/Convertible/Gran Coupe is already a heavy car. In addition, those who still want rear-wheel drive and/or a stick shift can step up to a base M4 Coupe/Convertible.
Of course, costs are also an important factor since simplifying a model’s lineup lowers expenditures for the manufacturer. In some parts of the world such as in the United States, BMW does sell the M340i with or without xDrive, so the potential demise of the M440i sDrive Gran Coupe won’t be such a loss since the M340i is essentially the same car.
When can we expect to see the refresher 4 Series lineup? The G22 Coupe and G23 Convertible are reportedly entering production in March 2024, so the world premiere should take place early next year. The G26 Gran Coupe (including i4) should hit the assembly line in July 2024.
Source: Bimmer Today
