The 2021 BMW 4 Series made its official debut this week, arriving on the heels of the BMW 3 Series sedan that debuted for the 2020 model year.
The second-generation BMW 4 Series will be offered in three trim levels from launch: 430i, 430i xDrive and M440i xDrive. The 430i model variants will feature the German brand’s 2.0L four-cylinder engine, good for 255 horsepower and 294 pound-feet of torque, while the M440i xDrive will feature the twin-turbo B58 3.0L inline-six engine, which is rated at 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet. Both the 2.0L and 3.0L models will feature BMW’s eight-speed automatic transmission.
Perhaps most notably, the new BMW 4 Series introduces a new styling language for the brand with a large, upright take on the iconic BMW double kidney grille. But while the front end is quite busy and aggressive, BMW says the coupe’s silhouette is defined by its “clean, minimalist” shape. The rear end, meanwhile, follows a similar theme to the BMW 8 Series with L-shaped LED taillights and large trapezoidal-shaped exhaust tips.
Moving inside, the BMW 4 Series features a “premium driver-focused cockpit,” with standard front power Sport seats and leather Sport steering wheel. Like many other new vehicles, the center display screen flows into the driver instrument cluster area to form a cohesive and congruous infotainment center that occupies the majority of the dashboard.
General Motors‘ Cadillac brand currently has no coupe models on offer to compete with the new 2021 BMW 4 Series. The Cadillac CT5 sedan is well-positioned to take on the aforementioned 3 Series, but without a two-door model, GM may lose customers that are in the market for another coupe to rival brands like BMW. The automaker previously offered attractive coupe models in the way of the Cadillac ATS and the svelte second-generation Cadillac CTS Coupe.
Earlier this year, Cadillac president Steve Carlisle spoke on the topic of a new Cadillac coupe. While Carlisle acknowledged the brand does not have a coupe model in development at the moment, he refrained from ruling out such a model in the future, as battery electric architectures may open up the possibilities for different model variants.
“Never is a long time,” Carlisle said. “The way I look at it, body styles go through cycles, roughly every 10 years. But with electrification, the architecture is so different, it opens up opportunities for different things. And people will be looking for something new and different than what’s on stage [the 2021 Cadillac Escalade]. I’m 100 percent confident of that. So we’ll continue to explore the perimeters of what may be the next thing.”
Pricing for the 2021 BMW 4 Series starts at $45,600 USD for the base 430i model.
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Comments
There is good reason for this. Mary Bara has been too busy trying to be inclusive, making sure nothing triggers no one. Of course there is no time for Caddilac – it is an elitist brand that does not cater everyone – it must be racist!!!!!
Yes she’s a woman, you want her to cut divisions, lose money quarterly and BK GM to be “one of the guys”?….
I guess you haven’t seen any of Cadillacs latest commercials? Many of them pander to women and the woke crowd.
Every Automaker is trying to attract female buyers considering they are half the market.
I doubt many husbands select a wife’s car anymore. And I don’t even know what WOKE means anymore because everyone attaches their own meaning to it.
Females are more than half of the market since they select their husbands cars too in many households. I know many males who allow this. I don’t blame companies for doing so because they are in the business of making money. Yes everyone does use woke. I mainly use it to refer to the modern 21st century in/progressive crowd. Not sure if that was the original meaning but that was the first application I have heard it in.
“Males who allow this” Dude what year are you living in? Women aren’t property. and get this, sometimes, woman can be GAY and not even have husbands! How crazy is that?!….You’re ridiculous.
Stop day drinking, bud
Beaver Motor Works
How’s it a thorn on Cadillac’s side when Caddy don’t offer a coupe?. Hate to say but a Camaro competes against the 4-Series in every version. I do want a larger Cadillac coupe with some sportiness with it but a toe-to-toe line of fast coupes can go to Chevy.
In performance yes. In application, the Camaro does not compete with the 4 series.
While Cadillac Dares Greatly (to do nothing exciting) the world keeps turning without them. CT5 looks great front and back but eh from the side. They really needed a ct5 coupe.
Why not?, The Camaro is missing a refined interior, maybe a “Berlinetta” type Camaro can be for the mature crowds, but what makes a 4-SC so much refined then a Camaro?. And yes I’d already said Caddy just need one decent larger coupe and IMO a $100k+ electric “Eldorado”.
Let’s just see how many sales they garner here.
Cadillac had a cool coupe but they never sold enough to make any money on it.
Just because BMW does something does not translate to Cadillac fully as being successful.
Note Cadillac coupe sales were
2018 11.219
2017 10.344
2016 15.911
2015 19.485
Not much money here after development cost. Cadillac would struggle to move the price up to where it could make money.
Is the problem the market / demand ornthr product they’re offering? GM has their head up their arse so far they think it’s the market but the real world knows it’s the product.
THANK YOU!
Let’s be honest 2 door coupes aren’t exactly hot sellers right now.
GM as a whole needs a coupe besides the Camaro. Not sure why an entry lux vehicle couldn’t be at Buick, a premium lux coupe for caddy and then another Camaro for Chevy?
Seeing how much BMW missed the mark on the front styling it would have been great to have a CT5 coupe debuting at the same time.
Cadillac is not a top tier brand anymore. Very few people will cross-shop a Cadillac against a Mercedes or a BMW. BMW is the coolest kid on the block. BMW’s brand value is so high that they can put their roundel on anything and the masses will marvel at it and buy it. The same cannot be said for Cadillac. Europeans won’t look twice at a Cadillac. We should have copied the Koreans and got the brilliant west Europeans to design cars for us. Hyundai/ Kia is already number 4 in the world because they poached BMW and Audi engineers! Our 2 car companies will drop out of the top 10 in about 3 years time. Ford will be bought by Cheery Motors of China and hopefully the Chinese will make it as successful as they have with Volvo.
The writer deceptively describes the 4 series as a “2nd generation”, when most people know that the 3 series coupe has been around since the 1980s. BMW has so much technology and refinement, let’s be honest, the Germans have beaten us to a point where we cannot compete.
Tesla, led by African American Elon Musk, is the only auto manufacturer that has the likes of BMW worried, but they will soon bring out cars that will crush Tesla. Tesla’s build quality is as bad as GM and Ford.
Elon Musk is not “African American”. He was born in Pretoria, South Africa so he is a South African citizen. At age 17, he moved to Canada to attend college. Two years later, he transferred to a US school and continues to reside in the US. He now holds Canadian and US citizenship in addition to SA citizenship. Like many South Africans, his ancestors are of British, Dutch American, and Canadian dissent.
An African American is a person born in the US whose family lineage is traced back to the native peoples of Africa.
Elon Musk is a white South African. He is African. You could be born in the US like me… I am a Polish American even though I was born in Chicago. You are most probably from somewhere else too.
Elon Musk is an African American because he is from Africa!
You are most probably East European American or West European American… perhaps you are native to America which would make you American. Anyone that isn’t native American is a xxx-American.
Your history and lineage can probably be traced to some other place too.
Elon Musk traces his lineage to Africa!
There is no such thing as Dutch American lineage… he may have Dutch lineage as most Afrikaners do, but it cannot be Dutch and American, that is ridiculous!
By the way… BLACK LIVES MATTER! They have been here longer than us… they are Americans!
Not a loss for Cadillac. Two door cars do not sell like they used to because guys are not buying them like they used to back in the day. What sells is soft CUVs for females who are the biggest consumer.
Cadillac after all these years not having a Convertible version of a 4 Series Competitor is ridiculous.
And don’t get me started on Cadillac still not having a Small Roadster.
Honestly if GM was going to make a 2-door coupe I would imagine it would be electric at this point. It would have the performance and handling to basically beat any ICE 2-door coupe out there and given people don’t drive coupes hundreds of miles it fits an EV perfectly.
I’m sure the BMW people in Germany are sleeping so much better knowing that Cadillac isn’t going to introduce a coupe to come back and annihilate BMW sales like all current Cadillacs are doing to their BMW counterparts. I mean Cadillac had less than half the sales BMW had last year. Cadillac only competes with BMW maybe with the Escalade. The days of Cadillac being in the arena with BMW are gone. Their competition is Buick, top-trim Hyundais, Avalons, and FWD-based Lexuses.
You are 100% correct!
Modern Caddy coupes sold like garbage, they stopped making them for good reason.
Caddilac CT sedans are weird. CT4 is 2 series is size, 3 series in engines. CT5 is 3 series in size, 5 series in engines. Nice cars, though.
Nope, the CT4 is 5 inches longer than the 3 series and the CT5 is 1 inch shorter than the 5 series. CT4 competes with the 3 series in size but 2 series in price, CT5 competes with the 5 series in size but 3 series in price.
Don’t worry, that thing is fugly. I’d argue there hasn’t been a good looking BMW since the ’07-’13 M3.
That grill looks great, and it’ll look even better with a US plate slapped in the middle of it.
BMW sold more 2017 four-doors of the 4-series than the two-door and convertible combined. I don’t think that Caddy is going to worry about chasing a market that doesn’t exist. Better to concentrate on improving their current lineup.
What a shame, its 2020 and Cadillac still has no a world class 2 door car. At least a small one like this BMW 4. Im not even talking about the E-coupe, or S-coupe rival.
Still has no an F-segment sedan to fight the S-class.
Still has no RWD based V8 crossovers, except for the Escalade.
Nothing… GM is too slow and too dumb…
Good thing you’re not in charge! It’s 2020 the world is moving to electric and you want some v8 options for their other cars? Spoiler alert: THEY WON’T SELL.
Italian got his education at Trump University… at least a court made Trump give him back some of his money… He is advocating for coal as well!
The s class is barely bigger than a CT5. I guess if you like sitting in the back seat more than you like driving the s class might be for you. The V-series has more than proven it’s performance competence. The Lyriq will be looking at all these V8 “performance” CUVs in it’s rearview mirror. Also don’t insult the Escalade by calling it a crossover, it’s a proper SUV designed to actually be useful.
I think the mindless comparisons to BMW need to end. Lexus is doing just fine being Lexus, and Cadillac should do just fine being Cadillac. That is: performance sedans with some luxury and luxury SUVs with some performance. Get over it people. As for this car, the bodywork looks pretty generic compact coupe to me but I do like most of the front facia.
Screw the little BMW. Cadillac can make a CT5 coupe and compete with that if they wanted.
I want to see a low volume Eldorado coupe return on the new EV chassis as a $60,000-$80,000 expression of the ultimate badassery of Cadillac. It needs to be wicked fast, offer excellent handling, unquestionably beautiful styling, an excellent modern interior with top shelf traditional touches, and rapid charging.
That BMW interior is world class. The coupe market is limited and Caddy struggles to compete, so I would say narrower offerings with superior quality should be the focus. Expand to niche vehicles after you can prove it can seriously compete with the leaders. GM has to face facts if they want to get back in that game.
whenever i see a one of those 2dr bmws, from the side, i think it is a nice looking ford mustang.
I think every luxury car marker is in Cadillac’s side.
Has anyone saw the new A3??
Theres is nothing alluring on Cadillac’s lots to say if I won the lottery or if was rich I’d like to have.
Cadillac X4, X5, X6, Escalade
Audi Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8, A6 Allroad, A4 Allroad, Etron, Etron SB
BMW X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7
MB GLA, GLB, GLC, GLC Coupe, GLE, GLE Coupe, GLS, G
Lexus UX, NX, RX, GX, LX
And the comps have dream cars. Cadillac does not have one aspirational car – Allante, XLR and ELR oops!
Audi R8
BMW 8 and i-8 (yes it is going out of production)
MB – SL, Maybach, AMGs, G-class, S coupe and convert
Lexus – LC, event the LFA
The Escalade is the only thing keeping Cadillac together.
And the Escalade is a “Kassie Chevy”…. you’re right, they have nothing to offer….
Some things to consider:
1. It’s XT4, XT5, XT6 and Escalade… not X4, X5 or X6.
2. Those models cover 93 percent of the segment sales volume in luxury utility vehicles. The only remaining 7 percent are high-performance models and a smaller model than the XT4. Cadillac covers the majority of the volume market. Adding a sub-XT4 model doesn’t make sense. High-performance models do make sense in some instances, and we will see those with Escalade and electric.
3. The XT# and the Escalade are selling either relatively or very well (depending on model). They often place in the top 5 spots of the segment. One doesn’t need to be an outright sales leader to have a very successful business in this space, which is what Cadillac is doing. The Escalade makes money, no doubt… but make no mistake about it – every XT# model is very lucrative.
4. “Dream cars” do not pay the bills and often lose money, though they may have a halo effect. One car argue that Cadillac’s halo cars are the V and V/Blackwing models, which it does extremely well. Cadillac spent the last few years getting its house in order first by filling out its product portfolio in core/key segments with XT# models and the revamped CT# lineup. Fun projects like halo cars can come after.
5. The market for dream cars is not looking all that great. The R8 will soon be discontinued. The SL and S-Coupe/Convertible will be merged into one model because having both in the lineup as they are now has low volumes. The LFA was a limited-run model that lost money on every unit sold, big time. The BMW i8 loses a significant amount of money on every unit sold. Oh right, Lexus has the LC… but has discontinued the rear-drive GS and replaced it with a front-drive ES. What’s the point of having a high-end car when the core model line is in dissaray?
Ponder that 😉
Well what about the V blackwings? C8? Camaro? Charger/Challenger? Dream card. Why should they exist?
Blah blah blah.. Cadillac is failing and the lineup is not going to move the needle. Escalade perhaps… nothing else… I think deep down you agree that the line up SHOULD be better and you’d like to see it better…
Hey bud, if you hate the brand SO much, why don’t you go spend your time doing something else? It’s more fun to spend time doing things that make you happy instead of being a complete an total knob on the internet. I’d like to see what you drive!
If you look in the mirror there is a “knob” staring at you… putz…
Freedom of Speech or are you a DemoRat so FOS only if I agree with you?? Last time I checked this is a blog… you know for interested bloggers…?
Most of you are idiots. BMW has a full line up of vehicles Cadillac has just about nothing. 2 4 doors with names no one knows trying to play the tweener game, 3 CUV’s and 1 SUV. The CUV’s are essentially junk from GM’s parts bin platform sharing program. They are not luxury and they are not special and all are failing in the market compared to their competition. Their SUV is a fancy Suburban.
The only “real” Cadillac’s are the 2 sedans only in that they are exclusive but will die soon as they’re really not serious about these vehicles. They killed the finest Cadillac in decades albeit an 80% effort, in the CT6. There is nothing special anywhere in this line up. Convertibles and Coupes may not sell in huge numbers but Conv’s are glamorous and Coupes are personal. Its just me and the wife and we have an SUV and I don’t want a 4 door, Cadillac gives me no options but Mercedes does, BMW and Audi do…. Also, I don’t want a “GT” coupe like every coupe mfd out there. All BMW/Merc/Audi coupes are slant roof GT’s w/no usable back seat. Cannot SOMEONE make a Grand Prix or a Cutlass Supreme or Riviera or Eldorado w/a usable back seat. This is a market where Cad could set themselves apart… El Miraj but no… GM is a cheap @$$ company run by morons.
And EV’s are NOT taking over the market. The Communist Chinese are pushing them on their people but “Cut the power and you cut the ability to move”. EV’s are decades from mainstream regardless of how they are going to be pushed on us.
The products you have proclaimed to be “junk from GM’s parts bin platform sharing program” make hundreds of millions in profits and have amortized their development and production costs in the first year of being on sale.
If you don’t personally like them, so be it. But don’t try to paint a picture that the products are not successful in their own right because that is simply false.
Let’s see how long BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi continue offering coupes. They are good products, no doubt. But they are also HIGHLY niche products. Recognize it as such.
As for EVs, the jury is still out. There is plenty of data to support the notion that they will be adopted quickly… and there is some doubt about it as well. Neither you nor I know how it will actually play out.
Mr. Luft;
Quite apart from the topic at hand, why is XJUG allowed to continue posting here?
That’s a very good question.
He/she has yet to do anything that fully violates our policies or disrupts the equilibrium of the community… but the outburst above is definitely crosses lines.
Get out the pitchforks and warm up the BANHAMMER 🔨
The problem is the truth hurts. While the “ehhh” lineup makes money, ( treads water??) GM continues to leave market segments, global markets, and every launch except the Vette has been underwhelming. Every car magazine declares their interiors substandard for the price powertrains coarse, transmissions ehh, their customer svc is terrible and the way they treat customers with common mechanical problems…. one must join a class action law suit to get any attention. That said everything they make is off like 3 platforms. Yes others use platform sharing but there is massive differentiation. One would never know the vehicles VW Group shares because of how they operate. Of course you’ll see “Audi” under the hood of a Bentley or even VW under the hood of an Audi but that’s better than “Chevy” (GM parts bin) under your $70K Caddy…
What I complain about is “frustration” that GM “ought” to be THE rock star company but its not, Hyundai is killing it in the market and GM is floundering and Cadillac is a mess…. you all know that’s true…
Alex I’ve crossed no lines and yes I’ve laid it out there but so have others. Should I expect censorship but others won’t be? Sounds familiar…
He is a political troll, and a bully.
Cadillac Fatt – You’re whiner and a complainer. You’re rarely correct either…. GM’s a mess… there is little to dispute about that. That said should this “EV Revolution” prove fantastically popular and the right move I will go to the front and applaud the “visionary leadership” that I said was pathetic… I dont think that is crow I’ll be eating though…. but I’ll say this, its crow I would LOVE to eat. I want GM to rock but is stinks…
What’s in your garage?
Cadillac doesn’t need a 2-door coupe to go head-to-head with BMW’s 4-series, they could simply offer a special edition CT5 that is equipped with an engine that outpaces the BMW.
At this point, Cadillac has nothing on BMW that can compete. BMW exterior and interior design, fit, finish and material quality far exceeds anything Cadillac is doing in its sedans right now. So to call BMW a thorn in Cadillac’s side is an overreach to say the least. Genesis is more a thorn in Cadillac’s side these days and is doing it quite successfully. I am no fan of BMW, I’m just realistic.
The Cadillac would be running well after the BMW is off lease, but yes BMW have great interiors and features. Genesis isn’t even of the ground yet in sales.
In the luxury market, it isn’t about what is running better when the lease is up. The BMW driver is more likely to lease or purchase another BMW rather than head on over to the Cadillac dealership with the thought of getting more reliability. It is about the quality of the product and the experience when driving it. GM is not putting anything special into their luxury brand and I would even say has taken a step backward with the new sedan offerings, the ridiculous alphanumeric naming schemes, and the cutting of the CT6. If not for GM’s chinese masters and Escalade covering for Mary’s ineptitude with Cadillac, the US market might not even have Cadillac as we’ve known them at this point.
Sure, Genesis has not caught up in sales yet, but every review of the brand speaks highly of their luxury, performance, dynamics, and how well they are screwed together. Cadillac is still maligned for lackluster interiors as well the fit and finish and non exciting designs. This should not be nor ever have been the case for Americas premier luxury name plate. Remember when Cadillac used to be able to claim “Standard of the World”. Right now they can’t even claim Standard of Florida.
Agree with you 100%. Genesis is already offering better products that Cadillac… by far. Their interiors blow Cad away as well as value for the dollar. Mercedes / BMW shoppers probably don’t seek super value because of the cache’ the brand offers, but they do look at what they’re getting for their money. Cadillac is really in sad shape… its awful to watch…
That front end looks like a modern-day Edsel.
So what’s Cadillac’s mission in your mind?, they did the German coupe thing and it didn’t work out, in fact Benz and BMW is cutting models in Europe and the US, that goes against some of the argument. The CT6, yes great car, but it wasn’t there as a true flagship, IMO it should had stayed in production until it’s replacements showed up in the US. For China, get over it, America isn’t the #1 anymore for vehicle sales, if GM selling well in another market so be it.
Genesis is more of a threat to the Japanese then Cadillac, what model they have that Cadillac don’t have a counter for?, the CT6 but that’s only for here, Chinese CT6 is available in select markets elsewhere.
Cadillac is not a top tier brand anymore. Very few people will cross-shop a Cadillac against a Mercedes or a BMW. BMW is the coolest kid on the block. BMW’s brand value is so high that they can put their roundel on anything and the masses will marvel at it and buy it. The same cannot be said for Cadillac. Europeans won’t look twice at a Cadillac. We should have copied the Koreans and got the brilliant west Europeans to design cars for us. Hyundai/ Kia is already number 4 in the world because they poached BMW and Audi engineers! Our 2 car companies will drop out of the top 10 in about 3 years time. Ford will be bought by Cheery Motors of China and hopefully the Chinese will make it as successful as they have with Volvo.
The writer deceptively describes the 4 series as a “2nd generation”, when most people know that the 3 series coupe has been around since the 1980s. BMW has so much technology and refinement, let’s be honest, the Germans have beaten us to a point where we cannot compete.
Tesla, led by African American Elon Musk, is the only auto manufacturer that has the likes of BMW worried, but they will soon bring out cars that will crush Tesla. Tesla’s build quality is as bad as GM and Ford.
Please show us a 2-300k mi BMW. Those brilliant POS attract suckers that thinks a car will get them laid, the German car industry had to lay off off thousands even before CV19 because no-one want unreliable junk. Krappia (like many Asian makes) had to copy stuff to get success for Genus, I do say Acura/Infiniti is in trouble from the Koreans.
Guestt,
Over 600,000 miles on an E46. I think what stops a lot of German luxury cars, including BMWs is that they get bought third or fourth hand by badge-hound folks who really don’t have the income to support them. They’re more complex cars and can be expected to have higher maintenance costs especially after 15+ years on the road when these folks acquire them. When their less we’ll-heeled fourth owner can’t afford a costly repair, the BMW gets junked. In most circumstances it could easily travel many, many more miles with a little work.
https://bimmerlife.com/2019/10/19/driven-to-the-limit-high-mileage-e46-maxes-out-odometer/
Wow one one BMW, vs many of GM cars,trucks hitting that mark with 2nd-3rd hand mechanics working on them, Ive been in a beaten old Roadmaster with 600k on it and many countless GM trucks with 300k+ miles on them. My point stands and you love Euro trash so much go to a BMW site.
We all love Cadillac and Ford, but we are realistic. Get out of your bubble and accept the truth. The truth is that BMW is a desirable car and Cadillac is not. People who buy BMWs are not looking at Cadillacs and that makes us sad! Chill out and be honest instead of focusing on reliability. The whole world knows that Toyota and Honda have everyone beaten in that arena and no one seriously considers any GM or Ford product to be in the same universe as a Toyota for reliability.
I’m disappointed in BMW for dropping the manual in the 4 Series although I understand it will be an option for the M4. Not everybody who wants a manual transmission wants, or can afford, that level of performance though.
As it relates to Cadillac, GM Authority continues to try and push the narrative that Cadillac is competition for the German brands when they aren’t. As I see it, Cadillac competes more with Lincoln, Acura, and Infiniti among Tier 2 brands. I used to say they competed with Genesis but they’ve really elevated their game and Cadillac has gone backwards so I’d now put Genesis above Caddy too.
You are honest and I agree even though I am sad about the fact that Caddy isn’t even close to as good as a German brand.