Now that BMW have made a front-wheel-drive car in form of 2-Series Active Tourer, it’s like they have lost their virginity and are now going to use FWD for a whole range of cars. One of these cars is said to be the long-awaited compact sports car called BMW Z2, which is being prepared for a possible 2017 launch.

BMW Z2 has been one of those on-again, off-again cars this past couple of years, but this time they seem to be serious about launching it. People have developed a new fondness for simplicity these days, and that is exactly what this car is all about.

Slotting below the Z4, the Z2 will have a fabric roof instead of a fancy folding hardtop; it will be very light; uses small frugal engines, and sharing its platform with MINI, it’ll be quite agile and fun to drive. It will of course be FWD only, but that’s not such a bad thing. A lot of great roadsters in history have been front-wheel-drive, like Fiat Barchetta, or recent Alfa Romeo Spiders.

The engine lineup for BMW Z2 will include a range of three and four-cylinder units with power outputs ranging from 160 to 230 horsepower. Later on there will be a Z2M with up to 300 horsepower, which sounds like a lot for a FWD car.

Via Car&Driver