BMW will build an M2, but fortunately, it’s not the one you see in these renderings. Production of the BMW M2 Coupe will start this November, but we may see it as a pre-production concept at next month’s Geneva Motor Show.

Now, for this variant you see in the photos, the M2 Gran Tourer, it’s just a design exercise from Photoshop manipulator X-Tomi which shows what BMW M would do to the new 2-Series Gran Tourer if it wanted to.

While a BMW M2 Gran Tourer would definitely look better than the standard model, it would be rather pointless, because when someone buys a seven-seat MPV, it chooses it because it’s comfortable and practical, not because it can go 100 mph through corners and is the fastest compact MPV round the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

However, a BMW M5 Touring is a completely different discussion and I hope the folks from BMW M will consider it for the next-generation model.

Not your typical BMW

The BMW 2-Series Gran Tourer has arrived in Geneva with seating for up to seven people.

Essentially an enlarged version of the 2-Series Active Tourer , Bavaria's newest MPV adopts a standard front-wheel drive layout but xDrive AWD will be optionally available. It looks virtually the same as its five-seater sibling with the exception of the rear end which has been stretched to make room for an optional third row seat which can be folded flat into the floor.

It provides a cargo capacity that can vary from 145 liters when all the seven seats are in place to 1,905 liters when the second and third row of seats are folded.

It will be available initially in five versions, as follows:

218i with a three-cylinder 1.5-liter turbo rated at 136 HP & 220 Nm;
220i with a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbo rated at 192 HP & 280 Nm;
216d with a three-cylinder 1.5-liter turbodiesel rated at 116 HP & 270 Nm;
218d with a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbodiesel rated at 150 HP & 330 Nm;
220d xDrive with a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbodiesel rated at 190 HP & 400 Nm.
At an additional cost, the BMW 2-Series Gran Tourer can be equipped with an M Sport Package bringing a more aggressive design, 18-inch wheels, M sport steering wheel & gear shifter and Alcantara-wrapped sports seats.

"World's first premium compact model to offer up to seven seats" is set to go on sale this June.

Both have standard FWD

A BMW spokesman has announced the 2-Series Active Tourer and 2-Series Gran Tourer are simply too small for the United States market.

Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, a spokesman at BMW said the two MPVs are not large enough for the US market which means neither of them will be sold there. We remind you the 2-Series Active Tourer is 4342mm long, 1800mm wide and 1555mm tall, with a wheelbase measuring 2670mm whereas the seven-seat 2-Series Gran Tourer is slightly larger at 4556mm length, 1800mm width and 1608mm height while the wheelbase stands at 2780mm.

Americans will get towards the end of this year the new X1 which just like the two MPVs will use a front-wheel drive UKL platform while an xDrive all-wheel drive system will be optionally available. It's bound to receive a larger seven-seat version which will likely be commercialized in United States as well.

The second generation BMW X1 is expected to receive its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show scheduled for September.

Described by BMW as the world’s first premium compact model to offer up to seven seats, the 2-Series Gran Tourer is the most unlikely model we’ve ever seen coming from Munich.

Besides offering seven seats, it is front-wheel drive and it is only offered with 3- and 4-cylinder engines. But the main thing about the 2-Series Active Tourer’s bigger brother is practicality. With all five seats in place (the additional two are optional), it has a boot volume of 654 liters (805 liters if filled to the ceiling). With the rear-seat backrests folded down, load space rises to 1,905 liters.

Modularity is also an important thing for MPV buyers, which is why the Gran Tourer features a standard fore-aft sliding rear seat bench, with a 40:20:40-split backrest that folds down at the press of a button. The optional third row of seats can be completely lowered into the loading floor and a range of storage options for all three rows of seats is offered.

At launch, the BMW 2-Series Gran Tourer will be offered with five turbocharged petrol and diesel engines with outputs ranging from 116PS to 192PS. There will also be an all-wheel drive model, the BMW 220d xDrive Gran Tourer.

Being an MPV, the BMW 2-Series Gran Tourer must satisfy kids as well, which is why the automaker is offering a new “myKIDIO” app, which provides appropriate content for children and families (such as feature films, series, audio books and audio plays) on tablets such as the Apple iPad.

In addition to the standard version, the 2-Series Gran Tourer will offer a further four model variants: Advantage, Sport Line, Luxury Line and M Sport.