German luxury car maker BMW launched its sports-car Z4 Roadster priced at Rs. 59 lakh. The two-seater sports-car powered by a 2,979 cc petrol engine is being launched as a part of the company’s move to strengthen its position in the Indian luxury car segment.
The company is targeting to sell 30-40 units of the Z4 Roadster in the first year. The company is currently competing neck-to-neck with rival German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz .
The Z4 forms a completely different class of cars, smaller in size, a true two-seater in roadster fashion, but with great power and very manageable dimensions for nimble and agile handling. The 2009 model also has a major improvement over its predecessor – the car now comes with a foldable hard-top roof, and hence replaces both the coupe and cabriolet versions of the earlier model.
The two seater sports car comes with a 2979 cc straight six 6 cylinder, 24 valve direct injection engine with a maximum power of 306 bhp @ 5800 rpm and maximum torque of 400 nm starting from 1300 rpm to 3700 rpm. The engine is mated to a 7-Speed sports automatic suspension with DCT and drives the rear wheels.
The BMW Z4 Roadster sprints from 0-100 kph in 5.2 seconds and goes on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 kmph (155 mph).
The second generation BMW Z4 roadster has a folding hard top that maximises its utility. Larger and more comfortable than before, the Z4 offers all the bells and whistles one has come to expect from a modern BMW. Assembled in the United States and imported as a CBU, the Z4 will compete with the Audi TT, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Porsche Boxster and the soon to be launched Nissan 370Z, even though the Japanese Z and the TT are offered here as coupes only.
