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2015 BMW X4 is a budget X6

We won't argue that crossovers are hugely successful vehicles, with automakers working to provide functional CUVs in a wide range of sizes. But over at BMW, things are just getting out of hand, as evidenced by this new X4 "Sports Activity Coupe" that debuts here at the 2014 New York Auto Show.
BMW is seeing fit to offer vehicles in even the most niche of niches, and the X4 is no exception. Want proof? Have a look at the X4, and the compare it to the X3, the 3 Series Gran Turismo, the 3 Series Sport Wagon, and the 4 Series Gran Coupe. Aside from marginal differences in things like ground clearance and the exact slope of the hatchback, what, exactly, is the difference?
Like the other models we just mentioned, the X4 is powered by either a 2.0-liter turbo-four with 240 horsepower or a more powerful, 3.0-liter turbo-six with 300 horsepower, and unsurprisingly, power is sent to the ground exclusively via the company's xDrive all-wheel-drive system. An eight-speed automatic transmission is the sole gearbox available with either engine. All sounds very familiar, right?

The 570-hp AC Schnitzer ACL2 Concept tries to one-up the M2

AC Schnitzer's new ACL2 concept aims to outdo the BMW M2 at the Geneva Motor Show. To out-muscle the latest M car, the German tuner starts with an M235i and installs the M4's 3.0-liter inline-six. The company also turns up the power to 570 horsepower – a healthy upgrade over 365 hp from the M2's 3.0-liter. The power bump lets the ACL2 reach 62 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 205 miles per hour, AC Schnitzer claims. Those figures make the coupe a few tenths quicker than the M2's 4.2-second to 60 mph sprint, but BMW limits its creation to 155 mph. AC Schnitzer's long list of upgrades makes the impressive performance possible. To get the most out of the engine, the company installs a carbon fiber intake. It also replaces the most of the exhaust, including the downpipe, catalytic converter and tailpipes. Carbon-ceramic brake discs make sure a driver can control so much power, and the company fits a fully adjustable suspension to aid handling. The ACL2's body is too loud for our tastes even through the subdued dark green paint, but the extensive use of carbon fiber parts should keep weight down. AC Schnitzer adds a road-scraping front splitter with canards at each corner. The rear has a similarly aggressive diffuser and huge wing. The wider fenders also add 5.5 inches to the coupe's width, and 20-inch wheels sit underneath them. The ACL2 doesn't get to challenge the M2 on the Autobahn yet because AC Schnitzer says it's just a concept. The coupe exists simply for the company's product development. However, if you want to put all of these bits together, the final cost would be 149,000 euros ($161,500 at current exchange rates), the tuner claims. Related Video:

BMW Concept 4 Series Coupe proves that 3-2=4

BMW may be calling this 4 Series Coupe a concept, but take a long, hard look - this will be the car that replaces the 3 Series Coupe in the automaker's lineup. Don't let that number change trip you up. This car will have all the basic elements of what makes a 3 Series coupe so popular, and while this isn't technically the production model (there are still come conceptual elements and we don't have powertrain details), it's pretty much what we can look forward to seeing out on the road very soon. And honestly, the naming strategy isn't that weird (though it's still plenty odd) - BMW will be using even numbers for all its coupes and convertibles moving forward. 1 Series, meet 2 Series. And when a 3 Series loses two doors, it becomes a 4 Series.
Dimensionally, the new 4 Series coupe is 1.7-inches wider, half an inch shorter in overall height, and rides on a 2.0-inch longer wheelbase. It's a really pretty thing, with bold, aggressive body sculpting up front, and a rear deck that's sort of like a downsized version of the larger 6 Series two-door. It's all very handsome, but we'll reserve final judgment until we see the production version with its likely smaller wheels and possibly toned-down visuals.
We don't yet have powertrain details, but we fully expect the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and 3.0-liter turbo-six to carry over in 328i 428i and 435i guise. Though remember, other 3.0-liter models in BMW's range use 40i designation, so we could possibly be looking at a 440i Coupe, instead. We won't know until the production car officially bows later this year.