- The newcomer will share its front-wheel-drive-based architecture with a host of compact BMW models.

- The X2 is expected to launch next year, as a 2024 model.

Another prototype of the standard BMW X2 has been spied on public roads in Munich along with the most potent variant, likely to be called the X2 M40i. It was seen undergoing handling tests on the German Nurburgring race track. BMW’s entry-level crossovers, the X1 and its X2 coupe sibling are a commercial success, which is why the brand released the third generation of the X1 back in June this year. Of course, the next-generation X2, codenamed U10, will follow suit and is expected to launch next year, as a 2024 model. Our spies caught the car loading onto a truck.

These first shots are proof that the next-generation X2 will follow a completely different formula – less hatch-like and more like a smaller X4. The rumours about the arrival of the second-generation X2 talk about BMW set to commence production of the compact crossover coupe in November 2023, hence the 2024 model year label. As has been the case with the outgoing vehicle, the newcomer will share its front-wheel-drive-based architecture with a host of compact BMW models.

Unlike Mercedes-Benz, which builds separate EV and ICE (internal combustion engine) models with dedicated platforms, BMW prefers a common architecture with many shared design traits. As such, the 2024 X2 will ride on the FAAR scalable platform. We can expect the U10 X2 to borrow the full engine list of the 2023 X1, which means the ICE part of the range will once again be topped by the X2 M35i including a two-litre turbo-four delivering 300bhp or more. Of course, this will fall in the xDrive (AWD) part of the range.