It's been known for some time that BMW is planning to expand its line-up with the addition of a four-door 2 Series Gran Coupe, but now Autocar has confirmed the news we all wanted to hear: it will be headlined by an M2 variant, in what could become one of the brand's best-selling M cars as it will essentially be a more practical version of the high-performance M2, widely to be considered one of BMW's best driver-focused cars in a long time. According to the publication, the BMW M2 Gran Coupe will arrive in showrooms in 2019 packing 365-hp.

Unlike its rivals, the Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45, the M2's new four-door sibling will have a longitudinally mounted engine and rear-wheel drive. Like its two-door sibling, the M2 Gran Coupe will be powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged in-line six engine producing 365 horsepower and will be offered with either a purist-pleasing six-speed manual as standard or a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Performance is expected to closely match the M2 Coupe, so the M2 Gran Coupe should be capable of a 0-62 mph sprint time of around 4.5 seconds though its heavier body could affect the performance slightly. Top speed will most likely be electronically limited to 155 mph.

The optional M Driver's Package for the M2 Coupe raises the top speed to 168 mph, so whether this is carried over to the Gran Coupe version remains to be seen. Those still waiting for the new hardcore M2 Coupe hopefully won't have much longer to wait either, as the latest rumors suggest the M2 Competition will be shown in April packing a detuned version of the twin-turbo S55 engine in the current M3 and M4, producing around 405 hp to avoid cannibalizing its larger sibling's sales.