Quote:
|
The X6, the 5GT, and this 3GT are the Pontiac Aztecs of German vehicle design. Or, dare I say it, the AMC Pacers of BMW.
|
Quote:
It is this sort of pandering to the perversities of American taste that may lead BMW down the path of ruin. First SUVs, then these AztecPacer clones probably soon to be followed by family vans and electrics. And then cars with NAMES: BMW Bandit. BMW Boulevard BMW Biarritz. BMW Blizzard.
I cannot believe that anyone with any sense of style or perspective could see the BMW Ami 6s of late as anything but abominations. BMW builds lovely coupes, delightful sedans, and USED to build some gorgeous shooting brakes ('station wagons' to the unwashed).' Now, because some fools wanted SUVsedan-cum-flyingboatcarhouses, BMW trots out these hermaphroditic, fat-arsed monstrosities. Oh, the humanity!
And if BMW 'knew what it was doing,' they'd never have hired Chris Bangle in the first place.
Y'don't see Mercedes-Benz building anything like these contraptions, do ya?
|
First of all BMW is a global brand. A BMW must perform in all markets there is no specific model built for a particular market apart from an engine variant.
BMW models although despised in the US such as Sporthatches and the Touring models are more successful in other markets.
The demographic for downsizing into smaller luxury packages is increasing and in this decade alone it is a segment which will produce high growth.
It is the same with the MINI/UKL class , Premium Compact and Premium Entry classes. BMW have invested heavily within these segments to produce a modular structure which can accompany a whole line of models on the respective 1er/3er matrix.
This is effective for BMW in the long run because each model becomes more profitable, and customers are wanting more variety from their vehicles.
A supercar is not profitable and to some manufacturers who have invested in them are scrambling to catch up in regards to the future segments earmarked for growth. You would be surprised what "vanity" projects are actually unprofitable for their company.
The automobile world changes everyday , The question we ask ourselves at BMW and we have a think tank for this is "Where will the luxury car be in 20-30 years time? Will it be the same size as a luxury car today? or will it be smaller?
With Chris Bangle , BMW hired him when they saw the Fiat Coupe , BMW realised that the one look different size image was becoming stale.
But Bangle brought more to BMW than just design , he brought inspiration and he took the company away from it's secretive era of design and brought it into the open. Today you now know the name of the person who designed your car , tested the seat , devised color and trim. That was Bangles direction - he opened car design up to the world , he made car design a very focal talking point and he brought BMW into a new level , Bangles creativity brought BMW to the forefront of product design , other manufacturers sat back and watched. Which led BMW to expand it's portfolio and overtake premium rival Mercedes-Benz as the worlds no1 automobile manufacturer.
Even now BMW is seen as a more innovative company , We invested in Efficient Dynamics , they developed supercars. In Europe BMW have to reach their emission targets by 5% , BMW's competitors have about 20-30%.
BMW has pioneered alternative drive trains in a real world environment (MINI-E) they have not. BMW is the leading automobile manufacturer in sustainability , plus we are bringing the future of the automobile with the BMWi brand and showcasing who mass produced CFRP will be able to be cost effective to add to other BMW models in the portfolio.
Customers want more variety from their vehicle but they dont want the particular typical concept. BMW in the case of the 5er GT developed the car from the inside out it was to give customers a similar level of luxury at this side of a luxury segment choice.
You may say that Audi and Mercedes-Benz are not doing the exact same but they are. They both have GT-esque models in development and they are working on more choices for premium customers.
If you take for example the X6. Audi are developing a Q4 and a Q6 , Mercedes-Benz have a GLC in both the compact and luxury segments.
And the Porsche Cajun is more a X6 type of concept than a SAV.
Enthusaists might not like it but in the end it is down to customer demand , demand might not be solely in the US but it is coming from other markets.
The markets are changing , BMW realised this a long time ago, that is why they are ahead of the curve.