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More thoughts on the styling:
On a forum like this, with BMW enthusiasts, many of whom long for the days of the E3, the E9, and that first M5, are going to react differently than non-enthusiasts, at least to some degree. Hardcore fans have a special appreciation for all of the styling successes of past models and, when comparing the G22 to those (or even when not making any comparisons) can see why its styling is, well, offensive to the senses. That said, there are two audiences by whom the success of the G22's styling will be determined: (1) non-enthusiast car shoppers and (2) future enthusiasts.
Buying a luxury/sport coupe takes a special kind of shopper, and, contrary to popular opinion on most forums, many are not what you might consider "automotive enthusiasts." Those shoppers also don't have many choices in this segment. None of us know how they'll react to the G22's styling, nor do we know to what extent the exterior styling will influence their purchasing decisions. The execs at BMW have, presumably, evaluated those issues. We'll see what the sales numbers are like but, remember, non-SUV vehicles, and coupes in particular, have had declining sales for years. The relatively small piece of the market that a coupe represents may have been one of the factors prompting BMW to take a risk on the G22's styling. It does not represent a high volume model for the company -- certainly not as much as the G20 or the vast majority of the SUV models.
And future enthusiasts? Those are the folks who will see the G22 in museums and at vintage racing events. They'll look back through old YouTube videos from 2020 and show their grandchildren what this car was like. Will they remember it fondly, as a bold attempt to display a daring and trend-setting style, or will they share the popular view expressed in this thread? I have no idea. I kind of doubt that history will look favorably at this design, but I'm not Nostradamus. We'll see what the G22's legacy is in 10, 20, 30 years. Will be interesting.
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