Quote:
Originally Posted by SCOTT26
BMW is a mainstream albeit premium brand. Mainstream customers are a significant demographic to not just BMW but to all manufacturers.
Today an enthusiast relates to around 10-20% of global sales annually,to rely solely on enthusiast sales is no longer applicable for any manufacturer.
The rules of engagement have changed, sports cars no longer rule as the SUV is the no 1 best selling global segment and all manufacturers are competing in that segment. If you think it is just BMW then look around at everybody else.
Mercedes bringing more SUVs, Porsche went mainstream with the Cayenne and Panamera and a smaller SUV is planned below the Macan. And Audi are the same. People need to stop singling out BMW when everybody else is following suit because a business needs new customers and with that they need appealing product. Product that must be competitive,flexible and appealing to new customers.
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Perfectly reasonable. You fail to realize that many brands also offer REAL choices for their enthusiasts. Porsche still has the Boxster/Cayman/911 and are very much on form, however, the Panamera, the Macan, and the Cayenne are also BENCHMARKS in the way they perform. Mercedes has been on their game lately with all their cars, especially with the C Class, and even Jaguar with their delving into mainstream with the XE and the F Pace has the almighty F Type and the fun XJ. Mazda's cars are so so fun, and Audi sure makes some cool cars too. How about Lexus and how nice they drive now? The list keeps going. I mean really. I own an E38 M Sport package and it drives SO much better and more enjoyably than my newer F02 7. The stereo kicks ass, the car is made impeccably, sounds great, feels special, looks amazing, it manages to handle telepathically but ride soft enough with great feedback, and everything feels so solid. Hop into my new 7 and it feels like a shadow of all that. I've watched you over the years try to keep pushing the forum into the BMW marketers' direction and stick up for all their decisions, but the fact remains that they can appeal to niches without sucking the life out of the cars. The cars are pigs.
The C class feels like a million dollars inside, while the 3 series feels like an economy car. Why? They're investing all the R&D into the wonderful EPS setup on the F30? Also, why does the C handle better than the benchmark? Why is it SUCH a nicer car in so many ways? I've driven them both, by the way. Do you realize that the 3, 5, and 7 have lost more and more comparison tests because other cars simply drove better? The IS and GS Lexus come to mind. Reviewers are now PRAISING lots of EPS setups, saying that they can't even tell that the steering is electric, meanwhile the Ultimate Driving Machine still feels like a damn golf cart. Do people even remember that the 7 still exists? Then BMW claims this revolutionary new 7 series that looks almost identical to the ugly boat that it replaces! As a long time admirer of the brand, I've given up trying to explain my passion to other people because people have adopted the new "luxury, popular, affordable leases, and mainstream" status of the new BMW, not the "insanely fun, passionate and 'cool'" BMW there once was. It's embarrassing for all three parties.
I'm not trying to grill you personally, Scott, but I highly disagree from a sensible point of view. I realize that BMW can't offer only the e46 M3 to all of its customers, but why can't the cars drive like the magical BMWs did? Why can't they look sharp and polarizing like they used to in the 80/90s? Why do the cars have so much body roll? The list goes on. I don't know.