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Originally Posted by solstice
Personally I don’t think the M3 has been held back to wait for the M4 in the past since it make no business sense. M3 buyers are picky, they want 4 doors and they want M3 track ability, I.e. when the M3 is off the market BMW lose or delay sales which is far worse than to reveal the front of the coupe. I simply believe the M3 were’t ready before the M4 in the case of the F80.
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Oh? And what about the X5 M? It was just released, long after the X5 was, and in conjunction with the X6 M which - you guessed it - had to wait for the standard X6 to launch. It's using the same engine as the M5 and M8 and the same AWD system that other BMWs use, including M SUVs like the X3 M.
If it made sense to release the M3 before the M4, then they would simply make the investment to allow for that to that happen. It's not like BMW M is given short notice and caught by surprise with upcoming new models. The idea that something "just wasn't ready" doesn't make sense in context - its one corporate entity who controls the launch of all of their products. They have the resources to release them any time they want depending on what their intelligence about the market tells them will be the most profitable.
And finally, don't forget that having the new M3 on the market at the same time the old M4 is still available could present additional challenges. You should absolutely believe that BMW has the ability to quantify that in terms of revenue and factors all of that into their decision making.
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This time it seems the M3 is close to being ready well in advance of the M4 with test runs on the production line of the complete product happening now.
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The same has been true of past BMW products, M and otherwise, including recent ones.
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To me it is very strange if we will see a joint launch.
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With all the above in mind, is it still strange? If so, are you now also baffled by the long delay the X5 M saw too? And are you trying - right now - to come up with an excuse for the X5 M that could not also be applied to the M3?
