Quote:
Originally Posted by mkoesel
It's also worth pointing out that the price increase was overblown, although it was largely BMW's fault. Had they introduced the 840i model at launch, it would have helped with perception. Since the old 640i started out in the mid-to-high $70k range while the 840i starts in the mid $80k range, the real price increase was not too large (though not insignificant either, I acknowledge). But since the M850i launched first with a price tag well over $100k, people perceived it as a 50% increase when in reality that was not the case.
Still, the 8 Series is indeed priced too high. And the reason for that goes back to what I said above - nobody wants a car like this anymore. The Gran Coupe is likely to see sales rebound somewhat, however. Whether or not it can live on its own remains to be seen. However, I would point out that with a starting price for an 840i GC actually below the starting price for a 740i, to me it's an absolute no brainer to pick the former. The said, people aren't really buying the 7 Series much these days either so its not like there's a lot of momentum for large BMW passenger cars. Luckily for BMW, the X7 is absolutely printing money, outselling many other BMW models costing as little as 1/3 or less of its price.
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I've honestly found BMW to always be pretty weak at the higher price point for what their cars offer, they've always been better at the compact and mid-size cars but never the $80k+ category.
Cars like the 7-series and 8-series are nice, but they don't look or feel their price and resemble and share too much with lower end BMW's, they lack that special feeling or even feeling that you spent your money well in a class that prioritizes that on their list of what they want in a car. They don't scream flagship. Even the old 6 had a much nicer designed interior due to the two tone color scheme and curved dash pieces. Then you look at competitors like an S-Class or AMG GT and it is a completely different experience, more unique and special both inside and out, which buyers in that class want.