Platform sharing is not new it still surprises me to see it labelled with BMW when everyone else does it including Audi and now Porsche. There is no argument for saying BMW are doing what GM are doing as the manufacturer some of you say I am buying next does the exact same thing.
BMW see their cost cutting as an inventive initiative that will be more beneficial.
Everybody is trying to make money and save money. That is the rule of today.
BMW cost-cutting enters an interesting phase with the new 2 separate architectures. The arrival of the two modular matrx architectures for both FWD and RWD is part of the plan.
By investing in a joint architecture with MINI - BMW can now make the MINI brand more profitable whilst adding further variants which is where we will see a progressive approach to MINI in product concept.
By using the FWD BMW enter an exciting new trend in the global market for premium compact and sub-compact cars , again highly profitable and will be manufactured like MINI in various global markets.
This is why the new MINI F56 and the BMW 2er Active Tourer , the first models from this strategy are crucial as they satisfy the demand for more premium concepts that cover a customers needs and requirements without charging a serious premium. Contrast the new MINI with the Audi A1 and you get the BMW engineered MINI which is already winning rave reviews against a more expensive Audi which is basically the VW Polo underneath which you pay a premium for.
The market is getting ready for the MINI F55 5dr and the BMW 2er Active Tourer with some of the highest tracking numbers for launch sales in the last quarter of 2014 when they arrive in the market.
The next 3 , 5 and 7 resort to the 35up architecture , again modular to accommodate existing variants and X models and the Rolls-Royce Motor cars products. The ingenious part her is that the architecture allows implementation for cost effective CFRP use that will spread beyond next years 7er G11 series. As time goes on Carbon will become more cost effective and its not a case of if but when a 3er in the next decade could feature a Carbon body structure like the i3.
Such a reality is not too far off I n the case of the next Rolls-Royce Phantom which will have a CFRP structure mated to an aluminium chassis. Its BMWs mission to make the Phantom the worlds most technologically advanced and exclusive luxury car of this generation.
Of course 35up will cover the core portfolio and its variants, but not the coupes and Z series models.
This is where further cost saving takes place with the alliance with the Toyota Empire. As it stands the joint scaleable architecture will cover a plethora of joint models with both companies pooling resources and expertise to produce a generation of sports cars and Coupes that will be able to offer more advancement due to the sharing of resources. Both companies are responsible for design , power trains and engineering however so there will be a very noticeable difference. The next generation of BMW 6er coupe and Cabrio fall under this architecture now in order to provide a more sportier dynamic 2+2 allowing space for a further luxurious coupe at the very top of the BMW range allowing the 6er to be more of a drivers GT than luxurious GT.
What happens to the 6er Gran Coupe?
Under discussion is the former approach with the CS Concept in order to place it as a single or variant of an extensive model hence the CS original idea as the 8er. Which is something being investigated in order to take advantage of the continuous growth of the high end luxury market in place of luxury sedans and to provide sustainability to a single model. Similar reasons are why the X7 is now a reality.
BMWs Vision Future Luxury Concept was to showcase how the BMW brand could be stretched further upmarket , an actual request for customers wanting something highly individual and exclusive but with that BMW dynamic edge.
The car is currently on an evaluation tour to gain feedback on such a model. But given its exclusivity it would be built on the same architecture as the next series of Rolls-Royce suggesting one option of having the car finished on a separate line at the Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood England.
Another option on discussion is the feasibility of the 9er being a fully produced BMW individual model which will allow for full individuality in design and material finish and color for the interior. A sort of be-spoke model built on existing architecture but available to the most exclusive customers. A similar option was discussed for a homage series of models built using existing mechanicals under be-spoke models like the BMW m1 homage. But this became a factor that was shelved because of the economic crisis at the time.
Other ways BMW intend to save money is to equip their manufacturing works with sustainable Eco-technology therefore reducing plant emissions.
Another ingenious of way of using cost-cutting involves looking at the manufacturing of materials in which metal not needed can be removed and recycled and materials that are not visible to the naked eye in an interior can be replaced for sustainable and lighter materials. This i8 video shows what to expect within future BMW models which not only will cut cost but also weight across the whole portfolio. The first product BMW of the core family to show extensive weight loss due to placement of new materials and replacement of existing materials will be the all-new 7er.
All under the philosophy of BMW EfficientDynamics.