Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW F22
Quote:
Originally Posted by palpatine_us
The real problem isn't design, but value. A moderately optioned 330i comes in well over $50k- paying extra for safety items which are pretty much standard on all economy cars now- such as Hondas and Toyota.
$1700 for a backup camera and $1700 more for blind spot monitors. Seriously?
I can't justify feeding the BMW beast anymore.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by palpatine_us
The real problem isn't design, but value. A moderately optioned 330i comes in well over $50k- paying extra for safety items which are pretty much standard on all economy cars now- such as Hondas and Toyota.
$1700 for a backup camera and $1700 more for blind spot monitors. Seriously?
I can't justify feeding the BMW beast anymore.
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Yeah, it's something I don't understand.
- BMW is not Porsche, yet charges Porsche prices
- BMW makes cars that are softer and more MB and Lexus like yet charges higher prices
So basically they lost the BMW magic yet their prices keep going up and up. Not quite as comfortable as MB or Lexus, not quite sporty as Porsche (or even BMWs of yesteryear). I don't even know what to make of it... |
That's what I was trying to say. We pay closer attention to BMW but I don't think they lost their magic. I think that they have definitely adjusted but everybody else did too.
- Mercedes now sells a FWD CLA which they market as an entry level car below the C class which was their most affordable option. The C class was true to its segment aside from some changes throughout their life cycle. Just like BMW, they saw a gap on the X6 segment and made a car that looks very much like it. Did we forget about the R-Class? A Mercedes Benz minivan. I'm sure that Fangio or Stirling Moss didn't see that coming from the brand that made their F1 cars.
- Audi has released a lot of great cars with an emphasis on performance. Their Quattro system plays a big role on the stats that the US mostly cares about
: 0-60 and quarter mile. They also make something called a Q3 and they are part of the VW Group which was involved in one of the biggest automotive fiascos in history.
- Porsche... they made the wonderful 918 Spyder and the new, outrageous GT2 RS that laps the Nordschleife a full minute and 10 seconds faster than an M2. Yet, we can say that the company almost went belly up after the 996 became water-cooled and the boxster didn't generate enough sales/profitability. The Cayenne ended up rescuing the brand with quite possibly the most racing heritage in history. This was an SUV that shared a platform with a VW Touareg. They adjusted. Yes, the 911 arguably still looks the same after 53 years, but they have gone through changes that drove the purists crazy, and guess what. Even though some people complain, the 911 is a huge success regardless of no longer offering a naturally aspirated engine. The Boxster or Cayman or 718 or whatever they wish to call it now, can be spec'd to be over $100,000. It's a 4 cylinder convertible that sits two people. (We complain about the 3-Series being expensive). Also, one SUV wasn't enough either. They have the Macan now. So, the purists who drive an air-cooled 911 with a manual transmission might say that none of these cars are true Porsches. On the other hand, is Porsche selling more cars and making more money? You bet.
- Ford makes a 4 cylinder Mustang, Again! They can also charge you 6 figures for a pick-up truck nowadays.
- Lamborghini, Maserati and Bentley have SUVs.
- Even Lexus is upsetting their older crowd with their new design language, more reminiscent of Japanese cartoons. Have you seen those grilles and pointy front bumpers?
- Honda, superb engineering. They revolutionized the industry with compact, lightweight cars that were affordable, would run forever and were easy to modify. They stopped making cars for enthusiasts, too. Dropped the high-revving cars: Integra, the true 2-liter Civic Si, RSX, S2000) and they made a Ridgeline (a Japanese Chevy Avalanche), a Honda Element, an Accord Crosstour. They now released the new Civic Type R which is a welcome offering for our market, even though the styling is suitable for ages up to 17 years old (IMHO).
- The same goes for Toyota, the first or second biggest car maker in the world, depending on which day you look at it. They are the kings of boring cars. Nothing exciting from Toyota after the Supra or even the Celica GT-S hatchback. Just millions and millions of Camrys and Corollas flooding the streets because they never break or depreciate much either. The FR-S or 86 was also welcome and due for a while.
I can go on for a while and bore every reader to death but the point is, every manufacturer has a common denominator: The dollar sign. They will do what they think will generate more sales and profits. If the enthusiast base keeps shrinking, representing a tiny percentage of their market share, they will keep making changes that we don't appreciate. Again, we have a choices, more than ever before. I still choose to own a BMW.
Cheers
