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There was a time when BMW rightly said the z4 and 7 series were the bookends for BMW. Albeit the statement was in reference to design, the apt statement underlined not simply the design but the very underlying core of BMW.
The z3/4 and 7 series as bookends. Think about that. The ideal of the two faces of BMW. Sport and luxury. Then everything in the middle would be a blend of sport and luxury in carrying degrees. A beautifully simple concept that worked wonders for BMW. Not only did it work wonders it gave a sense of direction and an idea of what was possible with the company.
Looking today the z4 will be a shared platform with Toyota built with an eye towards ultimate cost savings and an "all show who cares about substance" ethos. That is our sport bookend. The 7 series is now shadowed by an 8 series grand coupe and a more upscale 5 series. The lines of what is considered luxury at BMW are now very blurry.
Those are our two bookends now. Cheap pseudo sport on one end and confusion on the other end. With a blend of the two in between.
The title of your thread is accurate.
Now if you are a CEO at BMW charged with making as much profit as possible for your shareholders then everything is actually going perfectly. Because as the car market stands it's more profitable to sell a brand then a product. So as long as you can affix a BMW or M logo onto something in a unique way then you will get a sale.
This may not work in the long term as you damage your brand (as it looks like has happened in bmws case) but it is rare for a companies board to give a damn about that. It is the rare company with a strong and visionary leader who usually think about the long term bigger picture (Steve Jobs, Bezos, etc...)
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Nice cars
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