Overall, I don't agree with your observations. I'll bet that there are almost as many M owners who don't have an issue with the new line of M Performance vehicles as those that do. For non-M owners, the split is probably further from 50/50, sure, with most people in that camp favoring the new direction.
Without trying to speak for M enthusiasts as a whole (be they a current owner or not), it seems to me that the biggest concern is that this will mean a further watering down of M vehicles across the board. That is to say that there is concern that the performance of future full-fledged M offerings and the experience they deliver may not match what we have come to expect from M Division. Whether this is a legitimate fear or not (and it may not be - as some people have already said, perhaps it means proper M models get more hard-core from this point on), one thing I know that it cannot be characterized as is snobbery (or the notion of being fixated on the car merely as a status symbol).
Sure, there are folks in this thread who are upset about exclusivity being dimmished, and other complaints like that. No surprise there. Discussions of that nature come up on M3Post from time to time in reponse to BMW or M product announcement or branding decisions or directions, or any number of other factors. From my experience, there are always plenty of people on either side of the argument.
Quote:
Originally Posted by auggiem3
I notice a consistent bifurcation of comments on this thread - those who have invested in an M car are disappointed with brand dilution. Those who want more performance minded cars with enhanced usability or a lower price point appear to be enthralled by the potential of an M-line of vehicles.
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