Quote:
Originally Posted by lawgone
Attempted insult aside, you need to take yourself out of the mindset of a fanatic...which you and I both are or we wouldn't be here. I'm talking about the perception of the average future buyer. Rightly or wrongly, cost is very often perceived to roughly equal value. If BMW is perceived to be making Honda Fit's, they will have a much harder time convincing that the much higher cost of their upper end models is justified. Honda's most expensive sedan is around $35,000. BMW's is around $110,000. Those are VERY different market segments. Notice Honda, Toyota, GM...they all have different brands for their premium market segment. What would you say to a Cadillac hatchback that looks like a Civic? Premium brands have tried to go down market in the past and it was a disaster. Look at when Mercedes tried it with their little hatchback or when Cadillac sold the Catera. If BMW wants to compete in that lower market segment, they should create another brand or stick with Mini.
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I get your point but I don't agree. If the average consumer knows that BMW is sport/performance first, luxury second, then what you and me say doesn't matter because they understand what BMW's main focus is on. If they don't and simply see BMW as just a luxury brand, then BMW had no business introducing the 3-Series.
You can throw in any comparison with other manufacturers but the fact remains, BMW's focus is to only make cars that are built on top of a solid foundation that has made them what they are today - performance/handling. Everything else, the technology, the luxury touches all come second. They're not like Toyota where they have to differentiate between luxury and economy lines, BMW only has one line - performance/handling.
But let's give the average consumer some credit. I think most know who, what and why the 3, 5 and 7-Series are built for and I don't think there will be any confusion with the 1-Series compact.