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      07-13-2019, 10:39 AM   #31
F32Fleet
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Drives: 2015 435i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The HACK View Post
Doug-y Doug and I think alike.



Most of these manufacturers don't think far enough ahead. Right now, the off-road market is HOT. Just the fact that the small circle of car friends I have, more than HALF of them have picked up cars he ticked off of on his list (A JL Jeep Wrangler, 2x Toyota 4Runners, 1 FJ Cruiser and 1 Subaru CrossTrek...And I don't really have that many friends. Believe you me) just within the last 10 months. None of them bought BMWs and one even traded in his X5 for the Jeep, despite my warnings about FCA ownership. Even if BMW were to come out with a G-wagon competitor tomorrow, it's already TOO LATE, as they're likely to face an uphill battle in gaining marketshare from Mercedes. Especially with a few more entries into this market as Doug had mentioned.

Surprisingly the ONE company in all of this that's really forward thinking? To-f**king-yota. They've done a surprisingly good job in saturating the mass "plebeian" transportation market in the 80s and 90s, and stuck to their guns in developing a following for their performance car market. The Toyobarus were a gutsy move, even though it didn't entirely pan out. But to build a light, lithe, nimble sport coupe without a ton of HP in today's market, stuck to it and kept it? Ballzy. Leadership material. To partner with BMW and build the Zupra, and only to have the Zupra surpass the BMW cousin in sporty-ness, benchmarks, and out BMW BMW, despite BMW doing the bulk of the legwork?

Like a Boss.

They've lead the market in the off-roady SUVs and trucks (if I were to buy one, it'd either be a 4Runner or Taco TRD PRO), the Zupra is going to build more cred with the sports car world (I certainly hope so, the better the Zupra does, the better visibility my MZ4 Coupe will have as the forefather to the new Zup), they've already mastered and conquered the hybrid market, and long, LONG ago figure out how to please the masses in building soulless, boring as f**k to drive cars for very cheap.

Funny how this whole conversation started with BMW and their slow to react strategy about EVs. Maybe they're right, as Toyota remains the ONLY brand in town that has sat by the sidelines refusing to enter the fray despite Tesla running away with marketshare and technological leadership.

Maybe they know something we don't?
Tesla doesn't really compete for Toyota's bread-n-butter customer.

BTW the SUV/CUV market in general is softening and oversupply is becoming a concern.
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