Quote:
Originally Posted by ssabripo
the point is, for that $10k premium, if they had included the "upgraded" aussie S65, the CRT seats, and Euro MDM programming (etc), it would've been a great success, and worthy of the "special edition" nomenclature.
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I respect your desire for this specific car, but I don't think it would have been a great success by BMW's new sales standards. Realistically, it would probably sell in the hundreds in the US, especially since the E9X body is about to be replaced.
And I think the specificity of your desired configuration underscores the problem: for the extra $10k-20K that this car would cost, you want something different than the next guy, and the next guy after that. Why not just the tuners fill the void as they are today?
BMW would have to build and sell a bunch of different M-branded micro-models to achieve the same level of profitability they're recognizing today by doing what they're doing. They're just not playing in the that ballpark right now as Porsche is with it's many 911 variants. Maybe BMW needs to consider an uber M sub-brand for cars like this (like someone mentioned earlier, Audi's RS line) but that's also a form of dilution because then many people will say "uber M is the REAL M."
In the end, it's a whole lot easier for BMW to continue to make $100K M luxury/sports sedans than delve into the niche business. They're taking the easier route and chasing the easier money. I don't love it either, but it's clearly working for them financially for now. Long term it may cause some brand damage, but it's easy to forget that brands also adapt. Because of where we come from and which cars we grew up with, M means something different to many of us than what it will mean to someone our age 20 years from now. BMW is probably counting on that by evolving the meaning of the label...and they're counting the money all the way.