Quote:
Originally Posted by PAMidge
Chinese market first then the rest?
What a bummer
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Have you ever tried to write using hanzi? Or send a text message on a phone using hanzi? Also, I wonder whether voice recognition software is at the level of sophistication to be able to distinguish the 4 or 9 tones of Chinese? The Chinese need this feature far more than we Westerners do.
Also, I think a lot of Chinese owners are driven rather than drive. So if there's an ideal test market, China seems to make sense. God knows if it's difficult to use while being driven, it won't be any better to use while driving.
Finally, the Western markets are near saturation point, whereas China (and India) are true growth markets. Folks there may buy a BMW for this feature because it isn't available from the competition and it has a big impact on how one interacts with the car's technology.
Give than there are far more potential first time BMW-buyers in China, it makes sense. I know for myself, after I drove my first BMW 3er, I was solidly sold on BMW over Audi and MB. Indeed, until the F30 and it's color combo constraints came along, my daily driver car purchase was BMW's to lose not some other car maker's to gain. (BMW's "have it your way" approach to interior/exterior color selection was one thing that kept me keen on BMW's 3er.)