My dealership will be M certified

[KASM3]

Just announced, Hendrick BMW in Charlotte will become one of the first certified M dealerships in U.S. can't wait! Finally U.S. is stepping up!

[MDyDinanM]

So what does that mean? More dedicated M technicians? Sales?

[KASM3]

Yes!! Isn't marketing wonderful!

[ThunderMoose]

They are the only dealership in the US that has been provided with the technical bulletin for the 1200 mile service.

[GOLFFRR]

we are one of the 40 as well Basically in a nutshell what the cert means is that we will always have some sort of M display in our showroom, we will have a couple salesman who are very well educated in everything M, and Im sure it will also give us access to the first M models as they are released.

Ryan and I are going to the performance center 17-19(Jan) for a school to give us a certification from BMW for the M certified dealership.

[48Laws]

M overload, if you ask me. None M models equipped with multiple M-bits everywhere is making the brand way too common.

[Ateam]

IMO it is all about marketing. If you think about it there are two sets of buyers

1.Enthusiasts that either come online or are very knowledgable about the cars they buy-these folks do not need a dealer who knows squat and simply needs them to order the car and deliver it. Clearly m-specific dealer will offer no benefit to them

2.Clueless M buyers who just buy the car without caring about technical stuff or just want the badge or an expensive exclusive bmw etc. These people do not care about any further detail aside from what any salesman knows and thus would not really benefit from any very knowledgable M-salesman.

So having salesman with "m-knowledge" IMO serves no purpose as those who care about having this info will already have it or know how to access it online.

The displays will likely help more M cars and bring in attention aka marketing

I think it is good though since as I posted atleast they are doing this in the US which to me is a step in potentially one day bringing over things like the GTS and csl etc if we have more and more M-whatever

[GOLFFRR]

I have actually heard something that BMW is going to start making less M models as times goes on. We saw it with the 1M only 2500 or so units, which resulted in huge mark ups and fast selling units.

I have a feeling that BMW will try to make the car a little more exclusive and in return raise the prices. supply and demand, but we will see.

[///M Ryder]

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

will have a couple salesman who are very well educated in everything M

So does this mean a few of us need to put in job apps .....Phil

[GOLFFRR]

I would agree with you there are some super knowledgable guys/gals on this forum, shoot most of the time you guys find out info before we do!

The good news for us is we have Ryan he is as good as they come.

[Technic]

Vista BMW in Ft Lauderdale, FL is another M Certified dealer...

[NYC Drifter]

Originally Posted by ThunderMoose

They are the only dealership in the US that has been provided with the technical bulletin for the 1200 mile service.

That made me laugh TM

[bigjae1976]

I think with the F10 M5, from what I'm reading, is that the M version has a lot more to it than a normal F10 5 series...unlike the E60 gen. So maybe the M cars won't be so similar in the future...requiring a specialized sales staff.

I will fully agree that the BMW sales staffs, at least the ones I met, need a lot more education on M cars and driving specifically. That's where Porsche hands down beats the pants off of BMW. Their salespeople truly understand the cars. For example, the Porsche sales guy recommended a Cayman over the Cayman S and he went into some detail about the car and differences.

I had a BMW salesman basically say, "Yeah, the M3 is fast". To be fair, I did deal with one salesman who did understand the car. He sold me on it, too bad he couldn't get me an individual color.

Originally Posted by ThunderMoose

They are the only dealership in the US that has been provided with the technical bulletin for the 1200 mile service.

...which would include changing the DCT gear oil. Still a mystery to this forum 4 years later. Shocking!

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

I have actually heard something that BMW is going to start making less M models as times goes on. We saw it with the 1M only 2500 or so units, which resulted in huge mark ups and fast selling units.

I have a feeling that BMW will try to make the car a little more exclusive and in return raise the prices. supply and demand, but we will see.

I remember when the E46 M3 first came out. You couldn't get one let alone ever see one sitting on a lot unsold. Getting one under sticker? You're smoking! When the E9X M3 came out, they sat on lots quite a bit and you could immediately get one for less than sticker...even close to invoice.

Why I like a lower cost M car...M cars aren't for everyone. I'd rather pay a little more to hopefully get a more performance oriented car. Vrs a mass product that poseurs want to be comfortable in. While I do not fancy it, the 1M is the best thing that happened to the M division...Wow! There are still car enthusiasts out there after all!!!

[skypx]

Where can we look to see if a dealership is M certified?

[luis_m3]

Originally Posted by NYC Drifter

That made me laugh TM

Yeah, that was pretty good. Lol.
M certified huh... I'll tell you what, no BMW dealership can beat the vast amount of M knowledge within this forum. Enough said on that... Oh, and I agree with the "marketing" comment.

[aajami]

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

I have actually heard something that BMW is going to start making less M models as times goes on. We saw it with the 1M only 2500 or so units, which resulted in huge mark ups and fast selling units.

I have a feeling that BMW will try to make the car a little more exclusive and in return raise the prices. supply and demand, but we will see.

I doubt that will be the case, Jimmy. If you look at the BMW roadmap over the next 12-36 months, you'll see that the company plans on making more M models than not. Just off the top of my head:

Cars with M models:

• 2-series
• 3-series
• 4-series
• 5-series
• 6-series
• 6-series GranCoupe
• X3
• X4
• X5
• X6

Cars without M models:

• 1-series (F20)
• 7-series
• X1
• Z2
• Z4*

*Could likely get one in the future.

As you can see, the list of those cars with an M model is significantly greater than those without. Compare that with just a few years ago, when the M badge was limited to just 4 models, and one can understand why people complain about the brand's dilution.

[OC3]

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

we are one of the 40 as well Basically in a nutshell what the cert means is that we will always have some sort of M display in our showroom, we will have a couple salesman who are very well educated in everything M, and Im sure it will also give us access to the first M models as they are released.

Ryan and I are going to the performance center 17-19(Jan) for a school to give us a certification from BMW for the M certified dealership.

What about techs? Does the cert require getting a couple of technicians certified in M's?

[GOLFFRR]

True very good point. Lets hope they are not planning on making limited amounts of each of the models. That could be a direction as well. Larger Model line up with less production of each of the models. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I am not certain but doesn't Mbenz do this? AMG is an option for their whole line up correct? M could be trying to do this as well?

you know you can't really win you will have us wishing the M was more exclusive but then would be upset when we can't get them or that they are to expensive.Then if you go the other direction and make them more obtainable the brand will lose its exclusivity its a tough balance.

[GOLFFRR]

Originally Posted by OC3

What about techs? Does the cert require getting a couple of technicians certified in M's?

Not sure, I am still getting info on the whole certification. I believe its more sales driven at the moment but I could be mistaken. Once I goto this training event I should know more about it and ill update everyone with my findings

[OC3]

^10-4. I'm sure you'll keep the community posted.

[mdosu]

maybe it'll be like this:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ngapore+dealer

in short just a way to feel more excite and therefore pay up more for you next M3.