[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Rafale

Really? ok where do I start? This is way off topic but since you asked.

Was driving a rental Passat in Asia during a business trip and... some idiot rear ended me with his Mazda tribute at a red light. The Mazda had the front all destroyed and was spilling coolant all over the place having the radiator torn. My Passat? I looked for a long time before I found a scratch on the bumper. I returned the rental and nobody noticed anything. The idiot drove away to avoid any more trouble after being very surprised that my car had nothing.
When driving around in Paris, I saw a crash between a Renault Clio and a Nissan Micra. The clio rear ended the Micra. The Clio seemed ok, had some normal front end damage but only to the point of the front bumper. The Micra? Lost its roof! The A pillars had given in the roof had collapsed.
I once had one of my previous cars also crashed into while it was parked on the street. When I took it to the shop, only a few shops can handle pulling a european car frame. Why? the shop guy tells me they are much stiffer and require specific equipment not every shop has. Japanese frames are much softer and easier to work with. Apparently a known fact in the industry. There is a reason why they are lightweight and cheap...

I can go on and on with crashes I have witnessed or involving friends where a european car made mashed potatos out of a japanese one. I am never buying another that's for sure.

Back to the topic. Partnering with Toyota for anything but the hybrid technology will certainly degrade BMW's image. Is BMW the next Lexus?

BMW is trying to be the next Toyota