Quote:
Originally Posted by SCOTT26
On the contrary, I think the one that is not listening is BMW. But as you said it yourself: "this is no longer about you".
BMW is not a one market company , so many media and traditionalists believe that BMW should only build and develop cars for one market. This is the problem with the entire industry but you cannot rely on one market any more.
By "us" I guess you mean the customers that were loyal for years to a brand that used to mean something special, right?
I have been with BMW for over twenty years and have seen the exact reaction people have to a new model over and over. New ideas and cultures are generating huge sales , segmentation is rapid in the auto industry and you have to open your mind to new opportunities. This can still be achieved by combining a niche with a BMW's coherent dynamic character even if it is a 3er GT or a FWD BMW Active Tourer.
I'm not saying that BMW should only make M3's and M5's just to cater to the driving enthusiasts. That would be very stupid and very unprofitable. The problem is that BMW has betrayed their own roots just for the sake of profit and sales volume.
This is not just BMW this is the progress of the auto industry. You cannot and in BMW's case justify having the same line up pre-2000 in this era.
BMW like other manufacturers cannot afford to ignore the demands for customers and especially demand for more crossovers Which you can say the 3er GT is a crossover. SUVs and compact and downsized luxury concepts - These are demanded by our customers and these bring in growth to the business and growth is important to BMW's overall key objective and that is to remain wholly independent.
Things like putting an engine from a lower model into an M car (N54 into the fabulous 1M), changing the 3 series coupe name to 4 series just to charge more money, every model gaining size, weight and numbness compared to the previous one, building atrocities like the 3GT and 5GT, building FWD cars, etc... are things that the BMW I used to love would NEVER had done before.
No more dogmas - The markets have changed and the requirements have gotten greater it is either sink or survive and this is not just BMW.
Go ahead and fill every possible niche out there, but do it by sticking to the company's values, not by selling out.
It is not selling out it is reacting the changes of the industry it isthe effect of progress. A BMW will always be a BMW but some models must have a broader spread of ability to be able to make an impact on the market- The X5 started this.
So please let your company know that a lot of "us" will be going elsewhere when purchasing our next car. Good luck with the Chinese.
I am sure you will be happy with whatever you choose. But will you?
My work within marketing is in the cycle for a new model is to make sure all parties involved develop the model to the brief set by our board of directors and create the communication aspects such as launch materials (film and photography) Which I am currently on creating with the BMW i cars.
I have worked with many models over the years but one thing always seems to be re-occurring. And that is originality.
Manufacturers are too obsessed with BMW that their car must match a BMW that they are forgetting about originality. And I am seeing that in marketing as well. They market like a BMW but is it a BMW?
China is not the only BMW market , as I stated originally that BMW has a global customer base and that all markets are catered for.
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Scott26,
I appreciate the time you took to reply to my post. I do understand and agree with many points you make regarding the global market and its changes, BMW's push to remain independent, etc.
But I still believe that you can cater to many markets and increase sales volume without selling out, or by building ghastly looking cars like the 3GT. I'm willing to accept as many new niche BMW models as long as the core models stay true to the company's roots, but unfortunately, that's not the case. The latest generation of M cars have deviated so far from their predecessors that the M division is no longer the object of desire it used to be. Not to mention how grossly overpriced they are.
If things like the "Lime Rock Edition" and "DTM Champion Edition" M3s, and the massive proliferation of M badges on every possible model is not selling out, I don't know what is.