Quote:
Originally Posted by azzurro
Wow..Is the only word that comes to mind. Let's just drive consumers to other brands is the message??? I am speechless. Maybe I should be looking elsewhere???
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To be fair, it's not BMW's fault, it's the bad CAFE law. Other premium brands also struggle with balancing their more fuel-efficient cars with their higher performance and less fuel efficient cars, although most (like Audi) have mainstream high-volume brands (i.e. Volkswagen) which allow them to average out fuel economy requirements more easily. BMW tries to do the same thing with their Mini brand, but they are obviously still at a disadvantage.
BMW could have chosen another path--they could have instead made the 335i much more expensive than it currently is. That would have had the same effect, dampened demand for the 335i relative to the 328. Instead, they kept the price difference reasonable, but intentionally constrained supply. That way those of us who really care about getting a 335 can still get one at a reasonable price, assuming we're willing to put in some work.
Given the constraints of the CAFE law, I prefer their current tactic than the alternative, don't you?