Quote:
Originally Posted by mapezzul
Again with this nonsense... why can't people just realize that the 5GT is hitting its targets and its main customer base is NOT in the US. The 5 GT in the US btw has already doubled the sales of the entire E61 run, so how is that a sales flop?
The 3 GT is targeting a different customer as is evident by this spoiler and when the cladding comes off the rear will be much more aggressive as will the wheel packages.
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Yes, initially BMW set targets of the 5er GT to make up around 10% of overall 5er sales. A target it has matched because it is a low volume production model. With an upcoming 525d GT on the horizon then it should extend the GT's appeal even further.
The E61 5er Touring led a defeat for the Premium wagon and the rise of the Premium SUV in North America.
Volvo and Audi followed , Mercedes are experiencing the same effect with the E-Klasse against the all-new ML-Klasse.
The F31 Touring is coming to the US but if it underperforms it will be pulled sooner than later. In this segment Audi have already pulled the A4 Avant and Volvo and Mercedes did not bother with the C-Klasse and V60 respectively. Again thanks to the Premium mid-size SUV.
The 3er GT is again more euro-centric but developed to appeal globally. It will embody the features that make the 5er GT highly Individual but in a more sportier package. It is a 3er underneath and that means it will not be a wall flower.
The clever thing here is that a lot of the panels are fake and really add mass to the car but underneath it is very well proportioned and sculpted.
Again the 3er GT will share the same engines as the 3er Sedan and Touring so it will open the market to a new generation of customers , especially a specific demographic who would never have considered a BMW before.
Which is another thing that can count as a success for the 5er GT.
Nine out of ten owners have made the 5er GT their first BMW.
In a little piece of trivia- The active aerodynamics of the 3er GT is not BMW's first venture into equipping its cars with the function.
In the late nineties when in Germany the Audi TT was turining Turtle on the autobahn. BMW became concerned about the swoopy rear end of the Z8 and tested a flip-up active aid , however it never became an issue as the BMW Z8did not need it.
BMW M were also developing one for the production model of the CS Concept. Which had the road been much smoother we would have had it now.