Quote:
Originally Posted by metallicpea
But these ""driving enthusiasts"", as you call them, are the ones who gave BMW the reputation and appeal that it is now working to cash-in on. Once you kick your strongest and most vocal supporters to the curb(even if they are a minority), you will quickly lose the attraction that drives posers and badge hounds with deep pockets to the brand and keep spending those $$$$ and buying new cars. It is tougher to compete with the mass market manufacturers if you no longer offer an attraction.
I never bash BMW for going mass market. I only bash when it is clear they are forgetting what has made their brand desirable in the first place. It would be in their best long term interest to offer the enthusiast his car, even if it is hidden in a sea of mass market cars. As long as it is there the reputation can survive. If it is not, it dies off and becomes the mark of the well-to-do poser - not an attractive selling point, even to other well-to-do posers.
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And Banana Republic got its reputation selling safari-themed clothes? So what?
The counter argument is that retailers and auto manufacturers that don't evolve end up dying. Land Rover/Range Rover made its name for its off-road prowess; is that what most of its customers want? No--they want a luxury SUV.
What made BMW desirable 30 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 10 years ago is not a reason not to evolve. It's the same reason that the MT is dying out in the US market--not enough people care about it. If BMW tries to cater to an ever-shrinking market, they will not be relevant in the future.
The hope is that the G20 can find the right balance, either through drive modes, or option packages, to allow the "enthusiast" customer to be happy too.