Quote:
Originally Posted by shicobico
My dad never drove BMW's.
I have personally been around BMW's for a while. This is the first time I feel this threat to the brand-culture integrity. Did not feel it with the e90. Did not feel it with the e46.
Sure, I'm sure brands like Kia, Hyundai and even Subaru have enthusiasts too. BMW will be the next one. Commercial enthusiasts, ricing up cars and talking about how low they can drop the car, how awesome the sound system is, and how many subwoofers they can fit in the trunk. 
I'd rather not be one of them.
Sales will likely be up AGAIN, next year. I never questioned that BMW will continue to sell cars. Actually, they will sell a lot of them! Just not likely to same people/demograph is has been attracting and selling to for the past 20 years.
Again, it's great for BMW ... bad for enthusiasts. The brand has a lot of pressure to appeal to more people. To become more bland. More "safe". Which probably means less people buying sport packages. Less people ordering Manual Transmissions. More 'user friendly' driving experiences (electronic steering). More 'ready-out-of-the-box', and less confusing options to pick from (aka, Sport, Modern and Luxury lines) and less customizations.
Oh SNAP, it's already happening! The future is here! Bring on the sales numbers!  |
I find this quite disappointing because I finally have purchased the car I have always wanted. I did not feel like this for the e90. I have been a BMW enthusiast since the early 80s as lot of other non owners. It just seems to me that some of you are judging the popularity of this car by saying that jokers are buying them and "pimping" them out. I really don't think this is the case. I simply think that it has to do with the fact that there is a newly redesigned icon vehicle and a lot of people are in love with the new looks. This reminds me a lot of when the Ducati Monster changed drastically after over a decade of no change at all. All of the so-called loyalists absolutely hated it, but it proved to be the vastly superior Monster model that has strengthened Ducati's foothold on the motorcycle industry. I feel that this is the SAME situation. This car is gorgeous and even though some of the "traditional" features have given way to more modern components, it still excites me in a way that I was hoping it would. This is just my humble opinion.