Quote:
Originally Posted by juddholland
But take a look at the difference between different 2011 configurations vs. the three 2012 lines and notice that there's little for BMW's sales team to skip on home about.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wannabe
Tell me how in the hell BMW saves money by forcing people to pick only certain combinations? The parts are there, just mix and match according to the build configuration.
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This is clearly a cost saving measure on the production side. The "lines" will substantially reduce the total number of possible configurations, which I'm sure translates to a much improved production efficiency. I would guess that not a lot of people bought a 328i with M sport, LeMans blue, saddle brown, and aluminum like I did, but BMW had to make sure their production line was capable of producing that particular combination. Now they don't have to.
Otherwise, why do you think most non-premium companies severely limit the customizability? It's surely not just to screw with their customers. Customization = increased production cost.
I would also like to remind you that Scott (I think it was him) said the F30 will be the most profitable 3 series yet. I'm sure this line business is a part of that improvement.