Quote:
Originally Posted by brix25
That's nice to hear. I thought they were going to stop with the F80 because it doesn't sell as much as the M4.
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They sell every last one they manage to produce.
It is not clear whether production is purposely capped at a volume significantly below the M4 coupe, or whether they simply do not have the capacity at the Regensburg plant (M4 is build in Munich, recall) to handle more units of the M3 than they produce today.
In an ideal world, you would see the M3 built along side the 3 Series the same way the M4 coupe is built along side the 4 Series coupe (and the convertibles for that matter, both of which are built in Regensburg). Perhaps this will happen for the G80, and if so, perhaps this will allow for higher volume.
Quote:
Originally Posted by advantage20
...BMW seems to openly claim that it aims to become the number one premium luxury brand (currently they are obviously behind Mercedes).
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Right, and as you are no doubt aware, the growth in the luxury market is in SUVs, particularly small to medium SUVs - segments where BMW is putting a great deal of energy at the moment.
BMW is not nearly the size of Mercedes and VAG, so they cannot chase after each and every niche. Furthermore, the future is electrified drivetrains, and these will play a big role next decade. The V12, as you note, will only dwindle in numbers.
BMW's new high end lineup, once the 8 Series and X7 are counted, will give them a greater presence than ever at the top end of the market. Will they have the right mix to ever catch Mercedes again? Remains to be seen, but I think they've done the homework, and the models we know are coming are the ones people want.
In my mind, if there is a point of uncertainty surrounding BMW's future, it is not V12s or $150k sport coupes. It is the i brand as compared to Mercedes EQ brand and other players in the ACES/CASE(/whatever acronym du jour) market. That's were we need to see better products (SUVs!) and a more unified message.