Quote:
Originally Posted by FriskyDingo
This. 1,000x this.
How luxurious, prestigious, and exclusive are you when everyone on the block has your product because you are catering to those who normally could not afford or wouldn't want it?
Nothing good has EVER come from a car maker chasing after that great #1 spot in sales. Don't believe me, look at GM, Toyota, and VW.
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Bless you, sir.
I don't want to dive headlong into economic theory and derail this thread. So I'm just going to mention two general points:
1). As Frisky states, the coveted "No. 1" sales slot is not Valhalla for luxury brands. I work with some of the most exclusive fashion brands on the planet; most realize that raw sales should not be the ultimate goal for them. Nor should it be for BMW. If it really wants to grow into a true behemoth of profit and volume, it needs to start new brands (as it did with MINI) and operate more like VW does ... ::gulp::
2). Entities that prioritize fast short-term growth over everything else are doomed to fail in some capacity. This applies to carmakers, fashion brands, restaurants, the domestic products of a polity, manufacturing capacity, etc. Capitalism's great, but it should be measured to remain healthy. Most companies don't think in terms of measuring themselves for steady, incremental, long-term growth; they think in terms of quick-and-hard short-term growth for reasons that should be plain to many. That BMW is still a privately-held company and operates a relatively small number of factories are signs that the prioritization of growth is not out of control. But I suspect that, at some point, that will change -- and at that point, BMW will cease to be a luxury brand in my eyes.