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      08-06-2019, 08:43 AM   #2324
mkoesel
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Drives: No BMW for now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xlover View Post
Taking a look at the overall marketing strategy, the launch of the X3 M and M8, and the sales numbers the last few years for the current M3/M4, it's looking like the pivot confusing the speculators (which I happily playing along as) might be that the Competition model is expected to be the volume seller. Everything has been focused on the Competition models. I think some markets are only getting Competition models for the X3/X4 M.

We tend to look at product strategy as a ladder going up, but I think they are looking at it the opposite direction: deliver the Competition model as the most desirable volume seller (and most profitable), assume those willing to pay for xDrive will also willingly pay for the Competition model (regardless of the debate on RWD vs AWD as a preference, BMW feels M xDrive is a dry weather performance plus up), offer the base model as the down market (and lower priced) bridge to the M340i.
Actually, I think that strategy became evident over the past few years as BMW has aggressively expanded the two-model (well, two regularly occurring - the new CS and upcoming revived CSL nameplates are the new up-sells) M lineup. We've had a pretty good idea for quite sometime that BMW saw what Mercedes was doing with the "S" step-up model, which sells through at something like 85%, and realized they were leaving cash on the table.

Quote:
It's not like the whole drivetrain isn't engineered already from the X3 M so that if the market demands a base xDrive they can't deliver it rapidly.
Absolutely.