Oct 25, 2019 12:58:18 PM
I just bought a 2020 M550, as they have put the 850 engine in it (530 HP ~550 torque), but the LCI is not until next year when it is expected that the 5er will get the grill treatment. Seems like the sweet spot for that car. Could be my last BMW. I considered similar options from Audi and Merc, but the engines in this range are lacking. BMW still knows how to build engines, that’s for sure.
Oct 25, 2019 2:49:51 PM
Oct 25, 2019 3:45:45 PM
Oct 25, 2019 4:31:37 PM
Oct 25, 2019 5:59:02 PM
Oct 25, 2019 8:12:32 PM
Oct 25, 2019 8:33:49 PM
China is a major growth market for BMW, and evidently has R&D facilities there now.
"The brand-new, luxurious cars showcase our ambition and commitment to China. All models are more luxurious, more intelligent and even more customized to this unique market," said Goller.
i guess we will see how the rest of the world reacts to these interesting new designs.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201901/21/WS5c453aaaa3106c65c34e5970.html
Oct 25, 2019 9:33:43 PM
Oct 25, 2019 10:13:10 PM
996FourEss:
The reason the Chinese love German cars is b/c they are some of the most sophisticated consumers in the world and love the German engineering. The notion of then shifting the design to make it more Chinese is totally asinine.
Make it “more Chinese”? Where did that come from? And what exactly does that mean?
As explained by BMW’s head of design, European buyers are not interested in being overt in their purchases and prefer some discretion, whereas in China and the ME it is the opposite. The new designs have been well received in those markets, and much less so in Europe and NA. China it also a growing market for BMW, so it makes sense that they would respond to what customers want. Their challenge is designing cars that have a broad appeal, and they are more than aware of the criticism from buyers in their traditional markets, and are likely to tone it down in future designs.
Quote from van Hooydonk
“Don’t worry, I don’t want the brand to turn into an oversized kidney grille brand,” he said. “But I believe we understand the reasons for what we have done with the 7 Series and that the issue will solve itself thanks to evolving tastes in the markets for which the grille was introduced.”
Oct 25, 2019 10:23:43 PM
Mate that is kind of the point. The Chinese buy German cars b/c they are German. The fact that some design studio says that the Chinese and ME buyers prefer “overt” is irrelevant. These buyers have already been buying a ton of product that is more “European” so why change the approach. People at the end of the day buy authenticity over everything else
Oct 25, 2019 10:25:51 PM
Oct 25, 2019 10:51:08 PM
996FourEss:At the end of the day, stick with your history and authenticity and let the buyers come.
dont try and chase the buyers, have the buyers come after you. Which I think is what Porsche does well
Porsche and Rolex are good examples. I think by AvH saying that those markets are evolving taste-wise, they may be acknowledging that they made a mistake and will be correcting it. Unfortunately, not in time for the M3 and 4.
Oct 26, 2019 12:10:09 AM
Oct 26, 2019 1:13:13 AM
Whoopsy:I was just at the BMW dealer today. The big 8 coupe really caught my eyes, love the lines on it and the interior is light years ahead of Mercedes.
The new Z4 have superb lines too, so did the M5 Competition
I think the Z4 is a hit. Much rather have that than the Supra.
Oct 26, 2019 2:37:22 AM
JoeRockhead:Whoopsy:I was just at the BMW dealer today. The big 8 coupe really caught my eyes, love the lines on it and the interior is light years ahead of Mercedes.
The new Z4 have superb lines too, so did the M5 Competition
I think the Z4 is a hit. Much rather have that than the Supra.
I just think it's slightly too big. A few inches smaller in length and width and it should be perfect. Well perfect for RoW people but not the Americans.
I saw the new 7 series and the new X7 and in the metal and they looked OK with the proviso that no one can get thrilled by this category of cars. Even, my wife liked the new grilles even though I pointed out to her that they are receiving a lot of criticism . I am not into large cars but I don't think the 7series are neither better nor worse looking than other limousines from M-B, Audi or even Bentley.
The 8 series is nice looking, albeit too huge and heavy with little accommodation. IMO this model is a missed opportunity for BMW.
The new 1 series is a good alternative in the Golf class and its looks are normal for its category compared to the VW or the A class.
I also like the new 3 series Touring for an affordable premium family car. The Z4 is also a successful design. The new 4 series we must wait and see the actual cat before we pass judgement.
In general BMW design is acceptable to me but I would prefer a Panamera, Macan or Cayenne coupe over comparable models from BMW. It;s a pity that the flat sixes have been dropped from the Boxster/Cayman entry models which are those that interest the majority of potential buyers.
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"Porsche....and Nothing else matters"
spudgun:I love the oversized 7 grill, brings out a bit more character in the dull premium car scene. I fall a sleep when walking in a audi or merc dealership, in my eyes they dropped the ball lately.
I do admit the 7 is growing on me, without an M-pack in a classical combination to offset the grotesque styling, it seems to work for me. Or as an Alpina...
But models like the 2 GC, X2, even the 1-Series, they might just as well be Korean cars.
1969 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 / 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (sold) / 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Performance / 2014 BMW-Alpina D3 biturbo Touring / 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Clubsport
bridggar:Seems to be some quite interesting offers on current M4 cabriolet at the moment - my local (usually reserved) BMW dealer is offering £18K contribution on new car...
Possibly the all new M3/M4 is only months away? I do like the look of the new M340i though. I wonder if they are offering anything like that on that model?
Porsche Boxster 981 GTS Carrara white / VW Golf GTI 5dr DSG Tornado Red
BMW has some very good offers here in Germany, actually all car dealers. Depends on the model, the less demand, the cheaper but even high performance models can be "cheap" if the dealer needs to make the deal and has the car in stock. ALL dealers need to make deals, they need money.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), Mercedes GLC63 S AMG (2020), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)
RC:BMW has some very good offers here in Germany, actually all car dealers. Depends on the model, the less demand, the cheaper but even high performance models can be "cheap" if the dealer needs to make the deal and has the car in stock. ALL dealers need to make deals, they need money.
Same here - except for Porsche dealers who never offer discounts. Let’s see if the current climate changes that!!
Porsche Boxster 981 GTS Carrara white / VW Golf GTI 5dr DSG Tornado Red
dreamcar:RC:BMW has some very good offers here in Germany, actually all car dealers. Depends on the model, the less demand, the cheaper but even high performance models can be "cheap" if the dealer needs to make the deal and has the car in stock. ALL dealers need to make deals, they need money.
Same here - except for Porsche dealers who never offer discounts. Let’s see if the current climate changes that!!
Porsche is a problem.
My dealer offered that 12000 for 10000 EUR coupon deal but this deal kind of backfired because, as I just found out, this was only a one coupon per customer deal, intended to be used for example for an initial payment for a lease. Many customers, like me, misunderstood the offer (the website didn't mention any limitation) and wanted to buy more coupons. When they found out it isn't possible, some were pretty p.ss.d.
There are currently some special 18 months lease offers which are supposed to be attractive but I have no details yet, so I can't say if this is really an interesting offer. Most deals seem to be for the Cayenne though, not for the 911 or even Taycan. I think Porsche is missing an opportunity here but maybe they think their cars sell by themselves, I don't know.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), Mercedes GLC63 S AMG (2020), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)
Gnil:Some of the BMW 's and Mini on stock at my local dealer have at the moment discounts up to 42% .
Same at Audi
Yes, Audi has amazing offers...
I recently had a RS3 (worth 78k EUR) offer for 499 EUR per month (36 months, 10k km per year), no initial payment, VAT included. Two cars (dealer stock cars) available, were gone over a weekend, wanted to get one just for fun but happy I didn't. I don't need it.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Lamborghini Huracan Performante (2019), Mercedes GLC63 S AMG (2020), Mercedes C63 S AMG Cab (2019), Range Rover Evoque Si4 Black Edition (2019)