Quote:
Originally Posted by SCOTT26
... Z @ BMW = Future. The new Sports cars embody this perfectly.
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I certainly hope so. Because the current Z isn't a "sports car."
It's a personal luxury coupe with folding top.
For a while, BMW seemed to follow a technology trickle-down strategy. They'd put the latest hight-tech innovations in the 7 Series and gradually incorporate those elements into the smaller sedans and coupes. Leading from the luxury end of the line. But in the 21st century, BMW "i" has taken over the technological lead.
So what about performance innovations? Where's the "halo car" from which performance innovations can spread through the rest of the M and AG lines? Sure, BMW has positioned the M3/M4 as their DTM competitor. But that's for marketing reasons. It's to keep the 3/4 Series sales up, since they are the bread and butter of AG and M sales. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.
Should BMW position the Z cars as the company's avant-garde performance leaders? Or should they just continue milking the golden-aged country clubber market? I vote for the former. BMW sold less than 100 Z4s in the US in all of 2014. Their current formula isn't working.
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'17 BMW M2 (BSM 6MT Exec CarPlay, TechnicPnP ASD bypass, IND M Perf shift knob + keyhole cover, Pedal Haus pedals + heel plate, 3M CR90 tint, BavSound Ghost woofers, Racing Dynamics strut tower brace, Dinan midpipe, Turner intercooler)
'00 Honda S2000 (Silverstone Metallic, black leather, factory titanium shift knob + front lip + trunk spoiler, front shock tower brace, front subframe x-brace)