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Originally Posted by Alpina_B3_Lux
The same was also said in an interview that the head of the M division gave recently and which was just published in the latest issue of the German magazin "sport auto":
The desire from the M division is certainly there, but the electrical division has priority and no M supercar is planned to be developed. He also said that the M division would not collaborate with the i division on a supercar based on the i8, as both have completely different priorities. He called that "book end strategy", for the M and i divisions being the bookends for the entire BMW strategy.
I believe that at least this aspect of BMW's strategy is wrong. Reasons:
- Both their main competitors for anything connected to sportive driving (Audi, AMG, Porsche) have at least one supercar, and it is obvious that such a halo car is very beneficial for other models of the same brand.
- The huge interest and positive reactions both from press and market to the i8 have proven that there definitely is a market for a BMW supercar.
- The claim the budget is too high and that you need at least 1bn to develop a new car is just a pretext, a lame excuse. If companies like Lamborghini, Ferrari and McLaren can produce supercars that are generally met with universal acclaim, and which financially speaking are far less robust, then BMW could easily do the same.
It seems to me the main problem is marketing related: BMW has concentrated itself and everyone's attention on the i8 as far as a sportive 2-seater is concerned, with a focus on an the electrical powertrain. If they were to use a similar carbon body for a petrol-powered supercar (at around the same price or even lower due to the less complex setup), this would make the i8 far less attractive and would counter their own claims to focus on sustainability for the entire BMW brand.
Like it or not, the aspect of sports driving along with the entire M division has become a mere appendix to BMW and mainly a marketing tool. BMW does not produce and does not intend to produce in a foreseeable future a real sportscar. And why should they? The head of the M division said that the management does not see it as necessary as sales are thriving without spending money on a project like a supercar. And if you look at the entire line-up of BMW (all the X cars, the new FWD cars etc.), only a tiny fraction of it has any connection to sportive driving. And even of those (Z4, M5, M6), their character is questionable...
Alpina_B3_Lux
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BMW sales vs. those of the brands you mention that do have "halo" cars demonstrate that BMW do not need a Halo car in order to compete. Audi can say what they want about the R8, but the reason they are selling more and more cars every month is because they are entering new markets with new products and offering an entry point to the brand lower than anything BMW or Mercedes have. Merc had the SLR, then the SLS, now the GT, but they're still loosing the sales crown to BMW. "Halo" cars are a pissing contest.
As for their range not being 'sportive' enough... BMW are not pricnipally a manufacturer of sports cars... and I don't think they ever have been. But there are more sportive options in the range now than there ever have been.