Quote:
Originally Posted by tmehanna
X series cars are big sellers for BMW so it makes sense for them to build M versions at least as marketing exercises. The Z4 however is a niche car they probably wouldn't have built this time around without passing some of the development cost to Toyota. Z4Ms would be niche within a niche and the projected sales figures probably wouldn't justify the development costs, no matter how small. BMW expects the Z4 20i (194 bhp, 231 lb.ft) which isn't available in the US to make up over 60% of global Z4 sales and I would guess the 30i would be another 30% which leaves the M40i at 10% of 10,000 units a year or 1000 units! So don't blame BMW for not building Z4Ms and building the X6Ms they sell more of every year than all Z4 models combined.
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I'm all for the SUVs. Its very porsche like.
They barely made the new Z4 as it is. No doubt toyota and bmw will barely make money on it if not even lose a little money.
At their hearts these guys want to make cool cars. Akio Toyoda wants to make cool cars, guys at BMW want to make fun cars.
They have to justify the expense.
So they make a cool car that people talk about as a fantasy that maybe they could get if they could afford a second car, don't have kids etc. Haloish cars. They don't make a lot of them but whatever.
It helps with marketing, the engineers at the company feel happy working on something they want to drive etc. They find a way to justify it even if it means partnering with another car company.
They fund this by building giant SUVs with huge profit margins. They make "sporty M versions" of those SUVs for the guys who have families and have to try to be practical and can really only justify 1 car to drive and in a compromise say something like... well F it, I have to carry like 70 loads of mulch and my 2 kids and a dog and I want a BMW so I'll get a large suv, but if I am gonna do it I'm convincing my wife I'm paying an extra $30k so I can at least feel sort of like I got a sports car for a X5/X4/X3 M with 500-600hp. This market exists, BMW gives them an SUV with a ground effects kit, twin turbos, and carbon fiber accents all over. and the cash register makes its ca-ching sound in profit because really, they just dropped in an engine they are sharing across 20 models, stiffened the springs, put a camo wrap on the car and drove it around the Nurburgring a few times for spy shots and added $30k to the price. BMW is happy, the guy buying the car is happy, and theres extra $ to make some pet project cars.
BMW makes a ton of money because a buyer wanted a sports car they saw in the showroom but they had to get 1 car that handled everything. Its the same with the macan/cayenne which porsche makes boatloads of money on, while they can barely justify making a next gen cayman/boxster.
I feel lucky we even get the Z4. Build a billion more X5s and BMW can scrape up a few extra bucks for a twin turbo z4 M coupe g29 skunworks style "last ever gas powered 2 seat car we're ever making hurrah before the EPA / EU regulations ruin it all" car in like 2022.