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      05-08-2017, 08:12 AM   #10
mkoesel
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Drives: No BMW for now
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Canton, MI

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Quote:
Originally Posted by oolas3 View Post
Hatchbacks are about 5% of total car sales in the US.
Convertibles are doubtlessly around there as well, and yet BMW and other automakers still sell multiple models of those here. So sales numbers aren't the answer.

The reason why there are no compact luxury hatchbacks in the US is because people see small hatchbacks as a budget alternative to an SUV. Once you hit a price point over $30k or so, you can't move enough of them to make the business case. Unlike a luxury convertible or coupe, these have small margin. You need to move a sizable quantity to get economies of scale and see a reasonable return on the program. Audi had sold the A3 hatchback here for a few years, but in small numbers. They now have an A3 sedan and they can't build enough of them. I believe they do have an e-tron hatchback, but that one is going to have a higher margin. Plus PHEVs have become halo vehicles for green credentials, so a vehicle like that has strategic value (and we know that environmentally conscious like small, practical, hatchback-y vehicles).
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