[Ashsarhaz93]

Is it just me or is there a stark familiarity between the two??

[creativ101]

Weirdly.... prefer the look of Skoda, especially the wheels

[WSH]

When it comes to exterior styling, there seems to be a race to the middle

When the Japanese luxury brands first emerged (Lexus, Acura, Infiniti) their exteriors were exact copies of BMW 7-series and M-B S Class. Now it seems the Germans are copying the Japanese brands and they all look the same.

Lexus was branded as a beautifully executed but boring car, so they went "aggressive" on their styling (huge grills) to change the image. Then Audi copied, now BMW and everyone else. A race to the middle

[1newbmwowner]

I wonder why Skoda has not tried to sell in the USA?

I rented one about 10 years ago in Europe. I was pleasantly surprised by the driving experience. Fit and finish not up to Audi or BMW standards, from what I remember.

Regards,
Bud

[MarkerGT01]

Originally Posted by WSH

When it comes to exterior styling, there seems to be a race to the middle

When the Japanese luxury brands first emerged (Lexus, Acura, Infiniti) their exteriors were exact copies of BMW 7-series and M-B S Class. Now it seems the Germans are copying the Japanese brands and they all look the same.

Lexus was branded as a beautifully executed but boring car, so they went "aggressive" on their styling (huge grills) to change the image. Then Audi copied, now BMW and everyone else. A race to the middle

I believe Audi’s Singleframe Grill predates the Lexus Spindle Grill by at least 5 years. The 2005 A8 had the huge grill first. The Spindle Grills showed up around 2013, IIRC.

But besides that, I totally agree that Lexus way over-corrected with their design language. From too reserved to too severe.

[ztx84]

Yep - they do look pretty similar!! Kinda puts me off thinking about a m550i!

[SteveinArizona]

I don't care if my car resembles another one. What I care about is how my car looks (interior and exterior) and drives and handles.

I am a fan of sleeper cars and I actually like the idea that others might think my car is a Skoda. There is a reprint of a great review of the 1968 BMW 2002 in the current C&D and one of the points is that other cars think it is a slow sedan until they get smoked leaving the light.

[Mach550]

Unless manufacturers go out of their way to be unique most cars are going to resemble each other based on aerodynamics and safety regulations.