[Bodybimmer83]

Originally Posted by MachinesWithSouls

I like that he said that a diesel car is more efficient than an electric one because of current infrastructure. This is such an important point that many miss - combine nickel mines and even waste disposal from a battery too, not good.

Not that I'm anti-electric car. I just want to see the best technology win for the right reasons.

What about purchasing a car online? Who's paying sticker for a BMW?

Who’s paying sticker? If you need what they ask for brands new , I will be. Something wrong with this ?

[cc3]

So if the real decision makers are customers why do you make such ugly cars!!

Typical CEO all sound bites and nonsense

[sinopath]

I like this part:
"It is similar with designer fashion brands that continue to present high-quality clothing or handbags in elaborately designed showrooms."
This sums up the positioning of the BMW brand.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by sinopath

I like this part:
"It is similar with designer fashion brands that continue to present high-quality clothing or handbags in elaborately designed showrooms."
This sums up the positioning of the BMW brand.

I was at a upscale mall yesterday (actually doing my daily walk in AC splendor). They are selling both Polestar 2 and Lucid at the mall and there was a Tesla showroom as well.

Sad that this is what the BMW CEO wants instead of what the BMW slogan stands for.

[MadBimmeRad]

Thank you OP for this thought provoking article.

For what it's worth:

20% like the grille

This could mean 20% of the total pool is "fine" with the new grille (irrespective of how they feel about it) and will buy the car for its other set of deliverables. Therefore, the target market is that exact demographic.

OR, it could mean they are focusing only on a small group because 20% of the buyers are bringing in 80% of the profits. Who knows

Electrification

Yes, it takes energy to pull oil out of the ground and refine it - and it pollutes the environment. I'd like to see the stats and compare what it costs to extract all rare metals and other raw element as well as the amount of energy it takes to convert those into batteries and other components for EVs. Can all EV components be recycled once the cars are old and pour to rest?

Not to mention, it's often diesel, gas, or coal fired power stations that produce the electricity most EVs will be using to recharge.

So for the foreseeable future, I think he's got a point regarding diesel engines.

Online Sales

Imagine there are at least 5 dealerships in every city with 1m or more population - in 2018 there were 371 of those in the world. That's 1885 franchises each of which would have commanded large sums of money in the millions oftentimes. BMW would have fierce resistance and possibly billion-dollar class actions of they were seen as competing with their own sales network.

The only way they could come in with an online product is to have one that fits the "non-compete" clauses with dealerships, meaning, the manufacturer is not competing for sales with its own sales network, for the same product.

What if a whole new division was to appear selling a niche product to those who are happy to pay sticker price to buy something that is ONLY available online?

A parallel to the Alpina segment perhaps

[Tallest]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

So according to Zipse:
"The real decision-makers in our industry are the customers. And you should never lose sight of them."

But then in an earlier interview with BMW Head of Design Domagoj Dukec, he said:

"You can see that on something as polarising like the kidneys on the 4 Series, 20 per cent of people are liking it. That fits to the type of customers we are targeting. Not all customers are going for the 4 Series."

So if BMW Chairman Zipse is saying customers are the decision makers and never lose sight of them, then why is the Head of Design only targeting 20% of them thus losing sight of 80%?

That's just a sound bite from him... However he said something way worse: BMW design today is shaped by American and Chinese market tastes. That revelation (and I dont think he is lying) - means the much hated BMW design you referred to is actually shaped by tastes of American market also. And for that, you guys got some soul searching to do.

I recently had a thought of buying new car or upgrading current. Im upgrading current with some mods, but im not trading it in yet. I dont like ANYTHING in bmw modern range. I could sorta buy their 330e hybrid, the heavy, pointless plugin, that has rims that are commonly sean on Toyota or Peugeot rentals - but I wont. I will wait till that ugly design language phase passes.

[SteveinArizona]

"Yes, it takes energy to pull oil out of the ground and refine it - and it pollutes the environment. I'd like to see the stats and compare what it costs to extract all rare metals and other raw element as well as the amount of energy it takes to convert those into batteries and other components for EVs. Can all EV components be recycled once the cars are old and pour to rest?"

And it pollutes to take oil and gas out of the ground and convert it (refine it). And that doesn't include the occasional major accidents that cause huge oil spills. And, of course, there are the methane burn offs at the well heads.