Yannis

ΙΜΟ 1 series is a car too small for BMW to make a decent coupe out of it. Also won't the price be very similar to E90?

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Deutsch

If it is then they can only expect to sell so many, most people will look elsewhere for such a car if they know they can get a decent car on the cheap.

Imhotep Evil

Last time they tried they made the best seling car(s) in BMWs history till then.

Harry Plopper

We are living in a market-driven economy, so the market forces (demand / supply) drive the price, not the costs! Especially in the luxury / premium segment.

So, cheaper costs won't reflect in a lower price, but in a higher profit.

Regarding positioning: yes, the car will be position below 3er, so will be the cheapest BMW copue & cabrio available in the US. But it won't come cheap.

Yannis: in a premium segment the price does not matter as much as in "economy" segment. In the case it would Infiniti & Lexus would sell tons of G35 & IS more than BMW 3er.

Eg. MINI - they are selling exceptionally well despite being expensive & definitely not practical as other small hatches. Not the same customer base. Same case in the 1er / 2er coupe: not same customer base as eg. Honda Civic.


1er / 2er will be an instant hit in the States. Of course the sales will lag behind 3er or even 5er - but that will be due low supply / production since there is no enough production capacities this time for the 1er / 2er family. So the demand is still higher than supply. And will also be in the future - that's the key to a premium price.

Nikos120i

I have to agree with EnI on the BMW pricing strategy.

Think of it this way...it is like buying a Rolex...but then Rolex decides to shift construction of the watch to somewhere in India! Would you think that would lower the price of the watch? I mean...would anyone buy a Rolex if it was 20% cheaper? Before you rush to answer "yes" think of the effect it would have on the image of the brand, mainly created by its pricing strategy.

BMW's will never come cheap...the same with Audi and the same with Alfa Romeo. They are all premium brands.

Manufacturers are looking to shift construction elsewhere (for example VW) to achieve higher profitability...not lower end-consumer prices to create higher sales volume. They want to increase profit.

Now...as far as the 2er (I guess we can officially call it a 2er) is concerned...I think that BMW should stick with one Coupe...the 3er. I really do not understand which part of the market they are trying to win with this car?! Are they trying to create a niche? Are they trying to create competition in a new hatch-coupe segment? Are they creating an all-new segment?

I think this car will be very small for a coupe...regardless of the BMW design...

Good luck BMW!

Imhotep Evil

BMW aren't shifting anyfing. They'll exapand everywere.



Since the first generation the 3er has grown and reached the market place of the 5er.
So the car has to fill that void in the market for small cars like the 02 series
and first (E21) and second (E30) generation 3 series.

Also :

E38_E30

seen at 2addicts.com: perfect comparison of 3dr and coupe

klier

WOW, sweet.

I really dig this M3 CSL style boot. I hope that's not just camo....

The Emperor

Harry Plopper

Close, but front fascia is different IRL (not a carbon copy of E87 1er), and the the rear (boot lid, to be exact) is not as short & tall. The IRL appearance of the rear is much more sedan-ish - just like in E92 3er coupe case. It's so evident already from the spy pics!



PS: also a tank cap is rectangular not round & positioned a bit lower IRL! Dear Sirs at /automedia/ next time when doing a CGI look at your own spy pics more closely.

Curb Zone