BMW Reports U.S. June Sales - Up 11.3 percent year-to-date

Iron Man · 07-05-2012, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayusaFL

GET what you want and what you love!!
Some of you made very good points on your posts!! However, at the end of the day, the question is: "Do you want a C class?? Do you want an AUDI??"
I can't care less about their sales performance. I'm literally dying to get my 335i!! It may not be the BEST sports sedan ever, but guess what?? That's the car I want. I love the BMW brand and I have an emotional connection with it.
A brand is a promise!!!
A product is physical.
A brand is NOT a product, a sign or a logo!
A brand is the feeling you get when you use the product.
It is the experience it provides you.
Some people love NIKE and some love ADIDAS?? Which one is the best??? It doesn't matter! The question is "Which one are you emotionally connected to?"
Some may think I'm tripping but that's how I feel.

You are a marketing manager's wet dream. A brand is NOT a promise. The product is the promise, the "brand" is the image and the dream. The new 3-series may be a good car, but with BMW's new packaging, their pricing really went up to get one of the new lines.

VaderWagon · 07-05-2012, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midlifecrisis

Quote:

Originally Posted by simianspeedster

I respect your perspective, but the concept of branding does very little for me. I've owned a Pontiac, a Mazda, a Mercedes, a few VWs, a few Audis and a few BMWs.

When evaluating cars, nothing matters more to me than the driving experience. We currently have an E92 (mine) and an F30 (my wife's) and IMO the F30 driving experience is a significant step backwards from its predecessor. Add in the unnecessarily complicated and restrictive F30 packaging strategy and the uncompetitive pricing, and I think BMW has seriously missed the mark this time around.

I'm definitely BMW's target market for the F30 but there's very little chance I will select an F30 when my lease is up next spring. I may opt for an E82 before they stop making them (the last of the naturally aspirated BMWs) or I may change brands. BMW is still growing by selling more SUVs, but I think they need to be careful not to lose car enthusiasts like me who used to form the core of the brand.

I couldn't agree more. I've purchased 4 new BMWs and 2 Minis in the last 12 years. I don't mind that they're offering product for non-enthusiasts, but it does bother me that they seem to be drifting too far from the philosophy that built such a loyal following. (Sporting cars with exceptional handling and an orientation toward people who love to drive - combined with great efficiency, comfort, and engineering quality.) This doesn't seem to be built-in to every BMW anymore.

I'm not buying a car for a couple of years, but I'll probably at least look at other brands next time - something I haven't done in a long time.

Well said

VaderWagon · 07-06-2012, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron Man

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMWCali

Where do you see the 26.4% drop in 3 series sales? Anyone know how many 3 Series BMW sold in May and June? Also, anyone know how many new 3 Series they sold in all of 2011?

You have to look at their model by model sales numbers (you need to dig deeper to find it), which they omiited in the overall summary press release.

In all likelihood, if the issue was all about supply, the press release would typically have said something like "we cannot build the new 3 Series fast enough to meet the overwhelming consumer demand"

midlifecrisis · 07-08-2012, 03:50 PM

After reading another article, it dawned on me that maybe the somewhat weak 3 Series sales are due to lack of a X-drive sedan until later in the year. This should probably be expected. As much as I'd like to blame the new option packaging strategy, maybe it's premature to do so.

07-08-2012, 03:50 PM	#26
midlifecrisis Major 840 Rep 1,222 Posts Drives: 2017 X5 35d, 2019 230i X Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (0)	After reading another article, it dawned on me that maybe the somewhat weak 3 Series sales are due to lack of a X-drive sedan until later in the year. This should probably be expected. As much as I'd like to blame the new option packaging strategy, maybe it's premature to do so. __________________ 2017 X5 35d (Performance Center delivery March 2017) 2019 230i X-drive 2022 M3 base 2000 328i sedan (UUC suspension - still the favorite), 2006 M3 slick top - Alpine White/Cinnamon SOLD! 2008 E90 M3 SOLD! 1991 325iX (both great), 2019 Miata RF - various others not as memorable but gone.
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