Quote:
Originally Posted by Rawhyde
Well, neither may be right, both both are mighty damn cool!!
BMW will most likely do something to weaken this car. A 135i (trunk) coupe would really bite into 335i sales. If they don't make it hideous and keep the engine at full power, I'll seriously think about it.
Rawhyde
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The 1er is smaller and not as luxurious as the 3 coupe. Not going to cannibalize sales at all. 1er as I understand it is mainly intended to bring people into the brand.
As enthusiasts, we may well like a more nimble car with a better power to weight ratio (though it's not going to be a night and day difference), but many many BMW buyers (unfortunately) don't care, as a lot of them think of the luxury aspects of the car. Further, I honestly don't know how many Americans are going to like the idea of getting into an even
smaller BMW. Hell, I don't know how many Americans can
fit into a smaller BMW...
Like the 318ti, the 1 series is a risky proposition in this country because Americans have a somewhat well defined (albeit incorrect) notion about what a BMW is (you know, a yuppie car) and the 1er, like the 318ti before it, doesn't totally fit the public 'mold'. This is of course why BMW won't bring the hatch here again.
The price to power to practicality/looks ratio has to be good, especially considering how BMW's are equipped as base models here in the US. The 318ti's problem in my opinion was that it was under powered and too expensive. It also looked weird to boot (again, Americans don't really like hatches). Hence it failed. Now it seems BMW's fixed two of the three problems. If the price is right, I think the car might fly, but it's never going to take anything away from the 3's. Mini might be another matter however.
I will agree with you wholeheartedly on one thing though. DD's on a 4'10" chick are damn cool!
