Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh
No offense, but BMW doesn't care about you as an individual, no company does, not even the one you work for; that's just life. But what BMW does not care about is it legacy. Sure it cares about the M-brand legacy, like that is where their performance has only ever been, but that is not the case. And even with M, they've just whored it out to be a brand and not a purpose. Yup the new M4 is supposedly great from what the mags say, but the thing is almost double the price of a 4-series. And how seriously can you take a car company that makes a 5,000-pound SUV morphs it into something with less utility (like headroom), puts some big wheels and tires on it, code the drive train with stability control, and throw an M badge on it.
I'm done with BMW because of the oil life monitor issue built into my car and the total lack of not explaining it to me. The BMW of the '80s, the era of the company that really put it on the map, would NEVER had engineered such a thing, nor not provide the explanation if it did.
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I totally agree with how BMW or any company doesn't care about individuals and I think it is kind of a ridiculous expectation for someone to think so. Business is all about money and the perception that people should be loyal was designed by companies to keep their customers (hotel, airlines, car rentals, grocery stores and BMW all do it to different extents)
To your second part about legacy; however, I half agree / half disagree and here is why. I don't necessarily believe a legacy for a car company should be such a 'concrete' idea as some believe (i.e. building 'racing vehicles' that have luxury elements) but rather I believe their legacy is around progressing forward in technology and being forward looking and relevant so that they can continue to sell cars to the 99% of drivers who aren't enthusiasts.
The part about M SUVs and just bolting on huge wheels, implanting a massive engine and giving it a slightly sportier design is spot on. BMW has sold these cars like hot cakes though which does allow them to spend money in R&D for other cars though. If I am not mistaken, this is what happened with the Porsche Cayenne, Porsche was so profitable off of that SUV and also the Panamera that they were able to funnel that revenue to to 918 team.