I think we are having a culture difference here with what we each believe the role of the 3 series is. Here in the UK the 3 series is squarely aimed at the family market as well as being a rep mobile which is probably why I sells so well. Many people strive to own a 3 series over the like of a Ford or Vauxhall so these ads will appeal directly to them. Does the 3 sell more in the States than the 5, if it does then BMW are quite right gearing their advert to promote its family abilities, even in your country.
People - what's going on here? Are we losing our minds? The ads are shit - what does it matter? The 3er always has been many cars to many people - not just driving puritans. Sheesh.
Ads are shit if you look for the shitty ones. I mean, they do have the real stuff too, you know. It's like something for everyone nowadays: Nothing wrong I tell ya :eusa_danc You actually believe that yourself? Edit; sorry, vid already posted by Just_Me
^ I don't just believe it I know it as a fact. Just look at the sales figures for the last 3 in the UK.
I think footie has a valid point over here. In a lot of markets, the average 3er buyer is male, in his mid-to-late 30s, with a young family and is employed in a middle-management type of job. The 3er is a car for the daily commute and driving his family around on weekends. This averge buyer is relatively conservative and so he isn't going to drive this car around the race track. Given this, he's more likely to care about the practical attributes of the vehicle - like the surrround cameras, the e-mail to voice technology, the keyless entry etc. It's for this reason that BMW airs these advertisemets; not one where the car goes around a race track - that's reserved for car's like the M3 and M5.
The avarage buyer. With average being the keyword. I know it's nitpicking and all, but squarely aimed at families is just not the case. At best, the men who are buying the 3er have the family high on the list too. The 3er has to meet those family oriented aspects if it wants to be succesful thou, no doubt about it. Your facts aren't the same as real facts The 3er is not squarely aimed at families. Like Martin said, the 3er is different for a lot of people. Some buy it for the family, some want a good lease car....and, believe it or not, some buy it because of decent useability and great driving dynamics. Can name a few more reasons, but the idea is clear.
QUESTION !? Why do we not see OR then can anybody help with F30 Cutaway photo's? On the other hand it seems as if OEM's are getting stingy with cutaways :t-hands: (Audi/VAG I have to ad always have cutaway drawings. Daimler used to be the top OEM to show of it's cutaway's of new models)
I think the facts speak for themselves here Klier. The top 10 selling cars in 2010 1st Ford Fiesta 103,013 2nd Vauxhall Astra 80,646 3rd Ford Focus 77,804 4th Vauxhall Corsa 77,398 5th VW Golf 58,116 6th VW Polo 45,517 7th Peugeot 207 42,185 8th BMW 3-series 42,020 9th Mini hatchback 41,883 10th Nissan Qashqai 39,048 Find me another premium product on this list. BMW understand their markets better than you or I or Martin, the 3 series in the UK is bought primarily by families. This might be different in Germany or America but here this is a fact as well as the fact that it's the number one choice of the rep if on his/her list of options.
It's not different in Germany either. MB, BMW & Audi models - all from compacts (like 1er) to executive sedans (like 5er) and even compact & mid-size SUVs (like X1 or X3) or even full-size SUVs like X5 - are among top-selling car models in Germany. Which means they are certainly not just business cars or entertainment cars - but for sure used for daily commuting, and also as family cars. But family cars can be different from family to family: some are fine with compact cars (either that being a hatch, sedan or a wagon), some prefer larger cars like executive sedans / wagons or even a full-size SUV. While super-minis (and compacts to some extent) are usually used as 2nd & 3rd cars in the household, or used by younger single persons. And it's not unusual the primary car in the family (the one the wife usually drives) is a wagon or an SUV or a van / crossover or a hatch. While sedans & coupes are still more of a male domain, I guess. And since the concentration of private small businesses is high in Germany, many cars - especially the premium ones - are bought via a private owned business company, and not via an individual (the owner of the company). Especially when the car is leased.
And market research shows that increased differentation between the sedan and the coupe 3er does indeed make sense?
^ The point I was hoping to make was that the ads where directed at their main customer base which is families.
Nonsense. The fact that it's a 4-Door Sedan makes it family oriented by nature. The fact that single people buy it because they like the dynamics, or like the look and presence of a 4-Door Sedan is nothing new, and doesn't change the fact that the core car in its very nature first and foremost has to be family friendly.
Of course the 3-seriens is a nice family car. My parents have been driving different 3-series for ages because they think 5-series is too big for them. A 3-series works just fine.
Now back to the LED's. So what do you guys feel is the reason that BMW regressed from LED turn signals on the new 3er? Any hypothesis anybody would like to share?
a) to make eg. 3er GT, M3 & 4er more exclusive from the beginning, while introducing LEDs to 3er sometimes later b) because full-LED lights (incl. LED blinkers) will be an extra option in the very near future (eg with M3 or 3er GT launch) c) because LEDs are still more expensive than halogens, and since the majority of customers doesn't really care about the LEDs, sticking to halogen bulbs boosts BMW profit
Nice. At least with the M3 I won't say it lacks LEDs. But what about B&O soundsystem? And will the 4 Series also have manual handbrake or be like the 6 Series and have e-brake?
