What's your opinion on this section, BMW CM, SCOTT27, EnI, BMW marketing etc?

What's interesting is that everyone just accepts that this is all some elaborate BMW Creative Marketing initiative instead of some guy who helps put together the brochures at BMW and some other guy who has a buddy that works there chatting about cars with no more knowledge than anyone else.

Often, all of this vague, general information could have been surmised by anyone who likes cars. Telling us the next version will be more powerful and more fuel efficient or drive superbly and have a more sporting characteristic isn't exactly insider information when it comes to new models of cars. Let me guess...they'll also have 4 tires and a steering wheel? It's the magazines, forum members, other blog writers and entities like Brenda Priddy who provide the spy shots that really excite readers. As well, telling us that artitisc interpretations of future models aren't exactly like the real thing isn't information either. Those mock-ups are never 100% accurate.

While the forum is certainly entertaining and a great place for people who like cars and the automobile industry, I wouldn't necessarily drink the koolaid of it being a BMW initiative.

As for extremeism in brand loyalty...well that's just odd behaviour. Not everyone loves BMW and it's not from lack of money or knowledge of cars. Defending BMW to the last breath when you don't own the company is just bizarre. Maybe if you're Norbert Reithofer, Adrian van Hooydonk or one of the Quandt family members I could see some extra enthusiasm but if you're just another 25 year old who managed to come up with enough money for a lease payment on your 3-series...then you may want to relax a tad. They're just cars.

+ 1,000,000,000,000 !!

OMG, your tone is one of a BMW hater. You are being extremely unfair. Sure we would never know for surei if Scott or Eni are who theysay they are, but everything they've divulged has been accurate to this date and the stuff they tell us is not as you mentioned (4 wheels and the like). Maybe if you actually read their posts you would see that. I think you need to relax a tad.As for extremeism in brand loyalty...well that's just odd behaviour.

"Not everyone loves BMW and it's not from lack of money or knowledge of cars. Defending BMW to the last breath when you don't own the company is just bizarre." Have you considered that maybe BMW is a really good company to work for. I would defend my company.

To be fair, I'm not Scott's biggest fan. And that's a gross understatement. But it is clear he is privvy to some pretty interesting info. If only he would just reveal it without all the arrogance, smugness, and conceitedness. When some people criticise marketing campaigns (the JOY commercials for one) then he/they accuse the people of not understanding the concept. He/they doesn't seem to realise that if you come onto a forum in your guise as a BMW insider, with the approval of the BMW marketing department, then you are representing the company. "Playing" with the fans and your customer base, however insignificant it is compared to the overall customer base, is not a good idea at all. BMW have certainly gone down in my estimation over the last two years due to the attitude of BMW's creative marketing department.

It does this website/forum no favours at all to be seen as too close to BMW. The same goes for BMWblog which is increasingly coming across as another department of BMW. No doubt BMWblog will be along shortly to say I am wrong, but they need to realise you cannot APPEAR to be too close to the very subject you are focusing on. People do not like to be fooled and duped.

Fanboyism is the only thing I hate more than creative marketing.

Actually I quite like some BMW vehicles but I certainly don't "love" or "hate" BMW AG....it's just a company that builds cars and bikes. The defending of BMW to which I am referring is not from those who work for BMW AG but by the many other forum members who have no affiliation to the company but still feel the need to defend the company and its products.

I have read many posts and I don't believe there is very much specific information that isn't already out in the media. Many auto publications speculate on future models with the same accuracy and specificity as can be found here.

I think many of the contributions here are great and it all makes for an interesting forum. I am certainly not suggesting anyone stops posting or that it is wrong information, I am just saying that I doubt very much that BMW AG has anything to do with these posts nor do I believe they have a "creative marketing" department. In fact I think BMW AG should create or buy a forum and news blog and offer more inside news to their fans. I think it would be very interesting to see how a vehicle is conceived and brought to market with all the thousands of decisions that go in to making a concept and production car.