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Originally Posted by godora
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BMW has been caught in the regular sedan market by Lexus and Infiniti and Acura. Their not BMW's but close enough and a hell of a lot cheaper.
BMW will now focus on niche luxury markets.
Anything that BMW cannot get full retail for in the U.S. will be sold overseas.
Expect European delivery discounts to go away.
Expect leasing to decline drastically.
Expect the $350 per month 3 series lease payment to be a distant memory.
The low end coupe and sedan market will move to Japanese. A $65k 3 series simply does not sell in the U.S. Just look at M3 sales. No one would have thought the X6 would outsell an M3. BMW cannot make money selling $35-$45k 3 series. In the end, all they did was lease 3 series to those who cannot afford the cars to begin with and took a 1 billion loss as a result.
Besides the X6, I also own a 2008 VW GTI. It is everything the 3 series used to be and more. Granted it is FWD vs. RDW, but it is 1/2 the cost, 1/3 better mileage, and bascially the same features.
Don't get me wrong, I love the 3 series, but if you have tunnel vision you will miss the real values out there.