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Originally Posted by B-Line
So I have been giving this some thought lately and wanted to share with the board.
BMW was responsible for the redesign of the Range Rover. They did a great job and brought the monster SUV into the new millenium.
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I agree 100%. They did an excellent job with the Range Rover. Ford has however, managed to screw up the RR sport, LR3 & LR2... bleh!
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Now BMW has rolled out the new X5 which is more of a soccer mom car and is also releasing the X6 which is more of a sport SUV.
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Do you blame them? Everyone wanted a larger X5. Everyone bemoaned that there was not 7 seats and that the X5 didn't have enough cargo space. Yes the X5 was the first SUV to handle like a car and most people were willing to trade off handling for cargo - but the market has adapted. That isn't true anymore as more offerings come to market.
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I don't know how the 7 series is doing but I don't see too many of them.
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The 7's in its last years. Sales are moderate as a car ages - that is to be expected. Also the new S-class is an exceptional car... stealing sales on that front.
I don't know where you are in L.A., but here in Newport the 7 is still the car of choice.
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So, why didn't BMW, instead of making the X5 more of a soccer mom mobile and the X6 more of a sporty SUV, why didn't they do this:
X7 - Ultra high end, SUV/LUXURY SEDAN hybrid - to compete with Range Rover's and even be used as high end limo's, etc. And fill the void for the soccer mom's with 2-3 different choices of engines and trim. Can even have third row seating. -- (How many wealthy businessmen, etc. who might have bought a 7 series BMW 10 years ago, are now driving Range Rover's??) Why not change the entire 7 series line into a SUV?
Where I live, I see Range Rover's at every stop light.. I can't remember the last 7 series I saw.
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If you remember. BMW did float the idea of an X7 and did start development at some point. However our gas crisis and the demise of large SUV's makes me think BMW did the right choice. Those looking for an SUV this big don't even care anymore about driving dynamics and in my opinion are best served by the existing lexus's, RR's & large merc's on the market... BMW would have been slammed for creating a large lumbering SUV that didn't have amazing dynamics expected of a BMW.
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X5 - Could Continue to be the 5 series on Steroids, which can double as a baby hauler but also has enough engine choices to keep the sports guys happy and the moms happy..(BMW has said to have made the X6 for the guys who want a faster, better handling X... Why then why don't they just ask us what we want and we will tell them, we want the X5 in a "M" version.. No new X6 version is needed...) Just give us faster, better handling X5's..
-- But also delete that 3rd row seat which is horrible, uncomfortable, bad to get in and out of and force anyone who is thinking about a 3rd row to go for the X7 instead. (I don't really see the mom with 5 kids or the carpool mom, using those X5 rear seats for practical reasons anyway.
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Well you just contradicted yourself. You said you don't want the X5 to be a soccer mom car, yet you'd take an M version...
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And keep the X3 as is. A lower cost, SUV that can double as a grocery getter and pleasant Daily Driver.
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It's going upmarket. Just as the whole 3 series lineup has been since forever... However, the new X3 should actually be worthy this time around. Next gen X3 will also grow in size - one should take that into account as-well.
While I agree with the general message, I don't fault BMW for what its done. It is responding to the market at hand and is trying its best to satisfy everyone. Obviously in trying to satisfy more people they can't satisfy everyone.
The X5 lineup makes sense. No longer are sales going to be lost other SUV's just because it doesn't have the 7 seats. Granted the 7 seats are useless, but apart from the R class I can't think of any car that has seats in the trunk that are acceptable for adults. The fault here is that BMW has marketed the X5 as a true seven seater - when it wasn't supposed to be - no-one expected it to be.
The top of the line X5 will come and it will be able to still play ball with the Cayenne. Porsche has extracted E53 performance from their truck that is much heavier than an E53. I don't see BMW having a hard time besting Porsche or the E53's efforts with the E70.
BMW will now take the stylish crossover market that Infiniti is dominating. The traditional FX buyer will be lured to the X6. The FX buyer doesn't care about practicality anyway, just wants a sporty SUV.
And the new X3 will grow and move upmarket. The most logical reason here would be to make a very sporty X3. That would be the ultimate SAV. Yet BMW has to deal with its time scheduling. The new X3 wouldn't bow until 2011 at the earliest, far too long for BMW to leave the sport crossover market open.
So BMW will cover the entire spectrum of the SUV market: the large SUV market with the E70, those who care for style with the E72 and the smaller market E83.
Sounds smart to me. The only segment missing is the XX-L SUV... and thats where BMW shouldn't compete.