Quote:
Originally Posted by JCL
In 2009, BMW North America sold 240,000 vehicles. 158,000 of those were BMW brand cars, ie not X3/5/6 or Mini. Total 3 series diesels (all of the passenger car diesels sold by BMW North America) were reportedly 1656 units. So, 1% of their passenger car sales were diesels, and about 1.7% of their 3 series sales were diesels. Said another way, 99% of new BMW car purchasers in the US believe they can beat the combination of what the diesel offers. In February 2009, BMWNA sold a total of only 19 335d vehicles. I wonder how much certification of the vehicle to allow them to sell this version in the US cost them in comparison? The 3 series diesel sales figures were a huge disappointment to BMW North America, and are never mentioned in press releases, unlike the X5 diesel, which has been doing fairly well.
On a practical note, the chances of finding a used one are pretty low.
Personally, I think BMWNA blew it by introducing a 335d first. If they had introduced a 320d instead they would have done much better IMO.
|
Just because something isnt popular, doesnt mean it's not a good value. Seems to me that if people weren't happy with the car, there would be a bunch of CPO's on the lot.
My opinion is that it is Americans reluctance to consider diesel cars that is holding sales back more than the quality of the car. Maybe diesel "trucks" are just more accepted. Test after test that compares the 335i and 335d show performance to be a wash overall with the i winning hi-revving track driving(by about .5 seconds a lap) while the d wins at low rpm real-world circumstances while getting ~10 mpg better.
I have the X5d and if I was buying a 3 series, I would get the d in it too.
That said, I honestly think all current 3 series models are overpriced compared to the competition. If I was buying today in that class, I would get the G37. I'm hoping the new 3 coming out will change my mind because I want to do ED in a few years, but at this point, the tiny gap in performance is not worth $15k+ to me.