Future BMW 1 Series Family

It's going to be tough in this segment when you have to compete with the likes of Hyundai. I feel sad for the BMW badge whores.

What's with the stupid comments from some people on this site? I am referring to DAVID999. I think there was one member who already explained it pretty well what is happening. Times change and luxury brands have to change with them. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi in particular have a done a good job of reading the times and adjusting. Your favorite brand Lexus on the other hand hasn't. Why? Probably because Lexus is focused heavily on the US market where such smaller luxury cars are still trying to gain acceptance. In Europe and elsewhere smaller premium cars are no big deal. I find it ironic that you're comparing BMW to Hyundai because the way I see it you should be thrilled that your Lexus (which is really a Toyota underneath) is even being compared to brands like BMW, Audi, Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz given that Lexus has ZERO heritage and history. Stop being so damn narrow minded for a change and accept the fact that with changing times firms have to change their strategy. You can go on about how "Lexus doesn't need to do this because they have Toyota bla bla bla" but if Lexus wants to be successful in Europe or outside of the US they better adapt to the market demands and not hope that the market adapts to them. God, I am so sick of reading your childish posts.

My my aren't we touchy about our favorite Euro brands Wimmer?
Companies such as BMW have fleeced the general public into believing that paying a premium for their badge is worth the extra money, when in fact they are getting much less than they expected. To compete in the "lower-end" of the automobile segment they will have to compete against the likes of a Hyundai. Why do you feel this such an insult?
Is it because you may be one of those poor souls that is starting to realize that owning (or dream of owning) your dream marque wasn't really all that?

When you buy a BMW or Benz you pay for the name, that's a given. It's called "prestige pricing" and it is something these two companies have always done. Lexus cannot do this because they don't have a prestigeous or exciting history. So what does Lexus do? They take the money-for-value route, which the Japanese have always done. Keep in mind that some people don't care about value. Some people are drowning in money so paying more for a BMW or Benz doesn't mean anything to them. Furthermore not everyone wants some of the gimmicky standard features that Lexus (or other manufacturers) offer as standard. Somebody buying a BMW 1 series will more likely be interested in performance and how the car drives and of course the badge. They could care less about some luxury features Lexus throws in for free in the IS. And I think Wimmer's point was that the European premium brands can more quickly adjust to market demands because the European market is first of all very competitive and ever changing. Look at our American car market, where things move along relatively slow. Actually I should say "moved along very slow" because now more than ever I think Americans are going to wake up and realize that there is no shame in buying small luxury cars. When that happens (yes, WHEN THAT happens), take a guess at which Japanese luxury firm will be behind in the playing field. Yep, Lexus. They can always rebadge a Corolla and call it a 1 series competitor. ;-)

By the way, I am considering the 135i as my next car. It's a fun little machine that performs well and is, well, FUN TO DRIVE. Lexus is seriously missing out here. Oh, and the 135i or 1 series in general doesn't compete with any Hyundai.

I've been on this site a long time and I tend to agree with many that your comments, david999, are poorly thought out and severely Lexus biased.

Wow! It's funny to me how quick some of you "veterans" of the Autospies site are quick to bash someone for daring to compare an up-and-coming brand like a Hyundai with BMW, when it is painfully obvious that they are going to try and compete in the same class. What part of the this quote from the article am I failing to understand: "BMW is moving towards smaller, more efficient cars geared towards a new consumer base". If you guys would take your head out of your a**, you could admit that not everybody wants to get sucked into paying extra for that mythical "soul" factor.

What I said was that BMW is now trending towards Hyundai's segment, not the other way around.

++++++

Many people feel that with this economic climate, that yes, all vehicles in a certain class will be cross-shopped. People on this site are always commenting on how Hyundai has really improved. Why are some feeling insulted? Nobody is comparing the new 7-Series here.

David999, so you're saying that somebody who is considering a Lexus GS is also going to maybe consider the new Chevrolet Malibu? Riiiiiiight...

Was there really a need to start turning this thread into a Lexus bashing fest? david999 didn't even mention Lexus, he specifically called out Hyundai.
Secondly, I honestly don't understand how people bash Lexus for sharing parts with Toyota, when Audi does the same with Volkswagen, Cadillac with Chevy, Lincoln with Ford, Acura with Honda, and Infiniti with Nissan.
Lexus is coming out with a compact to rival the 1-series, likely based on the next IS architecture. In fact, they delayed the sub-RX SUV in order to focus on the upcoming compact. If Lexus adapts some of the architecture from the IQ, it could actually benefit the compact segment, pushing all companies to maximize interior space in such a small car. (That's my one issue with compacts)

Lexus is flailing all over the world outside of the US. They've got many issues that are hurting them, such as lack of brand recognition, derivative styling, and soulless cars, all of which they are likely not going to overcome anytime soon due to their stubbornness. I hope they do, and become much more competitive, as competition breeds innovation, and benefits all of us, no matter who our favorite luxury brand is.

As for the actual article, which is what we should be focused on, as much as I love BMW, I don't understand the difference between the X1 and CAS. Much rather a sedan..

They really should rename this site EuroAutoSpies.com as anyone (besides chuckg37) who favors an asian import over a euro import has a negative boost rating. It's my opinion the powers that be should abolish the boost system, as it seems most of these eurofags just use it to flame people. As I'm sure this post will. Go ahead you fags, I don't know what the record is for negative boost ratings, but I'm working on it.

2 door coupe - sedanish coupe with 2 doors

Err, not a coupish sedan with 4 doors, which is really a small sedan to any one outside of the automotive marketing weasel world.

Now, I thik you are beginning to understand my feelings
of what is happening with the BMW marque.

@ TheSailor: There is nothing "poser" about a BMW 116i. You need to understand that this is the perfect car for older people who don't want to have something too powerful. In Germany where I live the 116i is very popular amongst older buyers while younger buyers tend to go for the zippier 118i and 120i models. My sister has an '08 BMW 118i A/T which I am currently driving and even with the automatic it is quick and fun to drive. Just today on my way to Munich I overtook a long column of trucks on the Landstraße with that car - no problem at all. It's got power, more than enough.

This rendering looks great - I hope that the BMW designers will bring it out just like that!