Has BMW's 3-Series Lineup Become TOO Fractured Or Is It JUST RIGHT?

While I was penning my brief review of the all-new BMW 3-Series diesel, the 328d, I went to BMW's USA website. I wanted to get a look at the current 3-Series lineup in its entirety and when I went to the series' page, I was actually stunned to see so many different 3-Series products.

I mean, I actually completely forgot that BMW was making an ActiveHybrid 3. Has anyone actually seen one on the road yet?

THINK: There's now a 320i, 328i, 335i rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive sedans. Then you have the 328i and 335i RWD and AWD coupes. The RWD convertibles. The 328xi wagon. The 3GT is around the corner as is the 4-Series Gran Coupe.

It just seems like a lot of overlap and possible cannibalization to me. And we didn't even include cars like the X1, X3 and X4 that will likely erode sales as well.

A wise man in the auto biz once told me that this sort of 911-ization of a nameplate is a good thing because it covers many more niches and there's "an ass for every seat," but — frankly — it seems like a lot of unique vehicle that will require more money to produce yet buyers may not make that paradigm shift to the all-new variants in droves.

That said, I knew I had to ask YOU, the AutoSpies faithful, if the BMW 3-Series has become too nuanced OR if it's just grabbing the attention of the MOST buyers as possible...

What say you?

RNeekChic - 4/5/2013 11:27:00 PM

+6 Boost

euh... MAYBE that's why they are now becoming 3 series and 4 series problemo solvo lol

Agent00R - 4/5/2013 11:29:37 PM

-4 Boost

Haha.

Well, I still consider them ultimate 3-Series. That's just marketing spin to me.

JRobUSC - 4/6/2013 8:17:13 AM

+4 Boost

Is an A5 "just an A4 with marketing spin" too? Just want to see if you're applying the same standards, otherwise it's hypocritical.

ErnestHouse - 4/6/2013 6:28:31 AM

+3 Boost

If you go to college and take marketing classes, you'll find this is a regular move out of the playbook. You create more products to squeeze out the competition. Budweiser used this to great effect forcing stores to give them more precious shelf space vs competing beers. This 3 series segment is the "Accord" segment and accounts for a huge portion of cars on the road.

Firewombat - 4/6/2013 8:39:47 AM

+3 Boost

That is actually a very good point

Firewombat - 4/6/2013 8:42:12 AM

+2 Boost

I don't really understand this article because, beside the hybrid model which is a drive train option rather than a different body option, this has been the line-up of the 3-series for decades?

You could add the 3GT in there and then ask the question but by the time it arrives the coupe and conv will be 4 series models so there's not actually that much "fracturing" going on...

MrEE - 4/6/2013 9:19:50 AM

0 Boost

What ever happened to the 3 series minivan?

TauronB2G - 4/7/2013 9:42:53 AM

+1 Boost

It's called the X1
T

nguyenvuminh - 4/6/2013 9:40:01 AM

+4 Boost

Geesuz JRobUSC, lighten up man. Any question or slight reluctance on BMW and you go into a Tasmanian Devil swirl.

Agent00R - 4/6/2013 10:12:50 AM

-2 Boost

Eh well, what are you gonna do?

Fanbois...

enthusiastx11 - 4/6/2013 1:20:07 PM

+2 Boost

really not a question that an outsider can answer. more choices for consumers is ALWAYS a good thing--until it starts to hurt profit margins. considering that BMW's profitability is increasing, it's a winning approach.

enthusiastx11 - 4/8/2013 11:30:37 PM

0 Boost

cleveland: there are 75 distinct BMW models on the market in the US. not EVERY single one can be a smash success. but the 5GT must be making money or they would discontinue it. just like lexus did with money losers like the HS250, SC430 and LFA.

CarCrazedinCali - 4/6/2013 6:01:10 PM

+3 Boost

nothing wrong that I can see

scenicbyway12 - 4/6/2013 7:07:59 PM

+2 Boost

"Has BMW's 3-Series Lineup Become TOO Fractured Or Is It JUST RIGHT?"

Really, US has been whinnig years about not getting this or that model that Europe has, and now we are. You think this is fractured, take a look at the BMW Germany page.

TauronB2G - 4/7/2013 9:44:17 AM

-1 Boost

I wouldn't say fractured, I would say 10K over priced across the board.
T

94geo - 4/8/2013 1:20:12 PM

+3 Boost

I guess every car in this segment is 10k overpriced b/c they are all have similar prices...

skytop - 4/9/2013 4:54:17 AM

+1 Boost

The 3 series is the major money maker and most popular model for BMW. They broadening the lineup to enhance its appeal to a larger population of potential buyers.

M5twinturbo - 4/9/2013 6:29:55 AM

+1 Boost

I think the 5 series is the real money maker which sells in almost as high numbers as the 3, and top in its segment globally.

sunnee382 - 8/21/2013 4:29:58 PM

+1 Boost

There are too many vehicles in the BMW lineup: 1, 3, 5, X, 7, 6. Oops, forgot to add the two-seater.