Filed under: Coupes, Marketing/Advertising, BMW
BMW wants 1-series to ape MINI's inaugural success
The man behind the MINI's launch in 2001, Jack Pitney, is heading up the marketing effort for BMW's new 1-series in the U.S., and he's hoping that the same warm reception granted to the MINI will be duplicated with the new 1.
A first run of anything, whether it's a comic or a car, seems to carry a certain amount of cachet. So BMW is planning on adding special badging, a certificate of authenticity and a special book outlining the coupe's development to all 1-series models sold in the States during its first year.
Enthusiasts have already made their voice heard on the 'Net, with over 100,000 people signing up for updates on the 1-series through BMW's website. The automaker is hoping that interest will turn into preorders, and is expecting that a high percentage of 1-series coupes will already be sold before they hit dealers this spring.
[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
500 2:59PM (9/24/2007)
A smaller BMW for the same price as the 3-series a few years ago. Hmmm...
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Cornholio 3:11PM (9/24/2007)
The new 3 series is too heavy. I am more concerned about the way the car drives than a few extra inches in the back seat. The 1 series has great potential. There are certainly more "rational" choices out there, but this car will be about driving dynamics and overall fun.
Small cars do not have to be cheap cars. It's time we bury this mentality.
info 5:10PM (9/24/2007)
Just look at how the bottom dropped out of the "allmighty" dollar since a few years ago.
Pete 3:21PM (9/24/2007)
The price is too high. I was excited about this car before I found out that the 128i will "start" just below 30K. Good luck finding a stripped down BMW at any dealership. Add on the typical options and this car rises above 31K and brings the 135i to 36K and up. Granted, the 135's engine is one of the best ever and that car will rock the house, but I don't think this is the entry-level BMW most people were hoping for.
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Tai 3:22PM (9/24/2007)
These will sale fast if the cars are within the price range of what most have estimated. 27k(base)-31-32k(turbo)
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FThorn 3:27PM (9/24/2007)
At that price, the CTS seems like a steal.
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srivendel 3:59PM (9/24/2007)
If pounds-per-dollar is what you're interested in, how about a nice F-250?
leather bear 3:38PM (9/24/2007)
“…and a special book outlining the coupe's development to all 1-series models sold in the States during its first year.”
Who wants to bet that this “special book” will have absolutely no mention of the 1-Series hatch that spawned the coupe as well as no mention of the 4-cyl. gas or diesel engines that are mainstays for this model in Europe?
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simianspeedster 3:44PM (9/24/2007)
If you don't understand the rationale for this car, fine, but it is going to sell like hotcakes. A few points:
1) Some of us are interested in a smaller, lighter car than the current 3 series
2) Some people want the closest thing to a BMW 3 series that they can afford. Even if it's only $3-4K cheaper when comparably equipped, that'll lower the entry point enough for many people who would otherwise be looking at Honda Accord coupes, etc. to make the stretch.
3) Smart dealers (and there will be some) will order some of their 1 Series cars with few options to bring in the folks looking to find an honest to goodness BMW (rear wheel drive and inline six power) for under $35K.
If you think a CTS or a Mustang or a Z is a better deal, great, you're free to buy what you like, but I'm certain this car is going to sell very well, especially here in Southern California.
-SimianSpeedster
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Seminole 3:59PM (9/24/2007)
It will sell, but for all the wrong reasons the X3 sold.
The X3 is just about as big as an X5, and when people stuffed them with options they were just about as expensive as an X5. $50,000 for an X3 is ridiculous.
The same thing is gonna happen with the 1-series. It will be a cheap alternative to the 3, as long as you can keep the options down. Want the bigger engine? Xenon lights? Shiny paint? Leather? Navigation? Auto tranny? You can say hello to your $40,000 on it's way out of your wallet. The dealers aren't smart enough to order them with few options, because options are where they make their money!
It will be like every other BMW, a great car in all aspects, except the price.
Dondonel 4:13PM (9/24/2007)
This car is neither significantly smaller or lighter than the 3 series. It is about 10 cm shorter and about 50 to 100 kg lighter. It does not improve on 3 series on handling either, it still does not have a LSD, not even as an option (what !?? why?).
Regardless of this I will still consider it next year when I my lease term ends. To me it just looks better than any BMW right now, and it reminds me of '80s 3 series. It is amazing how just a few details can make a car awesome or simply ruin it. IMO the 1 series hatch is the ugliest BMW ever, while the coupe is the nicest. Funny thing.
Stéphane Dumas 4:12PM (9/24/2007)
Yes, it'll be a success for a short-term but as a more long-term...
...the 1-series could damage the image of BMW. To be more precise the image of exclusivity selling BMW to the dozen like the dozens of camrys and accords we see in our driveways. Maybe I'm too pessimist, but selling BMW to the dozens, made them common perhaps even....too common.
Will the upcoming 1-series will "cheapen" the image of BMW like what the Packard 120 and Clipper did to Packard?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_120
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Clipper
Auto historian Richard M. Langworth written a very good article about the Packard 120 in the December 2005 issue of the magazine Collectible Automobile. He stated then the 120 was a good idea for Packard to handle during the last years of the Great Depression while others like Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow, Cord didn't make it, however after WWII, Packard continued to made the 120 and his successor the Clipper to a lower-price braket going after Oldsmobile and DeSoto customers instead of Cadillac. Former Packard president Jance Nance saw this and tried to made the Clipper a separate brand but it was too little too late.
Could history repeat for BMW? The context had changed a whole lot since but who knows?
simianspeedster 4:20PM (9/24/2007)
Points well taken, Seminole.
Maybe my perspective has more to do with what I see in the SoCal market. I definitely see plenty of cars around here (especially 3 Series) that are far from loaded: smaller engine, no Nav, no Premium Package or optional wheels, regular seats, etc.
Perhaps it has a lot to do with regional lease programs which drive sales of models configured with some options, but not over the top. For example, the "standard" 328i lease here seems to include the Sports Package ($1,000), leather seats ($1,450), metallic paint ($475) and an automatic transmission ($1,275). That's an additional $4,200 MSRP, which isn't too bad.
Skip the automatic, and you've only added $3,000 -- that would allow for a nicely configured 328i for $33-34K. Sure, some dealers will go bonkers with options and loaded 135i's, but I think we'll see plenty of 128i's for under $35K, and I personally think 220HP is enough for this car with a manual.
-SimianSpeedster
mike 9:01PM (9/24/2007)
Wrong.
I hope it sells but I don't think so.
The initial Buzz for this car was that it was a 50MPG BMW. Plus, it had room for 4 people with 4 doors.
Now that it gets 25 to 30, it's just another car. In the market it now competes with the Mustang GT.
BMW U.S. are gutless wonders.
jg 4:40PM (9/24/2007)
From what I've read you can't overload on the options with the 135i. It only comes fully loaded, leather, xenons, M package, 6 piston calipers in front.
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voodoobru 4:41PM (9/24/2007)
am i the only one hoping for a sedan in this format? the current generation of rwd sedans are just too big i.e. g35/335/is
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Jackson 11:44PM (9/24/2007)
You're not. I second that.
justin 4:49PM (9/24/2007)
RWD? I guess they don't want anyone from a snowy state to buy one....
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500 5:02PM (9/24/2007)
Huh? Gee, it's a good thing it never snows in Germany, or here in New England where RWD BMW, Mercedes and older Volvo models are a dime a dozen. I've been driving RWD cars in Maine and Massachusetts for over 20 years.
A well sorted-out RWD car, especially with modern traction and stability control, is as good or better in the snow than FWD. Much more predictable handling.
robz4 7:44PM (9/24/2007)
Justin...the answer to your questions is simple: SNOW TIRES..I always put them on my Z4 and never had any troubles driving it in winter (even up here in the Great White North)