BMW learns buyers want to save money, not planet
BMW carried out a survey of 2,068 motorists in Great Britain and found that no matter what motorists claim to want, what they really want is a BMW. While 20% of respondents said they look at CO2 levels when they research new cars, 75% said they'd only buy a car if they saved money. Which really means they'd only buy a car that slurped less gas than the one in the driveway. Another notable tidbit in the "Driving Change" survey revealed that only 13-percent of people believed that other folks were really buying environmentally friendly cars because of reduced emissions. That means that those Britons know why you really bought that Prius...
Fifty-four percent of the surveyed motorists also said that diesels are better on highway journeys than hybrids, and an unknown percentage of them "are demanding premium performance as well." It's a good thing then that BMW has a line of diesels mated to its EfficientDynamics technology that gets better gas mileage, emits fewer emissions, costs less in taxes, and has higher residual values. And in case you didn't know this about BMW, they're supposed to be a lot more fun to drive. If you have a massive amount of time on your hands, you can read the full report here. Otherwise, skip the words and do your duty: buy that BMW you've had your eye on, save the Earth and have fun doing it.
[Source: BMW]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tankd0g 10:03AM (10/27/2008)
Damn straight!
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Sid 10:09AM (10/27/2008)
"BMW learns buyers want brand-name, not design"
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P.V. 5:28PM (10/27/2008)
"It's not PURPLE, it's LAGUNA SECA blue!"
"Do you even know what Laguna Seca is?"
pmalloy4391 10:13AM (10/27/2008)
"buy that BMW you've had your eye on, save the Earth and have fun doing it."*
*As long as you are not in the U.S, Than your stuck with the gasoline engine.
Fixed it for ya
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Mirko 10:20AM (10/27/2008)
"*As long as you are not in the U.S, Than your stuck with the gasoline engine."
But you also have fuel at half the price of most of the world, so even if there are people in Europe with diesel bimmers getting twice your fuel economy - they are still paying the same at the pump.
pmalloy4391 10:25AM (10/27/2008)
True, however the sentence I quoted was referring to the fun diesel engines, of which we dont get in the states, not in regards to the price of fuel.
Not to say the engines we get are not fun
Mirko 10:16AM (10/27/2008)
"buy that BMW you've had your eye on, save the Earth and have fun doing it"
Done. My 118d is affordable (for a BMW), is fun to drive and gets great fuel economy (55 mpg when driving for economy but NOT under the speed limit, 40 mpg when driving like a maniac)
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BigMcLargeHuge 10:49AM (10/27/2008)
And I'll bet you got it with a 6MT as well, something that I have not yet seen on a hybrid.
Mirko 10:59AM (10/27/2008)
Sure, the manual is very good. 6th gear is VERY tall. Great on the autobahn, 200 kph = 3100 rpm.
Mirko 11:03AM (10/27/2008)
@BigMcLargeHuge
Here are some pictures if you are interested
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2213115&postcount=14
BigMcLargeHuge 11:56AM (10/27/2008)
Mirko,
I hope you don't think I was questioning the truthfulness of your statement.
I was just pointing out that you are lucky to have gotten an economical car with a 6MT, while we are stuck with hybrids and no such option.
Mirko 12:06PM (10/27/2008)
BigMcLargeHuge:
No offense, I didn't think you were doubting anything, you just seemed to be interested in the topic, so I posted the link to the thread with my experiences.
Do you really think that kind of car could sell to Americans in significant numbers?
BigMcLargeHuge 1:15PM (10/27/2008)
No worries, just clarifying. Nice car.
People like to downplay the 2% of US buyers that would buy a clean diesel. Thats still somewhere around 1-2 milion cars.
So I think if it were marketed properly, there could be demand for a 1-series diesel here.
Coco 10:33AM (10/27/2008)
Another marketing gimmick from BMW, I guess they're feeling insecure since they don't offer any hybrid offerings. Just like when they crown themselves with the "Cleanest Auto" award aka. "Efficient Dynamics", which is also marketing speak for "we don't have hybrid technology"
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Kitko 10:52AM (10/27/2008)
The team comprising a seasoned statistician, a social scientis/psychologist and a PR guru would prove anything and they would support their findings with a rock-solid statistical data.
Ask the right question, or rather, a set of questions, and you'll have the result you want.
Another thing, as Coco pointed out, is being inventive with awards...
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Travis 12:02PM (10/27/2008)
I'm shocked, SHOCKED...
I'd put the following before saving the planet:
Performance
Efficiency
Appearance
Value
Give me a dirty 2-stroke that was cheap, looked great, got 50mpg and did 0-60 in 5sec and I wouldn't care what crap I was spewing into the atmosphere...
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akboss 1:31PM (10/27/2008)
I'd say more, but 'you're stupid' should suffice.
Vincenzo 1:12PM (10/27/2008)
Why would you buy BMW if you want to save money?
Even MINIs are highly overpriced. Last time I visited the MINI dealership, all cars were in the $25,000-35,000 range. For what?
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akboss 1:29PM (10/27/2008)
Very true regarding the BMW comment, but I'd have to say the Mini is a bit of a bargain. You see, there aren't a whole lot of small cars that stand out from the masses, are built like tanks, regularly get high-40mpg, and are still exciting to drive. If I was an urbanite not planning on a big family, it would be on my top-3 list. The mini is an instant classic, something I would take care of and restore, and wouldn't be shy to give to my kids 20 years from now. I don't think that would explain a typical compact.
Mirko 3:32PM (10/27/2008)
"Why would you buy BMW if you want to save money?"
From my personal perspective:
-high residuals even for high-mileage cars -> cheap lease deals
-best-in-class fuel economy
-cheap insurance
I got my 118d in July, for my personal situation (60,000 km/year, 65% insurance rebate) the BMW beat the alternatives (Honda Civic diesel, Mazda3 diesel) easily. YMMV, of course.