Quote:
Originally Posted by b.oom
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coni
Do you think that the Pure model is going to be a lightweight version? Otherwise I don't understand why they'd have a model thats more "basic" than the base version.
As an aside - I hate that MB & BMW are now having these higher-end versions of the AMG & M cars that have more performance than standard AMG/M cars. It used to be that getting an M3 meant you were getting the best performance car BMW could make on the 3-series platform. Now it feels to me that M3 is being artificially restrained so that they can demand more money for the real best performance car they can make: the M3 Competition or whatever they call it. If they follow MB (and they will - BMW has shown that they will copy literally everyone this past decade) then the price difference between the M3 and the "actually this is really the M3" will be +$8k.
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Merc and Audi are no longer competitors since they're offering heavier and unbalanced cars, respectively. BMW has left with Alfa and Cadillac (which don't have the value or the image) and the only way to go is towards Porsche; and since you cannot sell at the same time a base M3/4, along with a CS, CSL and finally a GTR (á la E46), hypothetically, to go after all the 911 based GT cars Porsche has to offer, they're starting with these baby steps to let the public get used to the idea.
If you pay attention to some of the so-called "car fans videos" posted here and there, you'll find, in fact, sponsored vids with older M3s driven along same age 911s. Saw one with a 2002 along with an early gen 911, both red, one after another, at an event. This is pure integrated marketing.
More than anything, I don't quite understand why BMW hasn't started earlier with a more diverse M3 offering.
So, basically, Merc started with Black Series models after they saw how successful was the modern M3 CSL. But you simply cannot compare a CLK GTR AMG with its E46 counterpart. Hah. |
I think BmW does compete with Audi. That's why they opted to Do the M340i meme. Directly parallels Audi's S line.
Thé M cars do seem to match up with Porsche's nomenclature though.
Base-Base
S- Competition
911 T - Pure
911 GTS - CS
CSL and the rest differ though. 911s go way up in power BMWs don't. BMWs also aren't really competing directly anyway. Who cross shops a 3800 lb 4 door with a 2+2 at 3k lbs?
Also the Turbo is a GT car. Not set up to track at all. No BMW parallel unless you count M5 I suppose