Canada’s Globe and Mail has an interesting interview with BMW CEO Helmut Panke. He said the company’s product portfolio will continue to grow to meet the needs of various customers. However, BMW’s core values remain the same. “It always has one thing in common, one DNA basically, which we will never risk. I keep saying we’ll never build a boring BMW and that’s important.” Panke also commented on the BMW 1-Series for the U.S. market. He said Americans and Canadians associate hatchbacks with downmarket or utility vehicles. Panke seemed to imply that no hatch variant — five or three door — would make it to North America. BMW is widely expected to bring the coupe and convertible versions of the 1-Series to the continent, however. Lastly, Panke downplayed assertions that BMW “softened” the 7-Series of 2006. Instead, he said the company simply refined an already solid offering.
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03/02, 12:08 PM
posted by:
Ted K
one word: 318ti
yup those are snores you hear. the bottom-rung 3, at any point in time, has always been poop, especially highlighted by that 318ti abomination. 323i, etc aren’t much to rave about either.
03/02, 4:29 PM
posted by:
manny
the problem is not boring bmws, but ugly ones… though theyre somewhat stopping doing that…
03/02, 5:54 PM
posted by:
Madcapp
No kidding, the E90 is a Joke. I’d like to find the designer of the E90 interior and beat him with a baseball bat all day long.
03/02, 6:19 PM
posted by:
gsh
im thinking the CEO hasnt looked at the interior of the 3….
03/02, 7:06 PM
posted by:
Jordan
Ever see the Isetta? That’s as boring as it gets.
03/03, 2:56 AM
posted by:
Lukas
Come on guys, BMW has made a good step forward. They build cars with emotions on a high design level. I hope they will go on…
03/03, 4:52 AM
posted by:
DaEMoN
I agree with Ted K.
The 318ti was not only boring but overall one of the worst BMW designs ever, in my opinion.
03/03, 11:39 AM
posted by:
Phil
European car brands whose cars all look the same are boring. So sorry, BMW is BORING (as is Audi). I am sick of reading year-after-year reviews of the BMW M cars. Seriously, I don’t give a crap – I just skip right through them.
03/27, 9:50 AM
posted by:
Hoppy
I’m in agreement with Lukas – BMW will carve a new segment for itself with the 1 series. And regardless of your thoughts on the 318ti, had it not been for the lower pricing level of that vehicle, I would have never been able to move up into the 325i I have today. The 318ti served its purpose, a lower entry level BMW that would inevitably cause the owners to move up to a nicer 3 series down the road.
And Phil – if you dont like European vehicles or care, why bother posting? Jealousy must be hell!
07/08, 10:42 PM
posted by:
The Kat In The Hut
I liked the 318ti.
07/08, 10:47 PM
posted by:
The Kat In The Hut
Boring? As opposed to what? The sheet metal equivalent of Herpes? Get lost. Some people like understatement.
07/08, 10:52 PM
posted by:
The Kat In The Hut
A woman I know didn’t take the BMW seriously because of the flying brick body style. One day she drove one of the partner’s snappy 325. She marveled at the sound of the engine. Forever changed her attitude towards the marque.