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      10-11-2019, 06:49 AM   #139
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Originally Posted by Io View Post
Has this chief designer heard about the Porsche 911? Keeping the same iconic (and beautiful) design for decades has turned it into a legend. One of the reasons I bought a M2 (and fitted it with M2C mirrors) is because it looks like a beautiful modern version of the M3 E36. But now BMW is trying to boost its sales by changing totally its design, and its latest productions are less and less BMWs (and more and more ugly) to my eyes. I already imagine how awful could be the G87 based on the look of the upcoming M4. Sure, it will be super fast. But I want my BMW to look like a BMW, bloody hell ! 🤬
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Originally Posted by crossmen00 View Post
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Originally Posted by Tornado1M View Post
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Originally Posted by MarkDemma View Post
Who actually LIKES these huge grills? I've heard that it's primarily to the Chinese market who love the things.

Audi / Lexus have been doing this for a while and I always thought it looked hideous. I do hope that it doesn't spread to the entire line of cars.
China is a huge market and growing bigger.....they love the BIG grills!!!
One of the most common complaints I heard in China for pre lci 7 series is that a lot of people thought the front face, not necessarily the grills, was too flat and low like an enlarged 3 series and it didn't have the look of a flagship sedan. I own a 740 in Beijing since 2017 and there was about 16% incentive at that time comparing with 0% for S class LCI. BMW even released 730 with B48N20 to dominate more market share but it still failed to compete with S class. For the recent 7 series LCI, the radical grills is also controversial in China according to the comments I heard and it is still outsold by S class. However, X7, with similar grill size, sells extremely well and there is even an extra 10,000 USD equivalent market adjusted pricing from most dealers in my city.

I would partially agree with the statements like "Chinese prefer large grill", but we still pay attention to factors other than the grills. Nevertheless, I think Chinese market response to the new 4 series, M3 and M4 (at least in terms of the appearances) should be identical to other markets because these models usually target hardcore customers, and these customers should have similar general exterior preferences regardless of their residencies and cannot be discussed with potential customers for X7, X5, or 5 series EWB from China
There's a tendency here to compare bmw to Porsche, and often it ends up being apples to oranges. I don't think the 3 series has ever had what can be considered to be an iconic design, like the 911. Remember that the 3er and 911 are designed for different markets and functions. Does anyone here think that the g20 would compete effectively in its current segment if it was a replica of the E30?

Most bmw models have to appeal to a broader market than the Porsche 911, and as such, need to evolve to compete with the competition, and please that market.
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