Quote:
Originally Posted by alvape
Over here in Belgium I know someone who has owned Jags for the past 20 years or so, the last two being XK8s. Then the government decided to tax any car that emits over 150g of CO2/km to death, meaning the XK would've cost him €18.000 extra over the next two years (when it would be due for replacement). He now drives a 163hp XF 2.2D. Same story with my neighbour, who dreamt of owning a 911 all his life, only to have to park it in storage after a year because it just costs too much. It's the reason why you can buy a 148hp 518d and a 4-cylinder S-class in Europe.
Now imagine all those fairly well-off but not exactly filthy rich executives who can't afford a 911/6er/SL/XK anymore, being offered something like an i8. It's around their price range, they can justify it as a company car, it sets them apart from all the middle managers in their diesel wagons and offers enough range to get them to their weekend resort near the coast and back. I think that is exactly the crowd BMW could be catering for.
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Thanks for the context. I'm not very familiar with the government regulations or the potential market segments in Europe as I am in the US or the Middle East, so it's interesting to hear about examples like the two you list above.