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      09-16-2013, 09:26 AM   #49
SCOTT26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oliver1 View Post
Scott is just playing the role of a typical car salesman and is trying to sell you what he has on the lot or has coming in. No plans for an M8 but hey we have an all new M4 coming in soon that is just as good. Except it looks very much like a 328i M Sport at half the price.

The i8 will share the same footnote in the history of BMW as the M1. A nice effort but poor execution.

A 'true sports car' doesn't have a tiny 3 cylinder engine. For the same price you can get an M6 with twice the performance. The performance of the i8 is what you expect from an i4 but then BMW couldn't charge twice the price to re-coupe the R&D costs.

Other than the CFRP, which has been around for how many years now? There is nothing earth shattering about the i3/i8. Put a perpetual motion machine in the
cars to generate electricity and you will really have a game changer. BMW i PR reminds me of when the Segway came on the scene and how it was going to revolutionize transportation.
The M4 is more than a standard 428i or 435i , M4 is its own car this is not the Audi RS5. Everything on the M4 is different , the body is wider to accommodate the wider track and the body panels differ if I were being honest the only exterior components the M4 has shared with the 4er Coupe are the door handles.

For BMW M. This is a perfect opportunity to create a new icon. The M3 Coupe is dead. So stop prolonging the wake , others want to get on with their lives.
BMW M4 will be a new icon because it tackles a major concern with enthusiasts the world over and that is the weight reduction. It progresses on from the initial Implementation car the BMW M3 CSL to refinement , BMW M3 E92 to extensive progress - BMW M4 Coupe. A reveal of specification is due very soon , so I will not give the entire news away , but a lot of progress in utilising CFRP is in the BMW M4 Coupe.

And this progress is defined by the BMW i3 and BMW i8.
We could have invested a lot of money into a forgettable high speed disco express with little return or we could invest in our future to safeguard independence. Independence from interference from a parent company which means when they sneeze their brands all catch colds.

BMW justified investment in sustainability and product. Product that sells in huge numbers, engineering solutions that can define a particular series of models and lead to expansion of further models. A super sports car can take up that amount of money best used for other ideas, but eventually there is progress and then someone makes you forgettable.

With an ever changing world due to legislation being imposed on manufactures there is only one solution , adapt or die.
The BMW i8 brief was to conceive something of an age where legislation would make a sports car obsolete. And we had to travel into that mindset to determine the strategy for the car. The i8 was originally tested back to back with both petrol and diesel but with major markets to consider the petrol won through.
The three cylinder engine in the i8 is not the same three cylinder coming to the new MINI. This is a special performance variant that gives the car its performance.

The i8 is a very fast car , due to its lightweight construction and aerodynamics
This is not a city car in a kit car replica body. This is the real deal , the i8 is as we state a progressive sports car.

As in every aspect of technology there is always progress further down the line and of course BMWi will not be any different in learning and adapting.
If we consider the reaction especially in regards to Teslas success in the EV Market.?
I admire Elon Musks business strategy and I am sure he likes the challenge and is probably grateful for the BMWi cars because Tesla now have a challenger in individual sustainability and of course this will get interesting for both companies.

As regards to nothing significant in the i3 and i8?

The car's stress individuality and are not an existing concept electrified.
BMWi investment incorporates infrastructure to support the cars.
The cars define a new factor of "New Premium" a progression of a luxury premium brand.
The BMW i3 is the worlds first "volume" production car to use a body structure fabricated out of CFRP.
Our competitors admit they are not even close to that level of CFRP for a volume car.
Both BMW i3 and i8 are BMWs with great dynamics.
BMW with the i3 and i8 will reach emission targets before their competitors.
Mass volume of CFRP within BMW is far more cost effective for implementation with other brands under BMW.
BMW M will use the genes of the i3 and i8 in the next generation of M cars.

The BMWi investment now moves into the core BMW brand with the development of the most technologically advanced 7er yet in under two years time. In amongst the introduction of new tech such as laser light technology , autonomous drive and driver passenger HUD with windscreen projection.
The 7er uses new composite structure utilising aluminium, hard pressed steel , magnesium and CFRP. Body panels will be manufactured from CFRP and like the i8 CFRP wheels will be featured. The next 7er will be significant lighter than today's car. Again all possible because of progress and investment .
And then the next generations all benefit.

Is it any wonder why BMW have been branded as the most innovative luxury manufacture over Audi and Mercedes-Benz?
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