Motorola

lol, you wish. Guess you haven't seen the last-gen TLX owners drop their TLX in favor of A4's and 3 Series instead of the new TLX on the Acurazine forums. That's what happens to your customer base when you make an uncompetitive product and appeal only to badge loyalists.

Toys4RJill

But those are “prior” customers. They move on…

Vladi

Actually I find it more disturbing when someone keeps on buying a same model with each generation.

F1Driver

What about prior customers of BMWs? They're quite a loyal bunch.

Toys4RJill

There used to be a day where someone bought a 3 series, then moved on to a 5 series, then maybe a 7 series. But now the first car turns into a new crossover on 2nd lease….Kelly Taylor wouldn’t be caught dead in a new 3 series at 50 years of age…she would be in a 8 series

mmarshall

Might want to let Kelly speak for herself on that one, if she has not already done so.

F1Driver

Nah, she'd be in a brand spanking new BMW X7 with all the bells and whistles. But it's still a BMW? So, she hasn't "moved on".

Toys4RJill

Ha nice one.

Toys4RJill

The race track stuff is interesting. Impressive they have an all new engine

Kense

I don’t think that’s how it works. Not everybody wants a big boat of a car like a 5 or 7 or 8 series just because they get older. I’d rather have an M3 over a 5 or 7 series.

Toys4RJill

M5 carries more status than an M3. Has a lot more power too. But traditionally, buyers moved up the size and scale of cars...

patgilm

In general I feel you are right, it does carry more status but these cars are getting bigger and bigger and heavier and heavier and many M3 buyers like the smaller size of the M3. I personally like the size of something smaller better since it’s just easier to maneuver and more fun. However if I don’t go EV I am, like you said, moving up to a M5 over the M3 for a couple reasons. First, the M5 adds a lot more luxury to go along with the power. Second, while I don’t like the subtleness/similar look of the M5 vs the regular 5 series and wish it had more differences on the exterior to distinguish it/make it more unique, I really don’t like the new front end of the new M3.

Kense

M5 is a drag car in a straight line it’s faster but on a track the M3/4 is a better car. I don’t care about status .That car is too big. I hate big cars. In fact I’ll take an M2 CS over an M5.

Toys4RJill

No doubt people like smaller cars, a smaller car is often more fun you are right. . Was just saying Traditionally consumers moved up within a brand as their careers and lives evolved and changed over time. Now the trend is to move in to a crossover. GM and Ford used to move buyers up into newer more premium brands as well.

EZZ

I think luxury buyers tend to move across brands often as most just lease for 3 years. In fact, I think more people move across brands than stick with 1 brand in the luxury segment. Also, most people don't ever go larger than 5 series or X5. In they want to get something better, they just move upward to a Porsche Cayenne or Panamera.