BMW Sales strong but E89 -16%

[mattstav]

The ONLY one thing I don't like about my car is the alcantara on the white design interior seats......that's all!!

Me too, I can't understand why they put it on there?! A nightmare to keep clean.

[philabbo]

I find this car the perfect all rounder for me, plenty enough performance, even with my little 23i engine! sounds superb, especially with the roof down. Still turns heads, and cheap to run. I have driven a fair few cars over the years and the grip on this car still amazes me, and its great as a cruiser, it just eats miles. The fact that there are little on the road is a bonus, they are less common.

[original guvnor]

Some good contributions to this thread everyone

I think most of us agree the E89 looks really good, although I share Ranski's dislike of the rear and I don't like the rear wings either.

Weight
Here's a thing to discuss - I reckon the car is far too heavy. The Audi TTS Roadster is 1,455kg, The Boxster S is 1,320kg yet the Z4 35i is 1,505kg. It's already lugging around 200kg more than the Porsche. Just when the world embraced weight reduction it seemed odd that BMW added 200kg nearly to the weight of the Z4 by sticking a complicated metal roof on it. It's supposed to be a sports car. It's supposed to be lightweight, agile and nimble!!!

Engine Size

Porsche sell more Boxsters and Caymans than BMW do Z4's despite not having an engine any smaller than 6-cylinders and 2.7 litre so the engine size is a red herring. The introduction of the 4-cylinder cars has only accelerated the decline in sales. Let's face it BMW is synonymous with the straight six engine. Surely through cylinder deactivation, hybrid, KERS etc. it could be made efficient and economical? For all of the volume the Z4 generates (13k cars in annual sales of 2m) surely they could've left a larger capacity engine in and it would do diddly squat to the average BMW Group CO2 emissions.

I think there are a number of reasons why the E89 hasn't had monumentous sales,

A) Its a niche car which only appeals to limited customers.
B) Its still relatively expensive, average 30K and over in these
penny pinching times, plus many people I would imagine think BMWs
are expensive to run and maintain so look elsewhere for value for
money when buying new.
C) I think the complexity of the roof potentially puts buyers off.

Out of interest, I would be interested to know how many 3 Series Cabriolet Coupes have sold in relation to the E89.

Tim.

I do agree with some of Tim's reasons for the possible small volumes. The selling price in a recession might have been an issue, the metal roof was certainly an issue for a lot of people. It added complexity, weight, cost and potentially much bigger repair bills if it goes wrong with not a lot of obvious benefit really. Anyone who has an E85 knows it is a quiet, warm and comfortable environment inside the cabin when you want it to be.

don't think BMW have got it wrong, for the market the E89 is aimed at its spot on. I think BMW were shrewd in not producing an M version. Their market is changing, for example the new 2 Series Active Tourer along with the i3 which appeals to a wider market etc

Tim.

I'm not sure how you arrived at this conclusion Tim. If my second generation model sells half what the first one did at roughly similar average selling prices and is in terminal decline every year from it's first full year onwards, I fail to see how that is getting it spot on. If they got their market spot on then they chose the wrong market in the first place. If that is getting it spot on I'd hate to see what you term as failure?

I think I agree with you on the M version though. It wouldn't have changed the perception of this model a whole lot and wouldn't have sold many either.

So I stick to my original point - wrong car for the wrong market and the sales don't lie.

[Angie4m]

The ONLY one thing I don't like about my car is the alcantara on the white design interior seats......that's all!!

Me too, I can't understand why they put it on there?! A nightmare to keep clean.

Even worse when someone says what's that and start engraining whatever it is further in. I now have to tell people to stop touching the seats!

[Paul c]

I for one would never have considered aE85 just never appealed, first time I saw a e89 thought what a great looking car am now on my second started with a 23i which was great but I wanted a little more power and yes I have driven Porsche nice but to exspensive to buy and run paid 34k for my 35i brand spanking would have needed another 10k for a half decent Boxster and the sound of the Z4 is just great every time you give it the loud peddle can be a little lary on maximum revs but no matter the Porsche felt a bit sanitized to me not to say they are not good cars but it did not feel worth an extra 10k to me.

[chasBMW]

Having owned both e86's & e89's I would be the first to agree that they are different cars , but better than each other ? , no just differant for the 20% of the time that I really wanted to try (you know what I mean) the Z4mc was fantastic but did the interior feel special not really whereas the 35is push on its good but not brilliant but it does feel special to sit in , so as others have said the cars were aimed at differant people if I had to choose it it would be e89 as I guess im not a spartan car type , what i really want is a car that handles like a caterham but feels like RR phantom inside dont think it exsists though . I guess the real truth is that market for this type of car is declining due to costs/green issues neither of which get on my radar much but I suppose im in the minority. If you believe Autocar this week there isnt going to be another Z4 as such it will be replaced with the result of the link with Toyota , the details didnt do much for me

[pvr]

chasBMW, I agree with your first line: they are different cars, and that is what I think this discussion is about. They made the E85/E86 with a certain level of success and target audience, then they made the E89 targeted at a different audience with a small group of E85/E86 being attracted to it.

That implies that they got it wrong though as if they got it right, the sales would be up compared to the E85/E86 so the formula change was perhaps not the best choice.

[mcbeee]

lol - seems everyone who has an e89 really wanted a boxter.

Why did they not just go buy a boxter then?

I did, then I got a 911. AND, I liked the E89 and would love a Z3MR (still looking for one).

My E89 was a cruiser, bullet fast with a Dinan remap and decent on a long drive (1300 miles each way to my condo), My wifes E85 did nothing for me, didn't like the interior, no guts in a 3.0 and looked boxy to me. I preferred the classic style of the Z3 and the updated style of the E89. Sold them all because BMW pissed me off one too many times. Needed that sports car ride again so I tested a Boxster S and bought an oldie to see how it was in the long term. Still want a Z3MR ......it's all a matter of personal choice... I love my 911, the Boxster S is great in the sunshine but I would give it up for a Z3MR...

[ZermattV]

I was in Bluebell in Cheshire yesterday - not a single E89 in the Showroom - in another large BMW dealer in the north the salesman said they sell about 14 E89s a year - I don't think they'll be another - not a sales success and not a halo car . if there is not an appetite for this kind of car why are there so many TTs around ? and showing increased sales of the TT in the US at the end of the Model life.

a lot of E85 Z4s are bought as 2nd or 3rd cars and the Z4 E89 does not feel or look sufficiently different from a lot of the target markets daily drivers or offer the day to day practicality of a TT - it falls between two stools.

[mcbeee]

In the N. American market, where a huge number of cars are sold, remember that the TT is a quattro, the Box is mid engine and the Zeds are rear wheel drive front engine ...and we get winter in half the country so a Zed is a toy for the summer. (in most cases) while the TT is an all year car, most boxes don't get winter driven here but some do and I've yet to see a Zed out on the snow here. Just this alone makes a big barrier to large sales. It has to, the big choice for the 7 months that are driveable......." Do I get a Harley and pretend to be hard guy or do I get a 2 seater sports car for twice the money and and what? Get called a hairdresser ....

[ZermattV]

Exactly mcbeee - this is the TTs biggest advantage it can appeal much more to the one car buyer.

[mcbeee]

and they make an RS version...

[original guvnor]

The TT has 4 seats in coupe guise. The rears may not be very usable but this makes the car a much more common sight on corporate company car lists. That has influenced sales in the UK at least.

[Angie4m]

The TT has 4 seats in coupe guise. The rears may not be very usable but this makes the car a much more common sight on corporate company car lists. That has influenced sales in the UK at least.

I was just about to make comment re the TT being a coupe and 4 seats be it almost unusable for most adults in the rear. You don't see too many TT convertibles doing the rounds and it would be interesting to know what the sales figures were/are on those. I did say to my other half that having the option of the XDrive in the Z4 would be great.

[original guvnor]

The TT has 4 seats in coupe guise. The rears may not be very usable but this makes the car a much more common sight on corporate company car lists. That has influenced sales in the UK at least.

I was just about to make comment re the TT being a coupe and 4 seats be it almost unusable for most adults in the rear. You don't see too many TT convertibles doing the rounds and it would be interesting to know what the sales figures were/are on those. I did say to my other half that having the option of the XDrive in the Z4 would be great.

I bet I see 25 TT Coupes for every (two seat) TT Roadster.