Z4 to be axed ?!

Mavster

Member
 London
I read on BMW Blog that many models might be axed to keep the company profitable in the future like the 8 Series and also more importantly the Z4. :thumbsdown:

We might all be driving classic cars in 15 years :)
 
The new front wheel drive, hideous looking 1 series is a bad omen for things to come I think. :|
'The ultimate drivers car'. Not any more.
 
The recent designs across the range are questionable to say the least & in a few years time I'd wager Bmw will look back at 2018/19/20/21 figures & scratch the head.
The G29 is classic example plus factor in the wildly optimistic price point & I'd be amazed if units sold over 24months equated to design & build costs.
Therefore not a surprise if it is shelved.
 
Given how many variants there are of BMW I'm not surprised they think they'll have to rationalize; it's their own fault for going down the merc route of developing a model for every possible niche. Would be a shame to see the Z4 model be retired but the G29 isn't exactly selling in huge numbers and reviews have been pretty meh. I wouldn't be surprised if they focused on the 1/3/5/7 and X variants only going forward.

At least there will always be E85s and the like on the secondhand market.
 
It’s weird if you think of all of the different models that BMW now makes 1-8 series all the X series plus Z and I’s , that a hell of a lot of different cars even before you look at the various iterations. Then look at say ford who do the KA , Fiesta, Focus , Mondeo and 3 or so soft roders. It’s a complete turn around from when BMW used to be a more niche manufacturer
 
mr wilks said:
The recent designs across the range are questionable to say the least & in a few years time I'd wager Bmw will look back at 2018/19/20/21 figures & scratch the head.
The G29 is classic example plus factor in the wildly optimistic price point & I'd be amazed if units sold over 24months equated to design & build costs.
Therefore not a surprise if it is shelved.

I agree with this, BMW are quite frankly a joke imho, how they can ask 55k for a loaded G29 is beyond me as the car is lame.

However, to say they’re already thinking of shelving the Zed for example after only 6 months of sales and what? 4, 5 years of R&D, admittedly in partnership to chassis and engine only, is folly imho. Simply does not make sense.
 
john-e89 said:
mr wilks said:
The recent designs across the range are questionable to say the least & in a few years time I'd wager Bmw will look back at 2018/19/20/21 figures & scratch the head.
The G29 is classic example plus factor in the wildly optimistic price point & I'd be amazed if units sold over 24months equated to design & build costs.
Therefore not a surprise if it is shelved.

I agree with this, BMW are quite frankly a joke imho, how they can ask 55k for a loaded G29 is beyond me as the car is lame.

However, to say they’re already thinking of shelving the Zed for example after only 6 months of sales and what? 4, 5 years of R&D, admittedly in partnership to chassis and engine only, is folly imho. Simply does not make sense.

I wouldn't expect imminent shelving but id be surprised if they even bother with a LCI edition & looking 18 months down the line it wouldn't be staggering news to hear the G29 is on its way out completely
 
mr wilks said:
john-e89 said:
mr wilks said:
The recent designs across the range are questionable to say the least & in a few years time I'd wager Bmw will look back at 2018/19/20/21 figures & scratch the head.
The G29 is classic example plus factor in the wildly optimistic price point & I'd be amazed if units sold over 24months equated to design & build costs.
Therefore not a surprise if it is shelved.

I agree with this, BMW are quite frankly a joke imho, how they can ask 55k for a loaded G29 is beyond me as the car is lame.

However, to say they’re already thinking of shelving the Zed for example after only 6 months of sales and what? 4, 5 years of R&D, admittedly in partnership to chassis and engine only, is folly imho. Simply does not make sense.

I wouldn't expect imminent shelving but id be surprised if they even bother with a LCI edition & looking 18 months down the line it wouldn't be staggering news to hear the G29 is on its way out completely

That’s my point, it was 4 years before a facelift on the E89, hardly a mammoth seller, you’d assume they’d give it similar before pulling the plug on the G29, which I think will happen as it’s crap frankly, but after 6 months..?? No way.
 
john-e89 said:
mr wilks said:
john-e89 said:
I agree with this, BMW are quite frankly a joke imho, how they can ask 55k for a loaded G29 is beyond me as the car is lame.

However, to say they’re already thinking of shelving the Zed for example after only 6 months of sales and what? 4, 5 years of R&D, admittedly in partnership to chassis and engine only, is folly imho. Simply does not make sense.

I wouldn't expect imminent shelving but id be surprised if they even bother with a LCI edition & looking 18 months down the line it wouldn't be staggering news to hear the G29 is on its way out completely

That’s my point, it was 4 years before a facelift on the E89, hardly a mammoth seller, you’d assume they’d give it similar before pulling the plug on the G29, which I think will happen as it’s crap frankly, but after 6 months..?? No way.
You don't have one n order then John. :fuelfire:

Have to say right at the moment. Right up and down the BMW range there are some hideous monsterosities. Mainly caused by the fuggly, bling laden, front end grills, that some blind accountant has signed off for production. Come on BMW sort it out please. :cry:
 
The magic has just disappeared hasn’t it.

There was a time when M meant something quite special. Now they are just quicker production cars.

I like the M2 but it just doesn’t feel that special... the interior is frankly crap no real evidence of where your money went. The comp model... I hate the sound of that m3/4 engine sounds like a lawnmower at best makes me cringe every time I hear one.

Being back in an M it just feels so special that engine was a masterpiece. They have lost their way and marketing determines the direction often to the detriment of enthusiasts.

That being said can you think of any major manufacture that’s killing it? All modern cars look and sound the same there is very little reason to buy one over another.

Recently the gf wanted a hatchback to commute I was blown away that BMW Audi Merc didn’t have a single car in the top 10 autocar hatchbacks for 2018..

2019 the a3 and A series creeped into 7th and 8th... pretty poor from the Germans considering this is the best selling segment and the 1 series nowhere to be seen.
 
I suppose we have to put at least some of the blame on ever decreasing co2 limits pretty much forcing manufacturers to go forced induction with ever more suffocating exhaust filters. Only some of the blame mind and perhaps not a very large portion.
 
ph001 said:
I suppose we have to put at least some of the blame on ever decreasing co2 limits pretty much forcing manufacturers to go forced induction with ever more suffocating exhaust filters. Only some of the blame mind and perhaps not a very large portion.

Doesn’t affect the way they look though.
 
Mavster said:
I read on BMW Blog that many models might be axed to keep the company profitable in the future like the 8 Series and also more importantly the Z4. :thumbsdown:

We might all be driving classic cars in 15 years :)

Well we might be driving discontinued cars and they’ll be classics compared to modern cars in due course but value is a different question...

The nature of cars is under question and this more than profitability will be the step change for car ownership and production values.
 
I think the current design language has a lot to answer for in this.. And yes, the complete saturation and permutations of all the models! It's all got a bit too much...
 
Maniac said:
Steve84N said:
I've switched to Mercedes and not looked back since...

BMW and Mercedes have terrible reliability on the whole. Why else do they depreciate like a stone...

Pretty much all modern cars depreciate heavily?
There’s the VAT loss from new - then another drop as they fall out of manufacturer’s warranty. Another as the model is superseded and in these days of the PCP: It is often cheaper to ‘ hire’ a new car ( or one up to three year old) car than to finance a high value used one.
Higher end or performance Mercedes and BMW cars can be expensive to run and unless you are a confident DIY mechanic: You have to accept that.
But have you seen the depreciation on a £30K Ford or Vauxhall?
There will be huge changes in the car market, once the next generation hybrid and electric cars take-off.
We petrol heads will not have the performance advantage and pretty soon sound generators could steal our aural advantages too.
The G29 is already looking ‘ old hat’ and doesn’t do anything new....
My brother has just bought an M240i - Goes like hell.
But has lost something along the way....
 
srhutch said:
ph001 said:
I suppose we have to put at least some of the blame on ever decreasing co2 limits pretty much forcing manufacturers to go forced induction with ever more suffocating exhaust filters. Only some of the blame mind and perhaps not a very large portion.
Doesn’t affect the way they look though.

The looks are very subjective though, I actually quite like the way it looks. It's the way it drives that's the killer for me.
 
tomscott said:
That being said can you think of any major manufacture that’s killing it?

Kia?

Seriously though, I am well overdue a test drive of an i30N.
 
Am already thinking by retirement day, I'll have the grandchildren going 'What's that funny rusty coloured 4 wheeled thing in the photos Grumps?

IMO, the day to really watch out for change is once America has a president who tell's everyone to wake up & smell the coffee about the environment.. then I believe the world will really change
 
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