New Report Says Some of the Best BMWs Going Away
urns out that it’s not easy making money off of small cars. Even if those small cars aren’t really all that cheap. And with a new boss in town, BMW needs to make more money from its vehicles. Which means, according to a new report, that many of BMW’s smaller cars are getting the ax.
New factories around the world, electrification, tariff wars, they all put a dent in BMW’s profitability. Enough that earnings have fallen and share prices have tumbled. It’s time to start the cuts.
A new report from Automobile says that BMW CFO Nicolas Peter is planning to save $14.5 billion by speeding up R&D, cutting the number of engine and equipment variations, and but cutting cars that cost less than 40,000 euros.
The report says that means a big cut in the lineup. Cars like the rear-drive 1 Series, the 2 Series, and the base-spec 3s don’t add much to the bottom line. But the 2 Series Gran Tourer, convertible, and 3 Series GT on the not long for this world list. Some other surprises on the Automobile DOA list include the short-wheelbase 7, the next Z4, and the two-door 8 Series models.
Instead, we’ll get lots of i models. Which won’t be much bigger, but will probably be more crossovery. Which means they’ll somehow sell better and make more money.
Evan moved from engineering to automotive journalism 10 years ago (it turns out cars are more interesting than fibreglass pipes), but has been following the auto industry for his entire life. Evan is an award-winning automotive writer and photographer and is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. You'll find him behind his keyboard, behind the wheel, or complaining that tiny sports cars are too small for his XXXL frame.
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