The Death of ///M?

[Coldfuzion]

Hey guys I stumbled upon this article & thought it was really interesting. Definitely wanted to share it with the community!

http://jalopnik.com/5924573/the-death-of-bmws-m-brand

Edit: I'm not sure if this is the right section or not to post it in, if it is not Admin's please feel free to move it wherever. I apologize for any inconvenience.

[Thradya]

2x "no, it's not"

[Mason]

"no, it's not"

3x
Some of the cars he was talking about were never made for the racing or the track, such as the x5m, x6m, even the m5. Those cars are everyday cars with a little more performance.
The lime rock park m3 is a special edition, not like their going to make these every year now.
It doesn't even look that bad....

[Dudermagee]

No fucks given

[FluidMotorUnion]

3x
Some of the cars he was talking about were never made for the racing or the track, such as the x5m, x6m, even the m5. Those cars are everyday cars with a little more performance.
The lime rock park m3 is a special edition, not like their going to make these every year now.
It doesn't even look that bad....

You missed the point of Caswell's thesis. It's that M stands for Motorsport, which is where M cars originally came from -- homologation models of race cars, the first example of which was the M1, BMW's last supercar. Nowadays, they're so far removed from their race car equivalents that they can barely be considered Motorsport-related whatsoever, seeing as how they're slapping the badges on SUVs and cars that have never seen a variant hit a racetrack. Then, on top of that, there's the not-even-halfway-to-racecar M-Performance models for those who want to LOOK like they drive an M, just without all the other benefits that come with an M car.

In that sense, yes, they've strayed quite far from their original purpose and formula. There is a serious case of brand dilution, and the ///M badge does not stand today for what it used to.

But you can't blame them entirely. They're tailoring their new cars to what the buyers want (and what consumers want is typically dumb), with a bit of "well we can't lose money on every car we sell" tossed into the mix. They're a business, and they have to mass-produce cars that will sell to a wide variety of people. M has become so ingrained into BMW that it became part of the machine, not a crazy bystander on the outskirts of it.

It's partially our fault (the consumer's), and partially theirs.

I still stand by the personal belief (mine, not the belief of the company) that the X5M and X6M are abortions on wheels for rich people that can't be buggered to own a proper sports car.

[edit] You are right that the M5 was never in a race series, the E28 specifically, but those were also handbuilt cars with a production run of 2100, not 210,000 off a factory line. Along with the M1, they are among the most rare BMWs ever. Nowadays, you can find E39 and E60 M5s by the bucketload with depreciation like a motherfucker (at least in the case of the E60, since maintenance is stupid-expensive).

However, the M1, M635CSi and M3 were all homologated race cars, so the M5 is more the exception to the rule than the rule itself.

[M.Burroughs]

While the M brand is diluted, the article is so weighted it's not even funny. BMW made the M1, a homologation car.
Then they followed it up with the M5 and M6. Neither of those were race cars. Not in any way. They were fast street touring cars.
And that's what M produces today for the most part as well.
The M5 was and still is the world's fastest production sedan. The M6 was and still is a wonderfully powerful and well-rounded big touring coupe. The M3 was a homologation car, but only for its first generation. The rest haven't been. So if that's your argument, ///M died back then.

Don't cut down M because you don't fully grasp what it is. M was, and still is, one of the greatest performance divisions on the planet. The homologation racecar era came and went. I too wish that weren't the case, but just because times are different doesn't mean M is done.

[Average_Jerk]

Even the other supercar and sportscar manfactures out there make their cars more luxury than before. Times have changed, people dont want a raw sportscar. They want options, luxury and the car to think for them. But at the same time, they want it to go fast and handle well. Evolving sucks sometimes. But at the end of the day, thats the way all industries are now. The guy who is dropping $90k on a new M3 (or however much they cost now) would certainly bitch and moan if the car had a raw feel like say the E30 M. It would be too loud, too rough around the edges, too "dumb"

[Average_Jerk]

also, the X6M and that entire base is an atrocity

[bobbyjones]

Don't cut down M because you don't fully grasp what it is. M was, and still is, one of the greatest performance divisions on the planet. The homologation racecar era came and went. I too wish that weren't the case, but just because times are different doesn't mean M is done.

what that guy said

[Riskant]

Like been said by FMU...

It's what "dumb" consumers with money want!
Supply & demand... Right?
But to write them of as dead is harsh,
Every new ///M model still gets test driven @ Nürburgring.
That's still enough credit for me... (if I could ever effort one o_O )

BTW what's up with the US demanding/getting manual M5?

[Exami]

Death no, My idea of M-cars, More power, More equipment, More Sportier.

Of course there is these "more than other" CSL M3 kinda cars.

These "track specials" it seems just too US kinda thinking. Like there is Mustangs with some Laguna seca version.

Definetly they could so more Race Track cars but there is so little buyers for those..

What i don't like is going things like playing engine sounds trought speakers thats just crap.

E39 M5 has been used for track racing in V8 Superstars.

[Oxer]

BMW problems....


No care.

[Dani]

No fucks given

+1

[Ollie]

First of all why is it so surprising that BMW Group is a business in it for profitability? It is a damn publicly traded corporation after all so the decision making is limited. What people are too dumb to realize is that BMW makes great marketing and business decisions which keep them in business and allow them to make awesome M cars. A real BMW enthusiast can understand and respect that. They could literally say 'fuck you' to every enthusiast and focus on the consumer and remain just as successful, especially with the increasing competition and overall external environment. Staying true to their performance roots are the least of their worries if you understand anything about the industry. Still, they balance their heritage and what the real market wants the best that they can. If they focused on building "real" race cars, they would go under in a heart beat and their board would get sued by shareholders when the stock plummets.

And people honestly think the main market for M cars are people who respect and use them properly? Fuck that. You live in a fantasy world with no grasp on business or the real world if you believe that and this article. They have to focus on the everyday consumer, 999 out of 1000 of their customers. Not building the funnest and rawest toy for the 1 out of 1000 enthusiast, at best. And out of those 1 out 1000, another 1 out of 1000 will actually drop the money on a new BMW M. Let's all bitch and bitch how they don't make them like they used to, and pretend like we drive e36s because we prefer it and choose not to spent 60k on a new M3. I say BMW keep doing what you do and stay profitable because I would be a lot more heart hurt if the brand disappeared because of shitty business decisions like this pussy on Jalopnik. This same bullshit happens every single time BMW releases anything new. Our favorite brand makes money and we all whine.

And someone please tell me what's THAT fucking special about the e36 M3 LTW for example. And look at it today, it's a BMW guys wet dream. If they stripped this Lime Rock M3 and put in carbon fiber door panels and some other bs bits, people would be singing a different tune. But the people buying this car, wouldn't be buying it anymore. They'd go buy a regular M3. And the guys who might buy them then already bought a GTS or would prefer to tune their own e90/92.

These BMW disputes always piss me off.

[Jesus Christ]

Ollie and Dave pretty much summed it up.

Why such fucks are given because of a 5k option on a m3 that 98% of the people talking shit about the death of M will never own, even in a decade when they are half price is beyond me. It's fucking paint and a few trim pieces, everybody does it, look at scion selling that yellow volt edition or whatever that is JUST yellow paint and wheels dor 5k over sticker on a basic TC.

If in 10 years I wnt to own a e92, I'm stoked I can get a rare model as opposed to the regular cars.