The automotive landscape is changing. New cars are generally becoming more and more expensive and sooner or later there will probably be no more small cars. And Mercedes wants to do without (relatively) cheap entry-level models in the future. Now the main competitor BMW is reacting to these plans.
In Munich they want to go a different way: BMW boss Oliver Zipse is committed to entry-level models. “We’re not leaving the lower market segment,” he said on Wednesday at an event hosted by the supplier Bosch. At the same time, the signs are also pointing towards luxury at the Bavarian manufacturer. The new 7 series, including the electrically powered i7, is being introduced these days, the most luxurious vehicle that BMW has ever offered in series production. Zipse sees no contradiction in this: “Even if you see yourself as a premium manufacturer, it’s wrong, the lower market segment Giving up – that will be the core of the business going forward,” he said. His statements contrast with the strategy of rival Mercedes-Benz, which announced in July that 75 percent of its investments would go to models from the C-class and up and at the same time to reduce the number of entry-level models. For the majority of European car drivers, however, neither of the two brands will probably be affordable in the future either.
source site-13