BMW says the decision to move from a soft-top to a folding hard-top was not taken lightly.

"We conducted market research and held focus groups, and then a second round of market research to confirm what we learned the first time, before finally going ahead with the hard-top solution," 3 Series product manager Dieter Hilsch told Drive.com.au.


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Ironic really, considering what the argument for the Phantom DHC having a soft top is. Rolls-Royce's Chief Designer Ian Cameron says: "There is nothing more romantic than driving a convertible in the rain at night and hearing the drops hit the roof. In conversation with our customers we realised that they felt the same way."

It's true, Rob. But maybe they have different philosophies for those two cars since they are very different from each other, regardless of talking about cabrios...

I guess it is clear evidence that BMW really are allowing Rolls-Royce to function as an independent company with its own culture.

About the 3er, I really like the new hardtop a lot -- it makes good sense to me. I think BMW made the right decision. The CLK and A3 Cabriolet will likely follow.

They MUST allow that! BMW cannot mess with it...

Yup, me too. I was a bit sceptical in the beginning though, but now, the more i see it the more i like it.

I think we can all agree that a ragtop, while not being a great domesticator, is a more romantic solution than a hardtop. To me, both solutions fit their respctive vehicles quite well.

I don't know what marketing data suggests, but I'll bet that BMW discovered that 3er cabrio prospectives tend to use their cars as daily drivers and valued domestication and new technologies over dynamic performance and the charm of a ragtop.

Choosing hard top over soft top is a definitely a hard decision! There must be many reasons to use hard top now. BUT, IMHO when buying a cabrio, soft top is a must! I cannot think of a cabrio, that can be transformed into coupe or vice versa. For me i always had connected cabrios and softtops... I'd rather buy a cabrio with soft-top...

Consider this - An independent industry survey conducted last year cited that BMW buyers across all categories valued "Quality & Craftsmanship" as their primary reason for purchase. "Driving Enjoyment" was their number two reason for purchasing a BMW for all categories excluding SUVs - BMW SUV buyers cited "Styling" as their number two reason for purchase.

I understand that a hardtop wasn't a shoo-in because of BMW's brand principles, but in the end, it was definitely the right move.