German Car Zone

^ There are millions of rich people, BMW could sell then without problems if it were a great car. I don't know about you, but €100,000 for a car is not overly much. A nice 5er costs 100,000 over here. And an M6 €200,000. Still you see then driving around regularly.

I agree. A new 750i with a few Individual parts and all the options I wanted set me back $256,274 AU. As a great admirer of the CS concept, I would be and I know of many others who would also be willing to spend 300-400k AU for the CS concept because it simply is such an amazing car. I would forgive BMW for all of their off centre decisions of late if a CS production car was produced.

Exactly one of the questions I asked to make the CS work as an alternative than the 7er we would need to have a V8. The CS would be the image builder for BMW as it strikes the perfect identity for BMW. Audi have the R8 and Mercedes had the SLR or soon the SLS, such a car like the CS defines BMW's image as the purveyor
of sporty sedans and coupes.
Whereas the lower end CS the V8 or Diesel would be priced at the same level as the top line XJ's. The Top end CS's will be positioned at top line cars like the Aston Martin Rapide .

The whole question arose because what is in the pipeline post recession for BMW? , what is there for people to adhere to when consumer confidence emerges?
Surely enough cars like the Panamera are still selling , Bentley's sales maybe down but the SuperSports model is proving popular as is the Mercedes-Benz SLS and the Rolls-Royce Ghost whose deliveries now run into 2011.
Having a range of compact personal cars for all tastes is one thing but there will be customers willing to spend big on something they have worked up to over the years.

Truthfully the BMW Board loved the CS and when I mean Loved they were ecstatic and many were in front to actually be the first owners.
Even today there are BMW executives who borrow the Concept CS for a quick run around the block, They asked the designers for something "as soon as you get in you would not want to leave" and the engineers for something on the level of "your mood changes when you approach your destination". Which is why the status of engineers and project managers for this car are the BMW equivalent of Rock Star status.

The business plan was well considered as a niche vehicle low volume , priced above the 7er , sales of a few thousand a year.

With the name Gerhard Richter attatched to the Project manager title - instantly you know this car is going to amazing. Interior was to handled by the same team who devised the quality control for Rolls-Royce which let you know the comfort , luxury and craftmanship will be befitting of such a great looking car. Design wise there was only additional details added to the front of the car such as more moulded front bumpers , extended to provide low impact crash protection. The wide twin kidney grille was left intact with the same shapely headlights, although some aspects of appearence of the car have been cannibalised by the next generation 6er. Out of respect the car has been relatively left alone .

Should the prospects of a rise in the state of the economy and the return of consumer confidence. And given the confidence and admiration the whole of BMW have for this car then like Phoenix it could possibly arise from the ashes.
Let us pray that things get better because I want one , and so do the many thousands I have met who were prepared to give me a blank cheque the world over.

I would think a better image builder for BMW or a halo car for BMW would be a small sports car that was light in weight and light on gasoline. No matter which way the economy swings gasoline will remain a precious commodity in dwindling supply. Despite all the great cars BMW produces across the range, the 3 series is still by far the most famous and BMW is still regarded as producing the best small sports sedan, moreso then big luxury GT car which is not really associated with the letters BMW. I know it might sound like yesterday's news, but a small lighter 3 series sedan with a truly unique and efficient drivetrain not seen yet would be a true halo car and game changer IMO, regardless of economic climate. A CS based car will be interesting for a few weeks-months but not be any kind of game changer. It would not be on the forefront of any kind of car discussion just as the maserati granturismo and ferrari scaglietti are beautiful and desireable cars, but not any kind of game changer or anything that anyone thinks about on a daily basis.

I hate to see BMW pigeon holing themselves into a corner of the market that is high profit today but is not neccesarily sustainable in the long term. A big GT car has never been the savior of any car company, its always been the small lightweight and inexpensive cars that have been the game changers (think porsche boxster, bmw 700, audi a4 that saved their respective companies from the brink)

That's quite interesting there. I guess the best way I can see this, and not cannibalize the sale of 7er, is to market the CS V8/Diesel against the SuperSport (or whatever) version of the XJ as seeing that this will be quite more dynamic than the XJ can hope to be. The only car that might rival the CS in the driving dynamics dept. is the Panamera but that car is TOO fugly for anyone to consider it over the CS.

As for Top End CS to be around the Rapide, actually I wouldn't be too worried about that. As far as we've seen, while it's still beautiful, the Rapide is an elongated DB9, whereas the CS is a whole new design direction that has only recently been rivaled by the Lamborghini Esoteque. Which, by the way, is going to be priced far higher than the CS anyways, giving you guys more leeway on the marketing of this and pushing it in higher volumes than you would otherwise. Of course, you guys have a whole Marketing research dept. at your disposal that I don't, but I still think I might be striking a cord with you here.

I think you're absolutely right. The big money cars aren't really suffering in this recession, and if anything this recession has made the gap between rich and poor even larger.

I do side with you and with all those at BMW who see this as a means of earning respect and not going in the direction of MB and AUDI by creating wannabe UberCars; no offense to the SLS and R8. I think by creating something that is a 4door/coupe-ish you're making everybody see BMW in a different light, yet when they witness/feel the car and it's dynamics also all the tech (that you say it has) they will give BMW the credit that it deserves. I'm one of those people who believe in the "when everyone is going in a certain direction, you go the other way," and I believe that is what BMW is trying to accomplish with this.

I can just imagine if the CS can strike the same type of sporty and comfort dynamics that the R8 possesses then it will just obliterate the limelight that is on AUDI right now. I'm sure you've noticed that with nothing else there, AUDI is milking the R8 as much as possible. MB has already milked the SLR and thus are moving over to the SLS. I think if BMW reacts to this correctly, by the time we're getting out of this recession you guys could have a hit on your hands. People love being different, and the CS is the king of different right now, but don't let Lambo or someone else beat you to it.

Instead of building the CS as a financial low-risk image builder, BMW decided to enter the GT/PAS-Adventure throughout the line-up and achieved the exact opposite to an image builder. Congrats.

Hmmm
when the CS will be build.Will be the 6er GT build too or not??? I think then can the 6er GT be more lighter and sportier.
Then the 6er GT become a smaller nose grill becouse the CS is the flagship

I do not see typical 7, S-class, A8 buyers - buying the new XJ.

I did ask Scott before and know....I AM JUST PLAIN HAPPY AND SATISFIED!!!!!:

BMW N E E D S a brand builder!!!!!!!!!!! They do! Low volume, huge profits etc. They still need one!

I think it's completely retarded and reactionary that BMW all of a sudden talks about CS again, because Jaguar has released a new butt-ugly XJ.

CS shouldn't have been cancelled in the first place, but talking about reviving it because of the XJ is just crazy. As if Jaguar is the company with such a great business model that BMW simply has to follow them They sold so many cars in the last 20 years.....
Jaguar is close to being bankrupt, but whatever.

Yes, correct. And they were all completely sane and healthy when the decicion was made. The only thing that has changed is the introduction of the crappy XJ, and suddenly there are talks about reviving the CS??? It really does make no sense to me, basing a business model on that thing from Jaguar.

I still think BMW needs a brand builder.

On the ecomoy-of-scale side...the 5er GT and 7er put together pose more of a threat to the XJ than the other way around + the S-class and next A8 will make it even more difficult for the XJ....Oh yes, one must NEVER forget the Panamera....in 'S' guize it is more of a thread to any of the other german luxury brands than the XJ.

Still the CS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CANCELLED!!!!