# WSJ Article on 7 Series (sales trends and planned fixes)



## jben (Feb 28, 2003)

From this mornings Wall Street Journal, Personal Journal, Cars section.
I was surprised that 7 Series sales have dropped so much and also comments that car "flopped in Europe, especially with more conservative German and Swiss customers."

Complete text below.

****
BMW Accelerates
To Fix Its '7 Series'

Purists Disliked Styling And the iDrive Controls;
Sales Are Off 12% This Year
By NEAL E. BOUDETTE Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

FRANKFURT-Two years ago, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG did a radical redesign of its 7 Series sedan, and ended up making big waves among its fans. Now the German car maker is rushing to calm the waters.

BMW is working on a revamped version tentatively slated for launch in the second half of next year, about a year sooner than originally planned, people familiar with the matter said.

The touched-up 7 Series will still aim to present a striking look, but will modify some features that drew howls from purists, such as the front "face" of the car, its bulbous trunk and the dreaded iDrive interior control system, these people said. Peik von Bestenbostel, a BMW spokesman, said the company doesn't comment on cars that are still in development, but said BMW and other car makers typically refresh models every few years. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand, for example, has just updated its top model, the LS 430. It has been on the market a year longer than the 7 Series, however.

The early redesign is a sign BMW went too far with the 7 Series. The car, which starts at about €72,400 ($84,476) in Europe, was the first of several vehicles designed to give the company a bolder, ultramodern look and feel. BMW hoped this would satisfy customer desire for more "curbside presence" in its top-of-the-line model.

When the 7 Series arrived in showrooms in 2002, some fans revolted. A "Stop Chris Bangle" campaign aimed at BMW's American chief designer sprang up on the Internet. BMW has defended the car, pointing out that this version of the 7 Series has outsold its predecessor in the U.S. and Asia. But it has flopped in Europe, especially with more conservative German and Swiss customers.

This year, even sales in the U.S. have softened. In the first nine months of this year, BMW has sold only 14,410 7 Series, down almost 12% from the same period a year ago, according to market researcher Autodata Corp. In September, sales were down 23%. Worse, some U.S. dealers have had to resort to discounts to sell the car, a tactic more familiar to down-and-dirty Chevys and Chryslers than a luxury make like BMW.

One of the main reasons for the hasty facelift is iDrive, a mouse-like knob that drivers use to scroll through a maze of menus to do anything from change the radio settings to turn off the seat heaters. It was supposed to be a leap forward in interior control, but it is so complicated it drives many customers crazy.

"The car is just wonderful to drive. The handling is incredible," said Thomas Tucker, owner of a 2002 7 Series in Mountain Brook, Ala. "But this iDrive is insane. You have to take your eyes off the road or stop to see where you push the knob, turn the knob. I think it's dangerous, if you're driving."

Dealers selling competing models from Lexus and Mercedes-Benz have been trying to use iDrive to their advantage, too. Andreas Stege, who runs a Lexus dealership in Osnabruck, in northern Germany, tells prospective buyers to hop in and drive off in an LS 430 for a hour or so. "Anyone who's driven a 7 Series knows you can't just take the keys and go," he smirked. "You have to spend a hour reading the manual."

BMW also is taking out some of the curves in the 7 Series' headlights and grille to make them more conservative, said a person who has seen prototypes of the new version. The odd-looking trunk, which was the result of a last-minute change to ensure enough room for four golf bags, will be tweaked so it doesn't quite look like it was glued on as an afterthought, the person said.

Write to Neal E. Boudette at [email protected]1


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2003)

:bustingup


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

From the numbers I've seen, the US is the only market where 7er sales are down.

In the rest of the world, sales of the 7 are growing and doing quite well.


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## elbert (Mar 28, 2002)

Also, although sales may be down, how is the 7er doing in comparison to its peers?


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

elbert said:


> Also, although sales may be down, how is the 7er doing in comparison to its peers?


in the U.S, it's doing poorly compared with the Merc.

Worldwide though, I'm not sure.


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## pdz (Nov 17, 2002)

vindicated.

old timers still know what's what.


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## Technic (Jun 24, 2002)

atyclb said:


> From the numbers I've seen, *the US is the only market where 7er sales are down.*
> 
> In the rest of the world, sales of the 7 are growing and doing quite well.





> But *it has flopped in Europe*, especially with more conservative German and Swiss customers.


 :dunno:


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

Technic said:


> :dunno:


I :dunno: either.

From what I saw, sales of the 7 outside the US were up 35%


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## LeucX3 (Dec 26, 2001)

I would much rather have an S instead of a 7 and an E instead of a 5 based on looks alone. If those two MB's drive as well as the BMW's, we're in trouble.


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## bluer1 (May 30, 2002)

"There can be only one!"


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## mbr129 (Aug 23, 2002)

Leuc330Ci said:


> I would much rather have an S instead of a 7 and an E instead of a 5 based on looks alone.


Exactly.


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## numbersguy (May 21, 2003)

atyclb said:


> I :dunno: either.
> 
> From what I saw, sales of the 7 outside the US were up 35%


Must be the Russian mafia buying them. They're known to have exquisite taste in cars.


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## pdz (Nov 17, 2002)

Leuc330Ci said:


> I would much rather have an S instead of a 7 and an E instead of a 5 based on looks alone. If those two MB's drive as well as the BMW's, we're in trouble.


let's be honest and get in tune with the demographic.

people who buy the luxo barges aren't exactly placing a premium on the "driving experience". it's at the level of prestige and some sort of je ne sais pas --> but they want some level of understated elegance. i'm sure most have a playcar in the garage for the weekends...if you've seen or read about the demographics for the S class or 7 series buyer, they make a lot of money.

so, basically, it IS based on looks.

and it's a done deal. the car is getting restyled because it's getting whopped. even Jon Shafer prefers the new A8.


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

Love it--very funny. I'm happy to see BMW get as much flak as possible for their recent design decisions. 

Although, as is typical with the mass-media there are plenty of over-generalizations and incorrect facts. For example, if this face-lifted model is a 2005 model, it will be no different than the schedule for the e46 facelift-- introduced in 99, facelifted for 2002 - so BMW's assertion that its not an "early facelift" does hold water. Of course, the details of how they're implementing the facelift are probably due to the poor sales and negative reaction--although, BMW would claim that they plan out the facelift at the same time as the original (although I think this is probably BS). I also question the last sort of editorialized comment about how the trunk was a last minute decision. I think Bangle and company wanted it that way from the beginning-- I don't think it was "tacked on" at the last minute. The part about how you have to use the i-drive for everything is also unfair-- stuff like climate control, seat heaters, etc can be accomplished w/ regular buttons (although they may be placed in screwy locations in the case of the e65). And, the quote from the Lexus dealer that it takes an hour to just learn to drive the e65 is complete BS-- yeah it has a ridiculous, non-standard start procedure-- but it probably takes even the most dense person about 5 minutes to learn that (not saying that's an excuse for the contrived and ridiculous "just to be different" start procedure).

Regardless, BMW needs to get a lot of this negative mainstream press to make them change their stupid ways.


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## mbr129 (Aug 23, 2002)

pdz said:


> let's be honest and get in tune with the demographic.
> 
> people who buy the luxo barges aren't exactly placing a premium on the "driving experience". it's at the level of prestige and some sort of je ne sais pas --> but they want some level of understated elegance. i'm sure most have a playcar in the garage for the weekends...if you've seen or read about the demographics for the S class or 7 series buyer, they make a lot of money.
> 
> ...


I agree 100%. It's all about looks, comfort, and image.


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## SARAFIL (Feb 19, 2003)

pdz said:


> even Jon Shafer prefers the new A8.


I really like the E65 as it is. However, I do admit to liking the style of the LS430, S-class, E-class and the new XJ. I don't like the new A8 at all. In fact, the more I see of it, the more I dislike it. Some people dislike the E65 because it is too flashy, too far-fetched or too extreme. I dislike the A8 for the total opposite reason-- it is far, far to dull and boring. It just looks like an obese A4 to me. In fact, I don't really like the styling of any of Audi's new models.


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## rost12 (Dec 22, 2001)

numbersguy said:


> Must be the Russian mafia buying them. They're known to have exquisite taste in cars.


Hey now. You gonna tell me there's something wrong with Brabus'ed MBs?


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

SARAFIL said:


> I really like the E65 as it is. However, I do admit to liking the style of the LS430, S-class, E-class and the new XJ. I don't like the new A8 at all. In fact, the more I see of it, the more I dislike it. Some people dislike the E65 because it is too flashy, too far-fetched or too extreme. I dislike the A8 for the total opposite reason-- it is far, far to dull and boring. It just looks like an obese A4 to me. In fact, I don't really like the styling of any of Audi's new models.


Funny--out of all those cars, the new A8 is my favorite (with the XJ and E being very close). The LS and e65 should not even be mentioned in the same breath as far as I'm concerned-- they're orders of magnitude lower on the "elegant design" scale. Anyway, I finally saw a new A8 in person the other day and thought it looked absolutely gorgeous-- I couldn't stop staring at it. I do see what you mean by "big A4", but IMO that's not a bad thing-- and the longer length makes the form even more elegant and sophisticated looking. OTOH, The older gen A8 seemed even more blatantly "big A4", and bland-- I never liked it much. Of the current Audi models, I like the A4 and A8-- don't really like the A6 and TT. The interior of A8 also puts all the others to shame.


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## SARAFIL (Feb 19, 2003)

robg said:


> Funny--out of all those cars, the new A8 is my favorite (with the XJ and E being very close).


 :dunno:

I don't like the A8 at all. It looks even worse with those nasty 20-spoke wheels they have as an option. (Since when are the optional upgraded wheels supposed to make the car look worse?) The back is ugly, the front is bland, and the side profile is nothing to write home about.

I haven't used it yet, but I also can't understand how MMI is a "simplified iDrive"... I can utilize iDrive at any time by using the single controller and going through the various menus/pages. Adding a bunch of buttons around the controller, thus requiring me to use a combination of button pushes and controller inputs, doesn't seem any easier to me. Maybe it just seems easier to someone that hasn't used either system before, because at least the MMI makes them feel like they can make sense of it. At first glance, iDrive might seem impossible, but after a few minutes of fiddling with it, I don't know how anyone couldn't pick up on at least some of the basic controls.


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2003)

robg said:


> Funny--out of all those cars, the new A8 is my favorite (with the XJ and E being very close). The LS and e65 should not even be mentioned in the same breath as far as I'm concerned-- they're orders of magnitude lower on the "elegant design" scale. Anyway, I finally saw a new A8 in person the other day and thought it looked absolutely gorgeous-- I couldn't stop staring at it. I do see what you mean by "big A4", but IMO that's not a bad thing-- and the longer length makes the form even more elegant and sophisticated looking. OTOH, The older gen A8 seemed even more blatantly "big A4", and bland-- I never liked it much. Of the current Audi models, I like the A4 and A8-- don't really like the A6 and TT. The interior of A8 also puts all the others to shame


Agreed 100%.

I saw a new A8 on the road the other day and I honestly was struck by how drop-dead beautiful it was. Just gorgeous.

I, too, thought the prior-gen A8 was very bland. But the new one looks great.

Remember, most people with $70-90K to drop on a large sedan are pretty conservative, athletes and celebrities aside. Whether anyone want to admit it or not, middle-aged and older white men buy most of the cars in this class. I have yet to see an old white man piloting an E65.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Leuc330Ci said:


> I would much rather have an S instead of a 7 and an E instead of a 5 based on looks alone. If those two MB's drive as well as the BMW's, we're in trouble.


 Having driven an E55 AMG and a (pre-supercharger), along with two E65s and an E60, I can say this:
The 745Li is one hell of a lot more fun to drive than the S55. The S55 has awful steering, mushy brakes, annoying traction control (push it too hard and you actually hear BANGING in the tail), and the most annoying POS windshield wipers in existence. It also has pretty mediocre sound damping compared with the E65.

The E55 AMG, though, represents a serious threat to the BMWs. It has downright BMW like brake feel and steering (although the ratio is a little long), it has the fastest downshift I have ever seen in any automatic ever, and it genuinely handles. We're tlaking about a car with 469hp that will downshift into FIRST gear at moderate throttle and go rocketing forward. I expect the E60 M5 will be a better drive, but MB has a serious contender in the E55. More to the point, the luxo-performance ground is positively gaga over it. (And well they should be... I could live with an automatic if it happened to be an E55.) Did I mention that it has a proper manumatic mode and shifting buttons on the steering wheel?


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## Lomag (Jul 17, 2003)

Jason,

I think you miss the point. The X5 4.8is will not be offered here in USA but it will certaintly be available in other countries. BMW has heck of a lot of models and options available in other countries which are not available here.

With that said the top of the line X5 for the U.S will have 4.4 V8 from the 745/545 which replaces the 4.6 as bmwusa.com shows.

You've got to remember when you email bmwna you get an answer for north america. If you want a global answer email BMWAG directly.


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## Jason (Mar 1, 2002)

Lomag said:


> Jason,
> 
> I think you miss the point. The X5 4.8is will not be offered here in USA but it will certaintly be available in other countries. .


Nope, she's US bound next year

X5 4.8


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## pdz (Nov 17, 2002)

Jason said:


> Nope, she's US bound next year
> 
> X5 4.8


geez. this is even worse than london calling arguing with me about british build quality.

some things are so obvious that arguments about them are completely ridiculous.

this is one of them.

the 4.8 was made more for the US market more so than any other car market short of saudi arabia, i bet.


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## elbert (Mar 28, 2002)

Let's face it, BMWNA:
1. doesn't know how to treat its customers
2. doesn't know what the hell is going on with its products

Either BMWNA is great at acting dumb or is just plain dumb.


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