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Coupes & Convertibles BMW 1-Series BMW 1-Series
1812 messages, Last post on Mar 09, 2010 at 4:44 PM
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I surveyed over 650 consumers that had signed up for BMW 1 Series information on my blogs over the past 12 month to ask them a few questions prior to the launch of the BMW 1 Series this month. The results have been compiled in a 29 page report, and here are some of the highlights: 1. Over 40% of the consumers who were once interested in the 128i or 135i are now off the market and considering other vehicles. 2. Since BMW priced the 1 Series so close to the 3 Series, it has forced consumers to hold off pre-orders until they can see and drive the car. Many may end up buying a 3-Series model instead of a 1-Series car. 3. The pricing strategy has angered many initial BMW 1-Series customers and consumers which consider the car overpriced. Pricing has driven many away from buying. 4. The 3-Series may actually be a “down sell” for BMW dealers as consumers find better value and lower lease payments on a comparable 3-Series car. BMW 3 Series sales may actually get a bump from the 1 Series launch. 5. The clear consumer favorite is the BMW 135i which may make it harder for dealers to sell the 128i models with internal competition from the 3 Series models and outside competing models. Consumer indications show the 135i Coupe to be a 3:1 favorite over the 128i Coupe. 6. Competition from Audi A3 and A4 as well as the Infiniti G37 will give price sensitive shoppers a compelling purchasing alternative to what is perceived as an overpriced 1 Series initial pricing model. Audi was the #1 consumer choice after the BMW 1 Series. The full report is free on my website: Pasch Consulting Group 1 Series Survey
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Replying to: dukenj (Mar 07, 2008 9:14 pm) I was one of the people who wanted to buy one, but went off and bought something else... |
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The 128i convertible starts at 34k. That's 10k less than the 328i convertible. BMW doesn't not have a low-priced 4 seat convertible on the market any longer so this car fills a major niche - especially with its only competition coming from the Eos and equally expensive Cooper convertible. the 128 will become THE car for the exact market that made the e46 325 cic a success. As for the 128/135, we'll see. I expect discounting will eventually occur. BMW may have priced them too high but there's so little in that market place that can compare. The A3 - we own one - isn't comparable in any way to a BMW and certainly nothing like a rwd coupe. Not at all. And the A4 - the next gen launches soon - is markedly bigger than the current generation so it is moving up in size. The G37 coupe starts at 35k, a good 6k more than the 128 and about the same as the 135. It may be competition in some circles but lacking a convertible model it'll be overlooked by what I bet will constitute 50% of the 1 series sales. Faced with a 128 convertible at 34k or a G37 at 35k it's not tough to imagine the 1 swaying buyers. |
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Here is what soured a lot of buyers for the 1-series (IMHO..lol) 1) Only coupe and vert configuration.. 2) Cost..(not MSRP) Now that BMW has decided to only sell 10K here the first year, dealers have no incentive to cut price, and BMWFS has no incentive to offer reasonable lease deals.. It is a boutique car, not meant as an entry-level BMW, which is what most of us were hoping for.. The convertibles will still do well, as 3-series verts aren't discounted much anyway, and they represent a real savings. The 135i will do well, because it is reasonably expected to be a better performer than the 335i (you'd think so.. remains to be seen). The 128i coupe? A few enthusiasts might want a stripped one with a stick, but that is likely to be a very, very small number... Even though this is the cheapest of the models, I'll guess it won't sell much.. regards, kyfdx (often wrong, but never unsure) |
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I found that a 135i convertible was around $10,000 less than a comparable 335i convertible. I don't know about anyone else but to me that's a meaningful discount. 
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Indeed, there will not be any dealer incentives or great lease programs on release. BMW normally comes out with lease incentives a few months after release once a backlog of cars starts to form at the dealers. With dealer allocation being VERY small from what I have seen, discounting is not going to happen immediately and some dealers may even add a buyers premium to hot models like the 135i convertible.
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Replying to: dukenj (Mar 08, 2008 8:55 am) I have no idea why such a pedestrian color is so popular on a sporty car. |
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The 325cic with 186 HP sold by the thousands. The e90 328 vert has the same engine as the 128 vert. What makes the 328 worth 10k more? A folding hardtop? Maybe in areas with bad weather but in sunbelt states a vert with a normal roof has sold just fine for BMW. So essentially, the 128 convertible will be lighter and 10k cheaper than the 328 convertible but with the same power. No real advantage to the 3 convertible, certainly not one warranting a 33% price bump. Telling you women are gonna scoop up the 128 verts (and coupe) as if it were made of gelato. And if you look at the sporty coupe world - Mitsu Eclipse, A4 cab, TT, Eos we already know some people are willing to pay pretty sick amounts for really blandly driving coupes. The 1 won't even be high-priced compared to the A4 or TT and just a little higher than the Eclipse and Eos. |
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The 128 convertible is a good deal. A raging deal compared to the 328 convertible. There's a 10k gap in price, yet interior space isn't that off and they use the same engines. :dunno: I don't think this guy polled the likely buyers of: Mini Cooper (S, Convertibles) (~20k+ in sales a year) Eclipse A4 (cab) (~4k a year in sales) TT (coupe and cab) (~4k in sales a year) Eos (2.0/V6) (9-10k in sales a year) G6 (V6 coupe/cab) 328 (coupe/cab) G37 (18k in sales a year) Accord Coupe V6 Altima Coupe V6 S2000 (2-3k sales a year) 350Z Coupe/Cab - (10-12k sales a year) MB SLK (4-5k sales a year) I'm probably missing other coupe/cabs but all of those cars start higher than the low 20s and run well into the 30s and some even hit the 40s and 50s. Are we to believe the 128 won't be attractive to someone shopping an Accord Coupe V6 or a TT? Will the 128 cab not be of interest to the person willing to buy a 38k MSRP Eos 3.2 or even the 35k Eos 2.0T Luxury? The cheapest A4 cab starts at 40k! And it's not even close to the performance of a 128 convertible. The cheapest TT convertible starts at 36k....doesn't the 128 convertible undercut that by thousands? Egad, the TT coupe starts at 35k...are we not going to see buyers cross-shopping the 128 and 135 against the TT? Audi's sold that car in the states for nearly a decade. The SLK280 starts at 44k! MB's been selling the SLK for over a decade. The 128's 29k starting price puts it in reach of most of those buyers. For some it would be a stretch and for other buyers it could be cheaper. |
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Replying to: dukenj (Mar 07, 2008 9:14 pm) Hopefully demand is low and I can get a 128i convertible dirt cheap in a year or so.  Euro delivery for $30k would be nice. |
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