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Originally Posted by JamieA
I have thought the same thing. It would have been interesting to hear why they made the decision and how. They probably did research and used focus groups and the like becauase this would have been a crucial decision for them. Probably nearly as crucial as styling.
My guess is that (probably until recently when fuel prices hiked) people in the US did not like small cars (hence no 1 Series) or small engines. I Think the detuned 3.0 is just a "size" thing, as there appears to be little gain in having it and having another engine variation beyond that. North America is a big market for BMW so there are the economies of scale to do bespoke models for that market.
Same in reverse for the Euro market. They have an engine that still delivers the same goods, but is a smaller capacity engine and therefore more palatable in markets where smaller engine sizes are preferred due to fuel costs, taxes and the like.
I think the 323 engine is just because it is easier and cheaper to strip features off an engine and detune it, than to do another casting for another capacity.
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I agree with the assessment on size perceptions. I was reading a British car magazine that had an article comparing the BMW 320d vs the IS250 or perhaps IS220d (which is not available in the US). I believe that Corporate probably decides which category for each country to pick and choose its battles based on the competition. For instance, most here in the U.S. would perceive the IS250 as an "also ran," and the IS350 as the real competition.
My feeling about M-sport is that the ultra-critical American public would simply marr the "M" marque with criticism about how this largely cosmetic option would not live up to the performance of an "M" model, and hence the name. Once the e90 M3 is released, it might be safer to offer the M-sport on the 325/330i or whatever permutation exists at that point.
Target market demographics probably also play a huge role in deciding what NOT to saturate the market with. In reading the polls on e90post, it is interesting to see how many young drivers actually own 3-series cars. A 1-series model offering might therefore dilute interest in the 3-series among younger buyers, which might be risky during the e90 introductory year. Furthermore, competition for the 1-series class is stiff with the VW, Audi, and other Japanese offerings. Perhaps BMW USA wouldn't want to introduce anything that might have the public question its Ultimate Driving Machine image? For instance, many have criticized Mercedes for introducing American made C-series that have been perceived by many as a "cheap" Mercedes line, thus marring the top quality, top-notch Mercedes image and its exclusivity.
I know many reading this will beg to disagree with some of what I am saying here, but this is a forum open to discussion, and I'm not afraid to assert my opinions, even if they are mostly conjecture.