|
Trial Balloon
I also think the recent indoor photos were a deliberate and authorized leak. They're probably a trial balloon designed to get preliminary reactions from critical enthusiasts. BMW's stock price has been stagnating in comparison to the recent upswings at Porsche, VW, and Daimler, so this coupé is extremely important for BMW's future and the Leipzig factory utilization.
You can tell by the fact of this car essentially being introduced two years late (in my opinion the hatchback shouldn't have been brought out at all), that BMW is very apprehensive about its introduction. I think the incredible "excuse" (high sulphur content in American gasoline) we got for BMW's not having released the photos last week is actually because the engineers at the FIZ (Forschungs und Innvations Zentrum) here in Munich and their suppliers are working overtime to tweak the final shapes. Perhaps the final headlamp system design is still being worked out because it's pretty clear that what the indoor pictures show is just too ugly for official release.
Important influences on the general public perception (and reception) are the opinions and writings of the motoring enthusiast magazines (which tends to dwell on cars that more than 95% of the populatiuon can't afford anyway). When a sporty car that is relatively affordable for many people comes along, you can be sure that it will get heavily scrutinized, and many of these motoring journalists are relentless in their criticisms. Therefore, I think BMW is monitoring the opinions expressed on this board to get an idea of what the car enthusiast journalists may also think and publish with regard to the overall appearance of the car, as if though most people couldn't make up their own mind.
If first impressions and the so-called halo effect are so important the official press photo release will likely feature a much sportier version, maybe even with a new 18" wheel design, which would certainly be appropriate for the occasion. My personal guess is that white and gray will be among the colors in the initial press releases because white is getting to be more "in" and some have expressed favorable opinions about gray color. Personally, I think a special sporty initial edition in bright orange (like the 2002 model) with black interior ought to be a big hit too among enthusiasts, certainly much more preferable than that cinammon red (or whatever the name will be), which reminds me of cheap Hondas. Getting such bright orange cars on the streets initially would do a lot toward inspiring attention nd interest because this color is so rare nowadays and also stands out significantly in a sea of black and silver or gray metallic colored cars. In addition to the nostalic associations with the 2002, orange is also associated with the very sportiest and expensive Porsches and the Porsche Jägermeister racing team cars from a while back.
|