8.27.2011

BMW 5 Series GT sales disappointing – 3 Series Wagon might stay

According toBMW of North Americahas been disappointed by the sales of the 5 SeriesIntroduced last year as a replacement for the new 5 Series Wagon, the 5 GT has been one of the most criticized products in the past years.With a design idea starting from inside the vehicle, the exterior was a combination between a crossover, like the X6, and a sports wagon. Based on initial studies conducted by BMW, the results showed that the 5 Series GT is a vehicle appealing to those that are looking for luxury, space and performance, but are not willing to spend money on a full 7 Series nor any SAV models. Adrian van Hooydonk confirmed that the study revealed an aging customer base who find the traditional seating position of the BMW 5 Series Sedan too sporty, but at the same time consider the elevated seating in the X5 or X6 too high.The idea seem to have backfired. According to BMW of North America CEO Jim O’Donnell, the sales of the 5 GT in the U.S. have been lower than expected, and even more interesting, the 5 GT has stolen customers from the 7 Series family. he expected the car to attract 5 Series Wagon buyers instead.Furthermore, some of the 5 Series Wagon customers went with a competitor car from Mercedes-Benz.

“The disappointment I have is that I thought a lot of our 5-series station wagon customers would go with the . “In point of fact, that is not happening. We have lost those customers to the competition — mainly to Mercedes-Benz.

“The GT has attracted 7- and 5-series customers and conquests,” he says, “but not the station wagon customer we had hoped.”

In Florida, 10 percent of BMW 7-series owners have replaced their cars with the 5-series

For the enthusiasts, these might be good new
he doesn’t want to lose wagon sales to Mercedes-Benz so BMW will keep the 3 Series wagon in its lineupnew 3 Series Wagon will be replaced by a 3 Series Gran Turismo, a hypothesis that seem unlikely now.

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