Quote:
Originally Posted by Spa2k
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmboone25
The M2 is much more "mass-produced" in the sense that there's not a numerically limited amount of cars. BMW does artificially limit the numbers produced (to keep demand high and to avoid M2s sitting on lots), but that's not the same thing as having a truly limited car.
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Just to pick nits (isn't that why we're all here?), this isn't true, although I agree that the M2 and even the 1M are mass-produced cars. The plant where BMW is churning out the M2 and other models is doing so at maximum capacity. The number of BMWs produced there is limited by the fact that there is no additional capacity available  and there won't be, until the plant renovations are completed in a year or two.
The fact is that all of the other vehicles produced there have higher margins than the M2, so they're of more interest to BMW's bottom line. So, BMW would lose a little money (compared to what it makes on the other models) on every additional M2 it scheduled in lieu of another model. That is what limits the production of the M2s - not some artificial constraint "to keep demand high" or a decision made by a beady-eyed accountant wearing leather shorts counting cars from a dusty corner of the factory. |
This is 100 percent correct.
dmboone25 just look at how many 2 series that are sold vs how many 1 series hatchbacks are sold in Germany. The X1 and also the X2 I believe are also produced at Leipzig.
In combination with the fact that nearly every car made in the Leipzig factory brings more profit than an M2, is the fact that the M2 is clearly marketed as a loss leader.
Buyers come in looking for the M2 and many walk out with a smoking deal on an M3 or M4 which are better appointed , have more interior space , and are much more available in stock.