Quote:
Originally Posted by Diver
The collapse of sports car sales in 2008 was related to the stock market crash and also the attack on successful people, wealth and 1%'ers by the occupy and Obama camps. Folks wanted to take a lower profile, and green became the in thing.
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LOL, yeah, people aren't keen on buying a sports car because they're afraid of the backlash they'll get from some 27 year old barista who still lives with their parents.
I think you are drinking the Fox News kool-aid a little too hard, taking those stupid "War on [insert demographic]" that network cable news networks love to throw around too literally. If that were true, companies like Rolls Royce, Bentley, and hypercar makers like Lambo et. al. wouldn't be having great years as far as sales are concerned.
The sales of sports cars are going down because of the recession. Saying it may never recover is a bit extreme, but that's why BMW used the caveat "may".
BMW's problem is that they haven't really given the Z4 the attention it deserves. I don't even think they use an updated version of iDrive. Besides, it seems like roadsters in general don't sell too well. Seems like people would rather have a 4 Series Convertible than a Z4. I think of cars like the S2000 which was a fantastic car, everyone knew it but not many cared to spend the money for one.
Seems like you have to think a little outside the box and have a value proposition to convince buyers to spend good money on a car that's not particularly practical in any way, shape or form. The Z4 as it stands now doesn't cut it. It's easy to do if you're building a cheap, affordable sports car or one like the Corvette which has an incredible value proposition but cars like the SLK and Z4 need to convince buyers it's worth paying the premium for the lack of practicality.
My $0.02.