Where Have All The Sports Cars Gone?
In a recent interview at BMW’s Munich headquarters, Ian Robertson—the luxury auto brand’s head of sales—stated that “the sports-car market is roughly half of what it used to be. Post 2008, it just collapsed. I’m not so sure it’ll ever fully recover.”
Any graduate of auto sales college can confirm that with the rise of sport utility vehicles and crossover utility vehicles, it’s no surprise that people are choosing to spend their hard-earned dollars on comfort rather than on speed. So, where has the market for sports cars gone, and what are its once loyal fans driving now? The urban professionals that sports cars once catered to are now opting for lifestyle vehicles—which explains the massive drop in sports car sales, as well as a few of BMW’s recent ventures.
BMW Distances Itself from Sports Cars
If you’re a fan of the German auto retailer, you may have noticed some changes in the type of vehicles it has been producing as of late. You don’t have to be pursuing an auto career to know that the luxury brand has always ranked high in sports vehicles– however, you might be surprised to learn that they’ve recently taken a turn off-course.
Along with its wide array of sports vehicles, BMW has also been producing a limited range of SUV’s – the X5 and X3 models – for quite some time now. However, you may have noticed that some of its recent vehicle launches are looking a little, well, less sporty. With the recent launch of the X6 and X1, the X4 arriving just this past year, and talk of an X2 and X7, (all variations of SUVs and crossover vehicles) some might wonder if BMW can still be considered a sports car brand.
So the question remains, can you be a sports car manufacturer, if you barely sell sports cars anymore? The answer might not be as obvious as you think when you consider what BMW and Toyota have in store for the future of the auto industry.
BMW and Toyota Collaboration in the Works
In 2013, BMW and Japanese auto retailer Toyota, agreed to collaborate on the creation of a new midsize sports car. While some might wonder why these two very different auto companies are joining forces, it could be that BMW and Toyota are actually on to something interesting.
Working together will no doubt lower research and development costs for the new vehicle, which will supposedly be made of fuel-cell systems, lightweight materials and lithium-air batteries. And any automotive service technician can tell you, these are all very expensive materials. Toyota’s knowledge of environmentally-friendly, hybrid vehicles – paired with BMW’s knack for creating luxurious, dynamic vehicles – just might result in a super-car!
You can expect the BMW-Toyota project to launch sometime in the year 2020—and by then, who knows? Maybe it’ll even have flying capabilities.
Do you still love sports cars, or do you think their day is done?
