BMW 4 Series and iX Loved by Buyers Despite Critics
Over the course of the last three-plus years, BMW has been stridently pushing its edgier designs, and generating quite a bit of dialogue around the world from enthusiasts and patrons alike. The brand first started in June 2020 by releasing their second iteration of the 4 Series with an imposingly large grille. However, the immense size of the piece earned far more condemnation rather than admiration.
Months after the initial divulgement of the BMW Concept 4 at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, this mid-size car came into being. As per the firm’s assertion, the production 4 Series is adorned with more than 80% of the concept’s design traits, including that huge kidney grille up front.
If we rely exclusively upon public opinion as the sole foundation for our supposition, it would appear this choice of the 4 Series might not be successful. Nevertheless, that’s not a reality.
Investigating vehicle sales figures globally can be advantageous for gaining knowledge of the plight. In 2021, BMW sold approximately 146,200 specimens of its existing iteration in most countries. This included coupe-type automobiles, convertible Edition cars, four door sedans of the Gran Coupe type and i4 electric vehicles, experiencing an 87% upsurge year-on-year compared to 2020. The 4 Series is in fact the sixth top-selling item from BMW.
Despite the negative reception, BMW designers have not allowed the criticism to impede them from introducing more diverging models. Last November, the peculiar shapes of the BMW iX SUV were shown to the public. While the big grille of the new 4 Series caused much commotion on digital platforms, it could be said that the debut of BMW’s first all-electric SUV has highly stirred up the online sphere.
The iX posed a vast deviation from what the company had been displaying up until that point. Not only was the size of the grille remarkably different, but the entire structure of the vehicle made an unprecedented contrast to its opponents’, Audi E-Tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC, with their conventional forms.
Despite the substantial criticism leveled against it, the iX emerged as the best-selling large electric SUV globally in 2022, outselling even the famous Q8 E-Tron. This propelled it into being one of the top traditional large sport utility vehicles in the world.
It’s not all positive in the BMW sector, however. Even though the 4 Series and iX are comparative new members of the BMW family, it’s feasible that purchasers may not be as discerning about polarizing designs. The 7 Series, a long-time staple, was showcased in April 2022, and considering that customers in this premium division usually take a more traditional approach, such expectations surfaced.
Rather than giving consumers a visual similar to the 4 Series, BMW decided to attempt something new and grab greater attention compared to its competitor, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. However, after twelve months on the market, it appears that this risk has not been beneficial. Despite the efforts of BMW, the 7 Series lags behind its competition in Europe, the United States, and China in terms of sales.
As of September 2023, BMW had just sold 3,700 units throughout Europe, in comparison to the nearly 10,300 vehicles shifted by the S-Class. In the US, the Mercedes dominates over the 7 Series by almost double. In China, where the gap is even larger, it’s around 3 Mercedes cars for each Bimmer. This trend of superiority holds true for both the i7 and EQS.
In September of 2022, the BMW XM was unveiled amidst significant backlash because of the striking design and vast stature for a vehicle deemed a specialized performance car. Nevertheless, throughout just seven months on the market, BMW has marketed 4,800 iterations around the world. The XM has turned out to be the fifth bestselling M model in both the United States and Europe. Remarkably, the impressive SUV has even outsold the Lamborghini Urus by the closing of September with 2,237 orders against 1,481 of the Italian super SUV.
Felipe Munoz, an Automotive Domain Expert at JATO Dynamics, composed this piece.
