Petition: Tell BMW to bring the 320d (diesel) to North America!!!

[qpooqpoo]

The BMW 320d is the greatest all around BMW ever!!! I just got back from visiting my friend in London and he has a 320d that can go 1000miles on one tank and has plenty of power!!! Its the ultimate cruiser. Think of only filling up your tank once a month! what a friggen convenience!! For all those who agree with me and think that BMW is totally missing the mark and not tapping into a hugely overlooked potential market here with small 4-cyl diesels give me a shout out!

[mryakan]

BMW is not missing the mark, the American consumers are unfortunately. If there was a market for it, they'd bring it in a heartbeat. It just doesn't seem like it is worth it for them with the current demand for diesels, esp. lower displacement/hp ones. The homologation for diesels is very costly and they will not do it for just a few people who think they want it then change your mind.
If you want BMW's attention, don't waste your time online, just go to your dealer and put money on the table. Money talks, and if enough people show their cheques at dealers saying they will get a 320d, maybe BMW will then start paying attention.

[qpooqpoo]

"If there was a market for it, they'd bring it in a heartbeat." Thats not true. This is very flawed and murky reasoning. It assumes that BMW is always perfect in its market research. Many BMW models throughout history have failed to meet sales projections and conversely many potential hits are also overlooked. "The homologation for diesels is very costly and they will not do it for just a few people who think they want it then change your mind." This is also poor reasoning. Clearly cost is not of particular issue for a 320d import as BMW already spends more cost/unit to produce and export the 335d. So again the question must be of market demand. And again I think BMW is missing the mark.

[mryakan]

"If there was a market for it, they'd bring it in a heartbeat." Thats not true. This is very flawed and murky reasoning. It assumes that BMW is always perfect in its market research. Many BMW models throughout history have failed to meet sales projections and conversely many potential hits are also overlooked. "The homologation for diesels is very costly and they will not do it for just a few people who think they want it then change your mind." This is also poor reasoning. Clearly cost is not of particular issue for a 320d import as BMW already spends more cost/unit to produce and export the 335d. So again the question must be of market demand. And again I think BMW is missing the mark.

I see. All this reasoning is wrong, but your correct reasoning is that BMW is missing the mark just because you liked the car . I guess you should apply to be head of BMW NA marketing then . Go for it bud and ignore my ignorance, you seem to know it all.

P.S. Stop double posting.

[robmpulse]

"If there was a market for it, they'd bring it in a heartbeat." Thats not true. This is very flawed and murky reasoning. It assumes that BMW is always perfect in its market research. Many BMW models throughout history have failed to meet sales projections and conversely many potential hits are also overlooked. "The homologation for diesels is very costly and they will not do it for just a few people who think they want it then change your mind." This is also poor reasoning. Clearly cost is not of particular issue for a 320d import as BMW already spends more cost/unit to produce and export the 335d. So again the question must be of market demand. And again I think BMW is missing the mark.

It is not impossible for BMW to be wrong, but I doubt they are in this case. And I do not understand your comment on the 335d. It's not the same car. If it was not tested and approved for this market, then it will have to be before it can be sold. No different than a 330i and a 318i are two different cars.

the 335d is more appealing here because it does not lack power and does not have most of the diesel hang ups. Americans are buying it because they can get the same performance as the non diesel and save money at the pumps. They could care less about saving the planet. (for the most part).

Most Americans do not mind doing good things, as long as it makes up look cool, better, or stylish and doesn't hurt our pocket book that much more.

[qpooqpoo]

see, i tend to disagree. your viewpoint is probably closer to the people in charge of bmw. but americans do like to help the planet and save gas etc. just look at prius sales here. also, the audi a3 tdi has blown so far through audi's sales projections that there planning on bringing the a4 2.0tdi and a6 tdi to the state by 2012. I think bmw is misjudging the american consumer.

[Kevlar]

There are hundreds of marketing people at BMW who sit in a room and debate what to bring to the states with facts, graphs and pie charts based of their customer and potential customer demographic feedback.

[IWannaBMW]

People here don't like that, because it's a small car with a small engine, small hp. It'd never sell, because we live in the home of the free, land of the huge (talking about suv's and big ass sedans)

[catch22]

Friend of mine will buy nothing else but diesels bimmers. They're ok I guess, he actually wants me to buy his 07 320d, I would, if only I could just get used to the ticking from the engine. And yes, they are by no means underpowered.

big ass sedans

Big ass everything.

[mryakan]

There are hundreds of marketing people at BMW who sit in a room and debate what to bring to the states with facts, graphs and pie charts based of their customer and potential customer demographic feedback.

I always thought they used a dart board .

[tedj101]

It is not impossible for BMW to be wrong, but I doubt they are in this case. And I do not understand your comment on the 335d. It's not the same car. If it was not tested and approved for this market, then it will have to be before it can be sold. No different than a 330i and a 318i are two different cars.

the 335d is more appealing here because it does not lack power and does not have most of the diesel hang ups. Americans are buying it because they can get the same performance as the non diesel and save money at the pumps. They could care less about saving the planet. (for the most part).

Most Americans do not mind doing good things, as long as it makes up look cool, better, or stylish and doesn't hurt our pocket book that much more.

Boy those are big generalizations. FWIW, I bought a 335d because it was the best of a bad lot (i.e. the diesel cars available in this country). I wanted a diesel because I think I should be more responsible ecologically. (I also drive a scooter to work for the same reasons.) You don't buy a BMW to save money. Just the thought of it is ludicrous. The car that I really wanted is the 320d. It is perfect for my needs. Yes, the 335d has lots of power available, but the 320d actually has enough and it takes more skill to drive a 320d so driving it fast is more satisfying.

The king of all these cars is the 320d ed which has additional fuel saving technology (including an idle shut down feature which would help a lot in city driving - I have 21 traffic lights or stop signs on my way to work in the morning). So to answer the question that you never asked, some people do care enough to spend a bit to help preserve the environment.

<TED>

[Brutality]

Boy those are big generalizations. FWIW, I bought a 335d because it was the best of a bad lot (i.e. the diesel cars available in this country). I wanted a diesel because I think I should be more responsible ecologically. (I also drive a scooter to work for the same reasons.) You don't buy a BMW to save money. Just the thought of it is ludicrous. The car that I really wanted is the 320d. It is perfect for my needs. Yes, the 335d has lots of power available, but the 320d actually has enough and it takes more skill to drive a 320d so driving it fast is more satisfying.

The king of all these cars is the 320d ed which has additional fuel saving technology (including an idle shut down feature which would help a lot in city driving - I have 21 traffic lights or stop signs on my way to work in the morning). So to answer the question that you never asked, some people do care enough to spend a bit to help preserve the environment.

<TED>

Dude, I don't want to sound rude...but what the hell are you smoking?

Takes more skill to drive 320d?



Preserve environment?



I had a great laugh reading your post. You have my permission to carry on being green and saving me and everybody else.

[mryakan]

So to answer the question that you never asked, some people do care enough to spend a bit to help preserve the environment.

<TED>

But most probably not enough for BMW to bring something like the 320d here. Sorry, but if enough people cared, then electric cars would be the norm in the US, not a niche still trying to find place in the market. Yes I watched "Who killed the electric car", a handful of people demonstrating in front of a GM lot is not enough to convince corporations concerned about making money or even staying in business to go on costly and rather risky adventures.
As I said in my previous post, if you want to prove me and everyone else including BMW wrong, walk in to your dealer and put a cash deposit pending on the arrival of a 320d. If indeed enough people care and are willing to do so, I bet BMW will then follow the money. But I will bet the same money that will not happen.

P.S. You won't believe how cheap some of the BMW owners are, esp. some of the higher end brand new 3 series owners. I see them on a daily basis on the e9x section and I could write a dissertation on how cheap they can be.

[Andryuha]

Do you honestly think that American consumers that are in a market for a new BMW would be interested in an overpriced econobox? To me personally, the whole concept of such car is a little counterintuitive.

I am also pretty sure that diesels pollute the air more than gasoline engines, so your "protecting the environment" argument is moot.

This is beside the point, but it could also be argued that "green" electric vehicle pollute more than their gasoline counterparts when you take into the account the lithium battery production process. However, that is a whole different discussion.

[Spetsnaz Op]

I'm impressed with the 335d, I really would like to get one in a couple years. Given a choice between the two I'd rather have a 335d, but I can understand how some long-commute people would prefer the 320d, but for now I'd be thankful that the 335d is here. They could possibly be convinced to put out a 120d to go up against the inevitable compact lexus hybrids (yes, more). A 120d hybrid or 320d hybrid would be interesting offerings also.

[Hodge]

I still don't know why the 318ti was considered a "failure" here. Great cars they are. The best of the E30 and E36 wrapped in one cheap package.

I have driven an E70 X5 diesel and the thing was as quiet as any petrol engine out there. It also had so much torque. I loved the engine.

I am shocked BMW hasn't brought more of these here, but I will say that Americans are the ones missing the point here. Americans are buying into the ridiculous hybrid niche instead of looking at much better (and lighter) vehicles being equipped with more efficient diesel motors.

Americans seem to want massive displacement motors that get shit for mileage. This view has changed some in the recent years, but I still find it mostly true. I love getting excellent mileage in my 318i, and still having way more fun doing so than most of the massive vehicles people drive these days.

[Tomcat104]

Do you honestly think that American consumers that are in a market for a new BMW would be interested in an overpriced econobox? To me personally, the whole concept of such car is a little counterintuitive.

I am also pretty sure that diesels pollute the air more than gasoline engines, so your "protecting the environment" argument is moot.

This is beside the point, but it could also be argued that "green" electric vehicle pollute more than their gasoline counterparts when you take into the account the lithium battery production process. However, that is a whole different discussion.

Whether it gets over here or not, the 320d is NOT an econobox. Hell, it sure drives alot better then any corolla or civic I know of. It's not so much a issue of being "green", it's more about having a fun daily driver that can save you alot of gas bills, while you have a more dedicated track car for driving on the weekends.

[3MPowered]

Whether it gets over here or not, the 320d is NOT an econobox. Hell, it sure drives alot better then any corolla or civic I know of. It's not so much a issue of being "green", it's more about having a fun daily driver that can save you alot of gas bills, while you have a more dedicated track car for driving on the weekends.

Amen to that!

BMW's new diesel engines remain some of the most under-appreciated of their entire range (in North America at least).

Everyone I know that's ever driven a 335d or X5 3.5d has raved about the masses of torque available from tickover! Without even mentioning the economy of these engines, you simply cannot say that you wouldn't love to have a 2.0L engine that can deliver more torque than an E36 M3.

[whatnext]

If gas prices skyrocket to pre-recession levels, we may see it yet.

Its interesting BMW wouldn't test it in the Canadian market, after all MB brings the B-Class here, but not to the USA.

[3MPowered]

If gas prices skyrocket to pre-recession levels, we may see it yet.

Its interesting BMW wouldn't test it in the Canadian market, after all MB brings the B-Class here, but not to the USA.

Hahah true, we're generally a little more open-minded to small displacement engines than our cousins to the south.

What, who said that?

[maxell0405]

BMW should definitely bring the 2 liter diesel. It gets fantastic mileage and will help them a lot with the coming CAFE increases. Sometimes companies like BMW need to lead the market instead of just reacting to focus groups comprised of people who have never driven a turbo diesel. That's what they did with the 2002 and it worked out pretty well, not that the 320d is the next 2002. Cars like the Prius suck to drive, and while I've never driven the turbo diesels, I'm pretty sure the 320d is a lot of fun to drive. Economy and fun do not need to be mutually exclusive.

The new diesels, btw, have cleaner tailpipes than gas cars and get 30 - 40% better mileage.

[vertbmw]

Diesels are cleaner per mile traveled than gas engines. Some people want a nice car that get good mileage. Think of someone like a regonal manager that may travel over 20k a year or more. For the same mileage he would end up in a slow cramped civic. For the same car with a gas motor he would spend thousands more on fuel a year.

[youngbimmer]

BMW needs to sell diesel coupes. A 335cd or a 640d would be amazing.

[SilverBeam]

I can give you four words that explain why there aren't more diesels in the United States

California Air Quality Regulations

sorry guys, we screwed this one up for you.

[3MPowered]

The diesels put out less particles per mile than their equivalent petrol versions though... Unless there's something I don't know about these air regulations?