A growing number of voices, including those within the automakers, are questioning whether the constant range expansion by premium brands such as BMW and Audi, will continue to reap rewards or whether some kind of consolidation is required, IHS Automotive principal analyst, Tim Urquhart, said in a research note.
He said BMW’s launch of the seven seat 2-Series Gran Tourer continued to move the automaker into new segments with a new model aimed squarely at mid-market offerings such as the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira Tourer and Ford Grand C-Max.
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The 2-Series GT is effectively a lengthened 2-Series Active Tourer with the unique selling point of an extra row of seats. It is the second BMW model on the UKL platform and also the second front-wheel drive BMW.
Urquhart argues the inexorable rise of BMW’s forecast sales volumes forecast may indicate otherwise but there are signs this latest model key test of the automaker’s ongoing range expansion strategy.
Urquhart clearly likes the 2GT as a product, noting it would be classed as an MPV-C due to its compact dimensions but offering practicality and utility with a luggage space that can be extended from 645 to 805 litres. With the rear seats folded down, this rises to 1,905 litres of load space.
The middle bench of seats has a 40:20:40-split backrest, and it also allows three child seats to be fitted. Further enhancing the model’s credentials as a family wagon, BMW has introduced some novel innovations on the 2-Series Gran Tourer. The ‘myKIDIO’ app, which will initially only be available in Germany, provides appropriate content for children and families such as films and audio books on tablets such as the Apple iPad. The app is controlled via the iDrive controller and control display as soon as the mobile device is connected to the car.
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By GlobalData“The ‘myKIDIO’ app that BMW is launching on the 2-Series Gran Tourer shows the audience that BMW is targeting, with young families obviously very much in the mind of the product planners,” Urquhart wrote.
“This is after the Active Tourer appeared to be aimed very much at the ‘silver surfer’ generation, especially when the associated marketing and advertising for the model was viewed. They are the first FWD models in the BMW range and… represent a departure both in terms of product segment and drivetrain format.
“The Grand Tourer is aimed squarely at seven-seater MPVs which are offered in the European market by traditional mid-market OEMs [and] a lot will depend on the pricing proposition of the BMW in comparison to these mid-market models.”
Urquhart said BMW’s strategy appears to be to line up offerings against mid-market OEMs and take sales from these vehicles and brands with some customers always willing to pay more for a premium badge on their vehicle.
IHS Automotive forecasts peak sales of 55,000 units for the Gran Tourer, around 20,000 less than the peak of the Active Tourer.
“However, these vehicles also represent the most extreme examples of BMW’s range expansion strategy and it remains to be seen whether BMW will continue to move into new segments.
“There is little doubt that a lot of these niche models will have their ROI closely attended to by product planners and company accountants and some models may be cut in the future.
“For example the 5-Series GT remains in IHS Automotive’s forecast despite peak sales of just 24,000 units in its current cycle. Meanwhile Mercedes-Benz has quietly dropped its R-Class from its line-up as it struggled to muster sale of 10,000 units globally towards the end of the its model cycle.”
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