nethaterOct 17, 2009 6:50 PM GMT
No disrespect. Americans that desire a lot of horsepower are usually the baby boomers. They are 60 something yrs or over, retiring, fading out now. It's not the 1960-70's any more. My generation have appreciated 4 cylinders, hence the 1980's Datsun 240z, first Mazda RX7 even Toyota MR2 were the cars my friends bought and drove. So even though we can afford a luxury car with 6 or 8 cylinders, why waste the fuel and money.I still get to the office on time. I have a mutual fund to manage. We have an appreciation, history and affection for the smaller engine. Go BMW...youthful Americans will support the trend.
DavidDec 15, 2008 7:37 AM GMT
Yeah, I couldn't believe the 318ti comment in this article. A 96 318ti was my first bmw, I loved that car. I'd love to see BMW bring 4cyl back to the states again.
Phil MarxNov 14, 2008 10:12 PM GMT
Once again Kiley, who should know better, perpetuates the myth of the unsuccessful 318ti "compact" in the USA. The facts tell a different story which bears repeating here: For calendar year 2005 BMW NA sold 3,660 "sport wagons" including both new and old 3 Series, 5 Series, and all-wheel-drive versions of all the above making all wagon sales less than 2% of total BMW car sales of 197,833. By comparison BMW NA sold 7,238 318ti Compacts in calendar year 1996 or nearly 7% of 105,761 total sales. 318ti sales slipped to less than 4,000 in 1998, the last full year of sales for this model, but still accounted for 3% of total U.S. BMW car sales. How do you measure success?Someone like Mr. Kiley who prides himself on being all-knowledgeable on things BMWs should certainly be able to move beyond historical fiction in making his points.