BMW'S NEW LUXURY MODE

Recently, BMW held a press conference in Shanghai. The BMW Group's top executives, led by Chairman Harald Krueger, were almost all present. The new lineup of BMW luxury cars including the X7, 8 Series and the new 7 Series made their debut. And the new 7 Series also had its world premiere. It is perhaps the ultimate expression of how a multinational car company could pay attention to the Chinese market. It has naturally become a hot spot in the pre-holiday luxury car market.

Q: What do you think of the new lineup of BMW's large luxury cars?

A: The luxury of Mercedes-Benz, the dynamic of BMW, and the high-tech of Audi are the traditional views of the Chinese on the three luxury car brands of Germany. From the driving experience, BMW has always lagged behind the two rivals in terms of luxury, especially the interior design, materials and workmanship are almost mediocre. Now BMW is no longer satisfied with the positioning of the “ultimate driving machine”. Both dynamic and luxury must be perfected. This is what BMW calls the “large luxury car strategy”. Starting from the launch of the new car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2017, the X7 and 8 series, the new models are all about luxury and sophistication. I once said that in BMW's genes, "luxury" has become a gene that is equal to "sports". It is a deep evolution. BMW is no longer a simple "ultimate driving machine" but should be "luxury ultimate driving machine."

Q: What is your impression of The new 7?

A: The facelift model generally has little change, but this time the new 7 series really surprised me. Its LED taillights extend laterally through the tail, making the tail look wider, more high-tech looking, more recognizable, and more coordinated.

Q: What do you think is the characteristics of the luxury of BMW's new car compared to its two rivals?

A：Mercedes-Benz's luxury is kind of thick, Audi's luxury is very texture, and BMW's luxury is eye-catching, mainly applying a lot of crystal, bright metal materials and varnish, so that some people think it too flashy. It should be said that the luxury of each of the three brands has its own characteristics, and consumers will have different preferences.

Q: Some people say that BMW's luxury should not only be reflected in the car, but also in all aspects of brand, product marketing and sales service. For example, compared with luxury brands, BMW is too simple and modest in the media reception, even the reporters had to check in the hotel room on their own. What do you think?

A: This is a tradition of BMW. A few years ago, when I was at a hotel in Los Angeles, I saw that Nobert Reithofer, who was the chairman of BMW at the time, checked out the hotel alone.  

However, this BMW media conference is not simple, it should be said that it is elaborate, and it is just right, not too pretentious. The Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni by the Quartet Band runs through the audience. The four dishes are divided into four themes: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each dish is a combination of Chinese and Western fantastic flavors. The live speech of the director and the top chefs from A Bite of China, and the modern dance performance of Tai Chi Chuan interspersed in the middle, making the whole dinner a very high taste. In my 40-year career as a journalist, what kind of "family dinner" can compare with this time in terms of flavor, taste and delicateness.

It looks like that BMW did try hard at this dinner. The all new luxury elements have expanded from the car and it worked well. It can be said that BMW has started a new luxury mode, people will see a different BMW, which of course will take some time.