sklasse

because its too expensive and bmw doesn't sell alot of 7s anyway...............







so 1 less w221 competitor

http://www.motortrend.com/future/fut...future_sedans/

AsianML

Same thing happened to the X5. Doesn't mean it's not a good seller.

MB Fanatic

OK so if they use the same platform then there must be something good about the current one right? I am sure they will still increase torsional rigidity and what not. IMO BMW is playing it smart here.

sklasse

they are being cheap ; just rebadging the same old product as if things having progressed enough to worry about changes. Re-badging means removing the bangle butt etc and make it look famiily like progressive of the new 3

AsianML

Why fix something that's not broken?

Jason.Bare

If it ain't broke, break it!

mbnj

I thought I read somewhere that the 2009 7 series was supposed to support AWD?

sklasse

maybe be smart, but not so much


the current cars been out of 2000 and its really boring..I Think people aren't so tired of it, and it still looks modern is what was bmw's motivation for doing this......

glwillia

BMW's done this a few times. The E28 (1982-1988 5-series) was basically a restyled E12 (1972-1981 5-series). They'll frequently completely redesign a car from the ground up, have the next version be a modified/tweaked version, then repeat the cycle (E21/E30->E36/E46, E12/E28->E34/E39, etc).

MB Fanatic

Um the current 7 series came out in 2002 dude.

pkancel

Who said BMW doesnt sell alot of 7s. You might want to recheck the stats and if you are out here in So Cal, then you must be MB blind because you see as many 7s as you do S-Class's/.

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

+1, There are 8 zillion of them around here, ugly or not they outnumber S-classes. You should really check some real sales figures, because BMW is still the highest selling german luxury brand by a longshot.

Kar don

highest selling german luxury yes, but its not because of the 7.... its because of that little 3 series. More S-classes sold than 7s.

FThornton666

The 7 Series sales peaked in the last few years of the W220, but then the W221 came along and their sales have taken a major ****. same for the A8.

Germancar1

Newsflash folks: very few cars are redesigned from the ground up each time. If true about BMW it is no surprise considering the 2002 7-Series was a ground up redesign from the 2001 model. You'd be surprised how long the same "old" chassis (with tweaks) lives under a "new" car. Lexus didn't truly re-design the LS from the ground up until 2001 and then again for 2007. Mercedes was one of the few automakers that redesigned a model from the ground up each and every time and even now they've stopped doing that. The W221 S-Class and CL are the last ones to be done this way. The new -Class is a variation of the old car's chassis and structure, but it has been (like most car makers do) stretched, pulled, tweaked, updated etc. etc. to the point of it being almost all new, but without the huge expense of redesigning a totally all-new car. This is an old practice so what is the fuss about here?

If anyone here think the new 7-Series won't be a competitor because they're using an updated component set fromt he current car you're only lying to yourself. The car is going to bring it just like the new A8 or any other new luxury car in this class.

Did everyone here know the previous Jaguar XK8 (1997-2006) was just an updated 1970's XJ-S underneath?

M

Germancar1

What people "see" on the streets really means nothing when it comes to the hard numbers. How many GM or Ford models do you see on the street only to learn that it wasn't selling up to expectations or that sold dismally? Also, any major city is a bad place to judge overall U.S. sales numbers because naturally you're going to see a zillion of x,y,z in a major city, doesn't mean it is selling up to expectations.

YTD:

S-Class: 8,713 (-18.2%)
7-Series: 5,315 (-18.1%)

BMW sells a good deal of 7-Series, but for this segment they aren't that close to the S-Class.

M

AsianML

I laughed at the Jaguar comment. I think the XJ has been due for a redesign for 20-30 years now.

Germancar1

Actually the XJ was redesigned fully for 2004 from the ground up, but very few people even know it because they gave it the same look as before.

M

AsianML

Yeah, that's what I meant. Exterior design.

MBProS320

I did a case study on the BMW marketing plan while in college a year and a half ago. BMW's life cycle for their automobiles in exactly 7 years, which would explain the re-design of the 7-series. Any BMW fanatic can attest to this information dating back to the late 70's. For this reason, the last year of the current generation 7-series (2008) will be the best one built in its time.

Germancar1

True and MB is now on a 7 year plan now too, for most models.

M

GDawgC220

Same goes for Audi as well I believe. C5 A6 platform came in '98 and C6 A6 came out in '05 (as '06 model), B6 A4 in '02, B7 A4 face lift (same chassis) and B8 A4 coming in '08 (as '09 model).

Germancar1

Yep, Audi is also on the 7 year plan for most models.

M

Ferri

I had the same exact case study. In it they cover how they gradually release versions and models of the same series so that even in the latest year of the production run, there is something new to anticipate. They covered the case of the 3 series: first the sedan, then the coupe, then the cabriolet, then the M3, etc. It is nice, but will not stand time without some revisions to the strategy--they will have to leave some wigle room to respond to moves from Mercedes et al.

John V.

I recently purchased a 07 750i and must say that it is a lot of fun to drive. With the sport package and 20" wheels it handles awsome for such a big car. Now my CL55 just sits waiting to be sold and get the CLK63. Of course the power is not the same but it just feels really good on the road.