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In Reply to: Re: Pricing, group purchase, wait list posted by Makalu on January 09, 2000 at 20:33:09:
: I believe that there are higher priority business issues that enter into setting the price of new car beyond the uniqueness of component parts alone. It's the usual boring stuff, really. On the other hand, I am still thinking of the '01/M3 as a production car--not a onesy track rod.
You are correct, it will be primarliy a street car adapted for track use.
Will it not in fact be based on a very well-established engine with the basic factory tools already nailed?
The engine, while based somewhat on the current S52 (Euro) engine, due to technical specifications (i.e. CARB laws for 2003) will need to go thru a MAJOR re-engineering process. In addition to the CARB rules, the engine will have to be less complex than the present engine and will have to be able to be mass produced (as opposed to the S52 which is primarly hand made). I have heard a rumor (not sure how much of it is fact vs rumor) that the S54 will not have the 6 individual throttle bodies. Some other mods was in that same rumor but I forget them. I don't see BMW taking the S52 and making minor mods to meet emissions regulations AND meet pricing for the US.
Should we really expect this thing will be such a big deviation from the Evo that the engine ALONE (or even adding a few springs/sway bars) will bump the price of a comparably-equipped 328 Ci $8K or more?
The increased price of the M is the different engine, parts, improved chasis (versus the regular E46 chasis) AND, the most expensive cost, R&D costs spread out over the total units BMW expects to sell.
I am thinking that the cost of the E46/M might even be cheaper minus the engine.
Huh? Cheaper than what?
An awful lot of E46 Ci's are makin their way to our shores already, no?
BMW's goal with the E46 non M cars was to DOUBLE the US sales. The E36 was selling about 20k cars per year. BMW was trying to reach the 40k/year level. All indications they are going to reach this goal from the sales figures I have seen.
At the point of assembly a different engine drop and suspension parts should not break the bank at all.
You are forgetting R&D. I heard one reason the M3 was slowed down was the engineers not happy with the development of the exhaust of the E46 M3. It just didn't sound right. (In addition to meeting emission regulations)
Isn't it just a matter of scheduling on a particular assembly line a set number of units at a particular time? This should not even require the complexity of planning or cost that continuation of the E36 M required once the E46 took over. The labor/production cost of choosing a "BMW Individual" paint color might be greater ($1550) from the point of view of the factory than a different engine and suspension.
The Euro E36 engine was rumored to cost about 10k more than the US engine. Like I said before this is due to the fact that the Euro engine was primarily hand made.
: So let me delude myself for a while longer until I get the shock of seeing an MSRP of $50K...
You will have a hard time seeing a sticker of under 50k. BUT, BASE MSRP will be under 45k, it is all the options that will get the price up. Throw in a sunroof here, cruise there, OBC etc.
: Perhaps Bruce is trying to tell me that the new engine is ENTIRELY new, not an Evo-II?
It will be entirely new, sorry.
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