Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidB_UK
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmciver
Running boards with M-Sport on the 40i has been available in the States for a while now - I have it on my ‘20 X7 40i. But for ‘22, you apparently can’t get them on the M50i….
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I never understand why the options vary so much between geography. My U.K. spec car is built in the same Spartanburg plant but running boards on an M sport (40i or 40d) aren’t even a cost option. At least I know it’s possible - so I’ll have to get my dealer to order the OEM part and fit them once the car is delivered… |
You can blame BMW's marketing department as they "think" they know what options different markets want. Then based on their market research, they determine a cost of the different configurations/options vs maximizing profits in each market, and assign (or limit) the available options accordingly. Some option availability is based on different laws/policies in different countries (as is the case with no anti-glare high beam headlight availability in the US). But most is based on marketing research about what BMW thinks the people predominantly want in a given market.
I think some of these marketing research decisions make good business sense. Like the fact the diesel models are only sold overseas as diesels just don't sell well here in the US today. But others don't make sense, like the M Sport seats for the X7 which are not available in the US, but many European markets. I would speculate that if those seats were offered in the US, they would have a very high take rate (especially on the M50i) and since the X7's are built in the US, the additional cost to offer said option should be marginal.
I am not a marketing expert, and an unpredictable event like COVID parts shortages notwithstanding, considering we live in a globally interconnected world, when it comes to option "restrictions" in different markets, I think BMW (and probably other auto makers) gets it wrong more than they should.