DownsideUpDesign

I’ve spent most of the day thinking about my earlier post on the BMW 5 GT concept that broke cover overnight.

It’s occurred to me that, somewhat foolishly, I’ve been looking at the market positioning from an extremely Euro-centric position.

What if BMW is taking a similar tack that they took, perhaps inadvertently, with the previous generation 7 series?

A car that initially tanked in Europe on the basis of it’s looks , the old 7 went gangbusters in the Chinese market. It also signalled a shift in BMW’s understanding of it’s future market. This shift was confirmed by the launch of the Concept CS as the Shanghai motor show (as opposed to a show in their traditional European heartland) and the somewhat lesser known introduction of a LWB (long wheel base) 5 Series sedan exclusively for the Chinese market.

In 2006 I completed my Masters thesis in automotive design and although the main thrust of my research was something else, I spent a good deal of my time coming to understand Chinese taste in the premium car market. One of the characteristics of the emerging haute-bourgoisie is the desire to be driven (having seen traffic in Hong Kong, I can understand why). And with the desire to be driven, less focus is placed on BMWs old maxim of the “Ultimate Driving Machine” and instead we start looking at the Ultimate Driven Machine.

And in this respect, as the new press images from BMW show, the GT will indeed be ultimate in the traffic choked streets of Asia’s cities. Masses of rear leg-room and stupendous head room within a package that won’t be unwieldy in traffic (unlike a LWB 7 series). Indeed, looking at the pictures, I imagine you probably would have to go to that size vehicle to get similar rear-cabin room.

 The vehicle I designed back in ‘06 aimed to recreate a limousine experience within 5 meters, reclining seats and all. The 5 GT is 4998mm long and provides the same rear cabin experience as a LWB 7 which is a full 212mm longer. Maybe I was on to something…

My doubts about the car’s success in the European market still stands, but if China is indeed the target, who cares about fighting the same old scrappy battle the German premiums always fight. BMW just jumped out of the ring and found a new playground.

It’s out! BMW’s new Progressive Activity Sedan (also known as the 5 Series GT or Gran Turismo) was revealed in a private view last night and the folks over at BMWBlog got the scoop. You might remember this as the car, the launch video of which I lampooned last week for spending three minutes saying the car wasn’t an MPV. And it’s not. It’s something almost as poisonous to the premium buyer: a hatchback.

 To be honest, its mix of Concpet CS, new 7 Series and and an immensely long wheelbase don’t upset me as much as I thought it would. You could certainly never argue that the thing lacks presence and the double opening hatch is an interesting if unoriginal idea. It did strike me that the angle of access, combined with the intrusion of the open lid, makes me think it will be a little awkward to use. At this point it seems that the similar system found on Skoda’s Superb is better resolved and more useful.

And there in lies the problem, this car counts only the Skoda Superb as a typological brother, hardly the company you want to keep if you’re BMW. The PAS is trying to be a premium hatchback and the last “premium” hatch I can remember…oh, hang on, I can’t. “Aha!” you say, “therein lies the secret to BMW’s success! Nobody has done this before!” Well they have.

Opel/Vauxhall used to produce the Signum, a similarly long-wheelbased hatch which was also designed to offer the difference between “economy and first class” (although in their case it was probably the difference between Air Congo and premium economy) and Skoda produces the aforementioned Superb (which is, actually, pretty superb for the money). However, neither of these cars will ever compete with the likes of E-Classes, A6s and A7s and their brands make sure of that. BMW is going in to battle in one of the most conservative market sectors out there and I’m not convinced people will be seduced out of their premium SUVs, sedans and wagons by an expensive rep-mobile.

Just picture this thing on the school run, driven by a yummy mummy who’s propped it on the kerb outside the prep school…

I’m not saying that a product type can’t turn premium overnight. The original Range Rover did it. But it was a able to do so because Land Rover and the types of vehicle they produced had always been associated with a certain class in English society, creating a strong aspirational pull. BMW might have the upper middle class pulling power, but hatchbacks have never been associated with aristocracy or celebrity, only with Ron the sales manager pounding the M25…

Head on over to BMWBlog to see more pics.

[Image and Source: BMWBlog]

A couple of days ago I wrote about Citroen’s decision to revive the DS moniker as a premium brand.

This is the underwhelming result. The “DS Inside” concept looks like Citroen’s take on a Mini, mashed up with a bit of SUV and MPV for good measure. I don’t actually mind it’s bull-dog stance, bi-color paint and funky B-Pillar/glazing treatment but what kind of a name is “DS Inside”? If there is a Déesse inside, she’d be screaming to be let out of her dowdy purgatory so she can resume her rightful place in automotive heaven.

I don’t have a problem with Citroen trying to shift up market (hey, all the mid market manufacturers are trying it) but I think it’s an epic mistake to sully the DS name with a car that doesn’t come anywhere near the sheer fabulousness of the original. Although images of the interior have not yet been leaked, I’m pretty certain that it won’t turn this particular personal nightmare into a dream come true.

At next month’s Geneva show, Citroen will revive a name that was laid to rest on the high alter of motoring passion in 1976. The DS3 will be a small premium car with a market launch date some time in 2011. It will later be joined by the DS4 and DS5. I’m thinking these will be Audi A3, A4 and A6-sized respectively.

Although I’m a die-hard Citroen fan, the re-use of the DS moniker sends chills up my spine for all the wrong reasons.

Firstly, DS as a name has so many rich historical connotations surrounding space age design combined with convention-defying engineering. Citroen’s designers are going to have to pull three Technicolor rabbits out of the hat to impress anyone. The comparisons with the original DS will be inevitable and if the new trio aren’t as earth-shattering as the original, you can expect a lot of disappointed journos and Citroen fans. Hardly the reception you want at the re-launch of an icon.

Secondly, no matter how you look at it, Citroen has never been a manufacturer of “premium” cars. Extravagantly engineered (DS/CX/SM/XM) and sometimes eye-wateringly expensive (SM mainly) but not built to sufficiently high standards, big Cits have always been of marginal interest to the average premium buyer. You only need to look at the lovely C6 which costs £35,000 new but can now be had, 3 years old and with 30,000 miles for just over £10k to see why a private buyer would keep the hell away. Your heart might look longingly at a big Cit but your head will always tell you to stop being so idiotic and you go off and buy a BMW, Audi or Merc instead.

I could well be proved wrong, and I hope I am. Geneva will reveal just how creative Citroen’s designers are and how insane (-ly good) their marketing department is.