BMW's Mini Cooper based front wheel drive Active Tourer will see production and enter showrooms in 2015

[Sticky]

Remember the BMW Concept Active Tourer Offroad? If you do not BimmerBoost forgives you as the vehicle is easily forgettable. Well this front wheel drive 'offroad' concept will see production. It will be based on the Mini Cooper platform sharing the same drivetrain options allowing BMW to essentially re-badge a Mini Cooper as a BMW. Why is BMW doing this? BMW board member Ian Robertson believes it will bring new buyers to the brand which he certainly is correct about.

Shouldn't these be buyers going to Mini though? Won't this car dilute BMW's premium and performance image? Will BMW suffer from a similar Lexus/Toyota stigma with BMW/Mini? Robertson states, "You will see BMW push into segments where we haven't been before. If I look at the first generation 1 series in 2004, 80 percent of the customers were new to the brand."

That is fine and dandy, reaching a new market and new buyers. But don't sit there and tell me you only make one thing and that thing is the Ultimate Driving Machine. This is not the Ultimate Driving Machine. It's a Mini Cooper with a BMW badge.

"With the Active Tourer, we will get a lot of new customers again. They will come out of the premium segment and from some of the volume players," Roberston stated. Who cares if you say one thing and do another though as long as cars sell, right?

Source

[whoosh]

"With the Active Tourer, we will get a lot of new customers again. They will come out of the premium segment and from some of the volume players"

So they are looking to make conquests from current Lexus, Acura and Infiniti buyers? And the 10% who buy a FWD Audi?

What's the equivalent of "sell out" in German?

[Sticky]

Somebody who knows German hopefully can help with that.

[Puerto Rican 335d]

Mini is no longer the Mini I ordered back in 02 its NOW all BMW. Therefore its a BMW!!! But I must admit I like it.

Translation is ausverkaufen

http://translate.google.com/#auto/de/sell%20out