[ptack]

BMW is small potatos compared to the big boys and they would be insane to think they have the means to compete in the high volume/low margin side of the business. Remember, their top asset is their brand and that's about luxury, not economy. Where BMW is expanding agressively is in the developing world. They want to capitalize on their brand reputation among the up and coming achievers in countries like China, India, Brazil, etc. The i-car stuff are just more niches that they want to fill.

The big issue for anyone on this board is whether BMW's interest in those emerging markets will change its interest in performance. If the BMW marketeers decide that Mumbai software developers don't want high performance cars because they have no autobahns to drive on, do they shift their limited development resources into other features?