[TheIceStormOf06]

Attended the invite Black Tie Auto Show Gala last night prior to the Auto Show being open to the public. Pure disappointment!! Come on BMW!!! 6 cars being displayed. NO M CARS present or M-sport cars present!!!! Showcasing all hybrid models!! Had one 5 series all the way in the back or the display and it was not the right package. People were just walking right by it (the interior was Leaps and bounds). If The 5 is supposed to help BMW regain the crown, that was not a good start. Meanwhile Audi, BMW, Alfa and even Lexus showed out!! I went with high expectations.

We need an intervention BMW. No wonder why BMW is suffering on sales. Not impressed. BMW needs to take the crown back.

Rant Over!!!

[SCOTT26]

The Showcase from BMW North America was apparently on BMWi/iPerformance models only. It was all about making a statement.

[pharding]

And the statement was "We don't care about BMW Clients, Potential Clients, and BMW Enthusiasts in Chicago". That was certainly a missed opportunity. Where is the M550i xDrive?

[SCOTT26]

Chicago is positioned in between the first major international event of the year the NAIAS and the more globally important Geneva Auto Show.
BMW NA will be wholly responsible for the Chicago event not BMW AG as it is a regional show and regional shows do not showcase World Premiere events unlike Geneva which like Chicago is yearly and that will have 6 world premieres and European premieres.
So it is on BMW NA's initiative to showcase which models in this case the BMWi/iPerformance brands.
But do not rule such a thing out at other shows.

[Germanauto]

Looks incredibly lame.

[pharding]

In years past BMW always had a strong presence at the Chicago Auto Show. What happened this year? Look at he photos above. The BMW exhibit looks really empty and vacuous. I'll blitz through spartan BMW exhibit and spend generous amounts of time with the interesting products of MB, Audi, and the resurgent Volvo as a value proposition. I had been looking forward to lusting over the M550i and other M Performance cars and meaningful conversations to get the inside scoop. BMW is certainly losing momentum as MB and Volvo are gaining momentum in the US.

[phefner]

Took the family to this year's CAS and it was a universal feeling...BMW totally a lame showing. If the i8 was their feature act, it wasn't positioned as such. was just sitting there...locked...all you could do was peer through windows with a 100,001 nose prints on them.

Botched opportunity is an understatement.

[mjr24]

Not sure how Volvo or Mercedes is gaining just because they had a larger presence at an auto show. Stop whining. Go see the car at your dealer and I'm pretty sure we get more "info" on this board than anyone at any auto show is going to divulge to you.

[pharding]

The new 2018 MB E Class Coupe was on display and it is extremely impressive. The 2017 E300 Sedan didn't impress me. The Audi S5 Sportback is extremely impressive.

[Ryno 27]

My local dealership's showroom is more exciting than that display, and it's free admission.

[pharding]

The good news is that by signing in at the BMW display you get the Auto Cash Cash. The BMW slaes guys were very disappointed with what BMW did. MB and Audi had the full on displays. I sat in the new 2018 MB E Class Coupe. It was beautiful and the cabin was dramatically larger than the 2017 iteration. Of the entire MB line up in terms sheer value that would be it. The fit and finish was a half a notch better than the high standard of the G30.

[dbs600]

Statement or not, that's plain lousy!

Could've had each in multiple colors / configurations, at least.

Poor job.