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While it is convenient to blame manufacturers and marketers
for the trend toward upsizing vehicles and bloating standard content, the truth
of the matter is they are only taking pains to deliver what people who shell out
money tell them they wish to buy.
Even manufacturers who have traditionally been "enthusiast"
oriented are suffering from this, not because they wish to abandon their
traditional customer base, but because the only way they can survive to build
any cars is to pander to the demands of consumers.
Case in point: BMW M3 Stared in 1988 as a low/no content,
high-specific-output/niche vehicle, targeted at a particular group
("enthusiasts") and largely bought by that group. Generation 2 -- 1995, the next
version is now a medium output I-6/with all the power-leather googaws and a
unique "brand" -- ///M. Sporting types are disappointed with the softening of
the car's purpose and capabilities (that debate is still raged fiercely in
bimmer circles) but they sold a gazillion of them. Generation 3 -- the new M3 is
about to hit our shores and again it is bigger. fatter, and has more automated
distractions than ever before. Yes it does represent a marginal increase in
performance over the previous but the sport is nearly gone in favor of mandatory
luxury content. Yuck!!
BMW is not the only maker to suffer this -- look no further
than the Porsche SUV...
$0.02
Christian
stuff...
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