German automakers are in trouble. We don't feel sorry for them because they still make a lot of money, but old-fashioned GTs with normal powertrains aren't selling, and we don't want to live in a world without them.
A good example of this is the BMW 8 Series. The Bavarians recently launched a new version called the M8 Gran Coupe, and hardly anybody is talking about it. Yes, it's very expensive and not many people can buy one, but that never stopped Ferrari or Bentley from being the talk of the time.
We've often thought that the three big German players are too busy competing with each other to notice what they're doing wrong. Mercedes has convertibles, so BMW can't give up on making them, even though people clearly don't want any.
The M8 Gran Coupe is a new nameplate, but in most ways, it's also very predictable. With the older 6 Series, you had a 4-door coupe M6 model which featured the same kind of powertrain, minus the xDrive, of course. This very much competes with the top-end Audi, which is the RS7 Sportback, as well as the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S.
But is that enough to get people excited at a car show, especially when there's a mid-engined Corvette and a Supra around? The Gran Coupe model's development money would have been far better spent on a truly original body style, not simply the same car with two extra doors.
What's different from an M8 Gran Coupe? Probably not an M8 Touring, like the one made by X-Tomi Design. But a Shooting Brake that does away with even more of its practicality for the sake of style, now that's something we can get behind. And though in some impractical Tesla doors while you're at it!
But what would you do with the M8 nameplate? Perhaps a mid-engined supercar or a 2-door crossover-coupe. Tell us in the comments section below.
We've often thought that the three big German players are too busy competing with each other to notice what they're doing wrong. Mercedes has convertibles, so BMW can't give up on making them, even though people clearly don't want any.
The M8 Gran Coupe is a new nameplate, but in most ways, it's also very predictable. With the older 6 Series, you had a 4-door coupe M6 model which featured the same kind of powertrain, minus the xDrive, of course. This very much competes with the top-end Audi, which is the RS7 Sportback, as well as the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S.
But is that enough to get people excited at a car show, especially when there's a mid-engined Corvette and a Supra around? The Gran Coupe model's development money would have been far better spent on a truly original body style, not simply the same car with two extra doors.
What's different from an M8 Gran Coupe? Probably not an M8 Touring, like the one made by X-Tomi Design. But a Shooting Brake that does away with even more of its practicality for the sake of style, now that's something we can get behind. And though in some impractical Tesla doors while you're at it!
But what would you do with the M8 nameplate? Perhaps a mid-engined supercar or a 2-door crossover-coupe. Tell us in the comments section below.