Completely asinine car but ultimately, BMW is a business.
3-4 years earlier, BMW was spending almost 1.5x as much per car for production than other comparable manufacturers (e.g. Mercedes/Audi). Along with that, market research indicated BMW had what was considered an "incomplete" range of cars and "too firm a ride." Furthermore, emissions regulations are now tighter than ever.
The final straw for shareholders/CEOs was Audi suddenly gaining significant market share so quickly.
With this background, its easy to explain BMW's logic. Increase the range of cars - with particular emphasis on electric/diesel alternatives. Don't get me wrong - they'll still put a significant R&D into their "trophy" cars - basically the true M lineup - M3, M6 for two reasons - to maintain their company branding as "sporty" but also because they sell M-cars at a true premium and so can (hopefully) make much of their investment back. However, based on reviews, even these cars are less "pure" - case in point - BMW active sound in the M5!
And for those, like me, who have driven previous generations of 3 series non-M-cars that were used to a only slightly diluted version of M-cars, we will now be sadly disappointed. Therefore, Have no doubt - BMW is no longer an "ultimate driving machine" for enthusiasts.
The bottom line for a business and shareholders is one thing - money - AKA profit. That's why we see the (possible) deterioration in interior quality - (its cheaper to manufacture), the move to electric steering (again cheaper to manufacture), the softer suspension (following survey data) and this completely inane lineup of cars (increasing market share).
Economical forces have pushed BMW to manufacture what I consider "BMW's version of an Audi." Drive comparable cars from BMW and Audi back to back and hopefully you'll see what I mean. Yes, the BMW counterpart is still sportier/more direct than the Audi but the difference between the two cars is significantly smaller than in comparisons of previous generations. And the disparity between the two manufacturer's creations continue to dwindle. It's sad to say but BMW now builds ultimate profit making machines, nothing more.
Rant over.
