02-24-2015, 10:42 PM | #89 | |
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I just like how it grips my bum in a seat and doesn't heat up as bad as vinyl in SoFla. Provenance is inconsequential to me. |
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02-24-2015, 10:59 PM | #90 | |
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02-24-2015, 11:27 PM | #91 |
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There is no point in complaining, it is not a new idea that different continents get different options. The interior is pretty nice looking, I think it is a little over kill and not all of that fabric is functional. I would need to have it in some variation of black which I think would look awesome. I absolutely do not think it would be a good business decision for BMW to make this the default, so many people are more concerned about appearances and the look of leather. WE are such a small portion of the market, like sub 1%, and most people don't want cloth even if it does hold you in place under aggressive driving conditions. Although this is simple business I have been a little bit disappointed with the customization offers around the 235. They have given an extremely limited color pallet and I could easily see something like this offerred as part of a sport package or an extra option to add some alcantara to side bolsters and what not. Audi has offerred this as an option on a bunch of their cars for years, just not as a default option. So I share the disappointment over a lack of options on this car, but I'm sure once its been around for a few years we will see some improvements here. Its part of the price you pay for owning something so new. BMW is a mass producer of vehicles and adding this option (I'd want a few alcantara color choices) would cut into margins and increase price for every model across the board. In other words, not going to happen. This is why you can choose everything when you go get a porsche or the like. $$$
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02-24-2015, 11:29 PM | #92 |
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Not many companies will even sell in America due to being sued for a hot cup of coffee. What they do if they do sell in America is a basic product. BMW cars have a minimum type of car which is easy to keep track of where as New Zealand who is a very small countries has all engines available and options with only a 1,900 cars including Mini sold per year and we are at the bottom of the world with huge transport costs.
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02-25-2015, 09:55 AM | #93 |
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02-25-2015, 10:17 AM | #94 | |
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02-25-2015, 12:20 PM | #95 |
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Their income is most likely higher and it would be fairly comparable to us in the states.
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02-25-2015, 04:03 PM | #96 | ||
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Nope. I don't believe that most people would make this kind of snap judgement either. Takes a lot more than an animal skin to get me comparing any BMW with any Buick or (worse) Ford. I would drive a BMW with a picnic bench over most Fords with magic fingers vibrating massage seats. Quote:
-Alcantara seats -40/20/40 split rear seat Where miles away is a separate US facility, tooled specifically for producing: -Leather seats -60/40 split rear seat Of course that would be silly. The 2 series is a relatively small production line and it's got options available to various markets. Sometimes a regional option makes sense (emissions, lights, instruments, safety options, etc.). But for the 2 examples above, I can't fathom why they aren't universally available. -EPA doesn't approve of the chemicals used in the Alcantara production process? -Split rear seat doesn't meet crash test guidelines for US market? No idea, but on face value it seems silly. |
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02-25-2015, 04:35 PM | #97 |
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Same here in Australia. BMW Australia decide on the standard spec and options that they think we want. Our prices are very high compared to US, but they try to justify this by having a lot of options included in the base price, even if we don't want them. Classic example here is that every model with a bigger engine also has more standard options, forcing a bigger price difference.
It would be much better if they started at the lower spec as per other markets, US for example and just let customers configure their cars how they like it. There is no factory limitation, as the factory just builds each car as requested. Also let us choose options how we want, rather than forcing options together in packages. By all means keep the packages as it gives a better price, but only if we want all the options in the package.
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02-25-2015, 04:44 PM | #98 | |
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02-25-2015, 05:54 PM | #99 | |
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02-25-2015, 05:57 PM | #100 |
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02-25-2015, 11:52 PM | #102 |
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I believe in this case BMW is being slow to respond which is always a bad thing. On one end a knee jerk reaction, on the other a way too slow to react product offering that loses ground to other manufacturers. At the very least ventilated seats on the base SensaTec, please!
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02-26-2015, 11:17 AM | #103 | |
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These 2 rear-seat assemblies are far more of a nuisance in the assembly process and they're specific to the 2 series. Alcantara and Sensatec both must be bought in bulk to support the variety of all BMW's they're used in. Of course the tooling, setup and labor for each of these in the 2 series assembly line is different and therefore more inefficient than sticking with one covering. But far more work is required for the 2 rear-seat offerings and I wonder what reason they are assigned to the different regions? |
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02-26-2015, 12:17 PM | #104 | |
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I don't know about the rear seat decision they made. I can only imagine they have local market differences which they feel they must address, or that the lower variable cost of the 40/60 makes a positive business case versus the complexity and they can get away with it in some markets. If the supplier has a front seat trim line and a separate rear seat trim line, taking out likely the power vs manual variation, and front-seat air bag sensor variation, they may have had fewer issues including both varieties for rear seat build-up. Once the supplier builds up the seat set onto a pallet, and it goes into the ~4 hour bank and then sequentially to the plant, there is no significant difference in assembly from there forward. The attachment points for the rear seat are likely the same for both rear seat species, but the operation is still installation of one rear seat assembly, conveyed on an arm into position for simple attachment by the operator, followed by the front seats. |
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09-17-2017, 10:55 AM | #106 |
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Bumping this thread because I'd like to know more about these seats as a possibility for my upcoming m240i purchase. First and foremost, is BMW still offering the cloth seats in other markets for the m240i like they did with the m235i? (*edit* - found out answer is yes) If so, I'm thinking there HAS to be a way to get these seats in our cars over here in the US, even if purchased aftermarket.
Are there any US dealers out there working with BMW dealers overseas to source these cloth interior parts as "replacement" parts? Perhaps there are people overseas ditching their "base" interiors for stripped out track builds, etc.? Any leads would be more than appreciated! Last edited by CP911; 09-17-2017 at 12:08 PM.. |
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09-17-2017, 11:23 AM | #107 | |
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America is litigation happy - that's for sure. But this case wasn't one of them. |
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09-17-2017, 12:28 PM | #108 |
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For those who would like to swap the seat material to that available in a different market, it is fairly straight forward to do, just a matter of cost. For the hexagon cloth/alcantara, you will need these parts (schmiedmann.com can typically get them within 5 days and ships to North America, I've had great service from them in obtaining Euro mirrors for the M240i):
52-10-7-849-887 x2 front seat base USD $465.72 52-10-8-054-985 front seat back (left) USD $512.34 52-10-8-054-986 front seat back (right) USD $512.34 52-10-8-054-988 x2 thigh extension USD $54.73 52-10-8-054-989 x2 front headrest USD $191.48 52-20-8-055-227 rear seat base USD $604.22 52-20-8-057-951 rear seat back (left) USD $253.77 52-20-8-055-008 rear seat back (centre) USD $164.94 52-20-8-057-952 rear seat back (right) USD $253.77 52-20-8-055-225 rear side (left) USD $222.13 52-20-8-055-226 rear side (right) USD $222.13 52-20-8-057-028 rear top-middle USD $163.03 52-20-8-055-011 x2 rear headrest USD $186.71 Total before shipping and taxes is USD $4,705.95 plus the cost of labour to swap the upholstery over. |
09-17-2017, 12:32 PM | #109 | |
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As far as your take on the business case, I'm not so convinced. The enthusiast group is a relatively small market as you said, but isn't the US still a huge effing market? I guess we'll never know unless BMW NA tries it.. (*hint hint BMW* ) . Not to get political, but hopefully a BMW marketing person is reading this so I can remind him/her about how the secret Trump voters like myself made the difference (or the Russians? LOL). Cheers! CP911 |
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09-17-2017, 02:03 PM | #110 | |
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As to cloth or the fake/synthetic suede known as Alcantara, the simple fact is lack of demand, and no one is keeping that a secret in automotive market research. If you wish to spend to import such seats from elsewhere, good luck with that, but unless the market does a dramatic reversal, SensaTec and leather (such as it is) will remain your choices. Remember, acceptance is the first step.
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