New BMW Models

[charismaticmegafauna]

Word on the street is: some of BMW's new dirt-bike models (450cc competition) will have engines sourced from (Taiwanese) Kymco (Kwang Yang Motor Co.). Apparently these will sell alongside the German marque's Italian Husqvarna and Austrian Rotax offerings?

Still 'German Engineering', though.... :huh:

 

[Ignacio]

Right up there with importing Volkwagens from Mexico or Camaros from Canada, and exporting Hondas from the U.S. to Japan. Country of origin is decreasingly important as globalism of manufactured goods while marketing of brand image and niche are pretty much standard practice these days.

I would imagine BMW's standard won't lessen significantly....as their supposedly precision-built German final drives can attest.

 

[uctofeej]

Very interesting...

Just visited my BMW dealer a few days ago and they Hyosungs on the floor. And not just 2 or 3, but the whole damn line. They don't even have a full line of beemers to show.

 

[wfooshee]

Right up there with importing Volkwagens from Mexico or Camaros from Canada, and exporting Hondas from the U.S. to Japan. Country of origin is decreasingly important as globalism of manufactured goods while marketing of brand image and niche are pretty much standard practice these days.
I would imagine BMW's standard won't lessen significantly....as their supposedly precision-built German final drives can attest.

Don't know if it still is, but the Accord was once Japan's #1 import car.

But for BMW out-sourcing engines? Gotta be a price point, something like that. I mean, they know how to build engines, right?

 

[Stephen]

Right up there with importing Volkwagens from Mexico or Camaros from Canada, and exporting Hondas from the U.S. to Japan. Country of origin is decreasingly important as globalism of manufactured goods while marketing of brand image and niche are pretty much standard practice these days.

As attested to the rewarding by the US Air Force of a US military airplane build to a foreign country partner instead of Boeing & partners who can instantly start production & delivery. :angry2: :angry2:

 

[i64X]

Don't know if it still is, but the Accord was once Japan's #1 import car.

Not for a long time. The "Accord" in the US and the "Accord" in Japan haven't been the same for a few generations now. I think the 94-97 generation were the last generation that were the same in both places.

Japan imports what the US calls the "Accord," which is built here in the US, and sells it as a slightly larger car called the Honda Inspire in Japan. The US built "Accord" is also sold in Australia as the Accord. This car isn't sold in Europe.

The Honda Accord in Japan is built in Japan and is sold there as the Accord. The highest end Japanese Accord exported from Japan to the US, has some Acura badges thrown on it, and is sold in the US and Canada as the Acura TSX. It's also sold in Australia as the "Accord Euro" and all trim levels of it are sold in Europe as the Honda Accord.

So in Short:

US Built Honda Accord = "Accord" in US and Canada, "Inspire" in Japan, "Accord" in Australia, not sold in Europe

Japanese Built Honda Accord = "Acura TSX" in US and Canada, "Accord" in Japan and Europe, "Accord Euro" in Australia