Why is the BMW 3 Series positioned as a sports sedan abroad, but is positioned as a synonym for low-end BMW in China?

The new BMW 3 Series has been officially launched on the evening of June 22. BMW’s priority for the market this time is the 325 version equipped with a 2.0T engine, while the less powerful 320 and more powerful 330 versions will be launched next year. Although energy conservation and environmental protection in recent years have led to more and more car brands adopting three-cylinder or even lower-displacement engines,

However, in the traditional car buying thinking, the more cylinders, the greater the displacement. It looks more and more noble. Especially luxury brand models pay special attention to this point. It is really unacceptable for consumers to spend so much money and end up with just a 3-cylinder engine. Think about the Volvo XC90 that was launched a few years ago. The car itself is good and the power is also good.

But when they heard that such a large car had a four-cylinder engine, consumers were instantly dumbfounded. This is completely inconsistent with the mentality of its consumer groups who are satisfied with the appearance! Let’s look at the Toyota Reiz from earlier years. Although it is a 2.5L sedan with a low power, it is a 6-cylinder car, so it’s a good thing! Price - Affordable! Brand - value preservation! Therefore, for luxury car brands, the number of cylinders and displacement still have a great impact on consumers' minds. The models that BMW has launched this time are first of all the 325 version, which is the most popular and most cost-effective. In fact, for the BMW brand, there is a joke that goes like this: BMW can not have any car series, but it cannot be the only one. There is no 3 series. The deeper meaning of this sentence is that the 3 Series is a totem-like existence for BMW. It is a belief for car fans and a representative work of brand culture for BMW.

The sales volume of the 3 Series directly affects BMW's global position. Those who win the domestic market win the world. As the wallets of domestic consumers have become bigger and bigger over the years, we have entered an era of consumption upgrading, and BMW has just seized such an opportunity. Everyone has preconceptions, and the launch of the 325 has given BMW a feeling of improvement in terms of brand image and vehicle image. Compared with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz C200, the 3-cylinder engine has a displacement of 1.5L, and its status and image are not on the same level.