I think weight is the main reason nearly every review I've seen say the i4 40 is better than the i4 m50
BMW and M Power Owners
- Thread starter panthro
- Start date
How many have you sat in? I pretty much sat in every EV at goodwood FOS. It’s not one of the better at all, an ID3 has more rear head room
Not really sure why you keep going on about Nring. Heavier cars need heavier parts and heavier cars are more expensive, why would an OEM overspec a battery to sell a upgrade later ? The battery is already a key differentiator at the point of purchase.
Anyway massively off topic. Let’s get back to proper cars with burning and explosions
Last edited:
Caporegime
The problem is though it likely inflates the cost of cars on the whole as all of that additional equipment has to be added. Yes, range standardisation will have some cost savings but I don't know that it would balance.
Plus there's always going to be the nightmare around it not working. Is it not working because of an account issue, an IT issue, a network issue, or because the part is faulty.
Soldato
Honestly - I'm shocked the ID3 has more rear headroom over the P2
Foot garage is a 150mm stack so the 7cm delta in height is only half the 'benefit' you are suggesting should be there for free?
Stick to the day job.
Associate
BMW UAE had an EV event the past weekend in Dubai, managed to test out the i4 m50. Very impressive car I must say with more then enough power on top. Thinking if it may be worth while handing back the m4 back in the UK after the third year of PCP and getting the i4, although I think offers are few and far between?
Good pic. Shows the id3 having a much higher roof at the back where it matters for rear head room…. Let alone the point about the floor ‘depth’
Soldato
Not a BMW specifically directed moan, it just happens to have been the above article I read but what a terrible waste of materials and resources putting everything into the car irrespective of if it's wanted or not.
Not really as it streamlines the production process greatly
Rather than making say 40 variants of a seat you now make 20 less inventory to carry less manufacturing process and the actual cost to fit and sit there is neglible and they will only need a small percentage uptake on the subs to make it profitable
I do wonder when they will offer power levels via subscription though
Your standard 3 series comes with 200bhp but for only £25 a month you can have 250bhp or £40 a month 300 bhp
It actually makes manufacturing cheaper.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I can't decide what I think about it. On the one hand the concept does seem strange - especially for items which were typically standard anyway. I cannot remember the last time I dove a BMW less than 20 years old that didn't have heated seats as standard. I can understand it more where additional software is provided or where there is a service charge involved - I pay for traffic etc on mine but this involves a cellular connection to the car, etc etc - somebody has to pay for that surely and the amount they charge seems reasonable. But for conventional things like heated seats?
On the other hand I find buying a used car of the right spec very difficult because in the UK market people are more bothered about making sure it has 20 inch alloy wheels in gloss black, carbon fibre seats and black grilles and mirrors rather than useful optional equipment. So the idea that I could buy a used car and then simply pay BMW to add in all the features I wanted is something that interests me. They've been doing this with high beam assistant for a while, a feature I really like which nobody ever bothers to order.
Presumably the options they have are:
a) Fit the options to every car. Ensure the price of the car reflects the cost of these options, increasing the price of the car for everyone.
b) Fit the options only to cars where the options are specifically selected when the car is ordered. But this ignores the fact that many options share components which will already be present, especially the driver assistant functions
c) Fit the options to every car but charge only for what people want. This means those who think all you need on your BMW is 20 inch wheels, window tints and an M Performance sticker don't need to pay extra for those of us who think adaptive cruise control is more useful. Those of us who do think adaptive cruise is useful can buy a car without it and then simply add it at a cost.
On the other hand I find buying a used car of the right spec very difficult because in the UK market people are more bothered about making sure it has 20 inch alloy wheels in gloss black, carbon fibre seats and black grilles and mirrors rather than useful optional equipment. So the idea that I could buy a used car and then simply pay BMW to add in all the features I wanted is something that interests me. They've been doing this with high beam assistant for a while, a feature I really like which nobody ever bothers to order.
Presumably the options they have are:
a) Fit the options to every car. Ensure the price of the car reflects the cost of these options, increasing the price of the car for everyone.
b) Fit the options only to cars where the options are specifically selected when the car is ordered. But this ignores the fact that many options share components which will already be present, especially the driver assistant functions
c) Fit the options to every car but charge only for what people want. This means those who think all you need on your BMW is 20 inch wheels, window tints and an M Performance sticker don't need to pay extra for those of us who think adaptive cruise control is more useful. Those of us who do think adaptive cruise is useful can buy a car without it and then simply add it at a cost.
No it doesn’t on a modern production line. Copper is expensive so unnecessary wires are removed hence the Toyota Corolla dashboard had about 100 different part numbers when I worked there - depending exactly on spec.
Soldato
Less line side storage and logistics to sequence in parts when there is less part variants.
Pay more attention next time you work at a plant.
Pay more attention next time you work at a plant.
Apart from copper demand in bev drive train, isn't the copper demand declining with higher voltage car power distribution and use of busses(& microcontollers) to configure peripheral car functions, so cost of having functions enabled on a subscription cost is less.
It's the push back with proprietary multi-media interfaces to ensure some revenue stream there - I rile against. ( yes they need to ensure secure execution of driving related OTA updates)
Still haven't seen an i4 on the road, radiator grill should be distinctive - even if you could delete the blue in decals.
It's the push back with proprietary multi-media interfaces to ensure some revenue stream there - I rile against. ( yes they need to ensure secure execution of driving related OTA updates)
Still haven't seen an i4 on the road, radiator grill should be distinctive - even if you could delete the blue in decals.
Soldato
The grille isn’t distinctive when it’s the same as the 4 series.
No idea what the rest of your post was made up, I’m sure the mad hatters tea party in your head still has lots of cake. Seat heating is still 12V as it’s in the cabin space…
No idea what the rest of your post was made up, I’m sure the mad hatters tea party in your head still has lots of cake. Seat heating is still 12V as it’s in the cabin space…
Soldato
If what people are saying is true, that cost of manufacturing comes down with less variantion*, then surely this is more beneficial to BMW than consumers?
BMW get lower costs, and turnover generated will be the same as those who would originally spec heated seats will buy the subscription.
The cynic in me also thinks this makes it easier to pass on costs by raising the subscription fee. Wouldn't surprise me if they eventually go full mobile service provider and start having a CPI +3.9% clause
*I don't have any experience of car production costs, but I know in FMCG having less variation and less SKUs is more efficient. So would believe it to apply to the car industry too. Plus Stellantis do this a lot on their brands, removing the number of variables on their configurators.
BMW get lower costs, and turnover generated will be the same as those who would originally spec heated seats will buy the subscription.
The cynic in me also thinks this makes it easier to pass on costs by raising the subscription fee. Wouldn't surprise me if they eventually go full mobile service provider and start having a CPI +3.9% clause
*I don't have any experience of car production costs, but I know in FMCG having less variation and less SKUs is more efficient. So would believe it to apply to the car industry too. Plus Stellantis do this a lot on their brands, removing the number of variables on their configurators.
Caporegime
If what people are saying is true, that cost of manufacturing comes down with less variantion*, then surely this is more beneficial to BMW than consumers?
BMW get lower costs, and turnover generated will be the same as those who would originally spec heated seats will buy the subscription.
The cynic in me also thinks this makes it easier to pass on costs by raising the subscription fee. Wouldn't surprise me if they eventually go full mobile service provider and start having a CPI +3.9% clause
*I don't have any experience of car production costs, but I know in FMCG having less variation and less SKUs is more efficient. So would believe it to apply to the car industry too. Plus Stellantis do this a lot on their brands, removing the number of variables on their configurators.
One thing is for sure, it would screw up getting iso 14001 certification! Very wasteful.
101 article on tesla wiring loom strategy V
New Tesla Model Y Wiring System Is Revolutionary
Tesla’s new wiring system – revealed in a patent application – promises not only to be much easier to assemble. It can also drastically reduce weight.
insideevs.com
or https://q5dtechnology.com/automotive-industry-the-escalating-content-dilemma
No they wont, as in affect by speccing that option when new you have bought the lifetime subscription package. But does mean that people will be able to "upspec" used BMWs now and pay to release certain options,
I was surprised when i got my fairly fully loaded X5, just how many of the options I neednt have specced the car with that I could have just bought and enabled online afterwards.
