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Marketing private space to denizens of urban jungle
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POPCORN, admission tickets and a three-hour stage play in a grand theater in the city of Wuxi, 135 kilometers outside of Shanghai. It was hardly the setting one would expect for the launch of a new car model.
The show featured car lovers shown indulging their dreams of an adventurous escape from the urban rat race by buying a BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. It was aimed at China’s emerging middle class.
In global sales across the world, the entry-level 2 Series posted a 56.3 percent increase in the first quarter. BMW is now hoping the locally manufactured Tourer will perform similar wonders in the China market.
Olaf Kastner, BMW China’s chief executive officer, said the carmaker is trying to attract the attention of consumers born in the last three decades — young people hankering for some private space in the urban sprawl that defines their lives.
That effort is reflected in the low sticker price. The German carmaker changed the design of the car to front-wheel drive from rear-wheel drive in order to lower production costs. The change also released more space in the back seats, making it an ideal family car for five.
The mainstream price of the 2 Series Active Tourer ranges between 236,900 yuan (US$36,564) and 331,900 yuan. The vehicle is an upgrade but inexpensive replacement to 1 Series and attempts to compete with Mercedes-Benz’s B Class, a successful rival in the same segment.
BMW’s attempts to spin the image of driving as an escape from the urban treadmill to younger Chinese consumers is being played out at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show, which starts today.
Many will wait to see whether the two-door M2 coupe can stand its ground in a sea of crossovers and gran coupes, and how the newly debut X4 M40i will compete with the Audi SQ5 and the upcoming Benz GLC450 AMG.
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