You’ll see a brand new experience and environment next time you set foot in one of the many BMW dealerships around the country.
This luxury brand is taking on a whole new look, giving us an experience that should feel less confrontational when heading to the showroom. The idea is to build a location where potential customers can experience the vehicle they want without the feeling of a place that’s all about sales and transactions. Will this change make a difference when you visit your nearby BMW dealer or will you do your shopping online?
Say Goodbye to the Old Buying Process
We’ve already come a long way in the buying process of vehicles. There was a time when customers needed to go armed with information prepared to do battle with slick and savvy salespeople. Today, most of the car buying experience has to do with the financing and extras and a lot less the price of the car. Even though we’ve come this far, the experience is still daunting and anxiety-ridden. This is what BMW is trying to change with their new showroom setup which debuts in July.
A New Global Retail Next Design Concept
Rather than the transactional and uncomfortable feeling you get at current showrooms, the BMW dealerships offer a new way to do business. Future locations feature fewer cars and each model with a display area and seating to help you see what that vehicle brings to your experience. The idea is to emulate an online shopping experience from the showroom. While they cannot offer you the comforts of home in their showrooms, you can have a luxurious experience while shopping for your next BMW model. This could be the step forward that hits the mark where we need it.
This New Process Takes Time
The first wave of dealerships to change to the new design includes only about 25 locations. That’s not many, but it’s a start. Over the next few years, nearly one-third of the 350 BMW locations in the United States intend to upgrade their facilities. This new recipe for selling cars comes straight from the Tesla model, which is a no-pressure shopping experience. This is truly a way to allow the vehicles to sell themselves to the customers. We don’t know yet if the rest of the dealer locations plan to upgrade as well, but we should know more as some of the early locations start changing their look and feel.
What Does BMW Offer?
We know BMW to be a brand filled with luxurious and sporty models that make driving fun and exciting. Whether the car uses the M badge to signify more power and performance or it’s one of the standard versions we see, those three letters tell us all we need to know about the vehicle that wears them. Let’s take a quick look at the lineup offered and what it has for you when you visit one of these new showrooms.
The Regular Contenders
The coupe and sedan lineup offered by BMW includes several models of varying sizes. You can start with the roadster which is the Z4 and find a fun, active, and sporty convertible that only seats two people. From there, you’ll see the 2 Series which is thought of as a fun compact car that is quick and easy to admire on any road.
The venerable 3 Series sedan is the car that we’ve called the Ultimate Driving Machine on more than one occasion for how sporty and fun the M version can be on the road. Next, we find the 4 Series which is simply the coupe form of the 3 Series. Expect a lot of fun and active driving out of this car.
Going further up the line you find the BMW 5 Series, 7 Series, and 8 Series. The 5 Series is a sedan that delivers active performance in a larger package. The 7 Series and 8 Series are both flagship models that do things differently. You’ll love the way these cars drive and know that you’ve found something special when you step inside.
The future BMW dealerships will offer a seated area around each of these models to give you a full tour of what they bring to your driving experience.
Getting to Something Bigger
The automotive world we live in today is littered with SUVs of all shapes and sizes. From models that barely look larger than a hatchback up to SUVs with three rows of seats to take your large family out on the road, we’ve got lots of options when it’s time for a glorious drive.
Similar to the sedans, the BMW SUVs are numbered sequentially, giving you an idea of size differences and changes you might need to pay close attention to. The first is the BMW X1 which is a tiny luxury crossover that can whip around any corner and give you a bit more cargo room than you would find in a comparable sedan. The X2 is similar to the X1 but has a sloping roof to provide a sportier appearance for you.
Moving up the line, you’ll find the BMW X3 and X4 are larger than the previous two models but give you similar qualities. The X4 is the coupe-style luxury SUV of the two while the X3 is the practical family vehicle that seats five comfortably on any road.
Next, we see the BMW X5 and X6 models that follow the same formula with the larger build quality. The X5 is considered to be one of the most useful SUVs in the market, giving you the right size and ample cargo room you desire.
At the top of the BMW SUV lineup is where we find the X7. This three-row SUV is comfortable, spacious, and truly luxurious, especially when you choose one of the higher trims for this vehicle.
Will you see one of these new luxury SUVs at the local BMW dealerships after they make the new showroom changes? You might see them in a new light with a stylized presentation put on by the BMW team.
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