General Car Talk Discussion Thread
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 23,362
Likes: 4,273
From: Los Angeles
I dont think you LEG is as fast as your finger.
Unless you are like Kimchi who prefers shorts ones.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 23,362
Likes: 4,273
From: Los Angeles
It doesn't matter how fast/good DSG/Auto is, you just cannot drive it like this.
BMW of North America is planning to bring back BMW Films, the pioneering online movie series produced by A-List Hollywood directors/actors that popularized branded content on Madison Avenue more than a decade ago
The first iteration of BMW Films was "The Hire:" a series of eight online films starring Clive Owen as a mysterious-driver-for-hire that were produced for the Internet from 2001-2002.
Running 8-10 minutes apiece, the mini-movies featured Mr. Owen driving BMW models such as the Z4 roadster. The flicks were directed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Ang Lee, John Woo, Guy Ritchie and the late John Frankenheimer.
Mr. Owen's performance helped turn him into an international movie star. Besides the BMW cars, Mr. Owen's co-stars included Gary Oldman, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke and Madonna (who was directed by her former husband, Mr. Ritchie).
A team led by David Lubars and Bruce Bildsten at BMW's former agency, Fallon, Minneapolis, created the idea for "The Hire" and wrote the scripts with input from directors such as Mr. Ritchie. Anonymous Content produced the films. David Fincher executive-produced.
Trudy Hardy, BMW's new VP of marketing, said at the 2014 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, the luxury automaker was planning to bring back BMW Films. But Ms. Hardy and BMW have declined to comment further.
BMW's current ad agency, KBS+, declined to comment on the plan. Steve Golin, who was heavily involved in the first project at Anonymous Content, could not be reached for comment. Ditto for Mr. Owens' agent at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles.
Ahead of its time
At a time when marketers and ad agencies were still trying to figure out how to use the Internet and broadband was not in wide use, BMW Films was ahead of its time, spawning sequels on Madison Avenue and even in Hollywood ("The Transporter" franchise of action flicks starring Jason Statham was inspired by "The Hire"). But BMW eventually abandoned the expensive series.
Jim McDowell, the charismatic marketer who championed the films at BMW, went on to serve as VP and Chief Motorer at MINI USA. Mr. McDowell retired in December. Mr. Lubars has since moved on to BBDO. Mr. Bildsten left Fallon to form his own shop, then later returned.
A project like BMW Films flips the normal ad budget on its head, with most of the money going into production rather than paid media.
But BMW is launching a new "i" sub-brand of plug-in hybrid vehicles around the world. A BMW Film encore could be a nice tool to demonstrate that its i-cars have all the performance expected from the Ultimate Driving Machine. KBS+'s first TV spots for the i-cars that broke recently on NBC's coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics took a cinematic approach.
Good idea?
"Resurrecting BMW Films is a great idea. If I was the CMO of BMW, that's what I would be doing," said David Kiley, author of "Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World," and editor-in-chief of New Roads Media. "It's really difficult to stand out and separate yourself producing TV commercials any more. It's really hard to tell an engaging story in 30-second spots."
But marketing consultant-turned Hollywood screenwriter Ernest Lupinacci sees potential pitfalls in a BMW Films sequel. First, the luxury car-maker will have to compete against itself. Despite all the hoopla, the films basically boiled down to A-List directors accepting big bucks from BMW for little more than beefed up car commercials, said Mr. Lupinacci.
"In the spirit of being a cynical son-of-a-bitch, they got A-List directors and paid them A-List dollars to direct C-Level concepts. These things were better-than-average commercials -- sort of. But if you go back and watch them you go, 'What's happening here?' It's just running footage."
After overtaking longtime leader Lexus to lead the U.S. car market in luxury sales in 2011-2012, BMW lost its luxury sales crown to rival Mercedes-Benz in 2013, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Mercedes sold 312,528 vehicles last year vs. 309,280 for BMW. Mercedes also lead all luxury car-makers in January sales with 22,604 compared to 18,253 for BMW, 17,637 for Lexus and 11,386 for General Motors' Cadillac.
The first iteration of BMW Films was "The Hire:" a series of eight online films starring Clive Owen as a mysterious-driver-for-hire that were produced for the Internet from 2001-2002.
Running 8-10 minutes apiece, the mini-movies featured Mr. Owen driving BMW models such as the Z4 roadster. The flicks were directed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Ang Lee, John Woo, Guy Ritchie and the late John Frankenheimer.
Mr. Owen's performance helped turn him into an international movie star. Besides the BMW cars, Mr. Owen's co-stars included Gary Oldman, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke and Madonna (who was directed by her former husband, Mr. Ritchie).
A team led by David Lubars and Bruce Bildsten at BMW's former agency, Fallon, Minneapolis, created the idea for "The Hire" and wrote the scripts with input from directors such as Mr. Ritchie. Anonymous Content produced the films. David Fincher executive-produced.
Trudy Hardy, BMW's new VP of marketing, said at the 2014 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, the luxury automaker was planning to bring back BMW Films. But Ms. Hardy and BMW have declined to comment further.
BMW's current ad agency, KBS+, declined to comment on the plan. Steve Golin, who was heavily involved in the first project at Anonymous Content, could not be reached for comment. Ditto for Mr. Owens' agent at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles.
Ahead of its time
At a time when marketers and ad agencies were still trying to figure out how to use the Internet and broadband was not in wide use, BMW Films was ahead of its time, spawning sequels on Madison Avenue and even in Hollywood ("The Transporter" franchise of action flicks starring Jason Statham was inspired by "The Hire"). But BMW eventually abandoned the expensive series.
Jim McDowell, the charismatic marketer who championed the films at BMW, went on to serve as VP and Chief Motorer at MINI USA. Mr. McDowell retired in December. Mr. Lubars has since moved on to BBDO. Mr. Bildsten left Fallon to form his own shop, then later returned.
A project like BMW Films flips the normal ad budget on its head, with most of the money going into production rather than paid media.
But BMW is launching a new "i" sub-brand of plug-in hybrid vehicles around the world. A BMW Film encore could be a nice tool to demonstrate that its i-cars have all the performance expected from the Ultimate Driving Machine. KBS+'s first TV spots for the i-cars that broke recently on NBC's coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics took a cinematic approach.
Good idea?
"Resurrecting BMW Films is a great idea. If I was the CMO of BMW, that's what I would be doing," said David Kiley, author of "Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World," and editor-in-chief of New Roads Media. "It's really difficult to stand out and separate yourself producing TV commercials any more. It's really hard to tell an engaging story in 30-second spots."
But marketing consultant-turned Hollywood screenwriter Ernest Lupinacci sees potential pitfalls in a BMW Films sequel. First, the luxury car-maker will have to compete against itself. Despite all the hoopla, the films basically boiled down to A-List directors accepting big bucks from BMW for little more than beefed up car commercials, said Mr. Lupinacci.
"In the spirit of being a cynical son-of-a-bitch, they got A-List directors and paid them A-List dollars to direct C-Level concepts. These things were better-than-average commercials -- sort of. But if you go back and watch them you go, 'What's happening here?' It's just running footage."
After overtaking longtime leader Lexus to lead the U.S. car market in luxury sales in 2011-2012, BMW lost its luxury sales crown to rival Mercedes-Benz in 2013, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Mercedes sold 312,528 vehicles last year vs. 309,280 for BMW. Mercedes also lead all luxury car-makers in January sales with 22,604 compared to 18,253 for BMW, 17,637 for Lexus and 11,386 for General Motors' Cadillac.
It doesn't matter how fast/good DSG/Auto is, you just cannot drive it like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ5Je2D-eGg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ5Je2D-eGg
Dat M5.
RWD FTW.
Thread Starter
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 64,159
Likes: 14,307
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 88,888
Likes: 11,846
From: Waffles, BU
Your Friendly Canadian
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 17,447
Likes: 1,506
From: Toronto, Ontario
Despite less choices than ever, manual transmission cars are being purchased in greater numbers recently than at any point in the last eight years.
Ford thought their manual transmission would be 4-5% and it's double that on the Focus. So much so you can get a manual transmission Focus Titanium now, unlike when the car was first released.
The ATS 2.0T has a 5% manual transmission purchase rate.
Thankfully, it seems that the manual transmission isn't dead yet.
I wonder if that's because people emigrating here are used to manuals.
Link to USAToday article on manual transmission uptake rates
Ford thought their manual transmission would be 4-5% and it's double that on the Focus. So much so you can get a manual transmission Focus Titanium now, unlike when the car was first released.
The ATS 2.0T has a 5% manual transmission purchase rate.
Thankfully, it seems that the manual transmission isn't dead yet.
I wonder if that's because people emigrating here are used to manuals.
Link to USAToday article on manual transmission uptake rates
Good to hear for sure, though. Hope this results in more choices for the MT lovers.
Moderator
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,543
Likes: 6,192
From: Phoenix, AZ
Suzuka Master
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 7,283
Likes: 1,272
I'm not even sure if $39K is a fair asking price. Spend the extra $20-$25K, & you can find a newer GT-R with under 40K on the odo.
Fahrvergnügen'd
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,494
Likes: 1,569
From: Maryland
Chris Harris on the Flappy-Paddled Gearbox
I was watching his review of the A45 vs. the M135i and as the video review came to a close, Chris mentioned he feels less deprived in those cars with a DSG/DCT than in a 911 GT3. That somehow the dual-clutch gearbox and the immediacy of the power in those cars seem more appropriate. It's an interesting conclusion and seems to be different from what most of us think.
Here's the video if you'd like to watch it:
Here's the video if you'd like to watch it:
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 88,888
Likes: 11,846
From: Waffles, BU
Indeed.. if you pick it up around 30k, extra monies to keep it a reliable daily. I'd rather have a high mileage car that had proactive maintenance than one that took hundreds of pulls down the track / street.
2024 Honda Civic Type R
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,190
Likes: 1,520
From: Chicago, IL
Despite less choices than ever, manual transmission cars are being purchased in greater numbers recently than at any point in the last eight years.
Ford thought their manual transmission would be 4-5% and it's double that on the Focus. So much so you can get a manual transmission Focus Titanium now, unlike when the car was first released.
The ATS 2.0T has a 5% manual transmission purchase rate.
Thankfully, it seems that the manual transmission isn't dead yet.
I wonder if that's because people emigrating here are used to manuals.
Link to USAToday article on manual transmission uptake rates
Ford thought their manual transmission would be 4-5% and it's double that on the Focus. So much so you can get a manual transmission Focus Titanium now, unlike when the car was first released.
The ATS 2.0T has a 5% manual transmission purchase rate.
Thankfully, it seems that the manual transmission isn't dead yet.
I wonder if that's because people emigrating here are used to manuals.
Link to USAToday article on manual transmission uptake rates
Moderator
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 29,869
Likes: 3,489
Interestingly, I also saw a mention in a forum of how BMW M vehicles have a take rate of 44%
no source though.
Fahrvergnügen'd
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 13,494
Likes: 1,569
From: Maryland
R&T respects the new 991 Turbo S, does not love it
61 consecutive sprints with launch control and the car is fine.
0-60 in 2.6 seconds. 0-100 in 6.8 seconds. 1/4 mile in 10.9 @ 124mph. 60-0 in 115 feet.
Yet R&T says the car isn't as fun as the 930 Turbo and has therefore lost something.
It's $200k or as Clarkson would say, "Near as makes no difference."
I honestly think the R&T guys spend too much time in supercars. They've lost touch with reality.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...?src=soc_fcbks
0-60 in 2.6 seconds. 0-100 in 6.8 seconds. 1/4 mile in 10.9 @ 124mph. 60-0 in 115 feet.
Yet R&T says the car isn't as fun as the 930 Turbo and has therefore lost something.
It's $200k or as Clarkson would say, "Near as makes no difference."
I honestly think the R&T guys spend too much time in supercars. They've lost touch with reality.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...?src=soc_fcbks
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 169,094
Likes: 23,860
61 consecutive sprints with launch control and the car is fine.
0-60 in 2.6 seconds. 0-100 in 6.8 seconds. 1/4 mile in 10.9 @ 124mph. 60-0 in 115 feet.
Yet R&T says the car isn't as fun as the 930 Turbo and has therefore lost something.
It's $200k or as Clarkson would say, "Near as makes no difference."
I honestly think the R&T guys spend too much time in supercars. They've lost touch with reality.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...?src=soc_fcbks
0-60 in 2.6 seconds. 0-100 in 6.8 seconds. 1/4 mile in 10.9 @ 124mph. 60-0 in 115 feet.
Yet R&T says the car isn't as fun as the 930 Turbo and has therefore lost something.
It's $200k or as Clarkson would say, "Near as makes no difference."
I honestly think the R&T guys spend too much time in supercars. They've lost touch with reality.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...?src=soc_fcbks
Personally, for that price-point, I just may be giggling in a GT-R and save my $$$$ for another car or two.
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 169,094
Likes: 23,860
Some great images of the Porsche Museum's warehouse, folks: http://ca.autoblog.com/photos/porsch...photo-2160974/
Wallpaper resolutions available too.
Wallpaper resolutions available too.