With The Decline Of The Sedan, Does BMW Need To DROP The 3 Or The 5? Like Lexus Dumping The GS?

As I said elsewhere, they should build a 5 Series sized vehicle, price it like a 3 Series. I'd call it a 4 Series but have it replace the 3/4GC/5.

I would then move the 7 Series down market as a tweener larger than a 5 but smaller than a 7, but priced like 5. I'd call it a 6 Series. Sedans have to be big value and lots of stuff for the dollar these days.

I'd let the X7 be their ICE range topper and then do an 8 Series (new vehicle) EV coupesedan with a skateboard platform.

Between those two, the 5 of course. Do they really need the 7? Perhaps merge the 5 and 7 together with an electric powertrain to compete with the Model S.

Merge the two and have a LWB version option.

BMW, the car I love to hate. I can't distinguish between a 3 and a 5 nowadays so just make one with different price levels like 320, 325, 328, they all have the 2.0 L I4 but with different tuning and different interior options. SWB and LWB is a good option kind of like the L in the 7 series or the Lexus LS.

You can't get rid of the 7, nor the S, A8, or LS.

They don't sell in huge numbers, but the profit margins on them are huge, even with typical discounts.

But beyond that, they're flagships. They're not designed to sell in huge numbers, they're designed to communicate success and push the brand forward. Cancelling a flagship sedan is giving up.

The Germans and Lexus are well-respected, and Genesis is an up-and-comer; I think the brand message sent by the flagship is at least part of that.

Look at all of the brands with axed and non-existent flagships and see how they're doing. Infiniti canned the Q45 and has been on the downward trend ever since. Acura never had a full-size flagship, and perhaps not coincidentally, they've never been considered a full-line competitor to Lexus et. al. Cadillac's CT6 was never good enough to be a true flagship, but they scrapped it anyway, along with the rest of the hopes of the brand, unless the Celestiq somehow pulls a rabbit out of a hat. Finally, Lincoln is kind of in the middle; it's got some good momentum on the back of a decent flagship with questionable corporate dedication behind it.

Flagships don't make or break a brand, but they're a bellwether for its performance and level of effort across the lineup.

@NewQ --- exactly, if you ever build a flagship the minute you discontinue it, your hopes of ever being considered top-tier are over.

As the X7 is proving hands down, a flagship does not need to be a sedan.

Lexus can dump GS because ES sells

Germans don't have something like that, so cannot afford to lose any mid size sedan

Right. But Benz and BMW don't have redundant sedans in their lineup like the GS and ES essentially were to each other. In size, they sat on top of each other.
And Lexus sedan buyers likely can't distinguish FWD vs. RWD, and the ES was less expensive. Just a no brainer which one would sell more.

I am with NewQ on that. The upper end flagships not only define the luxury and panache of the brand but it also caters to the customers who appreciate and respect the brand while giving the best experience for customers who want the best of their luxury brand. These cars will always be respected, the S Class, A8, 7 series etc. Its their hallmark. I don't expect any of these big 3 or Lexus to give up on their flagship or else they have given up like Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac and now Lincoln. These brands have so much prestige and history that they will continue to make these flagship.

Agree, and other marques like Bentley just launched the fantastic new Flying Spur. I think Cad should relaunch the CT6 "properly" as the platform is amazing. They won't though and I agree with NewQ - "but they scrapped it anyway, along with the rest of the hopes of the brand". The Celestikon will be a failure because GM does everything 1/2 @$$ed and cheap. They don't know how to build a true luxury vehicle, only to price a vehicle as such...

With sedan sales declining, those sedans that were barely keeping up are the ones that will fall first. BMW and Mercedes are still relatively safe for now as they are mostly still experiencing still-relatively-healthy sales numbers. And if the companies are still earning profits on them, why drop them. Not to mention that sedans are still very viable in other parts of the world so shipping versions of these sedans to NA may still be a solid business decision.

I think they should outlaw SUV's. There too big and too wide for the road and parking places. Their more and more difficult to see out of them. They have a high center of gravity. Bring back the sedan!

Says the Alt-Left fascist socialist.

I'm okay with SUVs, except the Tahoe/Navigator-sized ones. It's the full-size pickup trucks that are the worst offenders. I guarantee that a large percentage of pickup owners rarely, i fever, use the flatbed. I can cite three immediate examples in my family. They block parking lots because they stick out too far and parking garages are a nightmare when they're parked on the corner/end space.

And your opinion is like your poop chute: solely yours.