This week's EV bargain that I'm not buying

People don't have more money in their pockets to spend on cars than they did pre covid, pre brexit. Early adopters that could afford it lapped up EVs but that market stage has passed, they now need to be made affordable. And they are also abandoning premium brands in their droves in favour of mainstream and even upstart brands.

Expecting 2 year old i4s to sell at 60k is madness, it doesn't have any more range, doesn't have a huge power advantage and isn't exactly practical compared to what's out there brand new for much less money.

A 330e msport brand new was about 47k not so long ago. 60k was new money for the class above, 5 series, A6, E Class.

BMW have some egos on them too, introducing a cut price sport model in the i5 to protect their image instead of just accepting the msport is massively overpriced.

The mainstream are matching them now in most ways, they have really upped their games. From the 1970s to 2010s BMW and the other premium Germans were better cars than their Asian competition and priced accordingly, in this current age they haven't moved on but moved their prices up to retain the perception of premium. But the gig is up I feel. May annoy some owners and fans but I feel it's true.

Yeah I'm a fan of the brand but not what they're offering at the moment. I bought my first car aged 22 which was an e36 318is and up to now almost 20 years later I've had a BMW on the drive except for a period of about 3 years, don't have one at the moment but I'm sure I will again. There's a few things out on the market at the moment I'll be buying used before going back to BMW though, my next BMW hasn't launched yet.

They will survive, but not as a mass manufacturing high priced premium brand selling everything from 1 series to 8 series with an x variant of everything. But markets change, companies change, they'll adapt.

The other 2 big Germans need to do the same, I don't know why Audi as a part of a massive VW group bother competing at lower ends with its siblings.

ID.4 - 77kWh version €25,950. High enough miles, €25K would surely buy it.

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/36126576

Not sure where they are getting the money, but actually people must have a lot more money in their pockets - car prices are really expensive now - and its not just ev's - Polo 1.0 95bhp late 20's, and a 115bhp Golf TDI is well into the 40's, even a Corolla is late 30k's, C200 AMG Line is 80k. Add to the high list prices are very limited discounts and almost no cheap PCP deals (even an Octavia is 5.9% with a new model coming soon).

Despite all the increases across all segments of the market, sales are up massively over 2023. I personally can't work it out but it's clear money is no problem for a lot of people.

I do agree re your point on the premium makes, especially more so when it comes to EV's. Buying premium brand was always paying a lot for the brand, but it often got you a drive-train that simply wasn't available on cheaper mass market cars - e.g. BMW famous 6 cylinder engines were a thing of beauty to the senses and the sound alone was worth shelling out 10k or even 20k more than a similar bhp Toyota Avensis or Mondeo, but as you say now every EV manufacturer - even the new entrants, have similar drivetrains, with similar range, power and acceleration and also similar levels of spec and space. Paying a fortune on something like an i5 M60 gets you blistering acceleration - but you can get that today for small money (e.g. MG4 X Power). For me, I would always have coveted the top of the range BMW's, and to a lessor extents Merc's and of course the RS Audi's and wondered if I could engineer my life to afford one, but now I look at these premium EV's with a billion bhp and dont feel I'm missing out by not having the budget to buy one.

Another potential here Model 3P 221 for 35k. Seems on the money?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/IEVOA/permalink/3618041078437154/

Aye, Europe funded Russia's takeover of Ukraine with eyes wide shut and will go a fair way toward finding China's takeover of Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Consumers need a kick up the hole!

Guys were congratulating each other here, when their model S battery ceased to work, I do not find a replacement engine or battery reassuring or a bonus, in my mind "its how long before the same happens again.

This is the cheapest model S, the new owner can call it triggers broom,

"The only old part from 2014 is a bare shell. Everything else was replaced courtesy of Teslas amazing warranty."

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/tesla-model-s-performance-85-free-supercharging/36384188

20 k

I guess it's easier and faster to swap out a full battery pack rather than messing around with individual modules and trying to balance and calibrate everything.

The old battery pack can then be repaired and repurposed at a later date.

So Merc BMW Audi- yes they had their luxury but wasn’t it the engines, the handling etc that was their key selling point? We’ve seen complaints certainly about BMW and Mercedes having cheap internal fittings/cabins in recent years - so what’s the USP for these brands I wonder, in the EV market?

People may still have brand snobbery but not to the extent of the past- they may not still buy a Hyundai but they’ll consider a Tesla over a BMW - it’s worth thinking about what made Mercedes etc great, in order to determine what the future holds for them now.