I'm sorry, i gotta say something. Who says that just ebcause their trying to be more eco friendly that they must be lowering themselves to compete with toyota and honda. It would be more accurate to say theat the company is changing with the times and the changes are reflecting what potential customers are looking for on a global scale. Now here in teh us gas isn't that bad, but gas in Europe is rediculous and the wealhy upper class and upper middle class are the only ones that can afford a car at all, let alone a BMW.
the important thing to remember is BMW sales on a global basis and the fact that owning a car at all is a status symbol all throughout europe and other parts of the world, and even the wealthiest of the wealthy in those countries are firced to be conscious of fuel consumption.
The average price of gas today in amsterdam was $7.13 per gallon compared to a national Average of $2.61 in the united states
you could claim that thats because of taxes, which it is, but those prices still change daily jsut as ours do.
and here's a scarier thought. theres a bill on the table in the U.S. senate that would add a $2.00 per gallon tax on all fuel sales in the united states. so add $2.00 to each gallon of gas you paid for today and ask yourself, could i afford that price at the rate at which i currently use it?
This was a list of national averages back in March....
notice the price in countries where they export and don't import at all.....
BTW, for comparo, in march, the average US price of gas was $3.18