I wonder if things would be different if.....

[MexicoCityM3]

And a personal what if:

What if my dad hadn't worked at a BMW dealership back in the mid 90's (when BMW entered the mexican market), I wouldn't have test driven an E36 325i and I would have kept on thinking how could a car of that size be so outrageously priced instead of discovering that it actually was a cheap car for how it drove?

[2o6]

What if the Damiler Chrysler merger never happened?

[Vinsanity]

If I never got into the wreck in the TL, I might have sold it to a buddy of mine who ended up buying a 2007 TL of his own earlier this year. Would've been a good opportuity for myself to buy a 2nd gen CTS, or maybe a BMW E92 convertible.

[sportyaccordy]

Man folks are asking some good questions.

What if the American auto industry didn't get bailed out... the first time?

[Rich]

I've been wondering about that... what if in 2008-2010 there were no bailouts and whatnot.  Could an economy collapse/retract into 0?  The retraction would have been a cycle of lost jobs/less economic activity, driving each other to less and less. 

[TBR]

He said the first time, so probably talking about Chrysler in the '80s.

[sportyaccordy]

Yea I was talking about the first time. These companies have no survival instinct, they are like domesticated animals in the wild w/protection from the govt

[Rich]

When I said "I was wondering about that..." I was referring to a hypothetical non bail out situation in general.  I referenced the 2008-2010 timeframe, because that's the one I my mind gravitated to.

[Vinsanity]

What if the Lexus brand never took off?

I'd guess that our market for premium cars would look a lot like Europe's, with Alfa, Saab, and Peugeot still hanging in there. And without the price pressure caused by Lexus, the products offered by top-tier M-B and BMW would be substantially more expensive (C-class starting at $60k, anyone?)

And without pressure to compete with a newcomer, Cadillac and Lincoln would have been more stubborn in abandoning the old American way of luxury. The modern-day Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Continental would bear a strong resemblance to reality's XTS and MKwhatever, though, at least mechanically.

[93JC]

Car prices overall have been pretty stagnant for a long time. It's not likely that there would be "C-classes starting at $60k". The US market in particular is extremely price-sensitive; Mercedes-Benz, BMW, etc. would have priced themselves out of the market if their low-end cars started at $60k.

[850CSi]

And a personal what if:

What if my dad hadn't worked at a BMW dealership back in the mid 90's (when BMW entered the mexican market)

Wait, you guys didn't have BMWs before the mid-90s?

[MexicoCityM3]

Wait, you guys didn't have BMWs before the mid-90s?

No, BMW entered the Mexican market for the '95 model year only. Our auto market was pretty closed before NAFTA and a round of trade deals worldwide. It was closed in the early 70's and only reopened in the 90'2. Mercedes-Benz was here before the 70's closure and returned in the early 90's a few years before BMW. BMW was never here before the 90's.

[850CSi]

No, BMW entered the Mexican market for the '95 model year only. Our auto market was pretty closed before NAFTA and a round of trade deals worldwide. It was closed in the early 70's and only reopened in the 90'2. Mercedes-Benz was here before the 70's closure and returned in the early 90's a few years before BMW. BMW was never here before the 90's.

Wow. I grew up with BMWs - my parents had an E32 7er (and later on, an E38 7er, an X3, and an X5) and my uncle had various BMWs all over his dealership.

[MexicoCityM3]

Wow. I grew up with BMWs - my parents had an E32 7er (and later on, an E38 7er, an X3, and an X5) and my uncle had various BMWs all over his dealership.

First BMW I ever drove was an E36 325i automatic sedan demo car from the first dealer here. My dad is a friend of the guy who brought BMW back in Mexico (and Porsche too, initially). So he got work at the BMW dealership (he had previous extensive experience at a Chrysler dealership owned by that family).