BMW X3

We need to move on because it is time for Car Talk.

And we're talking about the all new BMW iX3, but also more broadly BMW in South Africa and how it's doing.

Melinda Ferguson joins us.

Hello, Mel.

I seem to land and then I'm flying somewhere else.

So I've been very busy this week.

I was at the launch, the national launch of the BMW all electric iX3.

And at some point, and then I was in Joburg driving a Lexus.

You know, take the BMW X Series SUVs, they make the one and the two, the X1 and X2 in Europe.

All the larger ones, X3 to X7 inclusive, they make in the US.

They want to sell on both sides of the Atlantic, and they will say that that gives them greater volumes, et cetera, et cetera.

And Mercedes is probably in quite a similar situation with the GL SUVs, and then they're leaving the smaller cars behind.

By then, BMW already had the X5 in production, and then they were talking about, you know, other versions of the X series.

Now, the next generation X3 that came along was local assemble, prices came down, it got more interesting, and then by the third generation, we saw so many on the road, okay? And the BMW X3 was actually something which a lot of families with money will have a 5 Series Sedan and the X3 in their house, you know?

Mm.

Well, it was always like, okay la, my wife will drive the X3, I will drive the Sedan.

So other BMWs, uh, with their engines, Audi S5, Audi A6 Allroad.

So he's, he's looking at sort of the wagons, X3, maybe the smaller SUVs, BMWs, the German stuff.

Mm-hmm.

Because he used to own a 2018 M2 with the DCT and absolutely loved it.

Instead of doing a dedicated EV platform and making it modular and building different vehicles, they were saying, we've got a 5 Series, let's make it gas engine and EV.

And then we've got a 3 Series or an X3, let's make it EV, let's make it gas.

And Range Rovers...

A strategy is the same.

All right.

Well, in the meantime, and we do want to give you our thoughts on the BMW iX3, which we drove recently.

But before we do that, let's do the normal thing and get to your calls.

0477 657 657.

and we generally charge that over the weekend.

We get free charging between 12 and 2 on the weekend, so we generally take advantage of that and trickle charge during the week if it needs it, but my wife doesn't do a lot of driving, so there's not a lot there to charge really.

Well, what are your thoughts on the Neuer Class iX3, given you've got the last generation?

Yeah, well, I've actually test-driven that and placed an order for one of those.

They all had Volkswagens and Volvo.

It was like the Vs. Volkswagen, Volvo, every now and then you might see an X3, BMW, like every now and then I saw no Phantoms.

I saw no

Lamborghinis.