Back in 2003, the trend of downsizing from larger SUVs became quite evident and premium automakers went back to the drawing boards to conceptualize a vehicle that will enter and take conquer the premium compact SUV segment.



BMW saw a demand for premium SUVs and launched their first small Sports Activity Vehicle: BMW X3. With almost no competition at the time, Land Rover Freelander was the only vehicle coming close to the X3, the X3 captured majority of the segment share. “Basically we had about 95% of the segment back then, we really saw the demand coming there and the downsizing trend also occurring in the premium segment as well”, said Joe Weird, BMW X3 Product Manager.

Despite initial design criticism, both inside and outside the cabin, the X3 SAV turned out to be a big winner for BMW. A quick facelift fixed some of the initial quirks and also settled some debts with the customers, mostly around the quality of its interior design.



Read the rest of this entry »