The primary and most important difference between BMW and Mercedes-Benz and Lexus comes down to the brand promise...and thus the kind of cars we build.

Lexus and Benz are luxury brands, and what they do...they do quite well. Their primary focus is passenger comfort and luxurious interiors. By contrast, BMW is a sport-luxury brand. We promise to build an Ultimate DRIVING Machine...and we’ve done so consistently for decades. A BMW is for the driving enthusiast. It begs to be driven. The car and its driver become one. The drive isn’t supposed to be numb, disconnected, or vanilla. BMW doesn’t aim to cocoon the driver...we aim to engage the driver. This is not to suggest that BMW is right, or the other brands are wrong. We’re just different. So while other brands may give you all the bells and whistles you could ever hope to play with while sitting at red lights...a BMW will give you everything you want once the light turns green. It’s a red light/green light world. Which side of the yellow light do you live on?

Put another way...the DNA, the genetic code, that goes into every BMW from the ground up is “Driver first. Luxury second.” That’s not to say luxury is absent. Rather it’s secondary. Our competitors are “Luxury first. Driver second…if at all.” That’s not semantics. That’s essence!

Why are BMW’s more expensive than a Mercedes-Benz or Lexus? The answer is simple: Because the car is worth it, and so are you...you just don’t know it yet. You see, what the Mercedes-Benz and Lexus do well, the BMW does brilliantly. Like a fine diamond, we offer better color and clarity than our competitors.

Need proof? Let’s look at weight balance. Nearly every BMW benefits from near-perfect 50/50 weight balance. Most competitors are anywhere from 52% - 62% nose-heavy, which equates to an extra 200 – 750 pounds of excess weight being placed over the front tires. Could that excess weight be the difference between rear-ending another car or stopping short? Could it be the difference between swerving around an accident or becoming another victim of it?

This begs the question: Why don’t our competitors balance their vehicles? Answer: Because it’s an expensive endeavor.

So put a price tag on yourself. What is your life worth? At BMW, we think you’re worth it. Why don’t our competitors?

Could we build the BMW to be less expensive? Would it be a BMW? And could you tell the difference? At BMW, we’re content to remain authentic. We promise an Ultimate Driving Machine…and we consistently keep our word.