"The sports car market is roughly half of what it used to be," Ian Robertson, BMW's head of sales, said in an interview at the manufacturer's headquarters in Munich. "Post-2008, it just collapsed. I'm not so sure it'll ever fully recover."
Speaking to Automotive News, Robertson noted that SUVs and crossovers have replaced the sports car's function as a status symbol, while emerging markets tended to gravitate towards large sedans that one can be driven in.
While those of us who love driving will scoff at the notion that a CUV could ever replace a sports car as the most desirable automobile, market data has shown that the CUV is the most desirable body style not just in North America, but in many emerging markets – in both locales, it serves as a symbol of affluence and high status, despite what we may consider to be inferior attributes vis a vis a passenger car.
The other factor is that driving conditions have changed. Increased congestion, urbanization and a demonization of speeding (backed by harsh, if not draconian penalties) has made the notion of a sports car an outmoded one for many people. Even the latest 991 Porsche 911 GT3 has abandoned the manual transmission. And while Porsche claims this was done in the name of technological advancement, let's not fool ourselves: it was a careful, calculated move designed to appeal to the poseur who wants the GT3 because of its racing heritage, despite never intending to take it on track, much less above 60 mph.
The post Quote Of The Day: The Sports Car Is Dead appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
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