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Scooter ?

The Scooter market is the fastest growing market in the world. I bet if they brought the C1 back at a proper price point, they would sell more of them per year than all other BMW bikes combined. If BMW would forget about being in the elite part of the market and get into real marketing, bring the price down to every day affordability, they could sell a huge amount of scooters.

Just think, get people hooked on the BMW marque at an early age, by providing a top quality small scooter for them to learn on. Provide them with an easy upgrade to a small street bike for when they are ready, and then once they are totally hooked, sell them the latest touring behemoth of the day. Then when they are no longer able to ride the monster any more, give them the option to down size to a smaller bike or large scooter, then eventually down to a little scooter, then eventually down to one of those medical scooters for when they are living at "the retirement home".

I think that would be called "Cradle to Grave" marketing.
 
That vision of ÔÇÿcradle to graveÔÇÖ marketing and involvement in cycling describes my experience and that of many others. I started on a lawnmower powered mini bike and have worked my way up and down and up and down the spectrum of bikes available. While it describes my experience and that of many others there is a growing disconnect in how it works now.

The scooter market has been hot for this decade showing growth while everything classed as a motorcycle has been declining in the last two. In the cradle to grave model this should hold promise for the motorcycle industry but there is a disconnect. Motorcycle industry council studies in the US, Europe and Japan are showing that scooter riders are entering the two wheeled world and staying on scooters or exiting to other forms of transport and not converting to motorcyclist in the same way that they have in the past.

Talk of a BMW scooter may be more the result of acknowledging what they and their dealers need to do to make money selling things with two wheels rather a grand cradle to grave marketing strategy. The numbers suggest you canÔÇÖt make a living by staking out a niche along the old rider development chain and expect them to come to you. Rather you need to compete more of the growingly unconnected segments of the two wheeled market.
 
Good for BMW.. they have been trying to make the cars more affordable to gain younger buyers with the hope of maintaining them through their car buying life. They also tried to cross market bikes to cars with some success. The C1 was ahead of it's time and perhaps a well engineered product could add to brand identity and loyalty. It has worked for others... does the name Honda ring a bell... from "you meet the nicest people on a honda" scooter (or was that step thru) to larger and larger bikes, the 600 and the civic "first cars" in the late 60's and early 70's.. moving to the family oriented accord, on to the luxury/sport acura brand and then the honda jet concept. While providing people their "mobility products" they also gave them the opportunity to purchase all of the Honda power products. A product or vehicle for every person for every need or stage in life.. Many have tried to copy and none have yet come close to the success they have had. Experience has shown an early owner may stay with you for life. Makes me wonder what we may see from Honda in the future for the senior no longer driving crowd..? Just to be clear... I'm not suggesting a BMW lawn mower..
 
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