BMW has decided to resurrect another British manufacturer to cater to those of us who wince at the price of Z4s (approaching $40k, typically equipped).



http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpr...92/triumph.html

This is a photoshop, and BMW has not officially commented on the upcoming Triumph roadster, but I'm starting to hear a lot of buzz about this. Personally, I think it's a great idea, for the same reasons that bringing back the Mini Cooper was a great idea.

Interesting...

BUT, it's hideous.

Thankfully it's just a photoshop, which are far uglier than the real thing 99% of the time.

Interesting...but we'll see.

Not to damn it before it even gets here, but I do have a sneaking suspicion that it will have a price tag that, although perhaps lower than the BMW 328i, will probably be higher than what the car is really worth (see: Mini).

That render is pretty horrific. Looks like someone bolted on a Cadillac grille, and Mini headlights to a Saturn Sky.

I admit I did see the TR6 in it. Sadly as a distorted retro design caricature.

wow that is FUGLY

I didn't know what the original TR-6 looked like, so in case others didn't know either, here it is:

I don't think it'll ever happen. Given my interest in Triumphs...I have kept up decently well on these stories, and they've all been the same ever since the new Mini was launched. As much as I love the idea of a new TR, it just doesn't make sense to me given the brand just really doesn't have the following that something like the Mini has. I like how in the photoshop image they used the wrong Triumph logo, the one on the license plate of that car is the one for the Triumph motorcycles company (at least it was that way back when Triumph actually made cars).

Good catch.

Haha! What idiots. As a real Triumph owner I'd be hoping they didn't make it. But then again I think the new Mini is a great little car.

Naw, I don't really mean I want a new TR - it just wouldn't feel right, so yeah I'd rather they didn't. It would be interesting to see a modern take on a Triumph though.

Eventually, with rising fuel prices, I think the horsepower wars are going to end and there's going to be a return to the lightweight sports car. I think Triumph would be a good way for BMW to test these waters without radically changing direction for the Fatherbrand. At most, though, I think Triumph would only ever be a one car or two car (coupe and roadster) lineup.

On a side-note, are all the marques in the BMW family besides BMW itself British? There's Mini and Rolls-Royce...any others?

I may be wrong, but I imagine that a BMW built Triumph would compete with cars like the MX-5, Solstice and Sky (around $25,000 Canadian).

I may be wrong again, but I have read things on internet car-news sites (ala Autoblog) that GM has a large surplus of Roadsters, due to diminishing demand for the vehicles. I can only assume the same is true at Mazda with the MX-5, based on the number of these cars sitting at my local dealerships.

Based on these assumptions would it be smart for BMW to create a new (to BMW) brand and enter the roadster market? Some of the Mini's success must be attributed to North Americas newly rediscovered love of the small cute hatchback (Yaris, Fit, Versa, et al), while its love of the entry level Roadster may be shrinking.

Although all this thinking may be for not, as MX-5 owners, along with Solstice and Sky drivers might jump at the chance to turn in their "out of style" machines for the latest thing.

People cross-shopping Solstices and Yarises? Never heard that one before.

The Solstice/Sky has many shortcomings, but being outdated or "out of style" isn't one of them.

It's true that Pontiac has more Solstice's in stock than it can sell right now, but that's not so with the Sky. The Miata's been around since the late 80s, and Mazda's never gotten it wrong with that car, so even in the event that you're right, and sales are slow...it'll weather the storm. It has enough heritage at this point to do so.

Sorry, I should have phrased my reply better.

Miltov, what I meant was not that people would cross shop a roadster with a hatch, but that the successful Mini was launched in what I was thinking might have been a more favorable market, the small hatchback segment, where a Triumph would be launched in a much more fickle, and perhaps not as hot segment, the entry level roadster market.

When I say "out of style" in reference to the current crop of entry level roadsters I was trying to get at the fact that I feel that some of the people who buy these cars are very style conscious, and would jump at the chance to buy the hot new car in the segment. This may be why, as Moethepaki pointed out, Solstice sales are down, while Sky sales are up...the Sky is the hot new thing in this segment (despite the two cars being almost mechanically identical.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I will try to be more clear in future posts.

Sorry for the bump guys, but I just had another thought for BMW's third fourth brand. What about Morgan? They've been supplying engines, and other components (such as Mini-headlights) to them for some time now. Would that make any sense?

I don't think so. Morgan is too much of a niche manufacturer and I doubt that a lot of people actually know them, apart from the connaisseur and (perhaps) some people from the UK. If BMW wants a marque for small 2-seated roadsters that people would recognize from the past Triumph would indeed be their best bet.

I think the fact that Morgan still exists is really awesome. They sell really cool cars (in my mind), despite being invisible. It would help since Morgan actually exists right now whereas Triumph does not....it'd help Morgan out too.

I wouldn't say the Morgan is a niche in it's own right, it's just very different.