by "Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
Published 10/10/2017 at 01:10
by "Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
Published 10/10/2017 at 01:10
Tags: Luxury
STARS: 1
These seat controls on the leftside (center console side) of the passenger seat aren’t intended for rear passengers to touch. The driver is the one that is expected to use them. Imagine using a sedan as a taxi, shuttle, or for ride hailing. Think about how passengers enter the vehicle and it should all come together.
I bring this up because I’ve seen a few people get excited over these controls and throw their bodies forward in order to move the seat while sitting in the back. I don’t want automakers to start marketing these controls as a high end feature because we Americans forget that there is a passenger service sedan segment between the personal sedan and the personal limo segments.
This distinction between passenger service and personal limo is also why the short wheelbase flagship sedan is now dead in the US but long wheelbase executive sedans have an awesome opportunity to grow. No one wants a SWB 7-Series anymore because they either want a performance sedan or they want the experience of a personal limo. Prestige is the key in either case.
The people that need a work sedan for shuttling passengers/clients will routinely shop below $60,000. That means the old $74,000-plus starting price of a SWB flagship is a no-go. This is where your Continental, RLX, S90 (excluding 2017 MY), Q70L, G80, XTS, and CT6 all fit in and are hoping to thrive in a market where people get rides rather than own their own cars.
But if the E300L or a LWB 530i come into the market below $60,000 then you’ll see all those vehicles above lose their main business case which is anticipating an upcoming market demand. If that happens then the choices become die or change focus. Either go EV, go driver-focused, or go autonomous.
In the case of the CT6...pretty much all three as well as the ridiculously wide segment ranges it’s currently running. I can nearly guarantee that many of the vehicles I listed (besides dying a slow and unremarkable death) will follow the CT6 and push PHEV and BEV variants, driver-focused models, and the highest level autonomous tech while anticipating and encouraging the premium ride-hailing market.
That is, until BMW and Mercedes decide to lockout the ride hailing market through prestige, volume, and incentives specifically targeting the premium ride hailing scene.
"I have another burner, try to guess it!" (ihaveanotherburner)
10/10/2017 at 08:22, STARS: 0
But if it’s a 4 door why do you need them?
"Dark chocolate" (amghybridss)
10/10/2017 at 08:59, STARS: 1
did not read your entire article (no offense) but my 7 series has a button by the driver side seat controls, which, when activated, basically controls the passenger seat using the driver side controls.
No ugly buttons out on the open. :)
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
10/10/2017 at 09:22, STARS: 0
Because when you shuttle people they enter from the passenger rear side and fill the seats from back to front (sliding over the central transmission tunnel usually).
So if you picked up three people and the taller sat up front (instead of all three in the rear) then you would want to move the seat forward again when you pick up the next group.
"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind)
10/10/2017 at 09:34, STARS: 0
None taken, Im trying to answer the titles within the opening paragraphs so that people don’t need to even open the post to get an answer. Then I write some other thoughts that way those that do click have something to kill time with.
Love the 7-Series, feel free to post more pictures!
"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
10/10/2017 at 10:20, STARS: 0
Do the front seats not use the weight sensors to see if someone or something is IN the front seats, thereby rendering the buttons inactive? Seems like a easy fix if not.