I kinda have to agree that the BMW product portfolio certainly has lost a lot of its edge over the last 10 years or so. However, BMW was able to keep their brand character, which is making dynamic cars for active drivers. I drove a couple of BMW's in recent years and my step dad had an E39 540i at one point. Personally I enjoyed driving the E60 more than the E39, it simply was the better car. It would be stupid to argue about that.
And it looks like the new 5er is a segment killer again. Reviews have been so enthusiastic here, they're shortly before becoming hysterical about it. There is actually a waiting list at my car rental for it. I asked again two days ago but so far no models have been delivered by BMW. The guy told me I was the 10th person to explicitely ask for the new 5er this week.
The designs for the next 3er also look very promising again.
I had the opportunity of driving the new 7er some time ago and that one really didn't get me emotionally involved. It's an extremely good car, one of the best in the world, but it lacks some flair. I didn't feel much emotions driving it. It does its job -- quietly, efficiently. But it lacks the "magic ingredient", that certainty, that feeling, that you sit in a special place, an exclusive place that is not reserved for ordinary people. An S-Class gives you that feeling but not the new 7er. The new 7er is brilliant but a bit boring. I always refused to believe that there is something like "too perfect" but I think with the new 7er that could indeed be the case, if you know what I mean.
I love the X3 wth the big engine but it has its downsides: It's a brilliant drive but also feels a little heavy and lacks any flair. I still think it's the best SUV in its class, though. I'm eager to drive the replacement model.
I also like the X5, which is probably still the most agile and most fun-to-drive SUV in the world (if you ignore the Porsche Cayenne). You can thrash it around corners and it never feels as heavy as it is.
I still have to drive a 3-series. That's one big gap in my driving experiences so far.
I think most of the current and upcoming BMW line-up is great or even better than great.
But I will never get used to the X6 or the 5er GT, which I think look appalling. I'm not even sure if I would like to have one as a rental, because they are so embarrassing...
Obviously the new X1 is very successful but I really don't like the looks of it. It looks like a stretched 1-series estate.
The guys in the video are wrong about BMW becoming GM (GM died because of incompetence, ignorance, arrogance and mostly by making bad cars). As long as a car maker produces cars people like to buy (and people like buying BMW's more than ever), it's ridiculous to say they're getting into trouble.
Those two guys are obviously traditional BMW fanboys. The kind of fans, that turn their back to their favourite music group, just because it as become successful and "commercial" and isn't a secret insider tip anymore.
I can see how someone can have problems with the current BMW line-up but it's definitely inappropriate to do a Cassandra warning, just because they now make more models, than in earlier times.
BMW in its 2001 state would have had much more trouble surviving the current crisis. It's not only that you have to be good at what you're doing, you also have to give an answer to customers, who otherwise might turn towards Mercedes or Audi. Currently Audi is the thorn in BMW's side. Audi has all the power of the VW corporation to its disposal, while BMW in comparison is still a small, privately owned company with limited resources. That's why they seek an alliance with PSA/Ctiroen now.
One can criticize BMW for the way they have taken but I strongly believe that in big parts that way was also forced onto them by the demands of the market and the fact, that the competition came out with models they had to give an answer to. BMW is desperately trying to stay ahead of the competition, which is not easy and -- if you ask for my opinion -- not entirely successful at the moment.
But that's it actually. No need to panic. Being second-best to brands like Audi or Mercedes isn't really a bad thing. The three have been pushing each other to the limits over the past 30 years or so and it's that competition between those three brands, that is mainly responsible for a huge part of automobile progress in the last decades.