The U.S. subsidiary of BMW posted a Twitter pic yesterday mocking its archrival, Mercedes-Benz. The pic showed a Merc wearing a BMW mantle, with the caption that read, ‘Now every car can dress up as its favorite superhero.’ Naturally, it backfired.
Less than an hour later, Mercedes tweeted in response: ‘Nice one, @BMWUSA. That’s a really scary costume! Especially that radiator grille...’
And that was it. We believe this to be the first documented case of BMW being reproached for its avant-garde design decisions by its main market competitor, rather than the fans themselves. For those who have slept through the entire story (are there any?), the Bavarian carmaker’s signature ‘kidney grille’ began swelling in size with the X7 SUV. The new 7 Series had huge nostrils, and some later models, such as the BMW Concept 4, had this part blown completely out of proportion, according to many.
Despite this, the firm stands firm on its policy, stating that the ‘nostril grille’ will become a defining feature of future BMW vehicles. In other words: roll with it.