The Sports Car Market May Never Recover And SUVs Are To Blame, According To BMW

There once was a time when buying a drop-top sports car showed that you’d made it. You were a big deal, you’d done well in life. But now, it seems as though premium SUVs are taking over as the ultimate automotive status symbol. Speaking to Bloomberg, BMW head of sales Ian Robertson said that the sports car market is roughly half the size it was before the recession hit in 2008, and it may never fully recover, partly due to the surge in SUV sales, particularly in the premium sector. The boom in car sales in emerging economies like China hasn’t aided the ailing roadster either, with pollution and hot weather meaning many wealthy buyers would rather opt for a chauffeur-driven luxo-barge.

The shrinking of this part of the market is one of the key reasons behind BMW’s choice to join forces with Toyota for the latest version of the Z4. It’s a decision that won’t go down well with purists, but as the current Z4 doesn’t really hit the spot, we’ll be interested to see what this partnership comes up with.