It’s official. The BMW scooter:

I don’t care how fast it goes, it’s still a scooter.

Off the record: these guys ride scooters.

Seriously, what’s next? An Aston Martin Smart Car?

…Oh.

Both companies have spent years building their brands to represent prestige and power and exclusivity. Nothing against  smart cars and scooters. They are both efficient, forward thinking methods of transportation. But neither fits into the BMW or Aston Martin brand. Last time I checked, the Bond Car measured it’s fuel efficiency in gpm’s (gallons per mile) not mpg’s.

Which makes for some short chase scenes.

Aston Martin has the ability to project a clear picture in the minds of it’s consumers: a blaring V12 engine, encaged in an elegant chassis. If it expands it’s product line beyond it’s brand defining attributes, it is going to blur that image it worked so hard to attain.