[The HACK]

Here's a sure sign the grim reaper is coming for BMW.

I've registered and attended BMW UDE when it comes to my city every year for as long as I can remember. Heck I remember attending the UDE when they brought out the 228i. That must have been what, 2014?

I remember EVERY SINGLE YEAR the registration spots for the weekend filling up within hours of it opening. Literally if you're not signing in within 24 hours, you're not doing any of the weekend sessions. You'd have to show up and they'll wait list you. Doesn't matter what cars they're bringing out. Even with the anemic 530e, the spots fill out fast.

You would think, with BMW bringing the iconic 3 series to the UDE events, this year's UDE would fill up immediately like the past.

Nope.

It's been 4 days since registration opened, and the early morning sessions, which are usually the first ones to fill up, last 5 years, within the first few hours of opening, are barely half full. All the other weekend spots are more or less wide open still, with less than 50 signed up so far.

This is a city and neighborhood dominated by Asian Americans. Not just any Asian Americans. Affluent CHINESE Asian Americans. The type of influencers that reflect what car tastes are like in potentially the biggest market in the world for sporty luxury sedans, and there's LESS interest here about the new 3 series than there was for the PREVIOUS generation X3 UDE launch.

If you can't get Chinese Americans to buy BMWs, you're in a heap of trouble. This is a neighborhood that has, count them, 3 of the LARGEST BMW dealerships all within a 15 mile radius. 5 if you expand to 20 (although mostly the 3 within the SGV that has Chinese speaking sales reps and managers). MY street has MORE BMWs than houses. Seriously. For reals. And it's BMWs of every kind, from your base run of the mill 320i, to your X6Ms and 7 series, to old E46 M3s and MZ4 Coupes. The Chinese LOVE BMWs. I knew how to say "Bao-Ma" and "Bem-bay (Japanese nickname for BMW)" before I learned my ABCs. Again, I kid you not.

If you can't fill the Los Angeles weekend, 9:00am UDE for both Saturday and Sunday within the first 2 hours of open registration, you have a serious problem on your hands BMW.

And this is for your bread and butter 3 series.