BMW Canada is running a vox populi campaign that is built around a simple question directed at Canadian motorists: “Should We?”
Developed in association with agency partners Richmond Day and North Strategic, with Critical Mass for media support, the campaign is an attempt to gauge Canadian consumer interest in the BMW M5 Touring—the wagon version of its M5 sedan.
Jonathan Thomson, director of brand management for the luxury automaker, said consumer responses will help determine if BMW will bring the M5 Touring to the country.
“BMW Canada will weigh the responses of Canadians to make key business decisions related to the Touring model,” said Thomson via email. “We have a completely unique model portfolio to every other global market, and need to ensure we are bringing products that Canadians aspire to own.”
An Instagram ad showing the M5 Touring silhouette draped in black fabric adorned with a Maple Leaf is accompanied by the simple two-word question: “Should we?” A dedicated site at Leave Your Mark invites consumers to sign a petition headlined “Munich, we want the M5 Touring.” As of Thursday, the petition had garnered 425 signatories.
While entrusting major business decisions to the public feels potentially risky, Thomson said there has been a “loud and steady cry” among Canadians to bring a Touring model to Canada ever since the 2022 launch of the M3 Touring (which was not made available in Canada).
“We’ve simply decided to make this a two-way dialogue, be receptive to the feedback, and create a platform to measure interest,” he said. “In terms of brand fit, at the end of the day, we are a German car brand. I can’t think of anything more indicative of European automotive than a Touring model.”
Wagons were once highly popular in Canada, but enthusiasm waned as SUVs became more popular. According to a 2022 article on automotive site Motor1.com, Europe is the “last haven” for wagons, accounting for 64% of global sales. In 2021, sales in both the U.S. and Canada combined was just 138,000 units, a 4% decline from the previous year.
Part of the reason for wagons’ enduring popularity in Europe is that the continent’s roads are smaller and narrower than those in North America. For that reason, wagons and hatchbacks have remained a “critical part of the market,” said Thomson.
While noting that it has been five years since BMW last produced a Touring model for Canada, drivers tend to be urban, more affluent than sedan drivers, highly brand loyal, with an active lifestyle. “We also see a slight rejection of the status quo, as they are looking for a unique aesthetic apart from what has become the norm in SUVs.”
There has been an influx of touring options to Canada in recent years, but sales remain “niche at best” and are highly volatile, said Thomson. “This is where we need Canadians to weigh in on the conversation… We’ve opened the door, [now it’s] time to see who walks through.”
