Pricing wrap: Big hikes for BMW 4 Series

UPDATED 04/04/2023 1:45pm: BMW Australia has confirmed the 4 Series price increases we reported yesterday are the result of the same mid-life equipment upgrades that were applied to the 3 Series last year.

All core 2023 4 Series variants have gained the latest-generation BMW curved display, BMW Operating System 8 and BMW Individual Shadow Line with extended contents – translating to a bunch of darkened exterior trim bits.

There is also a series of variant-specific upgrades, with the base 420i grade nabbing keyless entry, adaptive cruise control with stop and go function and a head-up display as standard.

Gutsier 430i variants meantime have scored a Sensatec instrument panel, M Sports seats and a head-up display – the coupe version also gets an automatic boot lid.

Finally at the top of the tree, M440i xDrive vehicles have also been made privy to the M Sport seats.

In a statement ito carsales, BMW Australia said it “constantly reviews its pricing structure throughout the year, taking into consideration a number of different factors”.

“However, we always aim to ensure our products remain appropriately positioned and represent a competitive pricing proposition in the market for our customers,” a spokesperson said.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED 03/04/2023 5:40pm: There’s been an onslaught of new-vehicle price increases over the past several weeks, when multiple auto brands lifted the retail prices of their headline models – in almost all cases as part of a new model year but without adding extra equipment.

The most notable price hikes came from BMW, which slapped up to $7800 onto the asking prices of its local 4 Series coupe, convertible and sedan line-up, however, the rabid M4 variants have all been left untouched.

It isn’t clear exactly when the new pricing came into effect or why the prices have been upped (carsales has contacted BMW Australia for comment), but what we do know is the 4 Series range now opens at $81,100 plus on-road costs for the base 420i coupe, marking an entry price hike of $5600.

The same amount has been added to the 420i Gran Coupe sedan, which now starts from $83,500 plus ORCs, while the corresponding convertible now costs $100,400 – up $6900.

However, the biggest increase ($7800) applies to the mid-range 430i coupe (now $104,700), while $7200 and $7100 have been added to the price tags of the M440i xDrive coupe (now $132,100) and Gran Coupe (now $148,400) respectively.

Similar, albeit smaller, price adjustments were made to the closely-related BMW 3 Series sedan range in the lead-up to the model’s mid-life facelift last year, at which point BMW said it “constantly reviews its pricing structure throughout the year, taking into consideration a number of different factors”.

These factors usually include the prices of production and shipping, but we’ll update this article when we hear back from BMW.

MG Motor Australia is feeling the pinch from these external influences too, hence the $500-$2000 increases applied to its line-up for the 2023 model year.

The smallest increases belong to the best-selling MG3 light hatch, which now opens from $19,490 drive-away (+$500) for the base Core, whereas the sole remaining ZS Excite small SUV variant has risen by $1000 to $23,990 drive-away.

Three of the four ZST variants have also had a cheeky grand slapped on to their price tags – now starting from $26,990 – but the penultimate Excite has gone up by $2000.

At the top of the MG tree, three of the eight local HS mid-size SUV variants have risen $1000, with the medium SUV now starting from $32,990 in base Vibe guise.

Even bigger brands like Subaru aren’t immune to these economic pinches, with $1000 being added to all Australian WRX variants.

It probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Tesla has also altered its prices in recent times, adding $400 to the asking prices of the entire Model 3 electric sedan line-up as well as the base Model Y RWD mid-size electric SUV.

However, more than $3100 has been slashed off the pricier Model Y Performance (now $95,300).

Renault was the other big-name brand to hike its prices in recent weeks – something the French marque seems to have made a habit of over the past 12 to18 months.

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