BMW Whips Up Capuccino in Toronto

Colin Hefferon recently returned from Berlin and Toronto, where he noted differences and similarities in the way a certain high-end German carmaker sells its wares. Corporate-owned BMW Toronto is a spectacular retailing tour-de-force, entirely in keeping with the direction Chris Bangle is taking his car designs. In Berlin, Colin noted that each of the major German carbuilders has a high-end showroom on an expensive piece of downtown real estate; BMW's corporate showcase is on the legendary Kurfurstendamm. The difference between Berlin and Toronto is that, inexplicably, the carmaker is not permitted to flog cars from its showroom. At BMW Toronto, shown in photo, you can buy anything from a capuccino to a cabriolet.