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It’s been a while since we started our own BMW-dedicated section here on autoevolution and, along the way, we saw some beautiful, tasteful cars from Bavaria over here and some rather outrageous transformations as well.

However, somehow, if we’re to count the cars in the latter category, we’ll soon discover that most of them come from China. That got us wondering what could possibly be causing all of this and what it could mean. Maybe it has a symbolic significance and maybe it’s a cultural thing.

We’re not experts in Chinese habits and taste but we do find some things so appalling that we simply can’t get past them. Over the past few months we saw a matte purple BMW Z4, one dressed like a Leopard and many more wearing simpler colors but with a bigger bang.

Take the matte yellow one portrayed in the adjacent photos. It’s not absolutely dreadful but it’s extremely flashy, without having to be. The 328Li is being made in China alone and it’s a beautiful car without altering its exterior color. Why do some people feel the need to stand out this much?

Could it be because they want everybody to know about their newfound wealth? Maybe but that still doesn’t make it tasteful. On a completely different level is the matte blue M6 next to it.

Now, with this color we can agree. It’s in the spirit of BMW that has a tendency to offer a larger variety of darker colors rather than flashy ones. This car looks good and was done with taste. Furthermore, the owner didn’t feel the need to make it stand out a lot, despite having a level of performance not too many cars can brag with, especially in China.

So, there are two sides to the story here as well. Some people can keep their cars down low, even with extreme levels of performance while other simply can’t keep it together, even if their rides are not anything spectacular. Therefore we ask you this: why are the kitschy models so much more popular?

❐ Check out the Flashy Chinese BMWs photo gallery