European quality standards in general are pretty refined and cost is often secondary. USA is a huge cost concious market. Yes you can compensate by having a good service and backup, but it is better to make a product that does not need to use backup service. I have never had any BMW go to a repair and rectification (I have had a few) - same with 3W
Its not only german, look at all those Czeck, Italiand and Polish motors - vow is an understatement.