Mazda Pleased with MS6 sales; "Hitting Stride"

[seanw]

In Ward's article discussing specs and the impending launch of the MS3, Mazda exec is quoted as follows:

"Last fall the turbocharged version of the Mazda6 midsize sedan, the Mazdaspeed6, went on sale in the U.S. Although O’Sullivan characterizes sales as 'OK,' he says the auto maker is pleased with the numbers to date.

'We’re selling a few hundred a month. But we’re just starting to get into our stride a little bit now,'he says of Mazdaspeed6 sales thus far.

MNAO said last fall it wanted to sell 5,000 units annually of the Mazdaspeed6 in the U.S."

I'm guessing they won't really hit their stride until they start offering official incentives on sales instead of just leases and on GTs, too. Also, interesting that the article notes that Mazda had said last fall they wanted to sell 5000 "annually". Maybe it never was intended to be one off. I wonder what kind of incentives they'll have on the 2008 MS6?

[Samdiver74]

Well I went by the dealer here in Brandon and they have atleast 12 Speed 6's sitting on the lot (I counted 12) not including the one in the show room.

[Killer]

Well I went by the dealer here in Brandon and they have atleast 12 Speed 6's sitting on the lot (I counted 12) not including the one in the show room.(werd) About 10 of them at Russell in Clearwater.

[mazpro]

yeah, Gunther mazda had like 20 on the lot.

[tyrellebo]

about 20 at the rt1 automall in NJ.

[Newf]

same one been here since nov. And I called around in Nova scotia, halifax etc and there are tons of them sitting on lots.

40k is too much for a Mazda imho. It doesn't even have a mp3 player.

[Hughes412]

same one been here since nov. And I called around in Nova scotia, halifax etc and there are tons of them sitting on lots.

40k is too much for a Mazda imho. It doesn't even have a mp3 player.


What's 40k? Are you saying some where they are trying to sell the MS6 for that?

[Ljspeed]

Well thats Canadian but yes here there are many in the lot.

[Puckpimp71]

yeah, Gunther mazda had like 20 on the lot.
24 ;-) Any takers???

[Gen1GT]

same one been here since nov. And I called around in Nova scotia, halifax etc and there are tons of them sitting on lots.

40k is too much for a Mazda imho. It doesn't even have a mp3 player.

LOL, being equipted with an MP3 player is hardly the deciding factor when buying a car like that. They only have two MS6's at our local dealership, and they sell for $35,000 CDN before taxes and fees.

[chowhoundMSP]

the dealer i went to sold 4 of them in the 2 months that i was considering getting one.

I didnt think I was going to be able to get the one i wanted.

I guess they have a good market around PGH.

[Newf]

LOL, being equipted with an MP3 player is hardly the deciding factor when buying a car like that. They only have two MS6's at our local dealership, and they sell for $35,000 CDN before taxes and fees.

I'm just saying that for 40 grand, I expected a little more on the inside of the car. I mean we are into bmw/audi/acura territory. The car is a beast, has hids, AWD etc, but heck I can get a Honda fit with a MP3 player. That stereo in the MS6 is a bad joke and since it's so hard to replace your kind of stuck with it. Also the cheap plastics inside are just begging to be scratched. don't get me wrong, I love the car, I want the car and I'm trying to get one, but it is a pricey car. STicker here is 41,000+ tax for the leather/sunroof. 36,900 for the "base model". It's a lot of car, a great car, but it's still a "mazda for 40 grand" when you think of it.

[stussy2870]

about 20 at the rt1 automall in NJ.


Yeah- and they can keep thier 20 - they're Freaking J-Off's over there..

[Falango]

Well the MS6 wasn't really intended to be a luxurious car on the inside. It's more about the way it drives. If you're looking for something with lots of interior goodies, I guess that car isn't for you. That's why there are thousands of different cars around, they appeal to the different needs of diferent people.

[Chris-BE]

Well the MS6 wasn't really intended to be a luxurious car on the inside. It's more about the way it drives. If you're looking for something with lots of interior goodies, I guess that car isn't for you. That's why there are thousands of different cars around, they appeal to the different needs of diferent people.

Not intended to be luxurious?

Leather seats
Heated seats
Navigation
Sunroof
AWD
HID
4 way auto up and down windows
Keyless entry and start
18 inch rims
Badass suspension (double wishbone front/ e-type multi-link rear)
Chassis braces everywhere (front/rear tower braces, + more bracing on the under-carriage)
DI IC turbo 2.3L engine
Front/side airbags

You must be used to driving in a 500SL?

MazdaSpeed6's are poormans Audi/BMW's

It would almost be perfect if the passenger had power seats.

[Chris-BE]

Oh as for 'Hitting it's stride' in sales, that's PR jargon for 'It's not selling like we had thought it would.'

This leads me to a thought. Advertising/Marketing sells, ask Fram. Why isn't there a little more push to attract more of the target audiance?

I've seen the same old tired Speed6 ad on tv 10+ times, and each time I'm even wondering wtf is that car. It does nothing to interest me in the car.

With the piss poor PR campaign to sell this car, I wonder how they've sold the ones that they have sold.

So how did everone here hear about or find out about the MazdaSpeed6?

[BadKarma]

So how did everone here hear about or find out about the MazdaSpeed6?

I was at my local Mazda dealership picking up a part, and was admiring one on their show-floor. NEVER heard about it before joining this forum and then seeing it at the dealership shortly after.

Poor marketing/PR perhaps... at least in Canada.

[PerfectXtreme]

It was time for me to buy a new car.... My friends have Evo's STI's... Thats what everyone talks about... A4's have been come a pretty decent "tuner" car... and such...

I was looking at all the 30-40k price range vehicles.. Test drove most of them... G35 coupe would probably have been my first pick... Untill my GF said.. Go to mazda... they have a new car you should test..

I show up... tell them i want 200+ hp... 4 wheel disk... and somewhat sporty feel... They say Speed6.... fell in love with it from that day forward.

Infact, just today.. I had the stereo up pretty loud.. can't hear the engine... no idea what I did... was shifting into second gear... just crusing in town with my GF.. and I must have messed up with the clutch... pushed on the gass before I released it or something.... Basically threw us both back into the seats harder than any car has ever done to me...

My friend evo runs 330 whp... And he has never thrown me back like that.... Clutch grabbed hard! (doesn't always... sadly i've burned mine off pretty bad trying to launch hard)...

LOVE the car.. anyone who drives it or sits in it... has also fallen in love. Everything is just beautiful.

And cops don't bend you over.. and give you the EYE... because it doesn't look like sports car.... You get the best of all works basically....

[Da 6]

yeah 6 wasn't ment to be bold and stand out... it was to be discretely fast like legacy gt.

[Gen1GT]

To say that MS6 is a poor man's BMW doesn't do it any justice. The only 3-series I would take over the MS6 is the M3. Everything else can't keep up.

[vcinsanity1523]

ya i really like the mazdaspeed 6 its an extremely unique car because its performance centered with classy yet casual looks and a very nice luxurious interior and many upper scaled interior appointments and accessories. Yet the car drives like a bat out of hell. In my opinion its 31K well spent. I would buy one. So basically the car should really sell itself if mazda did a better job of advertizing on the thing

[Samdiver74]

I first heard about it from Gran turismo 4, but there was no information about the car in the game cause it is a concept car that you win, so it doesn't say what the Hp is or anything. But after driving it stock for a lap around the Nurburgring, and it came within 30 secs of the Modded Evo MR I have in the game I was like man I wish I knew what the HP is on this bad boy.

Anyway my wife is big into her scrapbooking thing on the internet and she was in a photo competition, the title for one of the pics she needed was for a photo of more than 5 of the same vehicle, so we went by the Mazda dealer (the only way I could get her there is cause she had a thing for the 3) Anyway she sat in the Speed6 first and then went and sat in a 3, she automatically came back and sat in the Speed6, the sales guy was like do you want to take it for a test drive, I'm like ok.
WOW I have test driven 2 Evo's and a STI, but I liked the way the Speed6 is set up, needless to say we originally went just to get a friggin photo 7.00pm that night we were driving home in a new Speed6, and I haven't regretted it one bit.

[Roywhitep5]

i had a distinct feeling that sales were bombing judging how many i saw on the lot the last time i went

[Da 6]

I first heard about it from Gran turismo 4, but there was no information about the car in the game cause it is a concept car that you win, so it doesn't say what the Hp is or anything. But after driving it stock for a lap around the Nurburgring, and it came within 30 secs of the Modded Evo MR I have in the game I was like man I wish I knew what the HP is on this bad boy.

Anyway my wife is big into her scrapbooking thing on the internet and she was in a photo competition, the title for one of the pics she needed was for a photo of more than 5 of the same vehicle, so we went by the Mazda dealer (the only way I could get her there is cause she had a thing for the 3) Anyway she sat in the Speed6 first and then went and sat in a 3, she automatically came back and sat in the Speed6, the sales guy was like do you want to take it for a test drive, I'm like ok.
WOW I have test driven 2 Evo's and a STI, but I liked the way the Speed6 is set up, needless to say we originally went just to get a friggin photo 7.00pm that night we were driving home in a new Speed6, and I haven't regretted it one bit. I won the red one, did you at least win the same color you have now?

[sea6speed]

So how did everone here hear about or find out about the MazdaSpeed6?

I read about it in early 2005 on another message board - someone posted up a link to the Edmunds "future vehicle" listing. When it went on sale, I couldn't get it off my mind. Every time I started thinking about what my next car would be, the MS6 just seemed to be the one.

It's just the sleeper beast I was looking for. And it doesn't have the prettyboy/metrosexual image of the 3 series or a4.