Indeed.
Mazda Appoints New CEO, Prioritises USA - Wonder If Any Immediate Impact On CX-5
- Thread starter Xeler8ing
- Start date
Indeed.
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- 2014 QX70 AWD
I don't care about the current market. Did you ever own a Mazda prior to your recently departed 6? If not, then I don't expect you to understand where I'm coming from.
Yes, BK Series II Mazda 3. Noisy little vehicle but has some get up and go, handles not bad but is heavy on fuel
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- 2014 QX70 AWD
Infiniti is still sticking with RWD sedans and coupes. Good thing! But moving towards FWD CUVs... bad thing!
(iagree)
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- 2014 QX70 AWD
Fair enough.
...And one is a full-on driver's car that stacks up well against Porsche 911s. Honda has the NSX. Toyota, the LFA, Mazda, who schooled 'em all the 1st time around with the RX-7 in the 90's, has nothing.
Something better come along soon or Mazda is going to end up like Mitsubishi now that the EVO is gone; selling FWD SUVs to people with bad credit until it fades away into obscurity like Isuzu did.
We need something that looks sleek and drives fast. Not everyone values sitting up high and lane assist more than good old driving dynamics.
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- 2014 QX70 AWD
And Mitsubishi Autos would be long dead if it wasn't for their parent company Heavy Industries.
My VR4 could hit 120 mph in 3rd gear.
Not to mention Nissan/Renault
I sure hope so. It would be a shame to see Mazda fizzle out.
Speaking of which, check this out. No mention of Mazda anywhere. They're completely severed from Laguna Seca Raceway after 17 years. No announcement or explanation at all. Just *poof* (dunno)
http://www.weathertechraceway.com/
Speaking of which, check this out. No mention of Mazda anywhere. They're completely severed from Laguna Seca Raceway after 17 years. No announcement or explanation at all. Just *poof* (dunno)
http://www.weathertechraceway.com/
Re-organising priorities perhaps (uhm)
Hell yeah. Galant? Those things were pretty mean. My '87 Starion ESi-R was a Dukes of Hazzard tire smokin' donut spinning beast! Until the transmission took a s***, it was one of the funnest cars I'd ever driven.
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- 2014 QX70 AWD
This is what Ford is becoming in the US
Yeah I read about that.
Better yet! I have a feeling that's one of the cars that we'll see at Mecum auctions in 10-20 years.
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- Denver, CO
No doubt. That doesn't make it any less of a shame that the direction Mazda seems to be going is less appealing to the niche that loved the brand.
Sure, they are still different in the sense they aren't going for CVT's and such like all the other brands, but they are also not retaining much of what made them "Zoom-zoom" to a lot of folks, despite their marketing. What are the RX-7/8 folks going for now? How about the Speed3 and 6 folks? Nothing in the Mazda lineup for that. Turbo 6 doesn't even really count either because speed aside, it's a different class of car entirely (fake luxury). Miata to me is sort of the only sports car left in their lineup, though I know from looking at various forums and discussions that even there there are some who say the ND is worse than the older Miatas for things like body roll and such.
Don't get me wrong, I have no complaints with my CX-5 on power/performance. It's exactly what I wanted. A CUV that felt engaging to drive. I got exactly that, so don't count me as one of the folks complaining about power.
But for when I ever decide to buy a strictly fun car, there's really nothing appealing in Mazda's line-up at the moment. Miata sure, but frankly I sat in one again last week and I am just too tall/big I think at 6' and ~230 lbs. I don't think either myself or my girlfriend would be comfortable in it long term. Maybe an NC.
And for whenever I replace my CX-5, I am just not interested in a fake luxury vehicle (Gen 2). I am not in my 40's and 50's looking for that class of car. I'm 27 lol. When I think luxury cars, I think cars my parents or grandparents would drive. That's just me, call me simple in what I like out of a car I suppose.
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Sorry but the reason Mitsubishi (or Isuzu) are where they are is because they made crap, unappealing vehicles that weren't remotely competitive in their classes.
Mazda not selling a piddly, couple thousand 'halo' cars (likely at a loss/VERY low profit) around the world is not what will sink them.
That said, as they get on more solid footing post-divorce from Ford and continue to grow and get through their releases of the 2.2D here, their 'X' motors etc, I'd not be at all surprised to see them release something as a 'statement' car. But if I had to guess, it's likely 4+ years off as they have other/bigger priorities at the moment.
It will probably be $50-60k + though. So not exactly accessible to the 'every man'.
What percentage of sales do you think those cars represented? I'd be willing to bet it was REALLY low.
I wouldn't remotely complain about having some more nice, sporty options available from Mazda either but 'Traditional Mazda buyers' want class leading handling, decent power, nice styling/interiors. Those are things Mazda has always represented and where their largest sales volumes have always been. They're not really deviating from that.
Again, a few nice, sportier options would be great as well and I'm sure they'll get around to some. But that's not remotely where their success hinges.
