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Maybe...just MAYBE the 'se' camry could be 'sportier looking' than the new accord, but i personally don't agree with a thinking that just because you have a ground effects kit, you are 'sportier'. if that were the case, i'd be just as bad as those kids who slap those kits on their civics, thinking it looks more 'aggressive'. Nope. The corolla tries this too, and fails horribly.
And the base camry or any camry without the kit is as bland and un-sporty as can be.
i would hardly call the new accord 'conservative'. I wouldn't apply that term to any of the bmw or acura products it resembles either. Actually, NO toyota fan should ever utter the word 'conservative' towards another automakers vehicles.
DrFill
Ford's share continues to plummet..... :surprise:
DrFill
Mazda can ill afford to make mistakes because of Ford being cheap. I mean look at the 08 Tribute its not a very good product in terms of styling and in interior packaging. Plus, Mitsubishi is going for Mazda's customers right now and remember when Mitsu had their big crisis in the US in 2004 Mazda pretty grabbed all of Mitsu's car buying clientel but Mitsu is back with the the 08 Lancer and 07 Outlander.
I hope the 09 6 is not another Mazda sales flop like the refresh of the 1998 626 that took place in 2000. Mazda over-refreshed the 2000 626 and sales went down of that model each year after that refresh.
I hope the exterior styling of the 09 6 doesnlt stray from the Euro model too much. If it does we will be saying again is it time for Mazda too leave the US market? I hope the suspension set-up in the 09 6(NA version) stray too far from the Euro model either. I understand that the NA 096 has to be a bigger model(size wise) than the Euro model of the 09 because Americans like biggers cars than the rest of the world well except for the Chinese because they love their Buicks in China!.
It will keep Mazda3 owners who want to move up (I'm sure they're running to Altima when they're done with a 3 now), and it will attract new business.
Timing is bad, fighting the Accord and new Malibu for pub.
But being last to the party has it's advantages.
DrFill
If Mazda plays the cards right the 09 Mazda 6 should have no problem outselling the Mazda 3.
I don;t think Mazda is going to bring the Euro 6 here because my guess would be its too small for the NA market just like the current 6 is. I don;t know if Mazda can get away with putting the 09 NA 6 on the same platform was the 03 6 I mean Toyota got away with using the same platform for the 97-01 Camry as the 92-96 Camry but Toyota can get away with alot more things that Mazda can;t because Mazda is associated with Ford and Toyota had a great reputation for reliability back when the 97 Camry came onto the market which Mazda doesn;t have currently. The current 6 is a good platform though since I have a 07 Mazda 6 now so I can attest to the experience that I have with the current 6 platform.
"It could be the next 1999 Passat!"
No, that was 1998 Passat. I'm wondering how many units the 1998-2001.5 Passat sold yearly in the US during that time period.
"Timing is bad, fighting the Accord and new Malibu for pub."
Fighting the Accord will be hard but I don;t think Mazda plans for the Mazda 6 to outsell the Accord I think if Mazda can sell 90K-120K 6's yearly that should be a satisfying number for Mazda. I mean look at 03-06 Mazda 6 sales:
03: 65K
04: 72K
05: 71K
06: 66K
The Malibu is suspect I mean the 04-07 model sold terribly as evidenced as the current gen Malibu being on the market for only for 4 years. IF GM can sell 250K-275k Malibu;s a year than that would be good for GM. GM isn't planning on the Malibu outselling Camry and Accord for the time being I don;t think. Of course the Malibu will outsell the Mazda 6 because Chevy has more dealers than Mazda does and Chevy is like Toyota in that they are a mass market brand.
The current-gen 6 is based on Ford's cd-3 platform, both here and abroad. From UK reports, it seems that the second-gen European/Asian 6 is ALSO based on the same platform, and not from the new Mondeo, as rumored before. I'm sure the US will get the same platform, with detail changes to the front and rear ends to meet US regs.
A couple test-drives from across the pond:
whatcar.com
uk.msn.com
:shades:
Well the new Accord than the last one(the 03 model.) Nah to the 4 door model the headlights like look like they came of the 98 Accord and the rear looks like Acura RL its still too conservative though when you have Altima and Mazda 6 out there.
I'm sure Mazda will make signicant changes to the 09 6 to make it feel like a brand new model even if it is based on the same platform as the current model. Mazda has done everything right in term of making good decesions in terms of product of late except for the 08 Tribute. I don;t think Mazda will blow this 09 6 release. If they do they will pay the price. Mazda is too smart now though to blow this release of the new gen 6. The new 6 is the must important release of a car that Mazda has had since the orginal 6 came out(03-08.)
No, that has not been established. Mazda has never done that to date, why does everyone think that will happen now? Did you see that MazdaUSA posted the pic of the next Mazda6 on their website? Where are you people getting this WRONG information that we are getting a "watered down" version of the upcoming Mazda6? Has Mazda said this? NO! I work for Mazda, and the consensus from my district reps, as well as Mazda corporate that we will get virtually the SAME Mazda6 you saw in Frankfurt.
Ford has to take some responsibility.
Considering the '08 Focus vs the '08 Mazda3, it's looks like Ford wouldn't know what to sell a customer, since they actually are a party to the best vehicle in class.
How Ford doesn't sell a version of the Mazda3/Volvo S40 platform is a travesty!
Ford deserves some grief alright.
DrFill
Not true. Mazda does make decisions for them selves, and they are not financed by FoMoCo. Believe it or not, Mazda has profits and expenses of their own, like r&d! Please, do not make ignorant posts like this, you are helping no one!
The are owned by Ford, and Ford has to sign off on their major production projects. Mazda isn't spending a Billion on a new car platform without Ford approving it.
Mazda doesn't work in vacuum.
DrFill
While Ford does have 33.9% of controlling interest (which has recently and finally transferred from Ford Int'l Holding to FMC), Mazda does have its own maneuver and freedom. The two companies aren't consolidated, hence the reason for separate reporting between the two.
How many Foci were sold in the US in the last 12 months? I'm guessing a lot more than the sum of Mazda3 and S40 sales. The majority of US consumers will not pay a premium price for smaller cars, this is why the cheaper old design of the Focus is still sold here. It is not Ford's fault that the typical US car buyer sees vehicle value in terms of dollars per pound or dollars per cubic foot.
CEO for FoMoCo is Alan Mulally. CEO for Mazda Motor Corp. is Hisakazu Imaki. Why would there be a CEO for Mazda if Ford called all the shots?? Oh, that's right. They don't.
On-topic: This may be news to you, but it seems that the '09 6 both here and abroad WILL share the same platform.
This leads me to believe that the next 6 will be as similar here and abroad, as the current-gen is now. The differences will be only the front and rear ends (in terms or bumpers, lights, etc.), as well as engine and other options.
If, by chance, Mazda does take the time to read this, I have a few requests:
1. HIDs should be a stand-alone option, as well as a moonroof. I shouldn't have to suffer buying a useless Nav system and an automatic transmission to get these options.
2. A trip computer and keyless start should be standard across the board. My wife's Altima has the keyless start, which at first I thought it was a cheap gimmick, but after using it in a variety of situations, it's really quite helpful and convenient.
3. Allow the option of a dedicated summer tire in place of the miserable Michelin all-seasons that are offered currently.
4. Heated seats with a cloth interior? Even Saturn offers this option...
5. Since they're replacing the round Ford-style vents with the 626-style square untis in the dash, bring back the oscillating option!
6. Other than that, keep the usual Mazda traits (useful power, excellent handling, steering feel, and braking), and you have a repeat customer. :shades:
This is what I have been trying to beat into the thick headed people here that seem to think the U.S is going to get a totally different 6 then the rest of the world. It is just too expensive to do that. Mazda has never done that before, so, why start now??
That is what has been done with the Ford Focus for the last several years and they are going to again stretch it a few more years with the restyled 2008 Focus.
Ford is doing this to save money, and they never did that before either, so it is possible Mazda will do the same.
Maybe the US will get the same model as the new European Mazda6, but that's not what articles about the new Mazda6 have said.
And as Aviboy has stated himself, he WORKS for Mazda, he knows what he's talking about. I know of other sources inside Mazda that have stated the same thing.
And you're basing your conclusions on "rumors" from car journalists? :confuse:
Sometimes we all take what authors in magazines say as the real story. Infact, many of these authors are trying to sell what they are writing. Not all the time are they fact based. Mazda, nor any mfg, will talk to a magazine and tell them of their ultimate plan. Mfg's want to tell the world, themselves.
I don't know if any of you remember when the Mazda MX-Crossport was to be built, now the CX-7? Everyone thought the CX-7 was going to have the 3.0L 215hp V6. I was telling everyone that it was getting the MZR 2.3L DISI Turbo, and no one believed me. Does this mean I am always right? No. But, in this case, look at the facts. The camo covered Mazda6 that has been seen under going testing in Detroit is virtually the same as the car from Frankfurt. The rear tail pipes looked a bit different,and it seems the front bumper may be slightly different as well. Now, also look at www.mazdausa.com. Under the "news" section, Mazda placed a pic of the front end in a press release. It's the same as the car we saw in Frankfurt. I, personally, attended a Mazda function in Syracuse, NY, where Mazda's top brass talked about the upcoming Mazda6 for a part of the session. The pic's were IDENTICAL to the Frankfurt car as well. From what I have seen, and heard, I have no reason to suspect the NA version of the Mazda6 will really vary from what Mazda showed us in Frankfurt. Now, as far as features and engines go, I have no clue. I have not been privledged to that info. As soon as I am, I will share it with all of you.
The 2008 6's are already on dealer lots. The design is a carry-over but Mazda cancelled the wagon and hatchback.
They canceled only the wagon. The hatch's are still an option.
2009 Mazda6 is still a mystery as to exactly what we will have in the US. Most likely the same Mazda6 as Europe and Japan with minor modifications to bumpers, lights, trim and glass and a V6 option.
Where did you see that?
I have not heard that, and I am affiliated with a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealer.
I was also thinking, since the tranny's already come from Japan, maybe they would ship the both of them together?? I think Mazda needs to use the 3.7 because the power would put it over Camry and Accord and Altima.
You know what we have not talked about here, is the possibility of the 2009 Mazda6 being offered in AWD. I have heard nothing of the sort yet, but, I am curious.
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Avi, do yo know the eta for 2009 Mazda6? Rumors earlier were that it would be coming early 2008 (springtime). Any indications of that from your end?
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