I found this Mazda3 sedan with an MSRP of $23,525 in my local inventory. But, it's really loaded and includes the NAV system:
2005 MAZDA3 s 4-Door $17,175 160-hp 2.3L DOHC 16-valve inline 4-cylinder Standard 4-Spd Auto $900 ABS/SAB/SAC PACKAGE $800 MOONROOF & 6-CD PACKAGE $890 SPORT PACKAGE $490 XENON & TPMS PACKAGE $700 LEATHER TRIMMED SEATS $590 NAVIGATION SYSTEM $1,750 COMPASS/OUTSIDE TEMP AUTODIM MIRROR $230
Total MSRP: $23,525*
Of course, anybody who doesn't want all of these options can get a nicely equipped Mazda3 S for an MSRP of under $18k, with an actual purchase price of even less than that. And anybody who's willing to pay for the NAV (a "luxury" option) probably isn't very concerned about keeping the price down. I think Mazda's doing the right thing by offering a good array of options and resulting price ranges for customers to choose from
I was just responding to the question "Where did you see a $24,000 price tag?", even thought that question wasn't directed at me.
I think that the Mazda3 is priced very well for what you get, and I think it's good that there are lots of options to choose from. I don't agree with the original poster (who said that the Mazda3 is overpriced). Sorry, should have made that more clear in my last post.
People want the product, so they (barely) tolerate the service.
If the customer already knows which cars he doesn't want to buy, and is almost decided on which the vechicle he/she wants to buy, then hey, who needs the sales person to be the man in the middle? Just arrange the sales transaction "online" or talk directly with fleet manager, and exclude the lazy salesguy from the deal altogether. I would rather give $500 difference in the salesprice to the mechanics doing the scheduled maintenance on the vehicle, rather than to the sales weasel. I don't think that the import car owner will accept bogus oilchanges and sloppy engine maintenace, any more than their referential ford owner. No monkeys whith wrench on my car - please.
But lets face it. It you exclude all domestic cars, then there wont be a whole lot cars left to choose from. And those imports immediately add $5000 to the sticker compared to a similar US made car - and the sticker price is less negotiable, because the car has some hard delivery costs, including fees/tolls to paid to US customs.
Turning the coin around. Excluding all japanese cars, then there is still dozens of cars in various utility & trim levels to wade through. For those disoriented customers, it would be nice if the salesperson, at the right moment inserted: you can't go wrong with this one !
So yes, the J/E cars buyers have less expectations from the salesguy, but I think they are still terrified by the thought that an underpaid careless grease monkey can ruin a $20k car with a single oilchange, or fuel filter change. So expectations are equally high for proper service. If the scheduled maintenance of import cars would be significantly worse than for all US build car, the one would think that there would be a lots of loud complaints.
The over to other issues: what do you think, how long should you have to wait for your car to be serviced, if the only service is oilchange, and top off fluids? Is one and half hour acceptable? Your car does not get ruined by slow service, but you might aswell take the whole day off work.
Like other fields of the economy, there are good players and then there are others. Personally, I have never experienced a problem with the servicing provided by the various auto dealers and garages that I had to deal with over these many years. Sales, however, are somewhat different but have improved, in large part, I think, because we consumers are better informed. What we, consumers, should be pushing for in both customer sales and service is transparency and honesty. What we should be doing is learning a bit about our machines and the business. Before I get off the soap box, two final comments: 1. I expect decent service not free service; 2. My orbiter is my car, my Mission Control is my garage, heaven forbid that Mission Control overlook any serious malfunction on my vehicle or I am toast.
Gotcha, it's just that my wife wants NAV in her next vehicle and the bit of shopping I've done reveals that Mazda offers the most affordable ways to get that option - Mazda3 and Mazda5 both offer it for peanuts compared to the other guys.
Anyone who does think the Mazda3 is overpriced ought to go price a Jetta V. You can hit $28k easily, even without NAV. Scary.
Even the people who really care about cars have a hard time keeping straight which are domestic VS foreign. Look at Honda - most consider it foreign but they build many cars in the USA - same with Toyota and Mazda. What about Chrysler where do you put that one - domestic - right - but they are owned by a German company & have many components and whole vehicles coming from outside the USA - same with GM (Canada, Mexico & soon China) and Ford does the same thing.
Sure you can break them down by what they were BACK IN 1970 - but what is the point?
As a multi line dealer we see a variety of buyers from all economic and social backgrounds. I personally see different levels of expectations. A guy drives in with an Acura that has a bad tranny and he acts like it was his fault. A mazda owners comes in with a bad cigarette lighter and they yell and scream bloody murder. I say this with a little tongue in cheek but it's not far off.
As a multi line dealer we see a variety of buyers from all economic and social backgrounds. I personally see different levels of expectations. A guy drives in with an Acura that has a bad tranny and he acts like it was his fault. A mazda owners comes in with a bad cigarette lighter and they yell and scream bloody murder. I say this with a little tongue in cheek but it's not far off.
Rich - this is exactly why I say the surveys by CR and others are flawed. So much has to do with the customers expectations and perceptions.
I personally see different levels of expectations. A guy drives in with an Acura that has a bad tranny and he acts like it was his fault. A mazda owners comes in with a bad cigarette lighter and they yell and scream bloody murder. I say this with a little tongue in cheek but it's not far off.
So, if we are to follow this argument, Rich, the more demanding between the Cavalier and the Corvette owner is ... the Cavalier owner? Duh, seems odd to me. Maybe a little less exaggeration and little bit more fairness is in order. After all, if you bought a suit missing a button, would you "scream bloody murder" or act as if it were your fault?.
My point was......In our stores, oddly enough, the mazda buyers are the most demanding and most vocal. Our Acura and Lincoln owners seem to have a little more balanced approach to service problems. (mdaffron, how was that for PC,lol)
>>>After all, if you bought a suit missing a button, would you "scream bloody murder" or act as if it were your fault?.
I have learned how to get exactly what I want if there is a problem... and it never ever involves screaming bloody murder. I might even take a little blame if the button fell off...nothing takes the edge off like a little self blame....Plus I only shop at quality stores that have excellent proven customer satisfaction, even if it means paying more. so as you can see a bad button is never a big deal. lol
Returning to the topic at hand, any advance news about the future batch of Mazdas? How will MazdaCo. market the Mazdaspeed6; is there going to be a commercial specific to it or will it be done via word of mouth? IMHO the new RX8 commercial seems a little underwhelming but maybe it's supposed to be projecting the strong, silent type. And should we expect in 2006/2007 to start hearing noises about a luxury Mazda?
The Speed6 will only have a small ad budget. They expect the dealers and word of mouth to do most of the marketing. The car mags will help to push it also. The Mazda5 has a tiny ad budget and most of the marketing will be web based, email, some print and only a small amount of tv. I agree the RX-8 ads are a bit weak. The thinking is to broaden the appeal of the car beyond the traditional 25-40 yr old male. Here is something to chew on...This is nothing but speculation but I think mazda is in on the Ford Fairlane concept vehicle.
I have some upcoming meetings that will shed some light on future products. So stay tuned.
out there a couple of years, I wonder what the Mazda execs are thinking about continuing the RX-8 after its traditional model cycle has run its course.
First I heard sales were good, then I heard they were bad, and for a while now I haven't heard anything at all.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
they are one of the only ones to drop for the year so far, in a market that has been ON FIRE this summer. It is basically Mazda and VW that have lost sales for the year (VW has lost big), pretty much all the other majors are up, some up big like Nissan and Toyota.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I think mazda is in on the Ford Fairlane concept vehicle. I have some upcoming meetings that will shed some light on future products.
Does this mean the beginning of a luxury car for Mazda, the Mazda9?
The latest issue of Consumer Reports reviews several luxury sedans. What is surprising is how some "cheaper" (?!) luxury cars, like the Acura TL (U$33.7K) and Toyota Avalon XLS (U$33K) aced out much pricier vehicles, like the Mercedes E320 (U$54K), BMW 530i (U$55K), Jaguar S (U$54.8), Audi A6 (U$50.8K) and even Acura RL (U$49.7K). The European brands basically fail on poor reliability. If Mazda was to position itself under Acura TL pricing and offer Japanese reliability they may have a chance to score in this part of the market.
they are one of the only ones to drop for the year so far, in a market that has been ON FIRE this summer
Yeah, doesn't sound so good for Mazda if you look at it that way. But, if you look at the breakdown, Mazda's sold more cars this year than last year, but has been hurt by its dwindling SUV and truck sales. Mazda's newer products (the 3 and the 6) are selling well, but Mazda's older products (the Tribute and the MPV) aren't selling so well.
I think that Mazda's on the right track to rectify this because the Tribute's being redesigned and the MX-Crossport's also coming in...should both help their SUV sales if they do it right. Also, I think the Mazda5's going to sell fairly well too (I've already bought one!), and it's got no direct competition in the US market (i.e., no other manufacturer makes an identically-configured car).
I think that if Mazda keeps making fun-to-drive cars that are also value-priced (not cheap, but a lot of car for the money) like they're currently doing, they should do well. Just my opinion, of course.
Sales figures don't always tell the entire story.....Lack of product is hurting the biggest dealers....I normally stock 40-50 mazda3, we currently have 4 in stock...I normally stock 30-35 mazda6's, we have 12 in stock. Nothing slows things down like a lack of product that people want to buy. The sales rate of the Mazda3 is very strong and mazda can't squeeze enough cars out of the factory. The 6 is doing well based on production numbers. 6 production is a bit squeezed by the Mustang and mazda has reduced Fleet sales to increase retail production of the 6....
Also, mazda isnt participating in the "who can give away their cars the cheapest" sales events and we all know alot of folks are lured by the deal. To some folks the deal tops the product...
One reason why the market is booming so much is that with all the employee discounts. Yeah they are selling lots of cars, but the margins are small. So dont take those ratings too seriously in regards to Mazda having a bad year. To the average consumer, why shell out for a mazda3 when you can get a focus at x-plan price. So the fact that the 3 and the 6 are still selling as well as they are through this is a testament to the fact that Mazda is turning around.
this is true, but lots of other carmakers that ALSO don't offer these huge incentives are increasing sales in leaps and bounds.
Now if product supply is the problem, well IMO that is a problem no carmaker can afford to have these days, but I guess Mazda is small enough that it can't readily increase production or shunt production to popular models from other ones. And it is good news that the worldwide demand for the Mazda3 is so through the roof that it is crimping supply.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
According to AIADA, Mazda scored a 5.7% montlhy gain in July 2005 in the US, due to a 16.5% sales increase for the Mazda3, and a 60.5% increase for the Mazda6. The new Mazda5 sold 629 vehicles in July; Mazda is down 2.6% for 2005 compared to last year.
See July Sales: International Nameplates Exceed Forecasts in http://www.aiada.org
Well, they didn't even list the Mazda5 under "current vehicles" on the Mazda USA web site until recently, and even now it only shows under the pull-down menu and not on the initial screen, so I don't think it was officially launched in July.
Mazda is being way too skimpy with the advertising on the 5.
... that Mazda is trying to make sure its product is in-stock and available at dealerships across the country before it launches its ad campaign?
Wouldn't you be raving here if you'd seen a bunch of ads for this neat new vehicle, and visited your dealership to find nothing? Man, you'd be ranting over the lack of coordination between Mazda's marketing and inventory departments.
Mazda announced months ago that the official release of the Mazda5 would occur in mid-August 2005. It's only August 5. My dealership is one of Mazda's top 30 for volume in the country, and it's only got five Mazda5's on the lot right now.
It'd be nice to make sure they have a few vehicles to sell before they start with the official ad campaign! It is a 2006 model, for goodness' sake! Have patience!
The ad budget for the MZ5 is tiny.....There is essentially no major advertising planned for the MZ5. According to the Mazda marketing guide they are only going to do online, direct mail, some magazine ads and movie theatre trailers. They will also do some promo's with NBC's season premiere....That's all at this point.
In September, both People and Entertainment Weekly’s annual fall issues will include a CD-ROM featuring both NBC and Mazda content. Mailed exclusively to more than 2-million subscribers, the CD-ROM will offer a special inside look at the NBC Fall Season, the MAZDA5 and other Mazda vehicles. The special preview disk also will include the entire pilot episode of NBC’s most highly anticipated comedy “My Name is Earl”.
Cool! My wife is an Entertainment Weekly subscriber!!! I'll let you guys know what we receive.
In the September 2005 edition of Motor Trend, Mazda's head of global sales and marketing said something to the effect that the next U.S. version of the 6 will be bigger and more luxurious, and that the launching of the current 6 as a sports car was a mistake (which I personally think is bunk IMHO - the 6 IS a hit as a sports car - If it ain't broke, don't fix it).
Be afraid - be very afraid when marketing starts dictating automotive design.... :mad:
I happen to work at a dealership in Fort Worth, Tx where we also offered "Factory Unauthorized Employee Pricing To The Public." THIS IS NOT A MAZDA PROGRAM!!! We essentially were selling cars to stimulate business and increase volume, with no substantial gain of profit. I made about $1,200 total last month by selling 8 units.
Employee pricing is easy to verify. Every vehicle has it's S-Plan price clearly stated on the factory invoice. This is the same price which I would pay if I was purchasing a new Mazda. You would also receive any applicable incentives as well. Simply ask to verify pricing by requesting to view the factory invoice. If everything is on the up and up, there should be no problem at all.
The biggest difficulty I've had is the mindset of the consumer. Many times the S-Plan has been given, then the rebates, then the MAC bonus cash, only to have the customer respond with,"THAT'S IT?"
I truly do what I can to earn my "mini" commission of a $100, including top notch service and treatment, product presentation like no other. However, consumers also need to realize your not going to get a $10,000 discount on every car, truck, van, or SUV.
The biggest difficulty I've had is the mindset of the consumer. Many times the S-Plan has been given, then the rebates, then the MAC bonus cash, only to have the customer respond with,"THAT'S IT?"
Hey, you're not gonna get mad at us "consumers" just 'cause some of us like to play your game too, are ya???
I'll negotiate with ya 'till the cows come home, my good sir! And if I can get your hundred bucks, I'll take that too!!!
:P
Meade
P.S. You're taking their phrase "That's it?" all wrong. What they really mean is, they thought buying a car from you would be a long, hard, excruciating process of negotiating. You make it simple and fun! Hence, "That's it?"
It looks as though you have lumped me in with the bad apples. I wish you no ill will in what it is you do. Keep in mind there are plenty of us car salespeople which might possibly keep your business financially stable. Circle of economy.
"I'll negotiate with ya 'till the cows come home, my good sir! And if I can get your hundred bucks, I'll take that too!!!"
My point exactly... there is nothing to negotiate with cut and dry pricing. By the way, that $100 has to be stretched pretty far these days. I appreciate your endearing compassion. Oh that's right... I'm just a car salesman. :P
To give everyone perspective of ad budgets...the Mazda6 had a $120 million dollar launch ad budget. The MZ5 launch ad budget is less than $5 million. To launch a new product with such a small budget is very rare in todays world. Maserati had a larger launch budget for its newest car. lol
really, mazda is doing a good job, but i don't see much of the good cars, mostly cheap Miata and sometimes an RX-8 but it doesn't seem that people by mazda cars, and plus their commercial is really annoying, they should ship the RX-7 to america, maybe a lot of people would by that, because everybody likes the RX-7 :P
Nooooo, there are enough choices like that. And Buicks don't sell all that well.
Meade - you never cease to crack me up.
Remind me, though, S-plan is for dealer staff and families, something like that, right? Is it X-plan pricing that actual Mazda employee get? Those are lower IIRC.
What's the S-plan price on a base Mazda5, out of curiosity? Can you look them up somewhere?
Mazda6 had a $120 million dollar launch ad budget. The MZ5 ... is less than $5 million.
Who would you say the audience is for the MZ5? The TV ad that is playing here shows a cool college guy striding down a school corridor being eyed by several young women; finally the last woman gives Mr. Bashful a broad smile and we see that he is wearing a baby harness on his front sporting their newborn; the MZ5 only appears for a few seconds at the end. If young married couples with children is the target audience this is a pretty risky commercial in Canada considering the almost invisible birth rate here. (To grow the population Canadians welcome close to a quarter million immigrants annually.
Advertisers seem to be experimenting with more niche oriented techniques, like product placement and Internet chatting. Hearing about the MZ5 on Edmunds piqued my curiousity enough to get me to drive to a dealership and check out the new "kid on the block". As it turns out the MZ5 is not my cup of tea but I'd do the same thing for anyone of the Mazdaspeed progeny. Getting impartial (a.k.a non-pushy) news about a product can sometimes be excellent advertising.
They should target ads at the people that buy What to Expect When You're Expecting, the popular book for pregant women.
I can see it now: the Mazda5 zooming down the highway at 100 miles an hour, a stern highway patrolman in pursuit; a roadblock; the cop peering into the front of the miniminivan with the harried husband and then pans to the back where the pregnant wife is holding her copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting and the Zoom Zoom theme starts up as the narrator lets out the catch line: " _____ " (fill in the blank)
Comments
2005 MAZDA3 s 4-Door $17,175
160-hp 2.3L DOHC 16-valve inline 4-cylinder Standard
4-Spd Auto $900
ABS/SAB/SAC PACKAGE $800
MOONROOF & 6-CD PACKAGE $890
SPORT PACKAGE $490
XENON & TPMS PACKAGE $700
LEATHER TRIMMED SEATS $590
NAVIGATION SYSTEM $1,750
COMPASS/OUTSIDE TEMP AUTODIM MIRROR $230
Total MSRP: $23,525*
Of course, anybody who doesn't want all of these options can get a nicely equipped Mazda3 S for an MSRP of under $18k, with an actual purchase price of even less than that. And anybody who's willing to pay for the NAV (a "luxury" option) probably isn't very concerned about keeping the price down. I think Mazda's doing the right thing by offering a good array of options and resulting price ranges for customers to choose from
Second, you loaded it up to the gills with NAV even, what did you expect?
Loaded models of the alternatives you mention are closer to $30 grand than they are to $24 grand. They make the 3 seem cheap!
-juice
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I think that the Mazda3 is priced very well for what you get, and I think it's good that there are lots of options to choose from. I don't agree with the original poster (who said that the Mazda3 is overpriced). Sorry, should have made that more clear in my last post.
If the customer already knows which cars he doesn't want to buy, and is almost decided on which the vechicle he/she wants to buy, then hey, who needs the sales person to be the man in the middle? Just arrange the sales transaction "online" or talk directly with fleet manager, and exclude the lazy salesguy from the deal altogether. I would rather give $500 difference in the salesprice to the mechanics doing the scheduled maintenance on the vehicle, rather than to the sales weasel. I don't think that the import car owner will accept bogus oilchanges and sloppy engine maintenace, any more than their referential ford owner. No monkeys whith wrench on my car - please.
But lets face it. It you exclude all domestic cars, then there wont be a whole lot cars left to choose from. And those imports immediately add $5000 to the sticker compared to a similar US made car - and the sticker price is less negotiable, because the car has some hard delivery costs, including fees/tolls to paid to US customs.
Turning the coin around. Excluding all japanese cars, then there is still dozens of cars in various utility & trim levels to wade through. For those disoriented customers, it would be nice if the salesperson, at the right moment inserted: you can't go wrong with this one !
So yes, the J/E cars buyers have less expectations from the salesguy, but I think they are still terrified by the thought that an underpaid careless grease monkey can ruin a $20k car with a single oilchange, or fuel filter change. So expectations are equally high for proper service. If the scheduled maintenance of import cars would be significantly worse than for all US build car, the one would think that there would be a lots of loud complaints.
The over to other issues: what do you think, how long should you have to wait for your car to be serviced, if the only service is oilchange, and top off fluids? Is one and half hour acceptable? Your car does not get ruined by slow service, but you might aswell take the whole day off work.
Anyone who does think the Mazda3 is overpriced ought to go price a Jetta V. You can hit $28k easily, even without NAV. Scary.
-juice
Sure you can break them down by what they were BACK IN 1970 - but what is the point?
Rich - this is exactly why I say the surveys by CR and others are flawed. So much has to do with the customers expectations and perceptions.
So, if we are to follow this argument, Rich, the more demanding between the Cavalier and the Corvette owner is ... the Cavalier owner? Duh, seems odd to me. Maybe a little less exaggeration and little bit more fairness is in order. After all, if you bought a suit missing a button, would you "scream bloody murder" or act as if it were your fault?.
Meade
>>>After all, if you bought a suit missing a button, would you "scream bloody murder" or act as if it were your fault?.
I have learned how to get exactly what I want if there is a problem... and it never ever involves screaming bloody murder. I might even take a little blame if the button fell off...nothing takes the edge off like a little self blame....Plus I only shop at quality stores that have excellent proven customer satisfaction, even if it means paying more.
Returning to the topic at hand, any advance news about the future batch of Mazdas? How will MazdaCo. market the Mazdaspeed6; is there going to be a commercial specific to it or will it be done via word of mouth? IMHO the new RX8 commercial seems a little underwhelming but maybe it's supposed to be projecting the strong, silent type. And should we expect in 2006/2007 to start hearing noises about a luxury Mazda?
I have some upcoming meetings that will shed some light on future products. So stay tuned.
First I heard sales were good, then I heard they were bad, and for a while now I haven't heard anything at all.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Sales for July are out:
Mazda 24,820 23,487 5.7% 159,808 164,023 -2.6%
For the month they're up 5.7% over last year, but YTD sales are still down slightly compared to '04.
-juice
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Does this mean the beginning of a luxury car for Mazda, the Mazda9?
The latest issue of Consumer Reports reviews several luxury sedans. What is surprising is how some "cheaper" (?!) luxury cars, like the Acura TL (U$33.7K) and Toyota Avalon XLS (U$33K) aced out much pricier vehicles, like the Mercedes E320 (U$54K), BMW 530i (U$55K), Jaguar S (U$54.8), Audi A6 (U$50.8K) and even Acura RL (U$49.7K). The European brands basically fail on poor reliability. If Mazda was to position itself under Acura TL pricing and offer Japanese reliability they may have a chance to score in this part of the market.
Yeah, doesn't sound so good for Mazda if you look at it that way. But, if you look at the breakdown, Mazda's sold more cars this year than last year, but has been hurt by its dwindling SUV and truck sales. Mazda's newer products (the 3 and the 6) are selling well, but Mazda's older products (the Tribute and the MPV) aren't selling so well.
I think that Mazda's on the right track to rectify this because the Tribute's being redesigned and the MX-Crossport's also coming in...should both help their SUV sales if they do it right. Also, I think the Mazda5's going to sell fairly well too (I've already bought one!), and it's got no direct competition in the US market (i.e., no other manufacturer makes an identically-configured car).
I think that if Mazda keeps making fun-to-drive cars that are also value-priced (not cheap, but a lot of car for the money) like they're currently doing, they should do well. Just my opinion, of course.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050803/earns_japan_toyota.html?.v=3
http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh53612_2005-08-03_05- -44-36_t36207_newsml
http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh59082_2005-08-03_10- -23-34_t40218_newsml
Meade
Also, mazda isnt participating in the "who can give away their cars the cheapest" sales events and we all know alot of folks are lured by the deal. To some folks the deal tops the product...
Now if product supply is the problem, well IMO that is a problem no carmaker can afford to have these days, but I guess Mazda is small enough that it can't readily increase production or shunt production to popular models from other ones. And it is good news that the worldwide demand for the Mazda3 is so through the roof that it is crimping supply.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
See July Sales: International Nameplates Exceed Forecasts in http://www.aiada.org
Cool car, I hope it does well.
-juice
Mazda is being way too skimpy with the advertising on the 5.
-juice
Wouldn't you be raving here if you'd seen a bunch of ads for this neat new vehicle, and visited your dealership to find nothing? Man, you'd be ranting over the lack of coordination between Mazda's marketing and inventory departments.
Mazda announced months ago that the official release of the Mazda5 would occur in mid-August 2005. It's only August 5. My dealership is one of Mazda's top 30 for volume in the country, and it's only got five Mazda5's on the lot right now.
It'd be nice to make sure they have a few vehicles to sell before they start with the official ad campaign! It is a 2006 model, for goodness' sake! Have patience!
Meade
I just want to see this thing succeed in a market where noone else has.
-juice
I like it and would consider it in lieu of a minivan, but my wife thinks the styling is too "space age". Sigh - guess it's a blandmobile for me.
http://www.autoworld.com/apps/news/FullStoryp.asp?id=4970&frame=kpnt
Again, give it time. This is a 2006 car. Let them get their inventory in place, or they'll be red-faced and trying to sell a bunch of IOUs.
Meade
Cool! My wife is an Entertainment Weekly subscriber!!! I'll let you guys know what we receive.
Meade
-juice
... YOU MEAN THEY LET THEIR EMPLOYEES PRICE THE CARS???
RUN!!! RUN FAST!!!
:P
Meade
Be afraid - be very afraid when marketing starts dictating automotive design.... :mad:
Employee pricing is easy to verify. Every vehicle has it's S-Plan price clearly stated on the factory invoice. This is the same price which I would pay if I was purchasing a new Mazda. You would also receive any applicable incentives as well. Simply ask to verify pricing by requesting to view the factory invoice. If everything is on the up and up, there should be no problem at all.
The biggest difficulty I've had is the mindset of the consumer. Many times the S-Plan has been given, then the rebates, then the MAC bonus cash, only to have the customer respond with,"THAT'S IT?"
I truly do what I can to earn my "mini" commission of a $100, including top notch service and treatment, product presentation like no other. However, consumers also need to realize your not going to get a $10,000 discount on every car, truck, van, or SUV.
Hey, you're not gonna get mad at us "consumers" just 'cause some of us like to play your game too, are ya???
I'll negotiate with ya 'till the cows come home, my good sir! And if I can get your hundred bucks, I'll take that too!!!
:P
Meade
P.S. You're taking their phrase "That's it?" all wrong. What they really mean is, they thought buying a car from you would be a long, hard, excruciating process of negotiating. You make it simple and fun! Hence, "That's it?"
"I'll negotiate with ya 'till the cows come home, my good sir! And if I can get your hundred bucks, I'll take that too!!!"
My point exactly... there is nothing to negotiate with cut and dry pricing. By the way, that $100 has to be stretched pretty far these days. I appreciate your endearing compassion.
Nooooo, there are enough choices like that. And Buicks don't sell all that well.
Meade - you never cease to crack me up.
Remind me, though, S-plan is for dealer staff and families, something like that, right? Is it X-plan pricing that actual Mazda employee get? Those are lower IIRC.
What's the S-plan price on a base Mazda5, out of curiosity? Can you look them up somewhere?
-juice
Who would you say the audience is for the MZ5? The TV ad that is playing here shows a cool college guy striding down a school corridor being eyed by several young women; finally the last woman gives Mr. Bashful a broad smile and we see that he is wearing a baby harness on his front sporting their newborn; the MZ5 only appears for a few seconds at the end. If young married couples with children is the target audience this is a pretty risky commercial in Canada considering the almost invisible birth rate here. (To grow the population Canadians welcome close to a quarter million immigrants annually.
Advertisers seem to be experimenting with more niche oriented techniques, like product placement and Internet chatting. Hearing about the MZ5 on Edmunds piqued my curiousity enough to get me to drive to a dealership and check out the new "kid on the block". As it turns out the MZ5 is not my cup of tea but I'd do the same thing for anyone of the Mazdaspeed progeny. Getting impartial (a.k.a non-pushy) news about a product can sometimes be excellent advertising.
In fact I'd advertise along side the baby/newborn programs.
Baby magazines, too.
-juice
I can see it now: the Mazda5 zooming down the highway at 100 miles an hour, a stern highway patrolman in pursuit; a roadblock; the cop peering into the front of the miniminivan with the harried husband and then pans to the back where the pregnant wife is holding her copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting and the Zoom Zoom theme starts up as the narrator lets out the catch line: " _____ " (fill in the blank)