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I also checked the AIDA site mentioned previously. Out of the 23 foreign nameplates listed, Mazda placed 18/23 for year-to-year sales change in 16/23 for July '05 to July '04 sales change.
Maybe Mazda isn't as concerned if the sales problems are from essentially non-Mazda products (the B2300 and Tribute). The core sedans seem to be doing quite well.
Jason
Demographics...
-equally male and female
-under 35 years of age
-75% college educated
-early career
-median household income $65K
-between first pregnancy to having two kids under six years
Psychographics
-cautiously optimistic - pragmatic, yet open minded
-ambitious - attainable goals, not "dreamers"
-experimental - likes to try new things/seek novel solutions yet not risk takers
-creative - seeks outlets for individual expression and passion
-social - hub of family unit "givers"
Lifestyle
-Time starved and sleep deprived. the target is leaning to juggle between being a new parent and spouse while trying to be an individual.
-clearly focused on new child, which includes low key activities , park, zoo, picnics family outings.
-Striving to maintain "adult time"
-attempting not to lose sight of themselves
key target insight
-I need solutions that facilitate my new lifestyle.
Vehicle Attitudes
- suddenly my vehicle needs to be my taxi, work vehicle, limo, shopping cart and even my fun to drive car all in the same day.
That demographic profile is pretty much me...OK, except for the <35 year old part.
VELOCITY RED MAZDA3 HATCH ALL THE WAY!!!
Zoomin' an' smilin,'
Meade
2 kids here and the oldest is 6. We would have fit that better a year ago, even the 35 part.
Bad news, though, my wife saw one on the road, white, and while I liked it she did not at all. Said she would be embarassed to drive one. Ouch.
-juice
2. Yup - we're 29
3. Check
4. Well, OK
5. Got that covered
6. My two girls are 3 1/2 and 11 months.
Wow, Mazda built a car for me! Too bad we just bought an MPV last year ... If it wasn't for that, and / or my wife liked to drive a stick as much as I do (or at all, for that matter) I'd have to give the 5 some serious consideration. As it is it might be tough to give up the extra space now that I'm used to it.
-Jason
I was in the tiny town of Brookings, OR this weekend (population 6000) and OMG! They had a Mazda dealership! This in a town WITHOUT a Toyota dealer (or either of the other Japanese big two). And right in front, proudly displayed, was a Mazda5. Took a quick look - seems to be slightly larger than my old Matrix, except with sliding doors on the sides.
Mazda has such low targets for this model that I think it might just meet expectations, but a hot seller it will NOT be IMHO. I have friends with young families - fitting the target demographics perfectly - and they would all be cramped in this car. I am thinking childless couples might buy it - it gives you a little more room for friends and family to ride and significantly more room for STUFF vs the Mazda3 hatch, and of course the Mazda6 hatch and wagon are going away....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
-juice
-Jason
With my 3 yr old son, sliding doors are a godsend. At least I'm sure that's what my wife's Passat would say
For those of you who missed it, there is an article from last week about Ford's losses; it's in the Edmunds Inside Line NEWS section. Ford like GM is now desperately trying to fight off its junk bond status by getting itself onto a profitable and sustainable footing. The "everyone is an employee" incentives is bringing some relief now but will there be any customers once they turn off the program? One of the bright spots for Ford is their hybrid line; was it a coincidence that they called their first hybrid an Escape? :P
http://www.just-auto.com/news_detail.asp?art=48979
Meade
"Perhaps some of Mazda's success will rub off on the products of Ford ..."
Amen to that!
Can you imagine if Mazda were just another Mercury? Yuck.
-juice
http://subscribers.wardsauto.com/microsites/newsarticle.asp?newsarticleid=2748766&magazine- id=1004&siteid=26&srid=10088&pageid=6401
I've noticed that the inventory of Mazda5s near me (as shown on the MazdaUSA website) has been going down over the past few weeks, even though I thought dealers were still in the initial stock-up phase...looking good for Mazda!
“Originally we thought when we brought the Mazda5 to the U.S. it would be experimental, to see if the U.S. market was ready for this kind of vehicle,” Munsey says.
“We were thinking 10,000 to 15,000 sales. Now it looks like 20,000-25,000.”
Meanwhile, Munsey says there is a “possibility” the Mazda MPV minivan will not return to Mazda’s North American lineup once its current product cycle is complete in a year or two.
The MPV is larger than the Mazda5, which is built on the Mazda3 platform, and doesn’t quite jive with the auto maker’s carefully cultivated “zoom-zoom” image, Munsey says. “Minivans are really the domain of Chrysler, Toyota and Honda (brands),” he says.
-juice
Although a better plan would be to hire the company that makes VW ads...
Or just photoshop Mazdas into VW ads (with the exception of the horrible Fahrvergnuegen ads...)
-juice
The agency behind the revival of the VW Beetle TV ads several years back deserves special mention for creating a memorable ad. Otherwise there are no recent TV clips for any auto brand that grabs my attention. GM's approach seems quite sober with the employee pricing promotion; not offensive but also not memorable. Toyota seems to be promoting the company in an effort to convince North American drivers that it is not a foreign brand but part of the local community. In the category of stupid ads, ladies and gentlemen, we offer Land Rover, Kia and many truck ads. In the category of cute (but risking becoming aggravating) are the Echo and Mazda5 ads. Many commentators have noted that TV ads no longer seem to be the obvious "vehicle"
Personally, I think it'd be a mistake to end the MPV. What about those folks who need something bigger than a Mazda5? Is Mazda just telling those (us) folks adios? I know the MPV is not a big seller in it's current 7/8 Ody/Sienna form, but I dont' see why it has to end.
OTOH, I doubt that Ford would allow Mazda to develop an all new, full size minivan that would directly compete with the Freestar. Doesn't make financial sense in the big picture. And I don't want to see the next MPV as nothing more than a rebadged Freestar.
OTOH (part II), I wouldn't mind it if Ford let the boys and girls at Mazda engineer and develop the next FoMoCo minivan. Then, if they wanted, they could rebadge the new MPV and sell it as the Freestar and Monterey as well. Isn't the Escape a Mazda design?
Ah, wishful thinking, I know...
They had 3 GTOs to trick out on this show on cable yesterday, some goofy reality show about sports agents. It was pretty blatant, they must have mentioned "Pontiac GTO" about 700 times.
-juice
They're right.
And did anyone see Chrysler's recent sales results for the T&C? Up something like 47% for this year so far? There are a few companies that own the minivan segment, and then there are some also-rans that would have such a hard time breaking into significant sales gains, it probably just isn't worth the trouble. I believe Mazda is in this second category, along with GM and Ford, perhaps Nissan too. And after all, Mazda isn't trying to be a full-line manufacturer, it is trying to be the zoom zoom company.
What I can't figure out, and maybe someone can explain it to me, is how Mazda plans to keep both the Tribute and the CX-7 in the line-up: the CX-7 seems to make the Tribute totally redundant. (and to have much better style, and to not just be pretty much a clone of a Ford)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
What gives you that idea, Stuart? Some Mazda press release? The fact that Mazda seems to be introducing products gradually could mean that eventually (within 5 years) we will see a Mazda1 to Mazda9 suite of products. A gradual release would allow them to sustain interest in the brand over a longer period; it also allows them to change plans.
More importantly, let's hope that Mazda jumps on the eco-bandwagon in a big way in the near future. Their experiments with the RX8-hybrid, etc. need to start to result in machines with better mpg otherwise its future will be threatened. Imagine a new Honda SI and CRX with segment-leading power and fuel efficiency (example 200 hp and 35 mpg): will Mazda hope that we'll continue to support out-dated technology when their competition is raising the bar? Here's hoping that the Mazda3 or Mazda6 or maybe even a Mazda9 go hybrid in the near future.
p.s. can you tell that I'm reacting to gas-price shock?
If Ford decides to use the Freestar as the basis of a new MPV I'm going to cry. That thing is a miserable excuse for a van and needs to die a quick and ignominious death.
-Jason
Isn't that what the Mazda5 is designed to be?
Seems like this is the same segment of customers that the so called CROSSOVER (between a car and an SUV) vehicle is designed to attract.
I think the crossover segment is about to see major competition - maybe Mazda should be thinking about this type of vehicle rather than trying to develop a sporty mini van.
I think many people would never even consider a mini van - just because ITS A MINI VAN.
I agree with some other posters here that of just about every type of vehicle you could POSSIBLY think of, short of a heavy-duty pick-up, consumers are LEAST likely to want a sporty version of a minivan. They want "sporty" 2-1/2 ton truck-based SUVs more than they want sporty minivans.
Now if Mazda can and wants to build a "zoom zoom" MPV and still compete on price with the lower echelon (Kia, soon Hyundai, GM, and Dodge) then I say go for it. If not, I wouldn't bother if it were me.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
As to the van, I thought that they were coming out with a new platform off the 6, that Ford would adopt, not the other way around.
Sproty minivans probably do have to be on the smaller side. An Odyssey is about as sporty as most people want to get on a full size mini (hows that for an oxymoron).
besides, most people idea of sporty is some decals and alloy wheels. maybe throw on a spoiler if you are a real performance freak.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
If Mazda can build a van of the Ody's size that handles as well, with the same power, and class leading gas mileage...Naa Ford wouldn't let em.
My point is that all those sporty family haulers have utility limitations compared to the good old fashioned minivan, and nearly all of them are way above the $40k mark. Right now the current MPV and Odyssey are as good as it gets for family haulers that aren't boring to drive. If Mazda's new van could come in positioned just to the sporty side of the Honda - which is where Mazda is trying to position the rest of their lineup - I think there would be a few buyers there. An affordable sporty crossover is a nice step, but in my opinion crossovers have inherent disadvantages compared to vans, and don't offer any real advantages. Except, of course, the lack of a mini-van "stigma".
By the way, ever notice that Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota never talk about minivan stigma? Maybe because their minivan offerings are designs that people actually want to buy...
-Jason
If you could list the top 5 things that mini van buyers want would "sporty handling" even be on the list?
I doubt it would.
Smooth comfy ride - yes
Good MPG - yes
High quality/reliability - yes
Roomy cabin -yes
Good value - yes
So sporty handling would not even be in the top 6!
PF Flyer
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-Jason
Now compare that with all the successful sporty / good handling mini vans that are being sold. Oh wait - there are none.
Just a guess on my part - but I would bet that many (not all) families that own a mini van also have another car. Maybe the husband (how is that for being PC) uses it for their daily driver - but they also have a RX-8 a Mustang GT or a Mazda3 in the garage that fills the need to have some fun behind the wheel.
The mini van is something they NEED because it allows the whole family to go on vacation / church or the game - being sporty is not that big of a deal. Since MOST of the time sporty handling comes at the expense of a comfy ride - it just would not sell.
Actually, there's lots of room for improvement and creativity in the minivan segment. Imagine a vehicle that could be converted from a people-hauler to a workshop/studio or a camper/mini trailerhome or you name it. VW created a wild movement in the 60's with theirs. Scion and the Honda Element illustrate some of the possibilities.
Selling sport to minivan buyers is a very hard sell. Sure, Dad might wish for a sportier drive to Grandma's house, but the rest of the family will complain about the firm, even punishing ride, and no-one will like the low fuel economy numbers.
I agree with the above that there are lots of ways you could improve on the DCX/Toyo/Honda minivans, related to interior flexibility and equipment packaging, storage and passenger space, and the list goes on. I just don't think Mazda, the zoom zoom company with an unheard-of minivan model, should be the one to try.
laugh: speaking of Grandma's house, I was on my way back from lunch just now, and on the freeway next to me there came up a BEAUTIFUL, stock mid-90s twin turbo RX-7. They should have paid admission for viewing. Anyway, I draw level, expecting to see some young hardcore guy, and there is Grandma herself, gripping the steering wheel with her driving gloves and grinning like she is possessed. She was 75 if she was a day. She was enjoying herself, and I got a kick out of the spectacle too. Bet you couldn't talk HER into an MPV no matter how sporty you made it! :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I dunno. If the crossover is sufficiently sporty that would be OK. I'm just not too fond of them, as they give up the two most useful minivan features - interior volume and sliding doors - just to look like an SUV.
It's too bad they're killing the MPV. It's really a nice little package, as the interior flexibility and packaging largely make up for the smaller size. I recently rented a SWB Caravan on vacation, and the same luggage and people that fit comfortably in our MPV had to be absolutely crammed into the Dodge. In 2002 they added a 5-speed trans and bigger engine, so the power and fuel economy are better - still not class leading, but not bad - and the price is cheaper than all but the most stripped down domestics and the Kia. They got a bad reliability rap from CR due to the tranny recall, even though it was just a software issue, but they're very well built - the only minivan you can buy that's actually made in Japan.
But I guess if Mazda can't get anyone to buy their van they're better off punting and building something else.
-Jason
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
It had "GRAND CARAVAN" in big chrome letters across the top of the rear door
"DODGE" on the left side of the rear door - and to my surprise - in chrome letters on the right side of the rear door "SPORT"
So I guess Dodge already has the market for a sporty mini van covered - chrome letters and all!
I really don't think mazda brought over mazda5 as a replacement for the failed mpv. The mpv was already a poor seller due to small size and bringing over vehicle thats even smaller than mpv is not the answer.
That was kinda my point earlier. Mazda may not be able to afford building a new, larger MPV alone. But if FoMoCo provided Mazda the funds to develop a new MPV which could then be rebadged as a new Freestar/Monterey that would be different.