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Comments
There are about half a dozen compact pickups that could show up here the day after the free trade agreement with Thailand goes through. Of course, Ford could simply import some Mazda knock-down kits and assemble those here to get around the chicken tax, but that would require some actual forethought.
And it was sad news when they decided not to try to sell the Mazda2 here. They are going to let Ford try to do so under the Ford brand instead?
I wonder if it's a matter of factory capacity? The 3 is constrained by production limits, and the US market only gets a small allocation of Honda Fits (which will most likely continue until the Indiana plant opens).
I have a Mazda6 on order. My lady friend pays for and drives a new Elantra 07 Limited. What you get for the relatively small price is incredible. The stereo is fantastic. I ask her to drive it just so I can hear things on my cd's that I've never heard before. I think it's very quiet, more quit than my old Mazda6, and its breaks are superb. The clutch takes some getting used to , and its not a dragster f course, but overall its very fun to drive, comfotable, with excellent mpg. Love those less than $40 fill-ups. These days that's good.
That's one of the rumors that I've heard. In place of the Ranger, Ford is considering importing a small truck, possibly the Ford Courier from Brazil, the Ute from Australia and the Mazda BT-50 built in Thailand. Of course, it would have to make financial sense...
As for Mazda, I don't think ANY pickup fits their brand image, let alone a compact pickup. Besides, excluding the Tacoma, the compact pickup market is dwindling, from 800,000 sold in 2002 to just 611,000 last year, and sales are down 10% overall this year so far.
Despite gas prices, pickups are bought for their payload and towing, and since entry-level full-size models can haul/tow much more than compacts, getting about the same fuel economy, for the same price, it's a wonder they're selling at all.
I don't even know why Mazda has kept the B-series as long as they have. I haven't seen a single one on the local dealer lot, and it's probably because of a lack of demand.
I wouldn't mind seeing Toyota AND Mazda bring compact trucks back to America. I bet sales would be good.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
One question: why Did Mazda have to style the Tribute because the style looked like a 1996 Mazda just with a boxier look. Why couldn;t have Mazda styled a much sleeker looking Tribute? Why couldn;t the stylists at Mazda incorporate styling cues from the CX-7 and Cx-9 in some sort of way with the Tribute? The new Tribute just doesn;t look the way a Mazda should look. The last gen Tribute looks so much better to me than the new one and as a Mazda fan I was looking foward to the 08 Trib but don;t like it.
Thank Ford for that one. IMO, Ford could've blown the competition out of the water with a new Escape/Tribute, with a more-competitive drivetrain, better ergonomics, and better styling. Instead, they wimped out and only reskinned the existing platform and carried over everything else. Mazda is limited on their influence, since it's an existing vehicle, and it's hard to make something out of nothing...
I predict that the Escape will lose ground to the Honda CR-V(witch it alrighty is in a big way) and the RAV 4 pretty soon in the compact SUV sales race. Man the last gen Tribute was best in its class I thought or at least a big time contender in its class even though the sales numbers probably wouldn;t reflect it. I know the last gen Escape sold well but the interior was cheap and the styling of the last gen Escape wasn;t was as good as the last gen Tribute. The last gen Escape was a good truck but was missing the good stuff that the last gen Tribute had.
My prediction is that Mazda is on a roll and will steadily increase market share.
I agree with you. As Honda porks up Mazda looks better and better.
I agree, Mazda has the product line to go far in the future. What they should have a plan of constant incremental improvement of is the production capacity and the dealer network. If they had as many standalone stores and as much plant capacity as the Japanese Big 3 do, they could rival them for sales I'm sure. At the very least I'm sure they would take sales from Honda, probably Nissan too.
I know you don't get Big 3-size production and dealer network overnight, but they should be gradually ramping up, not sitting pat as they appear to be doing on that front.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I'm waiting for an aftermarket shop to sell a set of teeth to stick in there; maybe with one missing as a Dukes of Hazzard homage.
Did the designers copy our Emotorcon?
And I HAVE seen it in person, which doesn't improve the looks. At least they didn't change anything on the exterior a lot, it was just a little. But boy does that gaping maw at the front need teeth.....ANYTHING to close the gap a bit.
Will this company ever update the RX8 in more than a cosmetic way?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
It seems Mazda has as well, at least in the case of the new 6. They also seem to have a thing for annoying smiley faces.
The 6 got bigger but it had always been smaller than the Accord or Camry which always showed up in reviews. I liked the last generation 6 and was sorry to see the wagon go.
I sort of agree, but you know how you get used to things after a while. I know the current CRV was widely denounced for its front end, and it is the best selling SUV in the US.
I also figured if I ever got a new Mazda 3 that I would get black, so the smile would be less obvious. :P
Coincidentally, I just bought an RX8 yesterday for a friend, and will transfer it to him on Friday. Meanwhile, I bought it in another town, and picked it up and drove it here. I like the looks of the car, and it's comfortable and well appointed. Even has held up for 5 years well, but for the life of me, I hate how it drives in anything but a high speed mode.....I'd much rather have a Mazda 3 for around town. The rotary is noisy, has no low end grunt, and really no power until you hit about 5000 rpm, which is a lot, even for a rotary..... I just don't get the car. But I like Mazda.
It will take a bit more to get used to the current Accord. By comparison the current 6 is fine.
It will take a bit more to get used to the current Accord. By comparison the current 6 is fine.
Back to my disappointment in Honda -- I always thought the Accords were better looking than the Camrys. With the current generation I actually think the opposite. The Accord coupe is attractive but the sedan is not IMHO. Not overly ugly, just not attractive. The Mazda 6 is much nicer looking. The new 3 is ok but is growing on me. We own a Mazda 5 and I am very impressed at the handling and utility for the price. We had considered the CRV but did not feel it was worth 5K more for the same size, mileage, and features as the Mazda 5. The Mazda 5 handles much better; its steering is actually a lot better than my 2005 Acura TL.
It's not horribly unattractive but it isn't attractive either.
This kind of sums up my feelings about Honda/Mazda too. The Mazda is a better Honda for the money.......
I haven't driven an rx-8 so I don't know how noisy they are but my old RX-7 isn't very noisy. You notice power spikes at about 2.5k and 5k rpm with the old 1st gen models.
The point of the Rotary is that you can rev the crap out of it. How many other sedan's out there can pull 9k rpm? It'll probably do 11 without harm as long as you don't hold it up there for more than 5-10 seconds. They're really meant to be driven in that high rpm range and they're built to be pushed. Because you have higher torque at those high rpm's you really shouldn't be wasting much more gas by driving more aggressive compared to other vehicles.
However.. the latest Rotary research from Mazda has them changing the shape of the engine chamber slightly and the result is an increase in low end torque and possibly fuel economy.
So try one again in the next year or two.
As for handling, I don't know about the RX-8 but any model RX-7 is a dream to handle at any speed over 10km/h.
I agree with you on the handling, it's pure sports, and the faster and harder you drive it, the better you like it. Clearly, it's a performance car, not an in-town cruiser and with that in mind, it would be a great car.
Surprising that the 5 outsells the CX-7 and CX-9. Why does the CX-7 sell so poorly?
Base MSRP of CX-7 is $5K above a 6. Excluding the B-truck, the 3, 5, and 6 are the lowest priced Mazda models
I have noticed in my area Rogue got off to a strong start, does that one also outsell CX-7?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
This highlights what IMO is the BIGGEST problem that Mazda has here in the US: No advertising budget. I see more ads for the local Mazda car dealer than I do from Mazda themselves, and that's sad.
I fully understand that they're a smaller car company compared to Honda and Toyota, but Hyundai was smaller than Mazda at one time, and IIRC they had spent a good amount of $$$$ in advertising when they first started out, which has continued to today, hence the reason why they now sell more than Mazda, and are still growing.
I fully believe that is Mazda threw some $$$$ at advertising, they'd become a blip on the radar of the casual car buyer, and although Mazda isn't for everyone, there are still plenty of potential buyers that want a little fun while getting a great deal on a vehicle, whether they're looking for a subcompact (Mazda3), a sport sedan (Mazda6), or a crossover (CX-7, CX-9).
Mazda is more than rotaries and Miatas, and it's time that the US car-buyer knows about it!
But tell us how you REALLY feel about them....
I know, I need to start learning to express my true feelings...
The last straw was when I stopped by Oxmoor Mazda to pick up some front pads; they wanted $50 over MSRP- or $100 more than what a couple of online Mazda dealers wanted. Before that I had called Neil Huffman Mazda and asked if they had my color of touch-up paint. The reply from the parts guy?
"We don't carry none o' that kinda stuff."
Reassuring, no?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Others say similar things about VW dealerships, but again my dealings with those in my area have been just fine.
Maybe we just have good dealers in my area in general, or I am easy to satisfy (I don't think I am).
You are not alone - almost a universal statement.
Will Mazda Try to be the New Honda? (AutoObserver)
"While the relationships do continue, we would envisage further divergence into the future as each manufacturer continues to develop their own products," commented Ford spokesman Don Hume.
Mazda, then, is pushing forward with its own "Building Block" strategy for future product development. That's to say, step-by-step introduction of new models and technology, using mostly its own resources."
With or Without Ford, Mazda Bets Its Future on Technological Makeover (AutoObserver)
I don't think it has declined that much! Toyota and Honda are still selling 250K Camcords per year, and Nissan and Ford are doing very nicely at the 150K mark with the Altima and Fusion. It's just that Mazda has little U.S. presence, a small dealer network, and not much in the way of an advertising budget, not to mention the 6's underwhelming redesign.
The next-gen rotary is stalled. But the big-smiley-face 3 just keeps selling like hotcakes.
And somehow they want to turn that into 400K sales per year by 2015 (double the current rate) in the U.S.?? I just don't see it happening. This "SkyActiv" program to reduce weight and improve fuel economy doesn't look any more promising than the new fuel efficiency programs of any of the major automakers.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
mazda might be in that sweet spot like Subaru that they can keep up steady sales as long as they have interesting product to sell, and don't try to get too big (or cater to mass market tastes).
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Great looking concept IMO. Sounds like it will be all new and not based on the Escape this time around.
And since Ford sold a gazillion Escapes annually and Mazda managed to sell like a dozen Tributes, despite being almost the identical car, I wonder how they are going to do better with this thing, which does admittedly look pretty good from the outside.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
If Mazda applies the same formula to this new CUV as they did with the M3 then it could be pretty fun to drive, especially if they take the same approach to the segment as they did with the M5 sportvan (balanced chassis, manual tranny!).
I'm in a county of more than half a million people and for several years we didn't have a Mazda dealer. There's one that opened up in the past year.
The problem is, even when a Mazda dealer is nearby they often suck.
Hard.
Ask me how I know...:mad:
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive