Wow! Pretty awesome discussion. Looks like I opened a Hornet's nest. I like Mazda cars and that is why I raised this question.
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Originally Posted by ToroRosso Very good topic chev, i have wondered as well.Could be due to the perceived "lack of engine longevity" as opposed to a Camary/Accord or an Altima. I have never come across a lot of Mazda 6 owners in any forums boasting of 200K+ mileage.
As a Mazda 6 owner, one of the reasons I can come up with is the ridiculous gas mileage. I am getting 21-22 mpg in my car where as my Truck over the same route gives me 16-17 mpg . |
Before 2010, Mazda did have a bad image of reliability, not so good interior quality and not being fuel efficient while being sporty (compared to other cars in same segment). After they parted ways with Ford, i think they have improved a lot. But it will take atleast 7-10 years before they are talked about in same breath as Accord and Camry as that is how long it will take for new engines to prove their reliability.
As for FE, it would really depend on how you drive. May be with Mazda6, you are flogging the car a lot more than the truck since the 6 will be much more FTD. Just my 2 cents. You are the best judge of your driving.
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Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil There are more reasons in my view. Mazda is a small manufacturer - they have lesser production volumes, lesser number of dealers, lesser marketing and sales budget and smaller everything else. Most of the dealers are in the big metro areas - they just don't have the same reach as a Toyota or a Honda. Also the traditional image of Mazda is more for sporty and fun as compared to a other Japanese manufacturers.
Let's assume there was demand for 30k Mazda 6s a month, will Mazda even be able to fulfill that demand? |
I agree and i don't expect them to do 30k-40k that Accord and Camry does. But i expect atleast 20k or so considering they provide to rental companies too and are awesome to drive. I can give Mazda3 a miss for now since it will be replaced next year. Hope it does 1 better than new corolla.
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Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT Many brands like Jag, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo didn't do good under Ford leadership and Mazda was one of them till 2010. Its brand image end of the day and Mazda doesn't have a flagship model or "the" performance car to boast around except a FWD Mazdaspeed3 with enough understeer. Mazda is a decent brand and the campaign zoom-zoom worked well but there's more to be done. |
If we are to consider a flagship model based on pricing alone, then it will be CX-9 which can go upto $40K MSRP. If it will be Sedan then it will be Mazda6. The problem is, they didn't have a halo car before and even now.
Lets see, if i want to be reminded of what Honda is capable of, i will think - NSX or S2000. For Toyota - Probably a Supra, Celica or LF-A. Even Hyundai has a halo car in name of Genesis and Equus. What about Mazda - Nothing, Probably RX-8 or RX-7?
They do need to spend more in marketing their image with ads and car models.
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Originally Posted by Jomz Mazda had the RX8 till recently. That was Mazda's flagship car.
I think it compared well with other flagships (Mustangs, s2000, 350Z, etc). There were issues with realiablity and Mpg of course.
Miata still has a cult following.
I do believe Mazda has more sportscars in their lineup than Honda. |
I would not consider RX-8 as a flagship car. It didn't evoke any feelings like S2000/370Z/Mustangs do. Miata is great but still they should have expanded that model so that it could compete with other powerful cars in $30k+ range.
Right now, Mazda's line up looks better than Honda but Honda is laughing all the way to the bank with sales.
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Originally Posted by Technocrat Another thing to note is that Toyota does rental fleet sales which Honda doesn't & neither does Mazda as far as i Know.
More than anything IMO its the brand recognition which is not letting then increase their sales. I guess if they keep making good cars & do good marketing, the sales should improve over time. |
I have thought about this. Toyota has higher fleet sales compared to Honda and Mazda. But its not like Honda and Mazda don't provide it. It is there say around 5% compared to 15-20% of Toyota, GM, Ford.
I really hope Mazda's sale improve but for that they need to do something out of box or follow what Toyota and Honda did.
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Originally Posted by kraft.wagen Interesting topic chev, I read a few days/weeks ago in another auto site(don't remember where) that Mazda was happy with their sales on CX5s. The site quoted something like, what Mazda feels Good is just alright when compared to other auto makers!
May be its in the company philosophy itself, they are just not being aggressive enough. Could be due to their low production capacity here? |
Yes, low production capacity and limited models will impact their image. I think they are manufacturing all their cars in Japan now.
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Originally Posted by VIPER_SRT
I still feel Mazda doesn't have a successful sports car or I would say a super car under their belt like Honda S2000, Acura NSX, Toyota Supra and F86, Nissan GTR, Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi EVO. All these cars were a huge success and speaks for their brand.
Media to blame? |
I agree. That's what i said above. Each of the other brands have a halo car that teenagers, adults can relate to and dream of owning it. There is nothing in Mazda's stable that would want them put a poster of in their room.
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Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil I don't think we can call the RX8 a flagship. I mean of course it is a fun little car - but does it really qualify to be the identifier for the brand - perhaps no - especially with the quirky looks and very high maintenance requirements. It does have the cool Wankel engine and an astronomical 9k RPM redline and a very fun to drive chassis. Perhaps Mazda should do a coupe and roadster of the next gen Miata - make the appeal more broader - compete on a more level terms with the GT86/FRS/BRZ. Who knows, if they make a scalable platform, they can even make a cheap small RWD sedan and price it under 30k? |
Full on agree. I did consider RX-8 once, but quickly removed off my list. They should have increased models based on Miata. Introduce more powerful once to take on BRZ/FRS and also hunt 370Z in $35k range.