This from an internal Ford Motor Company news source.
HIROSHIMA, Japan, June 2, 2003 (FCN) -- Japanese consumer demand for the new Mazda RX-8 is 500 percent stronger than expected. The first RX-8s were delivered in Japan this week and there are more than 5,000 orders for the rotary powered, four-door sports car.

Mazda had expected to sell 1,000 RX-8 cars a month, so the order bank is already equal to the first five months of production. Mazda will begin building RX-8s to Australian specifications this month and there are already 300 of those spoken for by customers.

The RX-8 is to make its U.S. debut in mid-summer. Mazda Motors in the United States has not yet said how many preorders they have for the revolutionary car, but dealers say consumer interest is high.

hooooooooolly cripes... i hope that the RX-8 doesnt' turn out to be another "boom then bust" kind of cars (like the Thunderbird, 350Z, etc)... but 500% over expected??? only one word to say: wow :eek:

You should add the PT to that list

wow is right. Man those Japs love their rotaries!

i'm not sure. It looks like Mazda marketing have got it right. After all, they did say they were targeting people who want something different and are happy to take a risk in purchasing a car that is innovative and different. And could afford it too. Middle Upper type of people with a practical bias.

yeh hope it wont end up like the 350Z too..

It was precisely those "boom and dust" kind of cars that led Mazda to produce a 4-seater instead of 2. I bet that cars like the RX-8 and the Mini Cooper will have pretty steady sale because they have remarkable performance and actual utility. The 350Z is nothing more than a bunch of parts put together, it would be pretty hard to sustain that level of sale in a decent but not great performing 2-seater, in a bad economy no less. Mazda on the other hand, seems to know how to make sports cars that are more than the sum of its parts. The miata is a modern sports car icon that was put together with a lot of economy car parts. I truely hope that the RX-8 will do well here to make way for the FE RX-7, the David that will slain Goliath

Glad I've got my deposit down!

does anyone think these numbers will look good enough to Ford, so that Mazda will be given the green light for an FE RX7?

i know--from what i have read--there will be a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, but there was an RX-01 concept that never came into fruition.

just curious on what others think.

santino

If the sales of the RX-8 meet or exceed sales expectations, there will probably be a two-seater RX-8.:cool:

Originally posted by boowana
If the sales of the RX-8 meet or exceed sales expectations, there will probably be a two-seater RX-8.:cool:

Ragtop?:D

If I remember correctly, the RX-01 concept was made before Ford took over. Mazda was in serious financial trouble and Ford was not going to gamble on another rotary sport car right after the failure of FD. I think Mazda today is in much better shape and the rotary engine technology has matured another ten years. I think there is a very good chance we see the FE if the RX-8 do well. My $0.02

Originally posted by santino
does anyone think these numbers will look good enough to Ford, so that Mazda will be given the green light for an FE RX7?

i know--from what i have read--there will be a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, but there was an RX-01 concept that never came into fruition.

just curious on what others think.

santino

I think if the numbers look good enough to Mazda, Mazda will be given the green light to build the new RX-7 ;)

Originally posted by wakeech
hooooooooolly cripes... i hope that the RX-8 doesnt' turn out to be another "boom then bust" kind of cars (like the Thunderbird, 350Z, etc)... but 500% over expected??? only one word to say: wow :eek:

The Thunderbird is a overpriced dog but the 350Z a boom then bust car?

-Mr. Wigggles

Lets just say there was a huge amount of pent up demand (waiting lists, over MSRP) - and those waiting lists are long gone...

Originally posted by boowana
If the sales of the RX-8 meet or exceed sales expectations, there will probably be a two-seater RX-8.:cool:
Coming from you that usally means good things.;) Hope your as right as you always are.

P.S. Nice to see you back again.

Originally posted by cueball1029
P.S. Nice to see you back again. Welcome back boo. Now if we can find out what happend to buger? His last post was 4/28/03.

He better not have bought a Mini or WRX.:mad:

Quick question?Would FE be the correct term for a future rx-7 built on this platform?.If not maybe we can stop using it.Just wandering.

Just wondering... how many RX-8's are being produced per year for the US market?

Read the interview with Nobuhiro Hayama, General Manager of Powertrain Development at Mazda here (http://www.channel4.com/apps26/4car/jsp/main.jsp?lnk=211&id=5658) .

Highlights:

1. We want to develop more torque and refinement without using a turbocharger or supercharged system.
2. We are committed in the long term to rotary.
3. A larger two-door coupe was being thought about.
4. RENESIS engine: he does not want it to be used outside of the Mazda brand.

Originally posted by mav
Just wondering... how many RX-8's are being produced per year for the US market? 18,000 for first year and 30,000 thereafter (out of 60,000 globally). This question has been asked quite a few times...

How do those numbers compare with, say, the 350Z & S2000 ?

I think 350Z is targetting about 35,000 or more for the USA (sold 16k between Jan-May 2003), the S2000 has been selling between 6,000 - 10,000 every year for the last three years.

Surprisingly the G35+G35C will be well over 35,000 this year (sold 26k between Jan-May 2003). See http://www.nissannews.com/?http://www.nissannews.com/corporate/news/2003/index.shtml

...the link didn't work for me...

considering that the G35C is an entirely different beast from the sedan, and that the sedan is not a competitor with the RX-8 (segment-wise), i wonder what proportion of those +35k units are the coupe "version"...??

uhhhhhhhhhh that was only a 400% gain lol
ohnest mistake though
________
Head Shop (http://headshop.net/)

Sorry. Try http://www.nissannews.com/index.html and then click on the first topic (Nissan North America Reports May Sales).
Then scroll down...


So far in 2003 (Jan 1st to May 31st) there have been 14,317 G35 Sedans and 10,761 G35 Coupes sold.

If the June 2nd Hiroshima article is correct I would assume that the entire North American production will be completed prior to the Australian production startup later this month. That's great news for both the US and Canada - now if I can only get a delivery date! :cool: