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2014 Mazda6 finally breaks cover..

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Old 09-12-2012, 04:54 PM
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Mazda has Jinba ittai for petes sake. They've got the engineering knowhow. I wish I had a billion dollars I could give them.
Old 09-12-2012, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Mazmart
Well said. There are not enough people who appreciate "Slightly more enjoyable bread and butter". Mazda is actually one of the few companies I feel, can outdo Audi and BMW at some levels. I think those should be the eventual targets but VW should be the first (To battle in maybe 5-6 segments). Forget about Camry and Accord chasing (Directly). Those guys have US made 'bread and butter' down to an art.

Paul.
There's the problem, though.

You can't go upscale in today's market very easily.
You have two approaches to doing it.

#1 - Make a new car brand. Easy, simple, and expensive.
#2 - Just make better cars, that are more expensive. This pisses off your current customer base, and doesn't attract the higher end market because your cars will have that low end stigma for years (Just ask Hyundai).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Mazda should make a high end brand, and be done with it.

They can then compete directly with BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi, without that Mazda stigma if they just tried to upgrade their cars, and jack up the price.

BC.
Old 09-12-2012, 09:11 PM
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Posted yesterday:
Thanks, everyone! With your support, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO)'s strong 2012 sales year continued through August, fueled in big part by your support of our fuel-efficient, fun-to-drive new SKYACTIV® models.

Leading the charge was our venerable Mazda3, which saw its best August since 2009 (very nearly its best August ever), with SKYACTIV®-equipped Mazda3s accounting for 85% of all sold.

Hot on its heels was our all-new, KODO-themed and fully SKYACTIV® 2013 Mazda CX-5, experiencing its best-ever sales month with our ramped-up production lines finally able to match your demand!
Old 09-12-2012, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Bladecutter
There's the problem, though.

You can't go upscale in today's market very easily.
You have two approaches to doing it.

#1 - Make a new car brand. Easy, simple, and expensive.
#2 - Just make better cars, that are more expensive. This pisses off your current customer base, and doesn't attract the higher end market because your cars will have that low end stigma for years (Just ask Hyundai).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Mazda should make a high end brand, and be done with it.

They can then compete directly with BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi, without that Mazda stigma if they just tried to upgrade their cars, and jack up the price.

BC.
Hyundai is actually doing pretty well, well of course you don't see a lot of Equus around cuz it's like a 60K car, but honestly you don't see a lot of 60K+ car around anyway.

I see a lot of Genesis Sedan (**** the coupe), it's a freaking bang for buck deal. too bad they didn't had the color I want otherwise I could've got one instead of the Sonata Hybrid
Old 09-13-2012, 08:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Bladecutter
There's the problem, though.

You can't go upscale in today's market very easily.
You have two approaches to doing it.

#1 - Make a new car brand. Easy, simple, and expensive.
#2 - Just make better cars, that are more expensive. This pisses off your current customer base, and doesn't attract the higher end market because your cars will have that low end stigma for years (Just ask Hyundai).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Mazda should make a high end brand, and be done with it.

They can then compete directly with BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi, without that Mazda stigma if they just tried to upgrade their cars, and jack up the price.

BC.
You were only correct in one regard with #1. IT IS EXPENSIVE!
Hyundai is the best example of how to do it without breaking the bank. Hyundai is not hurting for sales and does not regret their upward movement. Losing people who bought due to 0,0,0 plans and seeking the cheapest thing possible is no loss at all. GENESIS is a brand unto itself, within Hyundai. They did not have to force dealers to build new stand alone stores for it and they did not have to triple advertising budgets etc. Mazda has a starting point so far ahead of where Hyundai came from in reputation and yet they have been leapfrogged by them.

Hyundai is an excellent reference; to see what they should and should not do.

Short term goal: Capture sales from VW through providing product competing directly with some of their best sellers in our market at equal price but superior build quality and fun factor. Exterior looks combined with very German interiors can surpass the wants of the VW buyers. Superior fuel mileage is the icing on the cake.

Long term goal: Next targets are Audi and BMW. Not as tough as it appears, especially after removing the feet and head from the Goliath VW.

This would in no way mean that Mazda would not sell vehicles for common folk anymore, but that they ensured the brand got a major makeover in this market and is never thought of as a 'cheap' brand again.

Paul.
Old 09-14-2012, 08:25 AM
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Mazda's chief designer of the new Mazda6 , Tamatani-san, explains his application of Kodo design language.


Paul.
Old 09-14-2012, 09:44 AM
  #82  
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Old 09-17-2012, 05:09 AM
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Some new 6 details here...

https://www.rx8club.com/general-auto...233961/page12/
Old 10-04-2012, 10:15 PM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by LiTTleRX-8
Love the new Kodo design philosophy. Cannot wait to see the Kodo MX-5, Mazda 3, and RX-?.

Not too fond of the red/orange color though, give me winning blue back please...
ah, is that the new design's name? I thought it had a bit of a CX-5 front end.
Looks pretty cool though. The inclusion of an underbody tray (well, more like multiple panels.) to aid in aerodynamics is really neat.

I'm with you on looking forward to the new designs...especially the new MX-5 :D
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