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Mazda CEO officially rules out RX rebirth- again

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Old 11-22-2013, 11:10 AM
  #176  
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Originally Posted by Razz1
My inside sources have been telling me the same thing.

The rotary is dead.

There is no money.

They missed the market for US car sales again.

After holding out for a few years, people finally caved in and bought new cars last year and the year before.

Mazda 6 sales suck. It missed the window. Their SUV sales suck.

Sky active missed the window.

There's just no money.
Mazda Eyes Record U.S. Sales (11/15/13)


maybe this is SNL...i dunno....
Old 11-22-2013, 11:13 AM
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Matt, you shouldn't let facts get in the way of a good opinion!

Old 11-22-2013, 12:14 PM
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Old 11-22-2013, 01:01 PM
  #179  
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Originally Posted by Razz1
...
There is no money.
...
There's just no money.
Numbers suggest otherwise:

Year / Net profit or loss (in billions of Yen)

FY1998 38.7
FY1999 26.1
FY2000 -155.2
FY2001 8.8
FY2002 24.1
FY2003 33.9
FY2004 45.8
FY2005 66.7
FY2006 73.7
FY2007 91.8
FY2008 -71.5
FY2009 -6.5
FY2010 -60.0
FY2011 -107.7

FY2012 34.3
FY2013 (100.0) (forecast)

They gave us the Rx-8 after that giant tumble in 2000 and with much lower income in the following years. Give them at least until mid 2015 (FY2014), then let's see what's the situation like, shall we?

Andrea.
Old 11-22-2013, 01:18 PM
  #180  
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wtf happened in 2000? Fast and furious came out?
Old 11-22-2013, 01:47 PM
  #181  
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Originally Posted by J8635621
wtf happened in 2000? Fast and furious came out?
Dot com bubble maybe?

Andrea
Old 11-22-2013, 02:12 PM
  #182  
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People seem to keep forgetting that the problem over the last few years has had nothing to do with sales volume. It's been currency conversion issues with a strong JPY. That's why Mazda is opening a plant in Mexico. The JPY has stabilized recently and it's pushed them back into profits on top of record sales volume.
Old 11-22-2013, 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by reddozen
People seem to keep forgetting that the problem over the last few years has had nothing to do with sales volume. It's been currency conversion issues with a strong JPY. That's why Mazda is opening a plant in Mexico. The JPY has stabilized recently and it's pushed them back into profits on top of record sales volume.
That and the tsunami. People do usually forget about the financial factors that have no real relation to the quality of cars, marketing, research costs, or sales volume.
Old 11-22-2013, 04:21 PM
  #184  
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Forgot about the tsunami too...
Old 11-22-2013, 04:33 PM
  #185  
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Originally Posted by RIWWP
That and the tsunami. People do usually forget about the financial factors that have no real relation to the quality of cars, marketing, research costs, or sales volume.
the tsunami didn't affect Mazda much as they are located in hiroshima, TOYOTA was hit badly cuz their plant was around the Fukushima Daiichi(#1) Power plant

well it did effect Mazda a bit cuz lots of supply chain's warehouse went under water, 2008 was when the financial crisis hit.
Old 11-22-2013, 04:35 PM
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Yeah, it wasn't their assembly lines that were affected by the tsunami, it was the ability to get the cars out of Japan to sell them.
Old 11-22-2013, 05:15 PM
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I just really hope this new CEO's slash-and-burn policy doesn't effect what makes mazda great - it's ability to set up a chassis (which I will admit is a bit of a leap given what is written here - no fear mongering intended, just thinking out loud). If he see's only dollars and cents...or, well, yen... it could mean cost-saving cuts in the areas that mean a lot to the automotive enthusiast, but not the general population (e.g. weight, steering feel, chassis, etc).

Moreover, does this mean that mazda could become lancia? As it is, Mazda has a reputation for rust...


I'll still hold out hope - for the rotary and Mazda as a whole. I've owned several forgettable cars; the ones that have left a lasting impression on me have been mazda's.
Old 11-25-2013, 04:28 PM
  #188  
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By the time the next rotary comes out, cars will be autonomous and no one will have any more fun anyway. It'll just be our luck that rotaries will be perfect as range extenders in autonomous hybrid cars. Everyone would have a rotary then.
Old 11-26-2013, 10:42 AM
  #189  
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Originally Posted by TALAN7
By the time the next rotary comes out, cars will be autonomous and no one will have any more fun anyway.
Mazda's LA Auto Show design challenge car is designed to switch from fully autonomous to fully not when you want to have fun

Mazda Auto Adapt: LA Design Challenge 2013 Photo Gallery - Autoblog
Old 11-26-2013, 08:37 PM
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F1's Hybrid turbos are awesome and you want one in your car. Now


And people say hybrid tech is lame and uncool.
Old 11-27-2013, 07:12 AM
  #191  
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Originally Posted by RIWWP
F1's Hybrid turbos are awesome and you want one in your car. Now


And people say hybrid tech is lame and uncool.
I have no idea how that would help fuel economy, just seems like it would make boost quicker.
Old 11-27-2013, 07:28 AM
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For F1, correct, faster boost.

Current street car turbochargers are only having a minor impact in reducing pumping losses when out of boost, largely the energy that is flowing through their turbines is still being wasted. If this turbo tech was used on a street car for efficiency improvements, the key point in that F1 tech is how the turbine is still capturing waste heat when in a cruise condition, storing energy in whatever energy storage device the car has (batteries, capacitors, or mechanical flywheel). That energy could be used for...anything. Powering electrical devices to reduce alternator load like Mazda's e-loop, providing electrical power to the wheels under X mph like the Prius, providing a boost in power at WOT, etc...


I see "hybrid" tech as anything that captures wasted energy for use later. Prius-like heavy battery systems are within that classification, but they are the unwanted redheaded stepchild of hybrid tech. Plenty of hybrid tech options and development are a direct improvement on sports cars without significant weight additions, and are where the future is going to be.
Old 11-27-2013, 09:46 AM
  #193  
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This could work for the rotary! Capacitors or mech flywheel would be a better fit IMO.
Old 11-27-2013, 09:54 AM
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I've had a supercharged car and now have a turbocharged car. I much preferred the response of the supercharged car over my current turbocharged car. The supercharger was instant. I can't stand the lag/spooling of the turbo. In some ways it's like the RX8 where you have to make sure you're in a certain rpm to get to the power. Hopefully this Trifecta tune will help
Old 11-27-2013, 10:04 AM
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Originally Posted by TALAN7
This could work for the rotary! Capacitors or mech flywheel would be a better fit IMO.
Agreed. Batteries are the worst possible choice for energy storage, even if you ignore the environmental impact of lithium batteries.

A mechanical flywheel is my favorite method. A 31lb flywheel spinning at 36,000rpm delivers 200hp for up to 8 seconds in the 911 GTr3 Hybrid. Want more energy storage? spin it faster or make it heavier. Sitting in a complete vacuum, it can hold that energy level for a significant amount of time. There are safety challenges of course around accident damage, but they are easier to solve than high voltage storage systems. You can't dump the energy from a high voltage battery pack quickly very safely. You can dump the energy from a mechanical wheel far more safely, especially if it is considered a 1-time use dumping mechanism in a crash, like air bags.
Old 11-27-2013, 01:19 PM
  #196  
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Originally Posted by RIWWP
F1's Hybrid turbos are awesome and you want one in your car. Now


And people say hybrid tech is lame and uncool.
It's cool and I could see the use on a hybrid vehicle, but If you're trying to make power then it is going to increase back pressure and cause another set of problems.
Old 11-27-2013, 01:48 PM
  #197  
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Originally Posted by TALAN7
I've had a supercharged car and now have a turbocharged car. I much preferred the response of the supercharged car over my current turbocharged car. The supercharger was instant. I can't stand the lag/spooling of the turbo. In some ways it's like the RX8 where you have to make sure you're in a certain rpm to get to the power. Hopefully this Trifecta tune will help
Your turbo is too big ......
Old 11-27-2013, 02:08 PM
  #198  
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It's a stock Buick Regal GS.
Old 11-27-2013, 02:13 PM
  #199  
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Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8
It's a stock Buick Regal GS.
no idea what that is but it sounds horrible ... LOL

My old turbo setup 57trim (similar to yours ) was pretty much lag free . Latest setup 60-1 wheel does have a lot of lag .
Old 11-27-2013, 05:13 PM
  #200  
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Originally Posted by TALAN7
I've had a supercharged car and now have a turbocharged car. I much preferred the response of the supercharged car over my current turbocharged car. The supercharger was instant. I can't stand the lag/spooling of the turbo.
I'm sorry, did you just compare the power output of a supercharged Series II 3800 V-6 to the turbocharged 2L I-4 engine? That's like comparing the RX-8 engine with a GE turbine engine on a Boeing 747.

Go test drive a Maserati Ghibli if you want an idea of how a turbocharged V-6 will feel when done right.

BC.


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