BecauseRaceCar

Your average car buyer in the US is an uninformed idiot. With that in mind, take a look at basically every car commercial for non premium vehicles. The one that comes to mind is the commercial where they rate the car only with emojis. point-set-match.


In reference to what dealerships look like. Take your average audience and place them in front of two dealerships. One is poorly organized, dirty, old tools, poorly lit, with a busted couch in the waiting room and a 14" TV, but the techs and the owner have a hundred years experience in high end shops and race teams. Second one is the new shiny building, beautiful floors, bright LED lights, big shiny tool boxes, and a waiting room that looks like a hotel, but they hire a bunch of rookies straight out of school who didn't even graduate high in their class, all because they can pay them less.
I guarantee every single person will pick the shiny new building...and I used two local places I know of as examples.


You nailed it with the perception. It is how people perceive things.

People in the US are so obsessed with first impressions, common perception, and how others will perceive them.


To your average US person, if you do a simple test. I say a word, and they say the first single word that comes to their mind to describe it.

Toyota sells well because they perception is synonymous with reliability. Plus they stand behind their products better than many....GM :cough:


Diesels won't sell well because they are perceived as dirty, loud, unreliable, expensive.


BMW because their perception is high end, fast, great handling, luxury, etc.


People won't care about specs, ratings, or anything like that. They care about the general consensus, what people think of them, and how it looks. The only reason I can see Land Rover being around is people still see them as classy and have a certain je ne sais quoi. I know they are boxy, pieces of sh*t.


All Mazda needs to do it little by little change how the brand is perceived, much like Hyundai and Kia did. Years ago they were complete garbage and seen as complete garbage, and although they did improve their cars greatly...they did more by changing their image by appeasing certain facets that their market cares about.


Improved interiors, high mpg, "peppy", gadgets, and they styled their lower end cars to look like Toyotas, and their luxury cars look a lot like European luxury cars...they even changed their logos to the wing style so much to the point that first glance it looks like an Aston Martin or Bentley. All of that is heavily researched marketing genius.

zoom44

most of the chryslers are really bad. I cant imagine how the 200 ssold so well and stayed on the market as long as it did. horrible car.

i dont know if that's true. i was pleasantly surprised by the look of a couple "common" dealerships recently and one of the Mazda dealerships as well. I think when people start getting a "this is nice" feeling when they walk in the door they start to expect it from everywhere. I think it would speak well to the higher level of craftsmanship that Mazda is pursuing to rethink the current company pushed design. I'd love to see them push a design for the whole lot instead of just the inside. where the first thing you do after parking is walk into the nice well designed show room and the cars are beyond that instead of the giant lot of cars first approach.[/QUOTE]

But they do sell it... or rather toyota sells it for them. They make a cut of each vehicle and don't have to any of the leg work beyond pushing it through the assembly line.

THIS. with the crossovers and suvs selling more than sedans and hatches it's about time they recognize the need to be back in the truck game in the US. If their new truck with Isuzu doesn't come to the US as a Mazda it's a bad decision.



what is DRW?
4 years running! EPA Declares Mazda The Most Fuel-Efficient Automaker 4 Years In A Row : Tech : iTech Post

Perception is getting out there too. CX-9 is pulling people from other brands including lux brands. I know two people myself who without any banter from me traded lux brand SUVs for the new CX-9 signature model.


I wish it was easy to educate the avg consumer about what the lights mean etc. but the truth is as was said above the avg US consumer is dumb and doesnt want to know.

ASH8

Dealer Re-Work
Well it is 4 years then..
And the upmarket perception will never rise or happen if you have poor looking and performing dealers in sales and fixed operations....they should be culled, simple ...(for most).

Bladecutter

Here's the problem with the expectation of having a premium dealership experience in a Mazda showroom:

Mazda doesn't sell enough cars in the US market in order to justify forcing all of their dealers to change their look, once again. And, the amount of profit that is made on Mazda's vehicle offering is peanuts compared to other brands.

So, a dealer, when reviewing their desire to spend money on the look of their dealership looks at the profitability of the make that is making this demand to them.

A Porsche dealer looks at the profit they make, and immediate starts scheduling construction.

A Ford dealer looks at the number of SUV's and Pickups thier dealership sells, crunches a few numbers, and schedules construction during their less busy season.

A Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealer looks around at all the SUV's that they sell, and wonders why they even sell cars anymore, and schedules construction in a year and a half.

A Mazda dealer looks at their lot, and wonders why they still have this brand in their portfolio.

Here in Denver, I have 8 dealers in a 50 mile radius, and 11 in a 100 mile radius.
I would imagine I have more dealers to choose from than any other area in the USA.
I have personally bought cars from 2 different dealers, and helped others buy cars from a total of 5 of the different dealerships in the state.
One dealer, Greeley Mazda, when you load their website link from Mazda USA's website, it clearly says Greeley Subaru. Conduct a test yourself. Go to the Mazda usa website, type in Zip Code 80514, and click on the website link for the Greeley Mazda website. Try to find their new Mazda inventory on their website. I couldn't.

I wonder what their preference might be?

I think that's an issue.

BC.

BecauseRaceCar

8 Mazda Dealers in a 50 mile radius?

Bladecutter

Yes.

Furthest North - Spradley/Barr in Fort Collins
Up the Road a bit - Greeley Mazda (haha)
Closest - Courtesy Mazda in Longmont
Closest to Work - Sill-TerHar in Broomfield

These last 4 are all in the Denver Suburbs:
Lakewood Mazda
Shortline Mazda
MacDonald Mazda
Groove Mazda

If you expand to 100 miles in the search:

Then you have 2 Bob Penkus dealers down in crazyville (Colorado Springs).
And one last one just over the border in Cheyenne, WY, which is another Spradley Barr.

To say that I have choices for Mazda dealers is an understatement.

BC.

BecauseRaceCar

Damn, I think I have 8 in my whole state.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

another Diesel scandal only this time involving Fiat Chrysler.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/12/...issions-tests/

gotta wonder if this will affect Mazda's plans on the SkyActive-D launch this year.

ASH8

Don't ya just love these car companies who think they are above the laws and regulation.

Skyactiv-D (no 'e') AFAIK is going ahead, I am pretty sure MMC has ticked all the boxes and tested many times to get certified.

But yeah, I just wonder if the 'consumer' in the US will buy the Diesels no matter who makes them.
Here in Australia since the VW bullshit selling any diesel car is a struggle.
As I said before Mazda Australia dropped the new Mazda 3 diesel...
Don't have the numbers for 1.5 D in CX-3 and the 2.2 D used in 6 and CX-5, they are not large sellers.
EU is the D king.

delhi

Damn ballsy to offer diesel CX-5 in the post diesel-gate era. Wish it came out a year earlier.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

yup, sucks because with every one of these scandals it just continues to tank what was already a small market

I hope you're right Ash.
I have high hopes for the SkyActiv-D and I think if done right, they could benefit from the VW mess and siphon off a few customers here and there.

US consumers are simply ignorant of Diesel because we don't have a lot of exposure to them and we still remember the diesel cars of the 80's.
Even if this is the worlds greatest diesel motor, sales will be slow.


I don't know why but that comment made me laugh. Guess my mind took that the wrong way.

yup, ballsy move indeed but hopefully a well calculated ballsy move.

wannawankel

I love wagons but if the CX-5 Diesel + MT is available - I'd plunk down $$$ for a new one.

NotAPreppie

I just want that 2.2D in my CX-3.

ASH8

The KF CX-5 2.2 SA-Diesel will be launched in US about 2 months after the all new (except platform) 2.5l SA-G KF CX-5.
The 2.0l SA-G will be dropped.
The Soul Red Crystal (46V) paint colour will first be exclusively launched with the KF CX-5.

neit_jnf

will the manual trans be offered?

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Only 2 months after? That's awesome, I was thinking it would be closer to 6 months.
Really want see that 46V in person.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

2017 Mazda CX-5: Diesel Engine Is Making Us All Impatient : Tech : iTech Post

Andrew5190

iTrader: (1)

Saw one this morning on my way in to work wearing camouflage paint and no badges...my want has increased even more!

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

CX-5 line-up is out.
Pricing was rumored to be released this past weekend but I still haven't seen it.

Working on getting a better copy (pdf) but this will have to do for now.



also, the windshield heads up display sounds pretty awesome. I've seen the little HUD on the CX-3 but a windshield projected readout sounds much nicer.

ASH8

Yup the HUD is the same system as the new TC CX-9 on the Windscreen, BUT it is an option, there are still the two system, the old crappy plastic flip thing which creates more operational issues than it is worth (like in CX-3, Mazda 3,6), not sure IF NA will have the two options or only the one HUD, the best on inside windscreen, sorry man but that pic is too hard to read.

Also don't see the 2.2 SA-D Diesels?, where are they...?
Mark my words the introduction of these in the US will be a HUGE mistake for Mazda, they are just not reliable enough, and considering you guys are the hardest owners on cars.
These Diesels are just too fragile and who wants to add Urea into a tanks, every whatever miles.??..if you don't add blue it goes into limp mode....ffs.

We had this here on the old CX-7 (non Skyactiv) diesels and they were a nightmare.

As much as I love Mazda they are making some seriously Stupid decisions with their product.
Being too Japanese and NOT listening to their Distributors. Typical dictatorship of the past.

Bladecutter

Well, if their primary goal with the diesels is to increase the overall fuel economy of their fleet, then they will limit the number of D cars coming to the states. Sort of like electric compliance cars that are only sold in California, in small numbers.

If their real purpose is to conquest some of the VW TDI owners that don't have nice cars, then that group of owners won't mind higher cost and increased maintenance in order to get the fuel economy and vehicle quality that they prefer.

If they just want to sell a whole bunch of these to average Americans who normally buy Toyotas, then its going to be a never ending shitshow, and we should sit back, kick our feet up, and have some buttered popcorn nearby, because it's going to get good.

BC.

wannawankel

That just @#$@#$ that you have to add BLUEDEF to each tank not to a monitored reservoir (for the commoners). We are used to premixing our own rotaries!

wannawankel

Well said.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Happy to see we only have the newer HUD on this vehicle. I was never a big fan of the one in the CX-3

I'm sure that'll show up in a few months once the Diesels are closer to arrival.

Typical American consumers are lazy but so long as this DEF tank is large enough that it doesn't need to be filled up with every tank of gas, I don't see it being a huge issue.
IF they can pair the timing of it with regular service intervals, I doubt consumers would even mind because they won't even notice.