I'm personally not too keen on this idea and hope it never goes any farther than this weblog.

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/19/c...s-lexus-acura/

 

rebadged lincolns probably wont do too well even if it has a japanese badge on it :p i dont think mazda or ford has the resource or infrastructure right now to launch a luxury mazda brand. if anyones coming out with a luxury division any time soon id imagine itd be hyundai

 

mazda totally could do well with a luxury sport line. Bring back the 929! (i guess it would beb called a 9)

 

Do you really want to see it badged as a Rover though? arrggghhhhh.....

 

im too young to remember the Rover brand, whats so bad about the Rover?

 

bad bad idea

I'm not against mazda having a luxury division, but not rover

 

i agree w/playdoh. wtf is rover?

 

what kind of cars they ever build in the pass?

 

if mazda is going to have a luxury line it should be eunos or amanti or what ever not rover

I dont like the idea! not one bit

 

not very relyable ones, really nice interior, the rover 45 looks alot like a jaguar

 

I dont think Mazda needs a luxury brand at the moment, at least not yet, they're slowly building cars with higher price tag and better quality. Maybe it'll come when the "zoom-zoom" generation grows up into their 30-40s. Anyone can "zoom-zoom" but there is no doubt that Mazda's cars appeal to the younger generation. i.e Mazda3.
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why not develop the other line that they have MAZDASPEED?
stop making the mazdaspeed models at the end of a model life spand and make it an opcion from the beginning?
I think mazda has to consolidate its present line, then it can look foward at expanding

A line like lexus takes a lot of $$$ and time invesment to make a profit, I dont think is what mazda needs right now

 

Mazda can't do Mazdaspeed right, how are they going to do a luxury line. I would love to see one though.

What would be their hook, luxury or sport? Rover does nothing for me as a name. Amati was a great name, Shinka would be a great name for a luxury division also. Maybe a little too Japanese.
An upmarket RX-8 that sold for about 50-60 grand would have to have a lot of performance and none of the maintenance hassle the current 8 has. Luxury owners pay for impeccable quality.

 

Rover was a old british brand that sold mostly small cars, and a few miata like roadsters. Its been dead for nearly 5 years.

Ford bought the name as the article states to likely keep Rover from being confused Land Rover, and possibly to sell along with Land Rover should Ford decide to sell its interest.

Whether you thik Mazda needs a lux brand or not, its not going to happen for the forseeable future, Mazda simply has no capacity to make additional cars. It can't even make enough of the ones it sells the most of such as the Mazda3.

Toyota and Honda were also both larger companies than Mazda when they began their move into that market.

Mazda needs to stick to its market. Sporty cars that people can afford for folks who like to drive. Thats not everyone, but its apparently enough of a market to make good money.

 

I think Mazdaspeed has potential if they keep the line going and manage it right. They don't need a luxury brand yet.

 

They're definatly doing something right with the Mazdaspeed line IMO, the mazdaspeed 6 is getting a 2007 model, a first to have a 2 year run, and the Mazdaspeed 3 *should* have a lot less problems than the speed6, and afterall, 90% of the complaints about the speed6 is the powerloss, only the engine, which was new (2.3L DISI), there werent many complaints about the rest of the car (there is about the clutch, but they fixed that fast).

The speed3 will also be a hit, it is priced slightly cheaper than its direct competitors, and with great performance and should also get decent aftermarket support.

I still see hopes in a Mazdaspeed RX-8, even if they dont it doesnt matter haha, we have the axial flow supercharger!

It is also very likely that they'll introduce a Mazdaspeed MX-5 as well. They did in the past, they probably will again.

Also I hear that the next gen Mazda 6 will retain a Mazdaspeed option, with AWD and perhaps a stronger engine.
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In the end it all comes down to $, If they think that it will make mazda and ford money you better beleive they are going to jump all over it especially with the recent financial situation that Ford is in.

 

Please don't taint Mazda with the Rover brand.

 

Brillo is about right....

MG-Rover went bust here about 2-3 years ago, all the brand new cars were Auctioned off.
It was a very OLD British maker and VERY unreliable at times..

Rover UK and Honda Japan had a partnership here in the mid 80s.....Honda's with ROVER badges.!!!!....did not last long...they were sold in Australia and the UK.

I personally can not see the ROVER name coming back to life..again!!

As far as a luxury brand for MAZDA...they have already tried it in most markets...exept the US...you had the cars..they were called Mazda's.

Here Mazda Australia set up special dealers with new showrooms with their "Eunos" name.....The Eunos 800 with miller cycle engine, Eunos 600, and 30X...1.8v6 a (MX-3).

Mazda had the luxury 929, a 4 door pillar-less hardtop V6 sold here for about 80K in very limited numbers...don't know if you guys had it there?

I don't know if Ford will let them invest in new platforms for "Larger" cars exclusively for the US or perhaps Saudi markets?...but you never know.

 

Sorry kinda off topic, but did Mazda have a V6 of their own in the 90s or even 80s? Or is it a variants from Ford's. Like today's V6 found in Mazda6
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Hmm, I knew Rover would never die out.

Personally I like the idea of an upscale Mazda brand. Nissan and Honda rebadge their upscale cars as Infinity and Accura in the US while they are still sold as Honda's and Nissan's elsewhere around the world.

Consumers in the US do indeed like upscale brands and will pay more $ for it. I like the idea, so long as its not called a Rover, a rebadged rover or has anything to do with Rover. An all new division with newly designed cars would be a better idea.

 

Mazda does not need a line of 'Rovers'. I can hear the dog jokes now.

Rover as a car brand was a failure. Only in the US would a thought like that occur.

And yes, I think Mazda did have their own V6s. Our original MPV had an overhead cam, 3 valve per cylinder V6. I don't think Ford (at least in the US) had one like that.

That car hit 100,000 miles rather nicely, and looked good when the Honda folks handed us the Odyssey The curent MPV wasn't large enough for (yes, I admit it) soccer crowd. At least it isn't an SUV.

 

Sounds like what Mazda has right now!
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it looks like a european badge to me. i dont the peopeel will buy into this enough for it to help mazda

 

Their first V6 in Australia was a 3.0L V6 in the 929 Sedan and Hardtop in 1982, 99.9% sure it was their own design.