Why is Ford doing more than Nissan?

Red__Zed

Sure.

There certainly weren't options like the Honda S2000 or the Mazda RX8. I feel like Pontiac may have been selling something during that timeframe too...GTO? All this to say nothing of the cars that would realistically be cross-shopped, notably the EVO, STI, GTI, R32, and things like a slightly used 4th gen camaro.


Your expectation for consumer's purchasing decisions is demonstrably inaccurate.


I'd argue it was more competitive then. There's very little competition now.



It has nothing to do with biases and everything to do with the media cycle. There's nothing new to say about the 370Z anymore. Ooh, it has an oil-cooler (standard on the Honda Fit) and some LED lights. And the wheels look like they've been melted.

Rule one. Do not make the media's job hard. Do not release a boring vehicle.

The 350Z got great late-lifecycle reviews against the mustang because Nissan added power and changed the game. The 370Z gets worse reviews than it may deserve (or maybe gets a fair review, who knows) because the media wants a horse race and Nissan's behind.

Do you remember in the 90s when MT and C&D were pitting the RX7 against the viper? Do you remember when that same RX7 was wiping the floor with the much-hyped NSX? The media ate it up...the car could do no wrong.

The 5.0 is much the same now...not as extreme, but when was the last time a 30K car left license plate imprints in an M3s bumper? Nothing sells better than a story like that, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a car that looked better in print than a 3rd gen RX7.


But wait, why did it get killed off after just 3 years?


1978: 19,299
1979: 54,853
1980: 43,731
1981: 43,418
1982: 48,889
1983: 52,514
1984: 55,696
1985: 53,810
1986: 56,243
1987: 38,345
1988: 27,814
1989: 16,249
1990: 9,743
1991: 6,986
1992: 6,006
1993: 5062

it didn't sell. You'll note the dramatic lack of anything interesting out of Mazda for a while after.

Sure, the price was creeping and times were changing, but there's not been a car that fared better in print than the 3rd gen RX7.

The problem is, as always, fiduciary responsibility to the shareholders trumps all. Don't sell, get cut.


Yes, we all know you love the gen coupe.

I don't agree with your assessment of the Gen vs the V6 mustang though. I've autocrossed both, and the mustang is way faster. I seem to recall the V6 mustang putting over a second on the gencoupe during the lightning lap, despite spending a good chunk of time bouncing off the limiter....