Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSunrise
Haha yeah exactly. That's what I was hoping Honda would avoid -- another heavy, overly expensive/complex, dual-clutch only, numb $50k+ sports car. It's the same direction they went with the new NSX, and the same direction the industry seems to be headed. 
Oh well, like you said at least my next SUV/minivan will be 500 hp so I can beat that Volvo soccer mom to the next red light while letting forward crash detection save my ass so I can text on my phablet about how annoying the start-stop system is.
I kind of feel like that's the market Nissan chased with the 370z. $35k RWD car with more power and better interior than the S2000. It didn't work out all that great though. I think once you're willing to sacrifice weight to move up-market and add performance, suddenly you're uncomfortably close to competing with the Mustang GT and Camaro SS. The advantages those cars have with the volumes they move and the amount of parts/platform-sharing they do, it'd be hard for any Japanese car manufacturer to compete. |
The blistering quick, comfortable, safe, text while it drives and orders you a Starbucks do it all machine of the future - today!
Bingo regarding the 370z taking the entry sports coupe position. Porsche has recently gone on record saying (which can change tomorrow) they won't consider anything below the Boxster, $60k+ OTD, at the moment. And that makes sense given the size of production, consumer demands and profit margins. They are so immensely profitable because they
get away with charging so much for their products. It isn't that their plastic or metal is 100% more expensive than Toyota's. Why sacrifice margin at current production volume for a gamble risk to recapture end of year profits with greater volume and investment of infrastructure. Suggesting that is living with blinders on because they will reserve that for Macan lifestyle vehicles! hahah!
No one needs to appeal to a market that isn't profitable, a few griping enthusiasts on forums (which frankly always turn out to be a marginal group of buyers anyway) across the world aren't the average consumer. They [we] are the 1%!