Sports cars sales compared...
 

Some food for thought in the 3rd anniversary of the twins since their release in May 2012:

http://i.imgur.com/xnr4Pk8.png

Very cool! Thanks.

pretty cool info but i wouldn't lump the 350z and the 370z. Two different cars, and the 370 was pushed to a higher pricepoint.

I think it's a fair comparison. I'm sure most people on here probably cross shopped the 350/370 with the twins while they were looking. To me, that puts it into the same bracket.

I think he meant lump them together as one category. Forces the number up and skews the comparative results.

Looks like cars sales follow a consistent predictable pattern.

Unless OP is psychic he can't deconstruct the data being sourced.

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01...s-figures.html

In any case it's not like the two generations overlapped by a significant amount, they updated the model, I'm not seeing how that skews anything aside from the total units sold graph. Might as well separate AP1 and AP2 S2000's, pre/post 2007 RX-8's, the FR-S and BRZ, and include the NB Miata as a separate class as well.

To the OP, image says ND Miata, should probably say NC.

You're missing the Miata's most important aspect: that the ND has a built-in time machine

(graphs should say NC)

Whether OP could or could not separate the Z car sales numbers, they do skew the results by conflating the data. Perhaps there is no way around that problem given the source.
Also, we need to recognize that the Z cars have a much longer legacy (extending back to the original 240Z) which tends to boost sales whenever a new model comes out. I think that the Miata is perceived by most consumers as one long line from its introduction to now. These cars also have benefited from decades of advertising. Contrast this with the S2000 sales, which were never high at all, even though it was a great car. With regard to FR-S and BRZ, however, these are identical models which happen to be sold under different brands. No need to treat them differently any more than treating every different Toyota or Subaru dealership as unique.

I wonder why the s2000 didnt sell very well? Besides being a roadster it seems like the ultimate driving car of the bunch yet they didnt sell.. It must have been the price point I guess.

Also I agree about splitting up the the 350z and 370z. They are totally different cars and the car totals are very skewed being together.

Great visual. Shows the drop off in sales was predictable and should have been expected. I am sure Toyota knew what the sales would look like. The car sites and mags spouting doom and gloom is mostly click bait and story fodder. The car is still outselling every other sports car. It will be interesting to see where the new ND MX-5 comes in at and the effect, if any, that it has on twins sales.

Only thing I wonder is what the graph would look like if the S2000 and RX8 were still in production.

The s2000 was very expensive for its time. It was the equivalent of $45K in today's dollars. Even at that some automotive experts reasoned that Honda lost money on them.

Unless Honda could have held the line on the price and still made the F20 meet emissions and improved its mileage, it would probably look just like it does now.

It's clear that the sales of those two cars had declined to near zero by the time of their discontinuation. It made no sense for the manufacturers to continue to make these cars if there were no more customers interested in buying them.

Interesting pattern, though. Introduction year is good, 2nd year is great, a significant dropoff in the third year, then a long gradual decline in sales until the model is discontinued. The pattern is so consistent that it seems certain that Toyota/Subaru have factored this into their sales projections.

The S2000 is the only car there with no automatic offered. That may be a good part of it.

In general I can't relate to anyone that would use this as a basis of which is better; not that it was the original intention. Three of the five cars were available as convertibles, and the RX-8 seemed more practical with the extra suicide-doors. There's also a much bigger gap lumping the 350/370z together than the brz/frs. This is however good general data for the trends of niche affordable sports cars.

Oh I wasn't criticizing the OP in the least. I look through the graphs in Good Car Bad Car fairly often and sometimes wonder just why they grouped things the way they did.

Looking through the data. I'm not sure why so many media outlets talk about how the twins are doomed and tanking in sales?

Compared to camrys and corollas yes, but obviously not compared to other niche sports cars.

Good car except two seaters are impractical, hideous outdated interior, not promoted enough by Honda after the first year and price point too high.

Proof that the "refresh" will have 450 HP to prop up sales.

Fun to look at graph :party0030:

thats the first thing i noticed:lol:

Too expensive. I also recall many saying it was a torqueless wonder that sucked for daily driving. Sound familiar? Like others, I also didn't like the interior.

I think its kinda sad to see that the 370Z didn't bump sales back to the 350 levels and it continues to lag. Nissan needs to step it up.

Nissan is lost forever. Don't expect anything from them but expensive gizmo-laden uber Rs and bizarre concepts that satisfy nobody and are never going to get built. Mazda is about the only company still trying to figure out how to make a profitable affordable sports car. Get while the gettings good and snap up the BRZ or FRS of your desires and get ready for the carpocalypse.

I think Ford is stepping up more than any company right now. Mustang GT is a big improvement, Focus ST and Fiesta ST are really good cars for the money. Focus RS will most likely be my next car if it can live up to the hype.

The fact that Ford is offering performance parts and tunes installed by an authorized dealer and you still get your warranty is huge too. They are stepping up and most companies are caught flat footed.

The FRS/BRZ only look good compared to the likes of other Japanese sports cars as its the only one that has some practicality combined with low price and conventional technology that the others don't offer all of those criteria. Article writers however will add the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger numbers and at that point the Toyobaru numbers look very bad with regards to North American numbers.

Ford has been a standout since back when the economy went into a tailspin. GM went down on their knees after that bailout like a well, choose your own metaphor for slurping on some guy's unit for cash and keep it in your head. This is a family establishment!

You are absolutely right about the American muscle car numbers, but I don't think Toyota was really trying to take sales away from those buyers.

Drop, wait, no, wrong word, jam, shove, thrust a 3UR-FE in an FRS like a prison rape, reinforce ev-er-y-friggin-thing, sacrifice a piston to the devil for good measure and go mustang hunting.

http://www.thewordofmatus.com/wp-con...2011/12/16.jpg

The add campaign writes itself.

You complained, you whined, you begged for more power. Well, it's your move....Nancy.