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Originally Posted by Dimman
New-Matador:
The term 'average' isn't always what people think it is. Scion could be selling 99% of its cars split evenly between only 50 year olds and 20 year-olds, but that makes the average buyers age 35, which isn't an accurate picture of who's buying the cars.
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I agree, it's one of the pitfalls of relying on numerical data. Sadly, it's one of the only ways companies measure their buyers. All about "averages" and the bottom-line...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimman
Suzuki, I haven't seen much of a change in, Volvo got marginally less ugly, and Hyundai's quality has been improving which is a legitimate improvement, not a marketing image fix.
Cadillac is your best example out of that bunch, but they moved more upscale, not down, as well as going after BMW dynamically. They moved down in the age of buyers, but not to the point where it was targeting kids. GM may be able to do make some good changes after the bankruptcy scared some sense into them. I worry that Toyota in its new number one position will follow in GM's old retarded footsteps.
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Suzuki is attempting to move upscale, only real sign of it right now is the Kizashi--not that bad of a car, it's a great effort. More will come.
Volvo, known for their safety features, is in a tight spot because laws and regulation make safety features mandatory. I would bet most BMW's ties Volvo in crash-test etc etc. Volvo, thinking progressively, is trying to get younger and enthusiastic buyers. New S60, charming car.
I actually think Hyundai is doing great. They're more upscale than ever before. They even managed to meet projected sales with the Genesis sedan, a $45k Hyundai!?!? Wouldn't have believed it 5-6 years ago. Gen Coupe is nice, Sonata looks great, Elantra is light-years ahead of it's prior self.
Yes, Cadillac is a real success. It's a miracle what GM was able to do with it. Pontiac was about to pick up speed too, it's just a shame GM didn't have the money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimman
Edit for your edit: Go back to those sales numbers I posted. They are selling about 120,000 cars less per year than 4-5 years ago! Less than 50%!
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It's a inexcusable figure, almost a joke. Whether or not Scion's worth saving (or even capable of saving) ehh, it's hard for me to take the "kill it" stand but I do fully understand both sides.
A mild re-fresh, I agree, certainly won't do. Scion needs a complete work-over. How, or even if, they're doing it...I haven't a clue.
Yes, firing all the old execs is a step in the right direction.
As I said before, I have nothing else to really say besides theoretical possibility for the brand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dimman
There are older folks that may have fond memories of their first GT-S but never went hard-core enthusiast about them. Younger kids could get mommy and daddy to the dealer to look at the new Corolla a lot easier than the new Levin or Trueno (Tru-eh-no?). It has the platform to drift or race if that is what's wanted. They could even race in FIA GT3 class (I think? GT4? They keep changing...) internationally to raise excitement for Corolllas and Toyotas.
I think it has the widest reach of any name, as well as good heritage.
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Interesting idea. I think it's always cool when a brand has a designated sport model of a "normal" car. Golf/Rabbit GTI, Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3, BMW M division, Mercedes AMG line etc etc etc.
Obviously the 86 won't be a spiced up Corolla sedan but the idea is still there.
haha, imagine getting attacked by some very violent environmentalist.
"Your sports car is killing our planet! DESTROY!"
"No wait wait wait! It's economical, it's a Corolla! Look at the badge."
"Oh...it is a Corolla....never mind."