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Originally Posted by bofa

I'm not sure what you don't get about the appeal of a low cost sporty 4 seater vehicle and marketing hype.

This car will sell to all types. Oh.
It's cheap compared to similarly designed sports cars. Like what?
It automatically attracts Subaru, Scion, and Toyota customers. Really?
It should be fun to drive. As most 4 bangers are.
It's a small 4 cyl car so it will appeal to those looking for decent mileage. That's almost standard today.
The exterior design elements will attract those for a nice looking car. We don't even know how the car will look!
It has room for 4 so it will attract more than just the sports-car crowd. Trust me, someone looking to haul around 3 buddies isnt going to be looking at this car.
And yes, it is a good start for the tuners out there if they wish. No, not for tuners. For racing enthusiasts. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. Tuners would rather a gen coupe with cheap "tuning" for HP.

These marketing people say stuff like that to get your attention. You think every person that owns a Subaru is a rally champion? Every person that owns a Porsche is a GT superstar? Every person that owns a 370Z is a drift king? They aren't specifically targeting those people - they are selling that "dream" to the enthusiast and potential customers that are watching and hanging on every word. I dont think the normal potential customer even recognized those terms. I cant see it being related to marketing if it's being delivered to a small group of people who will make up <5% of sales (hopefully).

This car is NOT a Porsche... not a Lotus... not a 370Z. If it was it would be priced accordingly. I dont recall calling it one.

Likewise, this car is not a Miata either. The most important differences are it seats 4 and (I think we can all agree) its more visually appealing. It is a fresh start instead of the different stigma's carried by a car that's been around for 22 years. Notice the word "like"? This car is lightweight, RWD, and 4 cyl, and is heavily supported by auto crossers and circuit racers.

This car is priced low, looks great, and built on quality manufacturing legacies and said to perform well. You will see many different demographics in this car simply based on price, design, and the fact that it seats 4, but I guarantee the lowest demographic will be the people that take their car to the track every weekend. I guess you will have to see it to believe it...We don't have the price, we don't know how it'll look, and once again, those back seats are not for everyday use. And I agree that the lowest demographic will be those that track their car every weekend, HOWEVER, a higher percentage would have bought the car because they are aware of it's track capabilities and are tracking it once a month/year(or planning to). I really do not see the appeal to an average customer for this car.

Okay, look at it this way . . . everyone I know that is out in the sports car market is looking at HP numbers, interior quality, aesthetic appeal, and 0-60 times. NO ONE gives a fuck about handling, low weight, low center of gravity, manageable power, etc. The people I talked to asked me whats the point in building a sports car if its slow in a straight line. And from there they didn't look interested at all.

There are reasons those features have deactivation switches and its not to cater to "those darn street racers".

Agreed.