Mazda 2 in Canada

[VersaMG08]

Here's a bit of information regarding the Mazda 2 according to autobloggreen.com. It's going to be released in Canada sometime next year.

Personally, Mazda ought to introduce it to the US, along with the Mitsubishi Colt. The gas prices will go up before summer hits and we could have a better selection of sub-compacts besides the Yaris, Fit and V. Mitsubishi on the other hand, has a crappy selection of cars (i.e. Lancer, Eclipse) and not much else.

What are your thoughts and opinions?

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2...year/

[Red Devil]

Here's a bit of information regarding the Mazda 2 according to autobloggreen.com. It's going to be released in Canada sometime next year.

Personally, Mazda ought to introduce it to the US, along with the Mitsubishi Colt. The gas prices will go up before summer hits and we could have a better selection of sub-compacts besides the Yaris, Fit and V. Mitsubishi on the other hand, has a crappy selection of cars (i.e. Lancer, Eclipse) and not much else.

What are your thoughts and opinions?

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2...year/

Considering the Fiesta is coming to America, having the Mazda 2 in the US isn't outrageous to consider.

[VersaMG08]

I know about that; still don't understand why not just release M2 in the states instead of the Fiesta?

[iluvmyVersa08]

Is it just me or does it look alot like a Yaris?I think its cute, but I still love my V

[Red Devil]

I know about that; still don't understand why not just release M2 in the states instead of the Fiesta?

Spread out the costs of production across multiple platforms/products. GM's been doing it for years.

[VersaMG08]

Spread out the costs of production across multiple platforms/products. GM's been doing it for years.

What about people who don't like the Fiesta in the US but want the M2 instead?

And look what's happening to GM, they're closing shops down for 9 weeks during the summer. Serves them right for manufacturing vehicles that aren't fuel effiecient.

[iluvmyVersa08]

What about people who don't like the Fiesta in the US but want the M2 instead?

And look what's happening to GM, they're closing shops down for 9 weeks during the summer. Serves them right for manufacturing vehicles that aren't fuel effiecient.

Is that why GM is closing/doing poorly? I didn't think fuel efficient had to do with their difficult times, but I could be wrong. I think they do have some fuel efficient vehicles, perhaps some that are more so than the Versa. My dad has always bought GM cars and that's all he has ever owned. His 02 Pontiac Sunfire gets better gas mileage than my Versa (although his car does have a manual transmission).

I think that GM's problems are happening perhaps with the fact that they are manufacturing WAY too many cars and not selling any of them.

[BlueMango]

It's cute and all but I don't really dig alot of the Mazda features. I don't know if we need alot more micro options that only get approx. 30 mpg. Why can't they release something over here like the Diesel's in Europe that get 65+ mpg and have horsepower to back them up.

[brownbrix]

Mazda 2 is nice but i wish suzuki would bring over the swift bodystyle from Europe. I would so buy a swift as a winter beater instead of my V being used year round
Modified by brownbrix at 5:17 PM 4/22/2009

[grogman]

what are the dimensions on this car. i bet versa still beats it in many categories.

[VersaMG08]

Here are the specs of the Mazda 2 of Australia...http://www.mazda.com.au/Models....aspx

[Red Devil]

Is that why GM is closing/doing poorly? I didn't think fuel efficient had to do with their difficult times, but I could be wrong. I think they do have some fuel efficient vehicles, perhaps some that are more so than the Versa. My dad has always bought GM cars and that's all he has ever owned. His 02 Pontiac Sunfire gets better gas mileage than my Versa (although his car does have a manual transmission).

I think that GM's problems are happening perhaps with the fact that they are manufacturing WAY too many cars and not selling any of them.

There problem is that they banked on cheap SUV sales like Ford did and when the market dried up, i.e. $4 a gal gas, they had no viable small car alternative like some others had. Plus GM's quality, like Chrysler and Ford, was spotty at best.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I think Mazda will have to bring the 2 here. Everyone else will be bringing new cars into that supersubcompact slot in the next few years. I don't think Mazda can afford to ignore that market.

And look what's happening to GM, they're closing shops down for 9 weeks during the summer. Serves them right for manufacturing vehicles that aren't fuel effiecient.

Put the Toyota Kool Aid down, please.

GM makes just as many economical and efficient vehicles as the next brand. They also make a lot more of every other type of vehicle. Honda can claim to be more efficient than all the brands they like. Let's see them produce a full range of products to match GM's and still make those claims. They wouldn't even know where to begin.

[1_Sleek_Versa]

"Is that why GM is closing/doing poorly? I didn't think fuel efficient had to do with their difficult times, but I could be wrong."

Some undereducated people are paid 60$ an hour to tighten lug nuts in their plants. These people also have extreme benefits like having GM's worker insurance pay for their retirement homes at 75-80 years old.

All this crap affects the overall cost production of a car. Too bad for GM though. I still really like my 2003 Z24 wich is 100 times more reliable and fuel efficient than my new Versa.

[Rockhound]

Put the Toyota Kool Aid down, please.

GM makes just as many economical and efficient vehicles as the next brand... Let's see them produce a full range of products to match GM's...

Sorry, but GM is to blame for putting cars like the Cobalt up against the Civic/Corolla, and the Aveo against the Fit/Yaris/Versa. Fit/finish and residual value rank above a couple MPG in my estimation. And it would appear that the market has spoken. Shoddy rides like the Cavalier (sorry, 1_Sleek, but the Cavalier's reliability record is pretty awful - glad that wasn't the case for you) were OK during the SUV/truck cash-cow heyday, but now that those sales are drying up, not much compact/midsize metal is moving off the GM lots. Ford was so entranced by SUVs and trucks that they let their award-winning, best-selling sedan (Taurus) rot on the vine. At least they were smart enough to bring out the competitive Fusion when they did.

GM's current structure is not healthy. Why do we need a Chevy Cobalt and a Pontiac G5? Or an Aveo and G3/Wave? Or a Malibu and Aura? Badge engineering at its worst. C11 would be the best alternative right now to can all the useless duplicity and cut down to core brands like Chevy/Cadillac. Buick is pointless. 2007 year-end sales totals for Buick averaged out to 4 cars per dealer per month. Saturn is becoming a collection of rebadged Opels. More isn't always better. Just because Honda doesn't bother with real trucks and tons of SUVs doesn't make them a niche player, obviously, as market share would indicate. And even Toyota has a glut of SUVs and trucks and still manages to stock a competitive lineup from top to bottom.

It's cute and all but I don't really dig alot of the Mazda features. I don't know if we need alot more micro options that only get approx. 30 mpg. Why can't they release something over here like the Diesel's in Europe that get 65+ mpg and have horsepower to back them up.

A) From my perspective, consumers almost always stand to benefit from competition.

B) No offense, but I can't help but find it terribly ironic that a Californian is bemoaning the lack of fuel efficient diesels in the US. Those engines do not meet stringent US emission regulations (especially not California's).

[MinisterofDOOM]

Rockhound, you make some good points. Badge-engineering is definitely largely responsible for the downfall of American brands. I've argued that myself many times. But, at the risk of sounding hypocritical, if that's the issue, why is Ford, who right now is far more guilty of it than GM, doing BEST of the 3? Mercury is a pointless brand. They sell NOTHING unique. Every Mercury is a Ford with more chrome and a different grille. But they don't seem to be hurting Ford. And even Lincoln is largely rebadged Fords now. Yet Ford is doing well.

As for Buick, it is NOT pointless. Your sales numbers are US-only. Buick is MASSIVE in Western Asia and India. There, Buick is a higher-tier luxury brand that sells a wider range of more interesting models (including a big 7-series fighter). Buick in India holds the same clout as Mercedes Benz does here. It's absolutely indispensable to GM's global survival (which is the only kind that matters). Even here in the US, though, it's a risk-free brand to keep around. Buick's models use existing engineering and sell to a very surefire demographic. GM will always have buick buyers. And Buicks are cheap to build. A bonus of the brand is that it's US buyers DON'T WANT progress, they want the same old Buicks. So costs remain low due to little need for new engineering. So you have something that's important outside the US and risk-free in the US...no wonder why GM is keeping it as one of the core brands after the government-mandated restructuring.

Also, plenty of other brands badge engineer cars that do well. Nissan doubled the Maxima as an Infiniti for a while. Lexus followed suit with the ES/Camry duo. Honda's cars are all a mishmash of American-market-specific rebadging where the Accord wears an Acura badge and our Honda-badged Accord is descended from one of the first cars to wear the Acura badge. At least none of those cars are carbon copies, though.

[Rockhound]

You've got me on the Ford/Lincoln/Mercury badge-engineering contradiction. I kind of overlooked that one, huh? For sure I see a lot of Lincoln MKZ and MKXs around here, but Mercurys, not so much. Funny since the MKZ is a gussied-up Fusion, but it's not a bad looking car at all. I think the key for Ford is that they've had a string of relatively 'hit' cars in the last few years with the Fusion/Milan/MKZ and the Edge/MKX. Personally I think the 'new' Focus is awkward, but it appears to be relatively popular. They also were able to dump off Land Rover and Jaguar to Tata, Aston Martin to an investment group.

You're also right about Buick - I think they're also huge in China. But to be sure the American leg is an albatross. Those dismal sales numbers don't help the already quiet, tumbleweed-blowing-across-the-lot Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealers. Buick doesn't even make any models with branding heritage - no Century, Regal, Riviera, or Park Avenue. They ditched those names in an attempt to sound 'fresh', which I would think is an awfully misguided attempt at 'progress' (for the reasons you mentioned). The name 'Lucerne' just reminds me of sleeping pills, perhaps that's fitting. I'm not sure what to say about Buick in the US - GM does have other international brands with international design houses (Opel comes to mind).

Yeah, the international badge-engineering just doesn't bother me as much (like the Acura TSX = Euro Accord). I owned a badge engineered Primera (G20) as well. The I30-Maxima clone was pretty lazy, really, but prior to the sales-hit G35, Infiniti was struggling, so I don't blame them, and it was a handsome car to duplicate. It sold pretty well as a 'stopgap' measure, it would seem.

I think what bothers me the most about GM is that they seem to be stuck in the past. The glut of brands worked back in the day, and now they've got themselves in a predicament with a huge dealer network and factories to match. I don't think the GM execs have come to terms with the fact that their market share is diminishing faster than Nick Cage's hair line, but the multitude of brands must make them feel 'safe'. It seems to me that to come back stronger than before, they may have to embrace being smaller than before, too.