Nissan Gets Bumped

[nissangirl74]

".....It's been one heck of a ride for Hyundai these past couple of years. The company's Genesis sedan was named North American Car of the Year in 2009, its Hyundai Assurance Program generated both business and press, and somehow, the automaker weathered the economic storms of 2008 and 2009 and came out ahead. As yet more proof of that last bit, a recent survey reveals that Hyundai is now the fifth most-considered car brand in America.
The news comes via Kelley Blue Book's Market Intelligence Brand Watch Study, which shows Hyundai bumping Nissan off the top-five most-considered list......"

http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-b ... and+Blogs)

What do you think? Do you think the bump is justified? Why or why not?

IMO, a lot more attention has been drawn to Hyundai the past couple of years through a fantastic advertising campaign. They sponsored The Super Bowl and the Oscars and their day-to-day marketing campaign on TV and etc., has been second to none. I think this, coupled with the fact that Nissan is notorious for NOT being creative marketers in recent years, may have triggered the switch.

[PEZi]

they're making decent cars... that are decently reliable.... nissan has been lacking as of late and making mediocre rides... and focus all their attention on things like the GTR which was essentially a large hunk of crap and the leaf which which emits rainbows

basically... it doesn't surprise me....

[MinisterofDOOM]

20, or even 15 years ago it would have been hard for me to point out a Nissan I would NOT be happy driving.
10 years ago it was about even.
Today a guy with two fingers has enough fingers to count the Nissan cars I'd pay money for.

The exception to this rule is the truck lineup, which started good and only improved over the years. I'd happily own a Titan, Frontier Pathfinder, QX56, and Xterra all at once and I'd find a way to justify it too.

As to Hyundai...they're dead to me if they start making everything look like that new Sonata. I'm honestly,seriously, really truthfully at a loss for a word strong enough to describe the ugly. Even the word ugly is entirely inadequate. It is, without question, the most unattractive car in the history of the world.

[IBCoupe]

Which is interesting, because an NPR interview about the fate of the Big 3 involved a discussion about how Toyota's sales have been dropping off fast (being that they've relied on a reputation of reliability more than actual reliability since about 2005 or '6), how Honda's hurting, but she specifically mentioned (in passing) that Nissan's sales have been way up.

[Bubba1]

they're making decent cars... that are decently reliable.... nissan has been lacking as of late and making mediocre rides... and focus all their attention on things like the GTR which was essentially a large hunk of crap and the leaf which which emits rainbows

basically... it doesn't surprise me....

Hyundai's success is not surprising to me either. They offer one of better warranties in the business, they've addresssed their old quality/reliability issues, spent development money on their cars, making them a brand to be seriously considered. How about Nissan?

Let's see: Nissan made a GT-R sports car, and severely restricted its availability as they consider it a low priced halo car. Hopefully Nissan doesn;t make the same foolish mistake as Honda did with the Acura NSX.

The Leaf's limited range and lack of plug in locations besides home make it a difficult car for many to own unless they drive small distances. So they've designed a car for the people that use the least amount of fuel. Great.

I think Nissan made too big a commitment to CVT as it scares away buyers who keep cars past the warranty. If they want people to buy them, at least stand behind the dang car for 10 years like Hyundai.

The other gripe I have is Nissan enlarged the Altima to the same size as a Maxima, increasing the lower margin Atlima sales at the expense of the more profitable Max. Since they long ago stripped the Maxima of everything that made it sporty and appealing (RWD, manual transmission), they could have simply extended the length a foot which would have enabled them to compete stronly against the AARP Avalon. Instead, Nissan drags out the old "4 door sports car" campaign, which predictably failed.

[IBCoupe]

One point of contention, Bubba: the warranty for my CVT was extended to 120,000 miles.

[Bubba1]

One point of contention, Bubba: the warranty for my CVT was extended to 120,000 miles.

That's about time. how many years?

[wingFeather]

What do you think? Do you think the bump is justified? Why or why not?

No. Not at all. I cannot believe that people are so willing to buy a car with no past. The company made sense when they sold disposable cars, but now a Hyundai costs just as much as something real. Why buy the generic for the same price as the real deal??? Blows my mind how dumb people are these days.

[vikesfankevin1986]

Dump Chevy and Ford. The only reason people buy those is because they are American. "We need to support America." But what else to people buy that is made in America? Almost nothing...stop with the garbage and buy good products.

[IBCoupe]

One point of contention, Bubba: the warranty for my CVT was extended to 120,000 miles.

That's about time. how many years?

Ten years. I don't know if it's that way for all CVTs, but it is for the A/C.

[Bubba1]

[quote="IBCoupe"]

cool, one item fixed.

[fiznowler]

What do you think? Do you think the bump is justified? Why or why not?

No. Not at all. I cannot believe that people are so willing to buy a car with no past. The company made sense when they sold disposable cars, but now a Hyundai costs just as much as something real. Why buy the generic for the same price as the real deal??? Blows my mind how dumb people are these days.

Are you seriously this stupid? This is almost as good as your rape coments in the other thread. So we should buy a nissan because they have been around forever even if thier quality is no better? We should ignore an up and coming car company with great warranties and pricing? I honestly think the genesis coupe looks way better than the 370z. The fact that the cars are pretty comparible performance wise, the genesis looks better and is 5-10k cheaper is why I would buy a "generic" for the not same price as the "real deal". The only thing that would worry me about the genesis is the resale value factor and only time will tell how that works out.

[tigersharkdude]

all im going to say on this subject IS if they put the 428hp V8 from the Equus into the Genesis coupe, Nissan will lose my business

[Rev_D21]

I haven't been feeling Nissan products since 2002. Each day I wake hoping Nissan will bring back the cool but they keep bring out more and more rainbows. Nissan is starting to look dead to me and so I live in the past.

[breadbox]

Well alot of the sweet stuff never made it here when it probably should have.

I'd Rock:
Stagea, Primera p10 and p11, older safari, and made the NX2000 turbo.

[dre1507]

WingFeather. In today's world, it's no longer about who/what has good history. History can't give me my money's worth. Not unless it's that time of the decade, century, or millennium where history repeats itself.

[crazspence]

hey but look on the bright side, at least nissans only accelerate when you want them to.

[sentrastace]

Ten years. I don't know if it's that way for all CVTs, but it is for the A/C.

the Sentra, too. (thank god).

[mmkeller]

Nissan is taking notice of all the surveys and I believe this is a wake up call for them. I think some aggressive marketing/addvertising is needed. What I see on TV concerning Nissan doesn't excite me.

[Encryptshun]

I would suggest that the voices on this forum don't really comprise a balanced cross-section of Nissan's consumer base. We're enthusiasts, which means we like vehicles that we can be, well,enthusiastic about. We want vehicles which embody the spirit of the automobile itself, as well as being a best-in-breed specimen.

Your average automotive consumer is looking for (1) warranty, (2) "value" (ie a function of features vs price, and (3) economy/cost to operate. That order might change, but I'd argue that what brought us to this forum in the first place is exactly what the average consumer doesn't care about. If I'm Nissan (or any other car company), I'm concentrating on those three things, rather than investing billions in R&D and marketing for a car that 1% of the customer base will appreciate and, therefore, purchase. Which is why there are flagship models which are underproduced and overpriced (versus market-bearing price point). (ie Z06, CTS-V, GT-R, M3, A8, etc etc)

Feel free to argue, but that's my opinion.

[Mr1der]

If you look at the current Maxima, it's a shining example of how Nissan just doesn't get it anymore.

[MinisterofDOOM]

If they want people to buy them, at least stand behind the dang car for 10 years like Hyundai.

THIS. And this is for EVERYONE, not Just Nissan. I'm looking at you, Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Honda...EVERYONE. Everyone should have been doing 10 year/100k mile warranties 5 years ago. The ONLY excuse for not offering one is that your products are all complete s***. But all these brands are assuring us their products are great. Well...if that's true, let's see some proof. Back it up!

[HashiriyaS14]

Oddly, I think the new Sonata is like the best-looking midsize FWD family car ever.

But I also like this 4dr coupe/sloping roof/CLS/Volkswagen CC sort of stuff. I know MoD is a "three box" cat.



The new Sonata is an incredibly nice car, it feels decidedly more upscale than anything else in the segment. My neighbor has a 4.6L Genesis sedan and it does everything better than my boss's W211 E550.

Hyundai is the Toyota of the upcoming decade.

[Dittoz7]

No wonder the North Koreans are pissed.

[breadbox]

I will say, I see a F ton of nissans in my area on the road. Hell my young teenage neighbor drives a 3.5 Altima.

[BusyBadger]

Oddly, I think the new Sonata is like the best-looking midsize FWD family car ever.

Merely a suggestion

I'm not in MoD's camp and think it's the ugliest thing around, but I'm closer to his opinion than I am to yours. It just looks...haphazard to me.

[wingFeather]

Are you seriously this stupid?

No more so than you Now go away troll...

WingFeather. In today's world, it's no longer about who/what has good history. History can't give me my money's worth. Not unless it's that time of the decade, century, or millennium where history repeats itself.

There is a $40,000 inside the local mall. That is BMW territory. I can't understand how someone could think that owning a Hyundai would ever be worth $40,000. Just a few years ago, Hyundai was the Godspeed of the car world. Yeah, they have increased their skill, but I still want a huge discount for the lack of prestige associated with the marque, and a discount for styling that is simply rip-offs of other designs. Clone cars.

Chevy

Unless they stopped, Gm was offering a 100,000 TRANSFERABLE warranty

[Bubba1]

[Unless they stopped, Gm was offering a 100,000 TRANSFERABLE warranty

...or 5 years I think, along with a big list of things not covered.

[ScrapMetal]

GM's warranty was 5 years/100K miles last time I read, not like Hyundai's which is 10 years/100K miles. Heck even Suzuki has a 10 year/100K mile warranty and aren't they part owned by GM? I know the Kizashi uses some of the same drivetrain components as the Chevy Malibu.

There's no doubt if I had the means to buy a new car it would most definitely be a Hyundai Genesis with the turbocharged 4 cylinder engine.

[fiznowler]

Are you seriously this stupid?

No more so than you Now go away troll...

You never have anything constructive to say and you call me the troll? You should go post whore zilvia instead of here I think you would be more liked on that forum, it is full of a$$.

P.S. Eat a large bag of D!CKS.