Sell the Australian version here with the 3.0L CRD or aybe the 3.5L-265 HP V6 used in the Edge. Why just give the market for small fuel efficient trucks to the Asians?????????…………..as if they dont already own it. Ford, get off your asses and bring a good product to the marketplace. It will sell.

I just don’t understand why Ford gives up so easily on things

When they need to get 32MPG from a truck Ford will be thankful to have the Ranger.

Chris
http://www.noheat.com
Tech News too Cool!

I was hoping that FORD would go the same route that NISSAN did with the Frontier and build their next Ranger off a downsized version of the F-150. Proven hardware in a mid-sized package. I really can’t see FORD without a “less than full-sized” pick-up. But the Compact pickup market is all but dead in the country so moveding the Ranger up to mid-sized would make sense.

As to Fromes question…

I think FORD has lost their balls somewhere along the line trying to fix their company. The best advice that I can think of for Detroit in general is: “Give the customer what they want the best way you know how, and they will give you what you need.” It seems to work.

GM is got their’s coming (Though not nearly soon enough even for me) and Chrysler has some good stuff but could do more and better. FORD, it seems, just isn’t doing anything…accept giving up and passing on “no brainer” hits.

Gods I’d love for FORD to build a Vette-fighting Thunderbird as a long term product… even a perennial like the Mustang and the F-150. How about a new Taurus that is as good as we know FORD is truly capable of… the list goes on.

Anyway, I’ve, over the course of the year I’ve been chatting on here at LLN, lost about 70% of my original faith in FORD for the near term and with no new good news for the near or long term… I’m serious thinking of backing the underdog, Chrysler (now under new management), or the not so underdog (still second in the world) GM. At least they give me something to look fondly toward…

As a loyal Ranger owner for over 5 years I feel sad over the Ranger situation. During the late 90’s the Ranger was “the” truck to have “at least where I live”. They are some of the best offroading trucks out there. Not to mention in 4 cyl trim they get over 26mpg on the highway (like mine) =) Car names come and go but the Ranger really pulls on my heart strings. So sad to see a once leader in the compact truck segment just get dated and left to vanish like the Taurus did. At least they made about a billion of them so they will live on in the aftermarket world.

Just redesign it!!! (”LR2″ platform preferred)

The sales figures must be down, because the newest version I have only seen one of, and it was on our used car lot.

The kicker is that Ford Europe is actually doing relatively well. Granted, the markets are different, but seriously, they’re getting hammered state-side.

jdepould………….. Ford has some pretty nice products in Furope and some really sweet ones in Australia. I have no idea why at least some of them arent made available in the US. I figgure its all the same company so what the hell……….but I guess BIG egos get involved protecting turf. Dumb asses…..way to kill a fine company.

Ford has talked a lot of **** about “Bold” moves, but has been nothing but conservative. The 2005 Bronco was an awesome concept, but it looks like we’ll never see it. Ford built a killer Ranger concept a few years ago, but never had the balls to build it. Ford builds great trucks for the Baja races - why not apply someof that technology and styling to street versions. It must suck to be a designer with imagination if you work for Ford (if there are any).

Actually Ford is amazing! They are moving 90k units/year of a truck that has barely been upgraded since 1992. They should continue to build it and bilk it for what it’s worth …
… and with the margins, they should target the next gen Tacoma and exceed it in every way. It’s not easy, but that’s business. I like Ford and love my F150 and I and my family have owned more Fords than anything, but watching the pussies that run Ford give up and run time after time after time because of their egos, laziness, and cowardice is driving my next auto purchase to anyone else but Ford. I don’t want to pay good money to ensure that Ford-exec incompetence gets richly rewarded. They have hot products elsewhere but think I am too stupid to want one.

who knows, maybe they’ll surprise us in couple of years with a new Ranger!

The Ranger’s interior is sooooooo dated (1995-2007)!! 12 years of same dashboard design (except speedo cluster guages). It has NO message center or anything in that form. Just basic square radio and three knobs for HVAC. Frickin’ old school style.
My god, they updated the Focus’s dashboard completely in 2006 and it’s 7 years old. Couldnt they do the same???

By the way, I hope they are not stupid enough to kill this Ranger off. They NEED this smaller truck for those drivers who don’t want to waste gas money on a F-150.
If they kill this Ranger off, they will defect to Colorado, Tacoma, Dakota, etc. Ford will be SCREWED.

from wikipedia:”The Ranger and related Mazda B-Series are manufactured at Ford’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which is now scheduled to close in 2008. They were also assembled in Edison, New Jersey until the plant’s closing in 2004. In 2006, an all-new Ranger, codenamed P273, was in the works to be introduced by 2010. [1] The P273 was slated to be world pickup, presumably to be merged with the Mazda world pickups. A 2007 Ranger for the Thai market based on the Asian 4Trac concept was unveiled, but it is not scheduled to replace the North American truck. Instead rumours were that Ford may simply discontinue the Ranger line completely in North America. Ford’s future product plans in the compact pickup market segment are expected to be announced closer to the end of Ford Ranger production at the Highland Park, Minnesota plant in 2008.”
hmm…

“They report that its possible it could be built in Thailand if it’s not built in the US. But high tariffs between the US and Thailand could potentially mitigate any profit.” we shouldnt interfere or overwork the worlds 2nd largest producer of pick up trucks since most of the world’s pickups (minus N.A.) are produced there as well as having a weak currency.

How much dumber can Ford get? We have higher gas prices, CAFE is going to go up, and they are planning to ditch the only small truck out there. America is a truck country, that isn’t going to change anytime in the near future. Not everybody needs a F-350 Dually for their daily driver though. For the average joe small trucks are great. My ‘92 Toyota Hi-lux is great for trips to the home improvement store and gets 25mpg around town. It’s easy to park, and has a vinyl seat and rubber floor mat so I can’t screw it up by using it for work. Why can we get manufacturers to build trucks (and cars) that make sense any more?

BTW - what Ford needs o do is make the Ranger a true small pickup again at a good price. The current Tacoma is almost the size of a full-size pickup, and all new trucks are too big anymore. Honda’s POS ridgline is huge on the outside. Mblommel’s hi-lux is probably miniature next to a new Frontier. Ford, make it small and good (like they once were) and you’ll get better mileage and hit a wide open spot in your competitor’s offerings. About the smallest out there is the Colorado and it isn’t small by classic standards.

Your thinking something similar in concept to the JEEP JT aren’t you?

That would be cool If FORD would just do it. But I’d be more in tune to see what new CARS they roll out.

Kill the Ranger/Mazda B2300. Leave the market to others. Kia/Hyundai will take over your marketshare when they bring the small pickup you are reluctant to build.

People are chomping at the bit for a compact pickup. On Jeep forums, everytime someone shows a pick of the Gladiator concept or JT, everyone goes nuts, like Piablo for a thick veiny pork sword.

I say build it off the Escape, with the same killer interior. Offer it in hybrid for more low-end grunt and watch it rejuvenate the segment.

I agree Blakkarr, I want to see good cars from Ford also, but it is so odd for a company that builds the number one full-size truck to produce the most antiquated and mediocre “mid-size.” Hell … the F150 has gone thru 2 complete redesigns from scratch while this POS keeps rolling off the line. What were they thinking?

Whoever commented on Ford losing their balls during the transition is spot on. Someone in the company played a mean trick by replacing the definition for “bold” with the definition for “stupid” in all the corporate dictionaries. They seem incapable of realizing what works for them and what doesn’t. The one things that works well for them is trucks. The Ranger has always sold well and would continue to if they would only update it. We’ve been in the market for a compact truck for a while, we won’t buy a Ranger for the simple fact that we could have bought damn near the same model 10 years ago. The General already abandoned the segment when they dropped the S10, again another stupid move. Now we’re just hoping that Chrysler greenlights the JT.

Both Toyota and Nissan have abandoned the small truck market. Their “small” trucks have bloated to near full size with weight to match. There is a market for a small, fuel-efficient, easy to park pickup truck. I drove a small Toyota 4×4 pickup that routinely got 23+ mpg in routine driving. NOBODY sells such a truck now.

Fromes: exactly. Ford’s future vehicle roadmap is one hell of a confusing mess to sort out, and most of their current decisions are just blatantly stupid. It’s like a huge ship lost at sea without a strong captain to guide it in the right direction. All it needs is one man, one man to make a difference. All the rest will follow (great vehicles, strong sales, etc.) if someone just took some quick and decisive actions.

Well, the Ford boards are all a stir with discussions of an F-100 pickup which would be built on the F-150 platform and be the size of say a Frontier or a Tacoma. If this rumor is true, it is meant to debut in 2009 as a 2010 model.

The real question is what to do with *compact* pickups. That’s a completely unique platform. With the BOF Explorer gone after 2009, replaced by a car-based RWD Explorer, you cna’t build it on that, so is it worth it for Ford to have a dangling platform, or can they leverage their world-wide network for a truly compact pick-up?

Ford’s near-term product pipeline isn’t that hard to discern if you pay attention. We know a new Fusion, F-150, Flex, Mustang, MKZ, Milan and MKS are all due next year. The subcompact, updated Edge, MKX, new Lincoln-Flex, and unibody Explorer should all be out sometime in 2009. There are other rumors of other products, but Ford has been keeping its lips well sealed.

yeah ford would REALLY be giving up way too easily by killing off the ranger. Like they said, its basically been around for 15 years as is, and the fact that it can still find 92,000 people to buy it is frankly amazing. When the S-10 was hurting did Chevy go “ahhh why bother?” NO. they gave us the Colorado, which can destroy any S-10 that preceeded it. Ford just needs to revamp - not forget. They’re lazy. Focus? GARBAGE as well. How that even sells anymore is a miracle as well. Revamp your tried and true products, ford. The only shed of light is the fact that you realized Taurus was once a prized nameplate in the industry - until you let that wither on the vine as well. We’ll see what you do.. but instead of all these new unknown (and still crap) models, aka Edge, lets fix whats been broken. AND KEEP THE EXPLORER BODY ON FRAME!

Read someplace that Toyota was going to re-enter the compact truck market in a big way. Ford is already there! Ford could keep the chassis, it’s sound, keep the bed, offer the new 3.5 V6, redo the interior and rework the front to resemble 1948/49 & 50 Ford F1 pickups with the 5 or 6 bar grilles! Folks seem to go for the retro look and the F1 of that era still looks great today. The bar grille will fit right into Fords current styling theme. They could even offer a panel version to compete with Chevy’s retro HHR.

Blakkar:

You’re right. They killed the GT, and now this. I think they should bring the Aussie Falcon here

They should bring back the courier. really small, maybe even a 3-cylinder. Just bigger than an El camino

It needs a whole new design and rename it the F100 to fit in better with the F-series lineup. The Ranger name is just old and doesn’t sound enticing at all.

F100 will get them flack from toyota.
a urinating contest that started when they wanted to call their wannabe truck the t-150

Tell Toyota to F***off, they’ve been using the F series name longer than Toyota has been around. Besides it’s F-100 not F100

The Ranger wasn’t necessarily a bad truck, but the market for it has gone dead. A smart move from Ford (never thought I’d put those 5 words together anytime soon)

CA36GTP: No, you’re totally and absolutely wrong. What the hell are you talking about? A smart movie? The Tacoma and Frontier make money for their respective companies, are you out of your ****in’ mind? The Ranger wasn’t a bad truck in 1992, but for the past decade it’s been outclassed and outsold by far smarter and more innovative competition. Face it, Ford is simply stupid, and really ****ed up here. The market is not dead, if it were, Honda, one of the most intelligent car makers out there, wouldn’t have JUST JOINED IT. Wake up. You continually show your lack of logical thought.

The truck needs a total overhaul of course. But I think it is a mistake abandoning the market. All the other makes have gotten to big and thirsty. Hell they sold 92K rangers last year, mostly to flower shops and car parts retailers who need utility and good MPG. Make it fresh and a just little desirable to make it an alternative for the young 1st time buyers whos only other option at this price would be an Echo or Aveo. They could keep selling their 92K units to fleet/business and another 92k to young people who would not otherwise be caught in a ford dealership. They may thank you for saving them from a Rondeo or whatever by buying their 2nd car from Ford.

HAHA WHY BOTHER MAKING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?????????????

I used to work next to that plant

LamborghiniZ, the Ridgeline is as much a pickup as the PT is an SUV. Honda didn’t join anything. But, you’re right, Ford did let the truck sit.

Nobody should discount Ford for killing the Ranger. The company could be developing product for beyond 2009. And, in my opinion, there’s no evidence to support the Ranger going way of the Freestar. Minivans have been around for about 25 years and are being replaced by CUVs. Trucks have been around for 90 years and the market is expanding. Ford’s got to be doing something…

My hope is that with the newly redesigned F150 next year, Ford is also working on a slightly shortened/lightened version of its chassis to underpin a surprise new Ranger and Bronco!

Of course, that would be smart and bold. So I really can’t hope for much.

Well Mazda sure doesn’t need a pickup, anyway. They only sold 263 units last month? The Isuzu i-series sold 302 units. Hint: Maybe it’s time to stop when Isuzu is beating you in sales. The Ranger was all right, but now it’s just old. After the plant closes, it might want to consider an Escape-based Ranger. Maybe call it the Escape SportTrac?

I’m not familiar with the UAW contract at the St. Paul plant, but it is common for a plant to have the “rights” to produce a certain model.

It’s possible, even somewhat likely, that, while the Ranger may be dying, Ford could have something else up its’ sleeve to replace it either immediately on in the near future but want to produce it somewhere else (Like converting one of its’ under-utilized full-size plants to produce a small truck). But divulging any such plans right now would make shuttering the St. Paul plant difficult at best.

rangers are the best compact trucks avalable anywhere, they screwed up by not making a quad cab avalable here, there is only so much room in an extended cab, believe me if there was a quad cab ranger on the market when i was looking for compact trucks then i surely wouldnt be in a frontier (which is a good truck also)

Sooooooooo…….gas is going to be $4.00 a gallon real soon and Ford kills the only truck they have that gets better then 15 mpg. Another ****ing bright idea from management! Update the powertrain and suspension to modern standards and they would be suprised how many they would sell.

Nawwwwwwwww, to easy to just give up.

So this means the Dodge Dakota and Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon won…

Its closing down because the quality and reliability doesn’t measure up with the other compact trucks in the market. Also Fords poor reliability record is turning off future customers. I personally vomit at the thought of buying a new Ford. I just can’t imagine anyone actually signing a cheque for a brand new Ford! Its the financial equivalent of suiced. Ford should just shut down completely so there are no more victims who purchased a Ford.

Well, I’m glad they are killing this old version of it BUT…………..why not redesign it? If you kill the your minivans, at least replace them with a large 7-8 passenger crossover like GM did. Don’t just abandon segments - it won’t do you any good - especially when your competitors have expanded into every segment. They just steal whatever potential sales and profits you COULD have made in those segments that you leave.

You’re all right. I know we’re just car nuts having fun on the internet, but my gawd… who are the f*cking morons who’ve been running Ford for the last 15-20 years? How can you be this stupid and still be in business? It really is almost beyond belief.

Ok, you killed the mini-van because the Asian are too much. I can kind of understand because van is never Ford’s strong-suit. But a small pickup? I thought the excuse for ****ty Ford cars is that they concentrate their effort on trucks, but they are ready to abandon a truck segment, a growing truck segment for the matter. This is really dumb because there are some people who don’t want a full size truck as a daily driver but need a truck for light home improvement occasionally.

The sad thing is that there is the Explorer Sport Trac and Ford can easily make a “mid-size” pickup out of that platform to compete with the Tacoma and Frontier. Heck, both of those competitors are now grown up anyway. I wish I could cross shop a Tacoma or Frontier with a Ford or Mazda.

planet_drive is a f**king idiot! Probably related to 1467GM Sales ahole. Sorry to tell you…Ford will be around for a long time and they’re quality/reliability has been rising steadily! GM will end up killing their less than profitable Colorado/Canyon truck as well. The F150 pickup is only a few thousand dollars more than a Ranger, so its no wonder this truck cannot be redesigned and be profitable. There is no wide margin between the two…there needs to be. I suspect a carlike truck to be its replacement if any, built on a flexible platform with a car. The reason its news now is that they beat Chevrolet/GMC to the bad news first…they will announce next.

I think it’s sad to see Ford abandoning this segment, but I’m glad to see them finally putting an end to this generation of the Ranger. I can’t understand why Ford always seems to take the cheap route in updating/redesigning their products. They drag out the life of their products by slapping on an endless string of facelifts or restyling the vehicle on an antiquated platform. While they continue their march into total irrelevance by attempting to pocket a few short terms profits, their competition keeps rolling along on their mission of absorbing Ford’s lost market share.

As far as Mazda’s B-Series clone version of this product: “GOOD-BYE & GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!!” I very rarely see this product on Mazda dealers’ lots and when I do, it looks totally ridiculous and out of place. There is absolutely no reason why Mazda would need to have this eyesore sitting on their dealers’ lots next to their other wonderful products.

SELF EDIT:
“While they continue their march into total irrelevance by attempting to pocket a few short TERM profits, their competition keeps rolling along on their mission of absorbing Ford’s lost market share.”

Maybe Ford will make a F050 as a replacement and bring back the Ranger nameplate after one year How many more time can Ford management F* up?

” I suspect a carlike truck to be its replacement if any, built on a flexible platform with a car.” - jdasch1

I hope you don’t mean the Aussie Falcon Ute now that Lutz may bring the Commodore Ute over as a Pontiac.

As a ranger owner and long time supporter of Ford I have to say that they have made some of the biggest ass backwards decisions in the last several years. With the absence of new products in the pipeline I dont see how they be around much longer with decisions like this.

Good riddance
We run two of these ****heaps alongside four Hiluxes in our hard-working service division and the Fords are always giving up. We’ve had engines, transmissions and suspension components replaced under warranty, meanwhile the Toyotas have only ever been into the workshop for service or accident damage. The Ford sales guys recently came by to suggest that we replace our Landcruisers with Edges, you can imagine the reception they got…

Dum Asses!!!!!

Get rid of the Ranger but make the Ford Flex???? bold move??? more like dumb ass move

Anecdotally, I have heard that Ford has threatened to close the St. Paul plant each of the past few years running, and each time the stop date was extended. Hoping for the best, maybe there’s time for better minds to prevail at Ford.

I just purchased an 07 Mazda B2300. There were Buyer and Dealer incentives, so I got a fabulous deal. In any case, my shopping preference as regards style and fuel efficiency was for the 4 cylinder Ford/Mazda product. The other brand’s getting larger coincident with reduced fuel mileage was not desirable. Too, the other brands seem styled as (cartoonish) adolescent steriod fantasies, Nissan being the worst in that respect, and the ‘muscular bulges’ in general seem a shallow appeal to primal sentiments, hence rather embarassing.

I’ll trade it off when a quality small diesel truck is made avialable in the US. I did own an Isuzu P’Up with diesel, and except for the pernicious metal rot, it performed flawlessly for 100K. I would like to repeat that experience with a better quality make. If the Mazda had a diesel, I would probably die before it.

As for the new truck, with the tires and shocks upgraded and anti sway bars installed (circa 1200$), it has all the convenience, features, function, and initial quality that I need and am willing to pay for. The 2.3L Duratec does seem to be a wonderful engine, and the transmission ratios appear to be well thought out. Clutchless shifting with it is the easiest I have encountered to date. Overall, it gives a very good first impression.

While the Ford Ranger platform has been relatively static over the years, my impression is that they have made worthwhile incremental improvements, such that the later models have quite good materials,fit,finish, and attention to functional detail.

FORD’s BOLD MANTRA: “Quitting is easier than competing.”

This has to be one of the most retarded moves ever made. If Ford can sell 90k units per year of an ancient platform, they can reengineer it and sell 180k of a better platform. That would rob a fair amount of market share from the competition. As someone above said - if they can build a heap like the Flex, they can build this.

But that’s okay, Ford. 2 can play the quitting game.
You quit competing, and the rest of us quit buying Fords.

I thought this was cancelled years ago in favor of the Sport Trac

That is fine if the discontinue, but it seems like it needs a replacement. Market share on full size is shrinking and even more so when gas is $4 - $5/gal.

So far it seems like Mullaly and the gang are a bunch of space cadets.

I think the reason why the small-sized pickup market isn’t really garnering any attention is because there’s nothing to grab attention to it. This would be the ideal time to make a bold move, and release a diesel into the small-size pickup market. Because it’s not a large vehicle, Ford could even take architecture from a diesel overseas and plant it in the Ranger.

And yet, the GMC Canyon/Chevrolet Colorado/Isuzu I-series, Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier are all getting larger (I chose not to list the Dodge Dakota as it’s closer to mid-sized) and in my opinion are unrefined (atleast the Chevrolet Colorado and Tacoma are- I haven’t really gotten the chance to try out the Frontier or Isuzu I-series). Rickety chassis, poor quality, horrible interiors, nothing really new or ambitious. Ford could take this great opportunity, and atleast try something new and maybe extend the life of it’s plant.

It might become as big of a market as the cross-over recently became, Ford.

Just because Ford is ending the Ranger doesn’t mean it is abondoning the segment. I have heard rumors from people at Ford of an F-100 midsize truck using the 3.5L engine.

pbwe: Wrong. The Ranger has never had good fit and finish and attention to detail. I’m not sure what you’re smoking, probably white china heroin, because what you’re saying is totally nuts.

sharpie - just to point out…..the asians are not kings of the minivan market. I mean, they are kings of boring and the minivan is pretty much the physical manifistation of boring, but Chrysler is still a huge (if not the biggest?) player in the minivan market. Afterall, they INVENTED the minivan.

SwerveEarly: yeah, back in the ’80s, $6500 would get you a Sentra ore Escort, or you could get a Mighty Max or pre-frontier truck. Now, you can’te get a pickup for less than 20.

LP640: Why bother making a dumb-ass post in the first place? In all caps?

TOZO: an Escape-based Ranger? there’s a thought?

‘Dore: “rangers are the best compact trucks avalable anywhere.” I don’t care to dispute that.

planet_drive: why don’t yo drive yourself to another planet?

jdasch1: “planet_drive is a f**king idiot!”
You have a solid grip on the obvious

Comment by mazdaman: my uncle uses a B-series for work.

Sharpie: “Maybe Ford will make a F050 as a replacement and bring back the Ranger nameplate after one year.”

That’s good.

Got Handling: much as I hate toyotas (I owned one), I’d not suggest you replace Land Cruisers with Edges.

RicardoHead: “Quitting is easier than competing.”
that’s funny as hell

Commodore: I drove five minivans last month, and the Chrysler Twins were the best, followed by the Oddessy.

I know. I know!
How about if Ford ended with Ford!!!
That’s a bold move.

Yea Lambo Z , you tell it. The Ranger was certainly not high on quality and definetly been around wayn too long. At least the interior was not gorgeous either.

Thank god….Kill it and move on. Ford has, in my opinion, one of the weakest lineups in the history of ford. It’s sad to see a company that could be so great like they are in every other country. Produce nothing but garbage here. They only thing that is keeping ford afloat is f-150 sales and mustang sells. Lets see the mondeo here. Lets see something.

changes in the making….proceed.

I appreciate some of the stories about ownership experiences with the Mazda B-Series pickup, but I still think this product has absolutely no reason to be in Mazda’s lineup. Mazda is Ford’s Asian niche outlet for sleek, sporty vehicles. Their lineup should consist of sporty sedans, coupes, convertibles, wagons, hatchbacks, and crossovers. The brand doesn’t need to be all things to all people. It needs products that support its focused brand image. The B-Series truck just dilutes Mazda’s image with a badge engineered clone of an antiquated Ford vehicle.

Speaking of badge engineered Ford clones, I also think the Tribute should eventually go. I believe Mazda is developing a crossover to slot below the CX-7 in Mazda’s lineup (CX-5, maybe?). If this is true, the Tribute should be discontinued once the new crossover reaches the market. I know Mazda benefits from sharing platforms and technology with Ford, but it doesn’t benefit from offering slightly restyled Ford clones at its dealerships.

Mazda sell heaps of minibuses, small vans, pick up trucks and light trucks in Asia. As for sporty vehicles you’ll find that they don’t offer the MX-5 or RX-7 in a lot of affluent Asian markets such as the gulf states, nor can you get the performance versions of the 3 or 6.
Ford benefits from selling clones at Mazda dealerships in asian countries where they have nearly no dealer network.

Got Handling?:
I should have been more specific. I was referring to the U.S. market. I do believe Mazda has cultured a sporty brand image in the U.S. market that doesn’t need to be tarnished by antiquated rebadged Ford vehicles. Mazda has worked hard establishing a sleek, sporty image in the U.S. that shouldn’t be diluted by Ford’s blocky vehicle design approach. I think their growth and market presence/identity in the U.S. depends on keeping their lineup within very focused style/product guidelines. The brand can branch out through engineering/technological advancements while staying within its brand image parameter.

I understand that Mazda’s image and portfolio is quite different in other areas of the world. I totally agree with you about the lineups and products in these markets. Mazda has a different history and brand position in these markets and should continue to offer a wider variety of products in these markets.