Comments on: Mazda could absorb some dealers left behind by GM, Chrysler

By: Payton Byrd

Payton Byrd — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:05:37 +0000

War Ford! They may not have controlling interest in Mazda any longer, but they still own over 10% and increased profits at Mazda mean increased profits at Ford. So far Ford is really bending GM and Chrysler over a barrel through all of this.

By: NRG

NRG — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:38:30 +0000

I have a Mazda and it would be great if they could open up more dealers in the major metro areas. I never understood why they have a limited amount of stores on those areas in the first place.

By: 2WheeledSpeed

2WheeledSpeed — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:57:36 +0000

I’m not trying to bash Mazda, I think they’ve got a great lineup, especially the Mazda3 (Spent 2 days test driving them).
But that RX8 is a joke IMHO with its 212 horses (In auto transmission guise) and 16 mpg in the city?
Handle nice all you want, I’m not gonna dump that much fuel just to lose at every redlight race I try, I’ve seen mildly modified Civic Si’s with more power.
Those Speed3s (Didnt see any Speed6s) are nice, but I consider them to be more boy toys along the lines of an SRT4 or Cobalt SS rather than a true sports car, I’m sure they can scoot down the road pretty fast (I’ve seen many an SRT4 trash Mustangs at the strip) but if I want a sports car, I want a sports car not a tuner car that reminds me of the fast and furious.

Again… not bashing Mazda… Just their “sports cars”

By: JakeK66

JakeK66 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:55:29 +0000

By where I used to live there is a Chevy/Mazda combo dealer- kind of akward mix, but it’s got a farily small showrrom and guess what? Even in a pretty pro-union area the Mazda’s still take up half of the showroom and lot – they are pretty popular.

By: leftwingagenda

leftwingagenda — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:54:03 +0000

This doesn’t actually mean more jobs, if you take the “Spender admitted Mazda wasn’t looking to add any more dealers, but said the opportunity to replace some underperforming or failed stores with new prime location dealers could be too good to pass up.” line to mean that they’ll close dealers in bad locations and restart dealerships at the new prime locations. Key word: “replace.” Their net number of dealers won’t change, they’ll just upgrade their locations and be more visible/accessible.

I was worried Mazda was going to try and garner the sympathy vote and pick up spotty dealerships, but this plan feels more like getting something for nothing, which is nice way to upgrade.

By: Dr. Lincoln

Dr. Lincoln — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:30:17 +0000

If they have the working capitol to open dealerships and the credit available to sell the cars…more power to them. this means more jobs.

By: inspire

inspire — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:03:52 +0000

If the story is true, then less dealership jobs will be lost — a slight positive for the respective local economies. Madza has a a decent line-up — definitely not the ‘mainstream’ in some markets (ie CX5, CX7, CX9, etc) which is a good thing. In fact, I think that ‘crossover’ market is oversaturated, but at least Mazda has a unique appearance that is not too polarizing (ie the Acura front grill).

The RX-8 is a pig when it comes to fuel economy. Sure — it handles great but for those who wish to have this car as a DD … not practical at all (unless you have deep pockets, and those that do would probably shop elsewhere).

By: carstuff

carstuff — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:46:59 +0000

Did a check. There are 8 Toyota dealerships within 14 miles of my home. More than I would have thought.

By: carstuff

carstuff — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:14:31 +0000

The way GM has decided which to eliminate, does take into account distances for customers to travel. Of course I have no data on this since they have not announced which are closed, but the rural dealers were pretty much left intact. It is in the metro areas where dealers are either too close or in undesirable areas that dealers are closing.

I have 8 Buick dealers within 14 miles of my home. Bit too many ehh? They could easily cut that down to 5 and still have too many.

By: CanadaCraig

CanadaCraig — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:55:26 +0000

And if Mazda is REALLY thinking this through – they could set up their new dealerships and let it be known that they have kept a few of the previous dealerships GM and/or Chrysler mechanics who will be more than pleased to service your GM or Chrysler. Maybe even set things up with GM or Chrysler so they can actually do warranty work. Hmm……. now there’s an idea. This could work in an area where a surviving GM or Chrysler dealership is quite some distance away.

By: armstealer

armstealer — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:54:45 +0000

I am willing to bet they could have run this story with ANY brand name in that title and it would be true. WAL-MART is probably looking to fill some of this real estate. HOWARD JOHNSON’s is probably looking, its so good!

By: SomeGreek

SomeGreek — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:27:08 +0000

Mazda is a sportscar company, it just isn’t the american way…

By: A True Gear Head

A True Gear Head — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:47:00 +0000

Mazda goes a different way when it comes to performance. None of their cars are drag racers per se, the Speed3 and the Speed6 if you turn up the boost on them they will scoot. But the RX-8 is easily one of the best handling cars made today (ie multilink rear suspension, 50/50 weight balance, double wishbone suspension) Why do you think Jeremy Clarkson loved it so much? If only it had a 3 rotor or a turbocharger it would be so much of a seller..

By: Veda

Veda — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:04:29 +0000

Sounds like a smart plan which may boost sales of one of the more respected asian brands around. It would be nice to see Mazda get a greater marketshare.

By: PontiacNick

PontiacNick — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:22:18 +0000

How about a 3 or 6 series coupe? Dump the RX-8 and give us a proper RX-7. Maybe a revamp of the Miata too. Two GM dealerships are closing in the city and one of them is a dealership I have dealt with for all my cars and so have my friends and family members. I wouldn’t care to leave the GM fold but since someone over there decided to dump both Pontiac and Saturn, I no longer have any vehicles to pick from that appeal to me at GM. I can’t afford a Corvette even though I would buy one in a second if I had the bucks.. Sporty and affordably priced performance cars seem to be Mazda’s thing. I could see myself in a 3 series coupe or a 6 series coupe if they produced such a beast. I think GM does not understand that it is going to lose even more market share due to both Pontiac and Saturn getting dumped. People who buy Pontiacs and Saturns are not going to migrate over to Chevrolet. They are most likely going to go to Mazda or Hyundai.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:09:07 +0000

Nothing wrong with Mazda that another rotary pickup couldn’t cure.

By: Borat

Borat — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:25:07 +0000

Why? It was discontinued because it was selling well?

By: elviososa

elviososa — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:26:54 +0000

Mazda should bring back their Luxury line.

By: 2TellUTheTruth

2TellUTheTruth — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:18:27 +0000

For wat? Jus kiddin. They do need to promote more cause they do actually have some very viable products now.

N thats true; their “sport” car variables are like low budget sporting if u know wat I mean. Their not actually thrilling enough to be respected as a real “sports car”. You’d have to put a next couple thousand well to get some real competitive sportiness. But their product line-up is pretty decent now yet still not a lot of cusumers are aware of the extent.

By: impulsive facts

impulsive facts — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:43:27 +0000

so they’ll replace one dealership with another

a positive for mazda, perhaps

but net gain still = 0

By: 2WheeledSpeed

2WheeledSpeed — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:28:07 +0000

I spent my entire weekend with a friend at a local Mazda dealership helping her buy a car. They’ve got some nice cars, but their “sports car” lineup leaves me a little underwhelmed in a car company that claims everything is imbued with “the soul of a sports car”.

By: aggie531

aggie531 — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:25:28 +0000

i have seen no Mazda dealers where i live. they need some