Miata Mailing List: January 1997, Message #5
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   From: (none)

Subject: Re: Confirmed '98 Info

   Date: (none)



     That's a good market segment.  As BMW goes upscale to compete with

Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, they will leave the "bottom end" of the market

open.  If Mazda is smart, they'll do something like the following.  

     Don't make major changes to the Miata.  Instead, offer various

packages, as has been done the last couple of years.  Drop a bigger engine

in the car for more power-preferably low end torque.  I don't know the

quality of the automatic transmission in Miatas now, but if it's good and

responsive, leave it as an option in the "up market" packages.  If not, get

a good one somewhere and offer it.  Go after the low end ZZZ market, nibble

at them that way.  No way someone is going to want to pay upwards of $30,000

for a Miata-even an upscale one-unless it has a different look, and the

economies of scale won't permit Mazda to do that, (and I don't think it

would be a good marketing idea even if the could do it.)  Give them credit,

BMW had a good product out at a good time. They never were aiming at the

Miata market, per se.  They wanted to get a car out there, get the media

attention, and get people into it.  Now they can counter the Boxster and SLK

by offering the 2.8 6 with gravy.  At a price of ~$35,000.00, still cheaper

than Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.  So, that market is split 3 ways, and Mazda

has it open all the way to around $30,000.  Let's hope they make good use of it.



Just my .02 worth, IMHO.

Tom Reynolds

Hereford, AZ

(Boy, I'd LOVE to get back in there, at times...)



At 09:34 AM 12/31/96 -0500, mx5@juno.com wrote:

>

>On Mon, 30 Dec 1996 22:01:55 -0500 Chris Lambert 

>writes:

> The person that presented the video in CA said that 

>>the

>>trunk will now fit a 2 sets of golf clubs and that the car is longer 

>>(tire

>>mounted under trunk?). 

>>

>

>>-I asked them to compare the back end of the current Miata to what 

>>they saw

>>and they said the new back end is "beefier" and "thicker".  One of the 

>>reps

>>added that the tail lights were different, but didn't know how to 

>>discribe

>>the change.

>________________________

>Sounds like they're going after the Z3 crowd (and price tag).

>

>

>