This poor thing. It's always bothered my aesthetic eye when folks slap a body kit on a car where there aren't any matching side skirts. Still, this tiny MX-3 is a neat little car. Mainly because of the optional 1.8 V6 but also because of the surprisingly good handling. Too bad they didn't put that motor in any other US-bound Mazdas.
I've always thought of Mazda as the Italians of the Japanese car industry. They might be the only Italians left since FIAT bought all the other Italian marques and ruined them.
Ha! An interesting comparison. You're onto something there, I think. You and I have discussed it before, but I still think there's going to be an inevitable match-up between those two very companies at some point. It'll happen and then it will fall apart as fast as it came together. Don't you think so?
Man, I hope Mazda stays away from a tie up with FCA. FCA has nothing to offer other than pickups, Jeeps and Ferrari merchandising deals. When the market gets thinner for pickups and Jeeps, FCA will be in deep trouble.
Mazda and Toyota just announced a strategic partnership where Mazda gets access to Toyota's hybrid technologies and Toyota hopefully will get a little Zoom Zoom in its stodgy product line.
Man, I've been waiting for the day that trucks and SUVs have reached their sales peak and we can get back to CARS (and minivans). Instead, they just get more popular! Those sneaky marketers figured out they they'd just slip a car underneath and call them CUVs.
It's fascinating what sort of deals with seemingly just about anybody Toyota is doing these days. BMW, Mazda, Subaru, GM and Tesla (in the not too distant past)...you name it. Even a tiny little company called Bicrosoft...Macrosauce...something like that. I wonder what the strategy is behind all of that? My guess is that they're attempting to infiltrate these companies (probably not that MacaroniBoffed company, though) to see if they can take them over. If they're going to stay ahead of VW in global sales, that might be a good plan. Even though I think they will even while shooting themselves in the Tanaka foot; VW keeps forgetting to make reliable cars that have good long-term ownership, so it won't be too hard. I think Toyota, the worlds' largest auto manufacturer, needs Mazda for nothing...and that's probably what they want to pay for the company too (Toyota for Mazda). Toyota doesn't need any zoom-zoom (which they clearly don't see much financial upside to - with historically proven success); witness the LFA and the upcoming Supra. This is all a power play, I think.
This poor thing. It's always bothered my aesthetic eye when folks slap a body kit on a car where there aren't any matching side skirts. Still, this tiny MX-3 is a neat little car. Mainly because of the optional 1.8 V6 but also because of the surprisingly good handling. Too bad they didn't put that motor in any other US-bound Mazdas.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought of Mazda as the Italians of the Japanese car industry. They might be the only Italians left since FIAT bought all the other Italian marques and ruined them.
DeleteHa! An interesting comparison. You're onto something there, I think. You and I have discussed it before, but I still think there's going to be an inevitable match-up between those two very companies at some point. It'll happen and then it will fall apart as fast as it came together. Don't you think so?
DeleteMan, I hope Mazda stays away from a tie up with FCA. FCA has nothing to offer other than pickups, Jeeps and Ferrari merchandising deals. When the market gets thinner for pickups and Jeeps, FCA will be in deep trouble.
DeleteMazda and Toyota just announced a strategic partnership where Mazda gets access to Toyota's hybrid technologies and Toyota hopefully will get a little Zoom Zoom in its stodgy product line.
http://www.mazdausamedia.com/2015-05-13-Toyota-and-Mazda-Team-Up-to-Make-Cars-Better
Man, I've been waiting for the day that trucks and SUVs have reached their sales peak and we can get back to CARS (and minivans). Instead, they just get more popular! Those sneaky marketers figured out they they'd just slip a car underneath and call them CUVs.
ReplyDeleteIt's fascinating what sort of deals with seemingly just about anybody Toyota is doing these days. BMW, Mazda, Subaru, GM and Tesla (in the not too distant past)...you name it. Even a tiny little company called Bicrosoft...Macrosauce...something like that. I wonder what the strategy is behind all of that? My guess is that they're attempting to infiltrate these companies (probably not that MacaroniBoffed company, though) to see if they can take them over. If they're going to stay ahead of VW in global sales, that might be a good plan. Even though I think they will even while shooting themselves in the Tanaka foot; VW keeps forgetting to make reliable cars that have good long-term ownership, so it won't be too hard. I think Toyota, the worlds' largest auto manufacturer, needs Mazda for nothing...and that's probably what they want to pay for the company too (Toyota for Mazda). Toyota doesn't need any zoom-zoom (which they clearly don't see much financial upside to - with historically proven success); witness the LFA and the upcoming Supra. This is all a power play, I think.
Oops. Too many "Mans". Jinx.
DeleteBetter than dude...
DeleteYeah, but I'm a SoCal boy so I say "Duuuuuuuuuude..."
DeleteA future collectible? Probably not.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smBpaiFBZkU
Sounds like a truck!
DeleteYeah, nothing like the 2.0 V-6 in my friend's FIAT Dino...
DeleteUh, AMEN! Surely that Mazda V6 would sound better with a different exhaust. :D
Delete