I totally agree with you on the luxury to sport balance you made with the CX-9, but from that point on your post just goes sour. If Mazda is tapping into the luxury market slowly but surely, how and why are you expecting them to suddenly start chasing 5-600hp performance SUV’s? With what money?
Because "I'm" in the CX-9 market now. And, I come from the C5/Viper SRT world. I can't be the only one from that kind of lineage who finds the CX-9 a fairly well done little SUV. Does the CX-9 replace the XC-90 now? Nope. Does it replace the X5 now? Nope. Does it replace the Cayenne now? Nope. And, it does not have to either. It fills a vacuum with guys and gals like me and it does it very well. But, each time I go into a corner with my Sig, I can't help but wonder how I could dial-up the fun meter on that same S-turn just a bit more. That's why they do it. Guys and gals like me would be first in line to buy one. We will always have a sports car to drive - that's not the point. I like the SUV feel, never owned one before. But, I feel like Mazda is dangling a carrot in front of me. It lets me go into the turn with more confidence than I would in a Honda Pilot. Yet, I only get 4-cylinders and well under 300hp. Still, at such low output, the CX-9 feels inspiring in those turn and I want to be able to take them with a bit more gusto.
Ok, just start with a special edition GT1, first. See how it goes then make some longer range plans. I don't want to start going down the path of trying to turn my Signature into something it is not, by dropping the suspension, playing with its geometry, throwing camber out the window and doing absurd engine mods on an already boosted platform. All Mazda needs to do is Engine and Suspension. I think that would take care of everything and bring about a GT1 that was every bit as fun, but at less than half the cost - just like they do with the current Luxury CX-9 flavor - again, at half the cost or better!
Come on. Live a little.
Mazda does not have the money to produce something like that, and even if they had the money for it they would still be chasing after maximum sales tapping in the crossover and hatch market so they can continue strengthening brand image before even CONSIDERING to make something high performance like that.
Traditionally speaking? Yes. But, sometimes the tail does wag the dog. Sure, their overall market share here in the United Sates is tiny when compared to most others. However, one has to ask themselves - why is that? Why is it that Mazda sales in general (especially in the size category of the CX-9) is so low in relative comparison to many of the others. Also, what did the RX-7 do for Mazda as a company here in the United States when it was first introduced. The RX-7 set a tone and it helped to guide sales at Mazda, not hurt them.
Then we have the fact that Mazdaspeed is dead as of currently... if they did revive the MS brand they would start off with making a Mazdaspeed 3, probably not even the 6 sedan and sure as hell not the CX-9! That things for mundane conservative drivers. You’re not making any sense.
Mundane conservative drivers? I also drive a CJ4. Is that considered mundane, too!
What attracted me to the CX-9 at first was its visual appeal. I kept putting it off precisely because it was a Mazda. But, after I test drove it, I knew that was probably going to be the one and the vast majority of the SUVs I had on tap began to fall like flies. What caused that to happen - was it the mundane driving experience I had on my first test drive? Nope. It was the fact that as an SUV, I was taken by its desire to be driven. That's what sold me along with its IIHS crash safety rating - oh - for the mundane and conservative driver in me.
I think what you might be missing here is the very salient point that the CX-9 is starting to attract a less mundane driver/buyer than you can shake a stick at. I'm one of them - jet type rating and all.
You clearly must’ve forgot that the cayenne and x5m are RWD vehicles with AWD tacked on, meaning that they have far more potential then a FWD based Mazda. Oh and where are they going to source this Turbo v6 if they are devoting all their limited resources to the next generation of critical best sellers (hint, not 500HP SUV’s) and have already released their new compression ignition engine? Some people clearly aren’t too good with marketing/business strategy, and you’re clearly one of those people based on what I’ve read from you.
If you keep my initial targets relatively in place at a
"V6 Turbo 309hp CX-9 GT1 under $59K. And, a V6 Twin-Turbo 409hp CX-9 GT2 under $69K" - then you end up in a place where the GT1 and GT2 suddenly become owners of their owners destiny because there won't be anything like them and they will fill the gap left in the wake of much higher costing Performance SUVs that I also mentioned. They chart their own course that way.
Hell, even crazy biker went ahead to post one of his only useful comments on this forum and even he said that your idea makes no sense.
Once upon a time, the light bulb made no sense to those who preferred living in the dark and Nikola Tesla was considered alien to planet earth with no input.