June Sales - USA

[velocityc6]

I agree the advertising stinks and the "Feel Alive" campaign has not added much in fact by sales numbers it looks like a failure.

I still watch TV, one thing I see is tons of local dealers advertising their Nissans, Jeeps, Fords etc. All with catchy loss leaders for instance (lease a new Honda Civic for $61 per month) real ad.

I cannot remember the last time ive seen a local Mazda dealer with an ad and a catchy price point.

Mazda needs to drive home the point about how great their cars are, keep referencing the awards the positive reviews....they need to advertise with their accolades and what they've accomplished.....brag about how much better they are in commercials.

Maybe they feel the YouTube reviews do that for them?

 

[NelsonLewis]

i agree the advertising stinks and the "feel alive" campaign has not added much in fact by sales numbers it looks like a failure.

I still watch tv, one thing i see is tons of local dealers advertising their nissans, jeeps, fords etc. All with catchy loss leaders for instance (lease a new honda civic for $61 per month) real ad.

I cannot remember the last time ive seen a local mazda dealer with an ad and a catchy price point.

Mazda needs to drive home the point about how great their cars are, keep referencing the awards the positive reviews....they need to advertise with their accolades and what they've accomplished.....brag about how much better they are in commercials.

Maybe they feel the youtube reviews do that for them?

bingo.

 

[NelsonLewis]

Almost everyone actually.

Never have, never will...

 

[NelsonLewis]

times have changed for most..I emailed 15 dealers and had the selling price before I even stepped on the lot. I went there for the paperwork and to pick up the vehicle. I didn't need to be "sold" by any salesperson at the dealership. There was no car buying experience, those days are long gone for me.

Smart man!

 

[HitLines]

Also, as someone else stated and I have several times before, their advertising sucks. The Feel Alive commercials are meh at best, and I've never seen or heard a commercial for Mazda mentioning pricing, much less discounts.

I can't recall seeing a Mazda ad but if I did it did not implant in my memory. I came across the CX5 by going to youtube and watching reviews on crossovers. What stood out were the reviews claiming the CX5 had better power delivery where others in the class slacked behind. After doing a test drive of the '19 Rouge with it's sluggish pedal we went to a Mazda dealership to try the non-turbo and turbo version. That sold us on the GTR model. Since we have some time before we buy, we're waiting to see what the 2020s offer up. I'd love updated infotainment and the option for a panoramic sunroof.

 

[NelsonLewis]

I can't recall seeing a Mazda ad but if I did it did not implant in my memory. I came across the CX5 by going to youtube and watching reviews on crossovers. What stood out were the reviews claiming the CX5 had better power delivery where others in the class slacked behind. After doing a test drive of the '19 Rouge with it's sluggish pedal we went to a Mazda dealership to try the non-turbo and turbo version. That sold us on the GTR model. Since we have some time before we buy, we're waiting to see what the 2020s offer up. I'd love updated infotainment and the option for a panoramic sunroof.

I hear you!

With the turbo models now available, Non FI models aren*t even on my list. No way could I buy one...

 

[sm1ke]

I've seen a few commercials about the CX-9 and CX-5 receiving AJAC (Automotive Journalists Association of Canada) awards for best mid-size and best large utility vehicle of 2019, but don't remember pricing being mentioned. The commercials are basically just beauty shots of the cars, they don't really highlight any of the safety features like other manufacturer's commercials do (Honda, Toyota, etc.). To be fair, I also haven't seen a BMW/Audi/Mercedes commercial in a long time. Meanwhile I see a lot of Lexus ads that are just like Mazda ads, mainly beauty shots of the car with some pricing notes at the end.

They need better PR for sure.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

And how many of us can remember the old commercials. A stick shift Mazda, Zoom Zoom playin'....

They haven't figured out how to portray their new image they want.

 

[rwcos]

I work at a Plex that has a Mazda dealership along with Ford , Nissan and Hyundai all in one site .I have owned a 626 , a 6 , a cx 5 and now a cx9 and have enjoyed them all. I talk with many sales people from all dealerships since my job involves keys , scheduling service runs and other end of sales activities . The salesperson who sold me my cx9 [who is a top 5 salesperson out of Mazda] this winter and I talk a lot and he says the problem with Mazda is that their financing and approval standards are real high and it is difficult to get entry buyers into cars where as Ford and Nissan are easier to work with with better rates and terms . He has sold many people who wanted a a 3 , cx5 or 6 a Ford Fusion or Escape because of this issue.I would never buy a Ford over a Mazda the difference is clear but Mazda makes it hard . Mazda has a great product but this fact is what holds them back .

 

[Paulson]

They need to start offering longer warranties. VW offers 6 years/72000 miles on everything except e-Golf. Mazda only has 3/36000 miles. They also need to start offering extended warranties. Honda offers this which can extend a warranty on a vehicle to 8 years/120000 for cheap. The warranty also comes from Honda and not a 3rd party.

Their advertising campaign is a total joke. That kid twirling his girlfriend in a wheelchair at the prom, the bearded guy shedding a tear...I also feel like the pricing on the CX-5 Sig is a little high. Almost 40k MSRP when you can get an RDX A-Spec package for 5k more which has more power, better infotainment, 10 speed automatic, way better sound system, panoramic sunroof, etc...


Mazda reminds me of one of these brick and mortar retail locations that's been in business a long time that is having trouble adjusting to the internet.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Mazda reminds me of one of these brick and mortar retail locations that's been in business a long time that is having trouble adjusting to the internet.

That's an apt analogy. They want to rebrand but they are having a hard time portraying their image to the consumer.

 

[dwill]

They need to start offering longer warranties. VW offers 6 years/72000 miles on everything except e-Golf. Mazda only has 3/36000 miles. They also need to start offering extended warranties. Honda offers this which can extend a warranty on a vehicle to 8 years/120000 for cheap. The warranty also comes from Honda and not a 3rd party.

Their advertising campaign is a total joke. That kid twirling his girlfriend in a wheelchair at the prom, the bearded guy shedding a tear...I also feel like the pricing on the CX-5 Sig is a little high. Almost 40k MSRP when you can get an RDX A-Spec package for 5k more which has more power, better infotainment, 10 speed automatic, way better sound system, panoramic sunroof, etc...


Mazda reminds me of one of these brick and mortar retail locations that's been in business a long time that is having trouble adjusting to the internet.

According to the numbers on Mazda*s web site, the CX-5 Signature MSRP is $38K (36890 +1045 destination charge)

According to Acura page, the RDX A-Spec FWD is $44.8K (43800 + 995) and AWD is $46.8K (45800 + 995), so it*s $6.8K more for FWD and $8.8K more for the AWD (which is what the comparison should be since the CX-5 Signature is AWD). That*s a bit more than only 5K more.

 

[jmhumr]

That's an apt analogy. They want to rebrand but they are having a hard time portraying their image to the consumer.

They just don*t have enough capital to do it all at once. I*m not sure it was wise to not update the dealership experience before doing junk like the diesel.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

They just don*t have enough capital to do it all at once. I*m not sure it was wise to not update the dealership experience before doing junk like the diesel.

The diesel is just stupid at this point, but they probably sank too much into it already.

 

[7eregrine]

@Rwcos. Dealer told me like 4 months ago that Mazda was going to partner with Toyota finance to get better offers for customers. That still hasn't happened yet.
Also agree a 3 year warranty is laughable these days. You want to go lux? BMW, Audi and Volvo offer.... Can you guess?
48 months.
Personally I'd offer 5 years and 60k if I made cars. Cover most people for their entire loan.
Anyone think Kia got where they are today because they made good cars?

 

[shadonoz]

Personally I'd offer 5 years and 60k if I made cars. Cover most people for their entire loan.
Anyone think Kia got where they are today because they made good cars?

Exactly.

 

[yrwei52]

The diesel is just stupid at this point, but they probably sank too much into it already.

Cylinder deactivation is another example that some Mazda upper management people making very strange decision which will hurt Mazda's sales and reputation.

 

[Buzzman12]

Check Mazda Canada warranty. Unlimited kilometres. 5 year powertrain.
Why is that different than the U.S?
In fact, why are there so many differences in their vehicles from country to country?

 

[shadonoz]

Check Mazda Canada warranty. Unlimited kilometres. 5 year powertrain.
Why is that different than the U.S?
In fact, why are there so many differences in their vehicles from country to country?

US is 6 yr/60k for powertrain, 3 yr/ 36k bumper to bumper. Same as Toyota, a bit better than Honda [5 yr/60k].

Seems like that would give them a nice competitive advantage to go 6/60k b2b.

Regulations, cultures, markets.... all different.

 

[bailey35mm]

I have to agree with the comments regarding improving the dealership experience. Ive purchased 2 new Mazdas in the past 3 years, 1 on the East coast, and the other out West. Both times Ive found very noticeable scratches in the paint and gouges in the plastic. I dread having to bring the car in to have accessories that I have waited on to be installed or to have warranty work as I always find new paint scratches, wheel damage, or odd gouges in my steering wheel. If they keep it for overnight or longer, Ive started noting the mileage as on more than 1 occasion Ive gotten the car back with obvious additional miles on it like someone took it on a long trip. From everything Ive heard, this would be unthinkable at a Lexus dealership. My new CX-5 Signature that was only a few days old at the time, already needs to have a scratch professionally repaired after dropping it off for a day at the dealer. As usual the dealer took no responsibility. Its great having to spend hundreds on a new car that I just bought for nearly $40,000.