The 2013 Mazda 6

[70NYD]

Oh **** I didnt know that

[TheMAN]

the AAI plant in flat rock got closed because Ford no longer wants to be in a joint venture with Mazda operating that plant, besides, the quality from that plant had always been crap

mazda miscalculated on the USDM 2nd gen 6.... it is completely different from the rest of the world and the only countries that got this unique car was the NAFTA and GCC countries (the other side of the world)... it was disproportionately big and the styling was just odd compared to the rest of the world's 6... they just couldn't compete with the CamCords that are so popular here... and it seems obvious to me that due to the low sales, they couldn't recoup much of the R&D costs associated with creating a unique version of the car suited for American tastes... they need to refocus their strategy towards the niche market

I don't think building their B segment cars in flat rock was ever a sound strategy for the past 25 years.... it started off well in the beginning because the 626 was a very good seller and profit maker in the 80s, but the market changed in the 90s and instead of shifting their production to match the change in the economic climate, mazda chose to continue to build them there instead of the higher volume C segment (Protege) cars

I think now they learned this lesson... they are constructing a new factory in Mexico (where labour costs are lower) which will build Mazda2s and 3s for North American and Latin American markets... they know the poor exchange rate is killing them, this is a good strategy as long as they're able to maintain quality (something they couldn't do at flat rock)... I have my doubts about the quality based on competitor's products coming out of Mexico, but I hope Mazda proves me wrong!

At the mean time, you may have noticed that Mazda in the past 10 years have been a big victim of cost cutting... cheaper plastics, thinner sheet metal, thinner paint, etc... the quality of interior plastics between my Protege and my 3 are a major difference... the Protege has better plastics despite looking more crude and unrefined, whereas my 3 have harder, easier to break plastics... newer mazdas such as the CX7 was even worse... so bad was its interior quality that many in the press have blasted Mazda at the shoddy interior

[marcs_sp20]

Originally Posted by TheMAN

the wagon is already in production and there's pics of it

a lot of teaser photos & 1 photo of the start of production, no detailed photos...

[z100]

Mazda 6 launch at the Paris motor show, including the wagon.

[Rhys]

Love the wagon

[himynameisbunny]

There isn't many manufacturers bringing out any decent looking cars at the moment.

Citation given:


I mean, what the ****?!?

But Mazda really has raised the bar with this one.

IMO it looks like sex. Reminds me a lot of the Maserati Quattroporte. Long sloping bonnet with a dominant front grille.

[TheMAN]

subaru just keeps on making cars that looks more and more worse than a donkey's butt... the new Liberty/Legacy looks horrible... styling reminds me of older crap hyundai

that sti photoshop looks like an evo wannabe to me... I won't be surprised if it does look that way... it seems that their stylists have no imagination and have to resort to copying others... think about the previous generation impreza... it looks downright like a mazda3 didn't it? Subaru fanboys thought it looked fantastic, I thought it looked tacky!

[himynameisbunny]

Originally Posted by TheMAN

subaru just keeps on making cars that looks more and more worse than a donkey's butt... the new Liberty/Legacy looks horrible... styling reminds me of older crap hyundai

Subaru is just the tip of the iceberg...look at Holden (Barina), Ford (Fiesta sedan), Mitsubishi (MiEV, not a huge fan of the Lancer hatch either), Nissan (Juke), Honda (Insight) and Ssangyong (****ing EVERYTHING).

I guess they're just trying to make stuff "trendy" for the younger generation...it's a shame that they underestimate a lot of us. Unfortunately IMO the majority are really that stupid

[z100]

Originally Posted by TheMAN

subaru just keeps on making cars that looks more and more worse than a donkey's butt... the new Liberty/Legacy looks horrible... styling reminds me of older crap hyundai

that sti photoshop looks like an evo wannabe to me... I won't be surprised if it does look that way... it seems that their stylists have no imagination and have to resort to copying others... think about the previous generation impreza... it looks downright like a mazda3 didn't it? Subaru fanboys thought it looked fantastic, I thought it looked tacky!

So disappointed with the new Liberty! I was a big fan of the last model, thought it was a stylish design that will probably age well.

There isn't many manufacturers bringing out any decent looking cars at the moment.

That Subaru rendering is a bad example because it's fake, someones imagination not a real car, but I get what you are saying.
The Fiesta sedan looks like an afterthought, just add a boot to the hatch and away you go.

[TheMAN]

the fiesta sedan is as much of an afterthought as the mazda2 sedan

[z100]

Originally Posted by TheMAN

the fiesta sedan is as much of an afterthought as the mazda2 sedan

And the previous model ford focus sedans for that matter

[Fosgate]

The back of the sedan looks exactly like MX6

[TheMAN]

Originally Posted by z100

And the previous model ford focus sedans for that matter

not as much so as the fiesta/mazda2

[TheMAN]

Originally Posted by Fosgate

The back of the sedan looks exactly like MX6

no it's not! where do you see the resemblance? it looks more like a hyundai elantra than anything!

[Ben]

Wagon looks like the cx5...Except lower...and longer... Either way its nice

[z100]

According to carpoint, Mazda have sprung a surprise on everyone and decided the 6 will go on sale in Australia December, three months early. However, looks like no manual transmission option or diesel engine option for OZ.

[project.r.racing]

auto no - cos limited appeal to buyers whom actually buy a 6 want a manual, so they dropped it.
diesel yes - even carpoint has a write up about it.

[z100]

Originally Posted by project.r.racing

auto no - cos limited appeal to buyers whom actually buy a 6 want a manual, so they dropped it.
diesel yes - even carpoint has a write up about it.

I misread the article, the low-output diesel is the one we won't get.

[marcs_sp20]

Spotted a black 6 Lux Sports this afternoon in town, and as soon as I saw it my neck suddenly stated hurting!

They honestly look hawt, even in stock form, a simple drop in height and you'd have one sweet ride

[woofy]

I'd be looking at one again if they kept the hatch going, that is definitely going to hurt them without that option, Skoda are about to unleash an Audiesqe Octavia in the next few months here that will be the size of the 6 and have a hatch still.