So if Mazda were to come out with a new Rotary car how many should they sell?

I have spent a little bit of time looking at sales numbers, and we know the 95 FD US deliveries were ~520 cars, the part that didn't click is just how few that is. Mazda made almost that number of Rx7's in the first two days of April in 1985, numbers below.

the question is, how many cars SHOULD they make? it seem to me that the 1985 production level is too high, and the 1995 level is too low.


Total Cars - 429
GSL-SE - 79
California Cars - 89

V3 - Tender Blue Metallic - 81
RH - Sunrise Red - 76
H1 - Sparkling Black Metallic - 56
K3 - Sunbeam Silver Metallic - 56
V9 - Custom Silver Metallic - 32
WU - Dover White - 29
3A - Royal Maroon Metallic - 17 (GSL-SE only)
PZ - Brilliant Black - 14 (GSL-SE only)
T9 - Traditional Brown Metallic - 13
VG - Light Beige - 8
L6 - Ocean Blue Metallic - 3
T5 - Havana Brown Metallic - 0 (i think 1984 only)
R7 - Persimmon Red Metallic - 0 (i think this is 1984 only)


C5 - Grey Cloth - 230
C2 - Red Cloth - 102
L2 - Red Leather - 50
C4 - Brown Cloth - 18
L4 - Brown Leather - 5

 

I would say it depends on what kind of car it was.

If the new RX were a back to basics rotary that used the ND Miata components (or next gen Miata components) for a super light weight NA rotary they should make a whole bunch.
This is analogous to the 1st gen RX-7 which was a budget sports car with tons of charm built on a humble sedan running gear where the rotary engine is the center piece.

If the new RX were something like the RX-Vision on the other end of the scale and was the turbo 16X we expect they shouldn't plan on making/selling many, but putting it out there to put up some performance benchmarks and raise the prestige of the Mazda brand. Much like the 3rd gen RX-7.

If the new RX is the above with Hydrogen flex fuel capability it should further be a California/Japan exclusive product.

 

lmao, that would be pretty funny, i like it though

 

In my opinion, any new rotary powered RX-7 would have to be a 'halo' car, with a limited production of ~500 units. One would expect it to compete with:

• Nissan GT-R
• Lexus LF-A
• Acura NSX
• Toyota Supra

Pricing would be ~$100,000.
Power would have to be north of 400 hp, but preferably 600 hp.
Curb weight ~2,700 lbs

Mazda is a very, very small player in the world of automobiles, and as such has only limited options here. Even at a $100K - $150K price, they'd lose money on every one. It would simply be a "statement"...a "look what we can do" type of thing.

But it will never happen.

 

Bajaman how can you be this down when you have THAT avatar?

Vince

 

The whole point of the Rx-8 was for them to sell enough that they didn't lose money on the program. I'm betting the engine failures cost them all their profit though.

The tough thing is that 2 seat sports cars are a shrinking market. So maybe halo car is the only option, because they would be fighting for scraps trying to compete with a Mustang (at least in terms of price range).

 

i did the math once, and for us to change the DPFE sensor on the Tributes, at the dealership level was about $150 bucks each, and if every car needs one every 3k miles (the early ones were so bad, people would come in with the CEL, and change the oil because it was almost due, later ones are much better), it costs way more than upgrading the part on the assembly line. even $1 more per car is cheaper than $150 more per car later, unless you're Ford, there is a reason they went under...

it is true that the 2 seat market is actually pretty competitive, you're stuck between the mustang and 911. it may be shrinking now, but Mazda is about to come out with the new Cx7, which gives them 4 cross-over SUV's. when Mazda does something like this, typically this signals a complete collapse of a sector of the market, or the economy at large.

 

I agree with bajaman. It doesn't make financial sense to sell a rotary engine in volume, nor a 2-seater sports car. If they doubled or tripled the horsepower in the MX-5 or a coupe version, they'd probably only increase their market share and profit incrementally.

Selling the new RX-7 as a low-volume product would get them some exemptions in emissions and crash tests, which would allow them to sell the car in more markets. Still, the rotary engine sports car would barely meet emissions and fuel economy standards, unless Mazda has something special up their sleeve.

They appear to be making great progress with their SkyActiv program, so it makes the most sense to allocate limited resources there. The Mazda RT-24P prototype racers at the Rolex 24 still use an MZ engine – I'm not sure where they're going there: http://www.aerltd.com/our-engines/p7...gle-turbo-2.0/

 

Over 9000

 

I hope so, but maybe not. Ferrari sold 2,811 units in the US last year and they made a record profit for FY17 of 663 million dollars (globally). Sauce: https://www.thelocal.it/20180201/ita...rd-profit-2017

So in theory, Mazda could build to smallish unit sales and STILL make money. One can hope.

 

Mazda should offer the next rx to the rx comunity/former rx owner that knows/remember to put oil in frequently.

 

a whole bunch of mumms

i dont think we will see another new rotary mazda on the showroom floor

 

 

these are the usual objections, but Fiat seems totally fine to sell 1 124 Spider for every 4 Miatas, remember these two cars come off the same assembly line.

Fait also is fine to sell the Demon, which is a 12mpg car, and the other one (dachshund? boogie man? i forget), which only gets 16mpg, and shoot the normal SRT 392 Hemi SXT only gets 18mpg...

as a footnote it is pretty appropriate that Fiat owns Chrysler, Fiat was the first to use the Hemispherical combustion chamber, in 1908.

 

It seems a pretty strange question to me... they should make as many as they can sell, and sell as many as they can..

 

Ferrari, as pointed out above sold 2800 cars in the US last year and made a record profit. Ford sells that many trucks a day Ford F-Series Sales Numbers, Figures, Results and they were down in 2016

 

True, but that prancing horse badge means a lot and it's something Mazda will never have. The least expensive 2018 Ferrari, the California, costs over 200k and a new La Ferrari is over a million dollars.

From here:
https://www.caranddriver.com/ferrari

 

Yeah, I still don't understand the question. Are you asking if they should make a niche hyper-performance or ultra luxury GT car or an affordable competitor to the FT86 (or F-truck lol) or if they should do a limited run of whatever they come up with so its more collectable in 30 years?

 

I personally would like them to make a 1st gen again except with rack and peanut steering this time.

 

well consider that Mazda made ~519 FD's for the US in 1995, and in 1985 Mazda made about the same number in the first two days of April....

or maybe more to the point, they break even on the 3 now, and they make as many as they can, why does that make sense? would it not make more sense to increase profit a little?

 

my opinion is totally biased, these new Ferrari's are NOT collectable, there are too many, and they are all going to be low mileage and garaged (like we see with the Vettes)

i do respect Ferrari's engineering, but i'd get a 458, or lets face it for 1 million dollars, you have lots of choices.

 

Whichever car company is smart enough to build a light weight (sm sexy rear wheel drive under 2800 lbs) sports car that's affordable (under 40k) with good power (300 to 350 HP) will sell tons.

Nobody needs a new miata but everyone needs a new FD LOL

The only car company I know that isn't going to make that car is Mazda even though it would be the perfect next gen RX and should have been built a decade ago.

 

 

Imagine if the lexus LFA was mass produced and around say 70k tops. Like the bmw m5 v10 were id own one or 2
i totally get you