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I think Mazda would be better off with Ford (again) than Fiat. At least with Ford they made the RX-7 and actually gave it fairly free reign. Fiat would probably just run it into the ground.
The only other precedents were bad ones- Isuzu and Mitsubishi did not fair well with foreign ownership under GM and Daimler/Benz.
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Mazda has already killed off any eventual rotary-powered car so it wouldn't be Fiat's fault if the buyout/merger is to happen.
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[quote=Ferrer;1010723]Mazda has already killed off any eventual rotary-powered car so it wouldn't be Fiat's fault if the buyout/merger is to happen.[/quote]
True, but anything to keep the Miata away from Chrysler would be worth it. Otherwise it would be pushed into rental companies as a cheap convertible. It would end up as the next Chrysler Sebring, and no one wants that.
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I saw a story pop up about Fisler/Chrysiat buying Mazda but it seemed to be even more speculative than usual.
Mazda probably needs to be swallowed by a bigger brand - especially to be insulated against currency shocks as it is a small manufacturer in an economy in which until recently there was a strong currency and a host of larger competitors.
I liked Mazda with Ford; it is a shame Ford sold the entire farm to protect its core. The acquisitions by Jacques Nasser didn't pan out but Mazda and Ford were a nice little thing.
There are three options right? GM, FCA, or VWG.
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[quote=Kitdy;1010730]I saw a story pop up about Fisler/Chrysiat buying Mazda but it seemed to be even more speculative than usual.
Mazda probably needs to be swallowed by a bigger brand - especially to be insulated against currency shocks as it is a small manufacturer in an economy in which until recently there was a strong currency and a host of larger competitors.
I liked Mazda with Ford; it is a shame Ford sold the entire farm to protect its core. The acquisitions by Jacques Nasser didn't pan out but Mazda and Ford were a nice little thing.
There are three options right? GM, FCA, or VWG.[/quote]
You forgot the Japanese sometimes take in their own. Daihatsu was absorbed by Toyota, and I'd rather Mazda be taken in by one of their own. Okay, maybe not Mitsubishi because they can't even figure out how to run themselves.
Subaru or Toyota would be great. I was going to suggest Honda, but they're boring now. Nissan is already too big.
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Toyota already owns a minority of the parent of FHI who owns Subaru. I don't see them purchasing Mazda.
My thoughts are it would be the Japanese division of a multinational headquartered elsewhere, or somehow struggle on as an independent. The Chinese?
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I understand its market driven and why it is not financially viable for GM to produce unique cars for a market of less than an American city but whatever they sell here after 2017 will be just another McCar.. Generic front wheel drive mid size box bristling with every electronic gadget no one ever asked for and able to drive you to work hands free while piping music from your personal custom internet radio station and starting dinner before you get home. VP Stefan Jacoby is by admission from a European background so he can be excused for simply not getting it. But us, until now and without appreciating it Aussies, have to accept we will not be getting “it” after 2017. Most people won’t care, when I mention rear wheel drive to most people they don’t understand the question. It’s not relevant other to the few of us fossils who learnt how to “drive” in them. And making a deal about how they will be "heavily involved" in the VF successor here in Australia is pure PR from the “vice president of international relations”. Just like the Cruze? I can take any car to Pedders and swap the suspension. The only flickering light for us old guys is the announcement GM will be giving us a RWD coupe. If it’s a real Chev then that’s my consolation. In any event I bought my relic of better days and will be buried with it.
[url="http://www.caradvice.com.au/330005/2018-holden-commodore-australian-designers-and-engineers-heavily-involved-in-vf-successor/"]2018 Holden Commodore : Australian designers and engineers heavily involved in VF successor[/url]
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Rear wheel drive for mainstream cars is unfortunately dead. On the other hand more and more premium manufacturers are going rear wheel drive, even in smaller, lighter and more affordable packages (Cadillac has just announced a rear wheel drive sub-ATS saloon car), so at least not all is lost. And with downsizing V8 and sixes will be soon retired from generalist car manufacturers too.
As for Mazda, well Chrysler is already getting the MX-5... sort of. It will be the forthcoming Fiat Barchetta/Abarth Spider so if they fancy to get their hands on it...
Regarding partners, VW has its own problems with Suzuki and I believe GM has ties with Isuzu. Chinese manufacturers are looking for strong players/names in Europe and/or North America so Mazda is a no go.
Fiat is the best option.
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[quote=Ferrer;1010742]Rear wheel drive for mainstream cars is unfortunately dead. On the other hand more and more premium manufacturers are going rear wheel drive, even in smaller, lighter and more affordable packages (Cadillac has just announced a rear wheel drive sub-ATS saloon car), so at least not all is lost. [/quote]
It’s one of the reasons I lament the demise of the Aussie Holdens and Fords. Well priced (for our market) rear wheel drive sedans that cannot be beaten for the price. And the quality of both can’t be questioned, again considering what you get for your buck.
Given that the main reason manufacturers build front drive cars is because it is cheaper it is ironic that in the pursuit of fitting more powerful engines into them without the car trying to drive you off the road they have to develop complicated and expensive differentials to handle it.
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[quote=crisis;1010739]I understand its market driven and why it is not financially viable for GM to produce unique cars for a market of less than an American city but whatever they sell here after 2017 will be just another McCar.. Generic front wheel drive mid size box bristling with every electronic gadget no one ever asked for and able to drive you to work hands free while piping music from your personal custom internet radio station and starting dinner before you get home. VP Stefan Jacoby is by admission from a European background so he can be excused for simply not getting it. But us, until now and without appreciating it Aussies, have to accept we will not be getting “it” after 2017. Most people won’t care, when I mention rear wheel drive to most people they don’t understand the question. It’s not relevant other to the few of us fossils who learnt how to “drive” in them. And making a deal about how they will be "heavily involved" in the VF successor here in Australia is pure PR from the “vice president of international relations”. Just like the Cruze? I can take any car to Pedders and swap the suspension. The only flickering light for us old guys is the announcement GM will be giving us a RWD coupe. If it’s a real Chev then that’s my consolation. In any event I bought my relic of better days and will be buried with it.
[url="http://www.caradvice.com.au/330005/2018-holden-commodore-australian-designers-and-engineers-heavily-involved-in-vf-successor/"]2018 Holden Commodore : Australian designers and engineers heavily involved in VF successor[/url][/quote]
I hate that Holden and Ford of AU are pulling out of large RWD sedans. The Ford Falcon would have been a worthy replacement for the Crown Victoria for police duty.
Any sort of competition is worth it- when one manufacturer makes a good product, others need to at least pay attention.
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Is it strange that I kind of like cassette decks in cars?
Hear me out on this- it's the easiest way to get a 3.5mm input jack in a car without ripping apart the dash and putting one in yourself. There were a whole bunch of newish cars that had CD players but no 3.5mm jack. A cassette adapter with a 3.5mm jack is very cheap to buy.
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I'm currently back in the same 850R that I had 7 years ago, so I'm doing precicely that. The downsides include the noisy operation of a tape with pretend internals, the fact that it keeps auto-reversing and cutting out the audio, as well as the limited audio quality possible through just a setup. Better than an FM transmitter dealie, but not as good as a proper line-in.
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I'm more of a CD chap, but apparently those are disappearing too...
[url="http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/next-hyundai-display-audio-system-sheds-cd-player/"]Next Hyundai Display Audio system sheds CD player | Digital Trends[/url]
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I’m probably not the one to comment but as far a sound quality goes I find cassettes pretty much unlistenable. New head units that play CDs and from USBs and IPods are pretty cheap nowadays even in Australia. I wouldn’t bother messing around with cassettes.
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[quote=Ferrer;1010742]Rear wheel drive for mainstream cars is unfortunately dead.[/quote]
Just wait for electric hub motor RWD. Already the European student car guys are producing cars beating the best of the petrol :)