https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...inues-tanking/
I think the car markets issue is they're treating the car market as a POP culture business venture that's ever changing whereas in reality. The culture of the buyer is more traditionalist. More of gradual transitions over racing to be the first to do something but then competition giving up everything to follow the trend.
Everyone jumped off the sports car market for crossovers because the sports car market went thru a downturn. Truth is. The sports car market just needs to be fed in the same way as the crossover market or sedan market. That's not happening.
If you notice? Theres a popular sedan. The civic. Because the type s and type R embody what people expect from a FWD sedan. Price, features performance. All the boxes are checked. As opposed to say a mazda 3 that's beautiful and fast looking with a slow engine, or a VW GTi is slow looking with a fast engine.
People just want to recognize what they're buying. An FRS costing $33,000 when you can buy a Z is stupid. Theres 132hp difference and a 10% deficit in handling. The pricing makes no sense.
Pricing a 350hp Z with an equal handling muscle car that has 110 more hp with an optional muffler and NOT giving the option for modern tech is a recipe for disaster.
Then now... every car company makes the same car in small medium and larger.
You can buy the sedan crossover and suv with identical front ends wheels and features. Just miniaturized.
Remember the Nissan hierarchy of interesting cars?
180sx
Pulsar
240sx
Sentra se-r
Nissan maxima
300zx
None of these cars resembled each other and all were relatively affordable. Today theres a lack of imagination in design, driving characteristics and design expression in the name of cost cutting.
The upswing in chevy up until a year ago was they gave each car it's own individual design.
A volt was a volt
Indistinguishable from a cruise a malibu indistinguishable from an impala etc. They just neglected driving characteristics in half the cars....
The first company that can make every car have an exciting drive while having unique and distinguished models will win the car market over.
It may look like everyone wants crossovers one year, sports cars then next, luxury cars the year after then pick up trucks. When this happens. Dont **** down your sports program to sell trucks. Dont turn a basic crossover into a luxury crossover, dont make drastic changes. Keep the trend of what made the car popular alive. Take it easy. By not chasing trends and following the tradition of each models philosophy. Sales may slow down. But eventually... when u get back to the update of a model losing sales. Dont add stripes then charge 3k more and insult the intelligence of people. Upgrade the interior, redesign the headlights or give the motor and suspension a tune. The art of creating excitement beyond gimmicks is gone. The media shoves EV's down our throats like we care. We dont. Sales reflect that. What sales do reflect is that giving sport driving characteristics with sport styling and practicality mixed sells. Being reliable and trustworthy in the market sells. Having a unique look sells. Cuz the civic is ugly as sin. But it's different from other designs practical and fun to drive.
It's time for car companies to go back to their roots!!! Otherwise. It's better to drive your snooze mobile till the wheels fall off. Hence dwindling sales.