Silvia S16

Pharmacist · 08-22-2009, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zigzagz94

I have to respecfully disagree with you. The turbo 4cyl hyundai genesis coupe gets 30mpg, cost 22k, and doesn't even have direct injection yet. The GC is not a light car either at 3300lbs. Drop some weight and add DI and the combnined mpg could improve. Small, lightweight, 4cyl engine sportscars can still be popular in the future of the auto industry.

As far as not enough demand, well Ford sold over 91,000 mustangs in 2008 (most v6's). That was right before a model refresh and during one of the worst recessions in history. To put that in perspective Mitsubishi only sold 97,000 cars total.

So you see the demand for cheap,RWD, coupes is there as the sales of Mustangs and genesis coupes have demonstrated. Also add to that fact Toyota has already confirmed that they will be introducing their own (with the help of Subaru) small, rwd, coupe in the next few years and the possibility of a nissan entry into that segment becomes more believable.

I thought the Toyobaru was dead. Is it still on? Also, Nissan already has a cheap rwd coupe, that's the 370! Introducing another one may create redundancy in their line up, not to mention that if it was a cheaper model, there's the risk it may claw away from sales of the 370.

Also, there is the issue of practicality. None of these cars is particularly practical. The only market is either people rich enough to afford a second car as a weekend toy, or young single newly grads (like myself) who have no wife or kids or any excess baggage. Sales volume will always be limited compared to other models, with a higher marginal cost than the average sedan or suv. For sports cars to be profitable, there will always be a hefty markup by the manufacturer, so they probably won't get too affordable, definitely not Corolla or Civic affordability.

It does puzzle me however, as to why anyone (let alone 90000 people) buy a V6 Crustang?