> Why do I have the sinking feeling that the Mazda Miata
> has sucked up all the low(er) end money that might have
> supported a British roadster?
Lets say the public was hungry for a modern roadster that fit the
marketing niche that MG and Triumph used to dominate. There was an
empty niche, And Mazda filled it with a well designed reliable and well
marketed roadster. The BMW Z3 is carving out a part of the high end of
that niche in about the same relative location that the big Healeys had.
Now Honda is jumping in with a 200+ HP roadster and maybe going after the
segment that Lotus & the Jag roasters appealed to. Then the new Porch
roadsters seem be be running around in fairly large numbers but I suspect
they are largely staying within their own niche and maybe skimming off
the high end technophile edge of the roadster market.
It looks to me like Mazda still has the dominate position in the centre
of the niche and no one is effectively challenging that part of the
American roadster market.
Effective competition for the Mazda would be a car that out miatas the
Miata. I do not think the MGF could do that. I think there is too much
old technology there to appeal to any group but the nostalgia roadster
subgroup. Basically Mazda has reawakened the market and set the
standards. Any future British roadster that is not at least as good as a
Mazda will not successfully compete for the same niche. I think the MGF
would be too little, much too late and probably priced too high.
The popular story is that the Miata design team had a Lotus Elite to play
with and a clean slate. I suspect an new British roadster design team
should have a Miata to play with, the Miata's price point as a goal, a
clean slate and deep design pockets.
Zillion dollar TVRs, Lotus, or Jag F types will sell a few into the
wealthy set but they only touch the high end of the Porch or BMW roadster
market. They are in a different reality from the market that MG and
Triumph used to dominate.
I'd like to see the British pull off a car that can out Miata the Miata.
I would like to see them someplace outside the rich man's toy roadster
market.
Only time will tell
TeriAnn Wakeman If you send me direct mail, please
Santa Cruz, California start the subject line with TW -
twakeman@cruzers.com I will be sure to read the message
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