While You Were Sleeping: April 16th, 2015

by Derek Kreindler

Published: April 16th, 2015

Mazda has managed to outsell Nissan in one major market. Any guesses?

Mazda is on a roll in Germany, surpassing Nissan and other major brands.
Honda’s all-new global platform for the Civic will allow for unprecedented manufacturing flexibility.
Toyota will shift production of the Corolla from Canada to Mexico, and build larger vehicles in Canada instead.
Chevrolet will stick with the Bolt moniker for its new EV.
U.S. oil refineries are working overtime to process the record high levels of crude oil.

#WhileYouWereSleeping

Derek Kreindler

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11 of 47 comments

Iamwho2k on Apr 16, 2015

Volt. Bolt. What rhymes with "stupid"?

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FreedMike on Apr 16, 2015

Well, Mazdas basically drive like Japanese VWs, so it'd make sense that they would outsell Nissans in Germany.

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- Bball40dtw on Apr 16, 2015
  
  "Mazdas basically drive like Japanese VWs" Broken down with only one headlight working?
  
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- EricJ on Apr 16, 2015
  
  @bball40dtw Driving dynamics. The difference is that they don't explode into a million expensive parts that are specific to the year, month, model, submodel, trim, and options the day after the warranty runs out (and every fourth weekend during the warranty) like a VW.
  
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- Bball40dtw on Apr 16, 2015
  
  @EricJ I think the Mazda6 and Mazda3 are both good cars. I don't find their driving dynamics to be head and shoulders above the competition. I also think their engines are down on power. My C-Max has more horsepower than a Mazda6.
  
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- Inside Looking Out on Apr 16, 2015
  
  @bball40dtw Like VW? You are kidding. Ever drove VW, I mean the real one not the crap they sell here?
  
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- Bball40dtw on Apr 16, 2015
  
  @Inside Looking Out The Golf is head and shoulders better than the 3.
  
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- Marcelo de Vasconcellos on Apr 17, 2015
  
  @bball40dtw bball, honest question. As i trust your opinions, I've never been that much of a Golf fan thinking that Ford offerings usually beat it with a couple of French and Italians doing so as well. As I've never driven a Mazda 3, how does it compare? And this from a guy who thinks the Golf G7 finally does it and is better than the current Ford (for once in its overglorified life).
  
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- Bball40dtw on Apr 17, 2015
  
  @bball40dtw I agree that the Golf is better than the Focus right now. Ford is in midcyle refresh mode and need a new Focus by 2017-18. I do like the Focus pricepoints in the US better than the Golf. $16K will get you a darn nice Focus SE with a manual transmission. As for the Mazda3, I find it to be similar to the Focus. I find the Focus to be dynamically better, but the 3 feels a bit lighter, more softly sprung, and has had a more coherant interior. The 2016 Focus has upped it's interior to match the 3, though. Ford and Mazda have divorced, but their compact cars are evolutions of the same idea. The Mazda is on a new platform, but it still feels alot like the last Mazda3 and current Focus. I think the best way to describe it is the Focus feels European and the Mazda3 feels Japanese. The same as they have, globally at least, for awhile.
  
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Sjalabais on Apr 16, 2015

One thing unmentioned: Mazda has come out on top of several German quality surveys lately (together with Volvo, actually), and people follow this kind of positive publicity closely.

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Vwgolf420 on Apr 16, 2015

Purely anecdotal, but in every European country I've visited, I'd guess Mazda outsells Honda by a landslide.

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