The United States is the largest but most competitive auto market in the world, that is why we haven't seen the EVO and the STi before now. It just costs too much to market a low volume specialty model. Hopefully, the dam has broken and they will sell all they can make, establishing the techno-rally car as being viable to market in the U.S. If the STi and EVO do well, the Focus RS cannot be that far behind.

Note to manufacturers: The SVT focus doesn't sell well because it is marketed to hot rod types, not techno-rally types. Hot rod people are gone, but the PS/2-Grand Turismo types are the biggest emerging market in the U.S.

BRING ON THE WRC Replicas!

 

I think what causes many people to is that most of the people on here are very different from the typical customer at a dealer. I know I do all my research on websites, forums and through car magazines and don't even need a salesman to tell me anything but the cost they are selling the car for. When they start treating the caller like someone who knows nothing (including their invoice price) it gets people rather perturbed.

Ideally there would be two systems: your traditional brick and mortar type dealer with all the overhead of a sales staff and show floor. The other would be what I think GM is experimenting with, a showfloor for Internet customers. This of course pisses off the dealers

 

True,
That is a valid point. Most people buy a vehicle every 3 to 5 years. It is a not uncommon for 60% or more of todays people to shop online before buying a vehicle. Very few dealers really have a true Internet department. This usually winds up being handled by some sales guy getting stuck with the job and messing it up really bad. THe odd thing is that less than 54% of all requests to dealerships get replied to. I hate to say it but it is true, Dealers are real good with verbage but when it comes to most anything technical, they are so lost in understanding what is needed. That is why most dealerships fail when it comes to online sales. Eventually the dealers will wake up and see the value of online sales. Back in 1996 when I started selling online, every dealership I worked at fought me 100% from showing them how the sales could be easy and then it feel back to the same old story about profits. You also have to keep in mind how many people gather the price information wrong and then do not understand why the dealer can't match what they see is fair. It is simply a matter of education and understanding on both sides.