btw, here's a little spreadsheet that I started to track the future changes. Anyone got any numbers for me to fill in the blanks, please PM me!

http://www.geocities.com/boomn29/2007-car_outlook.xls

 

More rumors....

575hp Pontiac GTO Ram Air
601hp Mustang Cobra SVT

 

Yeh the detuned Skyline is gonna suck from what I hear, the G35.

 

Its only a matter of time before our beloved EVO's HP #'s PALE in comparo to the new 6's and 8 bangers..

(sigh)

I still love her dearly though!!

 

Mazdaspeed 6

 

The new mazdaspeed 6 can be quite a contentor too, can't it?
2.3L Turbo AWD 6-spd targetted at 274hp & 280lb-ft.
Although I think this may be more of a Legacy competitor b/c of all the comfort/luxury features.

 

The STI Spec-V beat the Evo in last months Sport Compact Car test. The STI over here doesnt handle as well as the Evo but they are getting closer. But as so many have said before if you want cruise control get the STI.

 

Yeah, I've heard of more comparisons to the Legacy than anything else. Also, the specs aren't firm yet and range from 250 - 276hp. That's a big gap to me! Interior should be nice like you said, with a DVD Navigation option.

 

I've been trying to hold out for the Audi RS-3 to come to the USDM but 2007 sure seem like a long long long way away. It will probably cost as much, or a little more, than the current $35k MR but she's a beauty! Audi's talking about a base model with a 250hp turbo 4 but they plan to offer a twin turbo V6 supposedly capable of 350awhp. Gotta love an AWD hatchback. I think all these pictures are prototype drawings but they still are worth posting...

 

I agree with him on this issue. The new Skyline should atleast have some attributes of its former design. I hate when manufacturers rehash the current platform and rename it. It will still be a 350Z..Not that it is a bad thing but, it's still not a Skyline.

 

http://www.detnews.com/2004/autoscon...f03-323632.htm

Look at the date of the article on the new Supra. All those rumors of a V8 is pretty much dead, unless as an option. It'll be gunning for th 350Z.


The skyline will be NA; if Nissan was smart and market savvy, it will have an optional V8 off the Q45 (beefed up a bit) to attract mass appeal of American luxury owners. People don't drive a Caddy or Lincoln, because they want a 6 banger. If they want 6 banger luxury, they drive Buicks . . . look at their sales, I'm surprised GM is still floating them and Oldsmobile (if they are still alive).


I see it as a niche market tool. It's also a liability for warranty issue . . . amongst the Big 3, which is more cost effective to be repaired by the dealership, FWD. RWD, or AWD.


Ford doesn't need to do anything. Ford has won the f-body war after they made GM killing off the 'maro, firebird, and trans am. Where are those f-body owners are flowing towards . . . yup, the 'stangs.

A super beefed up Focus. Won't happen in the US. How many sales did the Tauras SHO and Contour SVT were sold? It's not enough for Ford to dig into that market w/ more AWD madness and mad amounts of HP. If they are going to do it, it's going to be half-**** attempt.


Won't happen either.

When DSMs were in the market, Mitsu didn't bring the Evos stateside for fear of deluding their performance brand. When the 3KGT VR4 came into the market, its price skyrocketed above 40 grands as a cash cow for Mitsu.

Then, DSM died which opened slightly for the Evo coming stateside. Finally after the death of the 3KGT, Mitsu paved the way for the sole 4g63T and performance banger. I don't know if the GTO is still being sold in Japan.

 

gto has been discontinued for years... since i think even before the rx7s and supras (circa 98).

now i have to wonder why peopel would move from fbodies to stangs, i'm not gonna say you're wrong, cuz i actaully don't know but there's nothing better about any stang than an ls1 fbody UNLESS you're talkin' about very new model year stang cobras that have dohc v8s (yeah took 'em a while but they finally caught on) but forget THAT even... now we have ls2 which puts out nice amount of power (****in' pushrods, although i wish didn't displace the motor more, such a cop out, but it was prolly to put the potentail for 500hp for the z06, i'm highly anticipating )

and the problem here is... i don't know if you're right... but in any case, you're sounding right and i'm pretty sure they're just gonna make the "skyline" a lux fat *** for american fat asses to fat around in. it's actually a bit ironic... chevy makin' this power track oriented car and all of japan backin' out of the heavy sports car industry. it's all about the money darnit, the darn corps don't care about motorsports and don't crank out the bare minimum homoligation cars just for motorsports anymore :[.

one comment on the audi, you're gonna hope it's not a leatherier version of the r32. another comment, audi always somehow finds a way to make the slimest cars big fat asses that need to lose weight, bet they can do it with this hatch.

regardless i think the evo will always be a mean contender for motorsports of multiple kinds. i'm really hoping that it won'g be a dsm fade out, kinda like how now dsms are this hallmark instead of a hall trophy winner.

 

I'm saying when GM killed their f-body cars . . . where are all those future would-be 'maro, firebird, and TA buyers go . . . demographically, I don't see them even eyeing any imports like the RSX or 3g eclipse. From experience, domestic guys or family stay domestic, unless they have a very strong intolerance for their Ford/Chevy rivalry. Maybe, my eyes are skewed a bit, but I'm seeing tons of post 99 'stangs either V6's, GT, and smattering of Cobras. Before the death of GM f-bodies, there were enough 'maros, TA's, and firebirds to stalemale the sales of the 'stangs. It's like taking a predator out of an ecosystem; now, deers and stags are overwhelming the area.

Also, GM don't expect to sell their LS1 f-body so much to overwhelm their lower V6 counterparts. It's like saying GM expected to sell more Z06 than the regular vette or ZR1 over the C4 vette. Or Acura execs expected more sales on the ITR over the GS + GSR sales combined.


For the skyline, I'm expecting it to be watered down a bit (no AWD madness in American market to cut cost down or all those techno whiz-bangs/super computers in previous skyline models) . . . look at the 'tezza motor selection in JPN. Nor do I expect Nissan to make the same mistake like the Altima being faster than the Maxima w/ the same top line motor. Look at the 350Z and its sedan counterpart . . . the sedan isn't faster than the 350z. I'm expecting the skyline to be badged as an Infinity.

For the Evo, Mitsu paved a golden road for the Evo to stay for awhile. There is no product dilution amongst their brand.

For the GTO, GM paved the way for its introduction by killing their f-body cars. GM had to slow the sales of top line 'stangs . . . resurrecting the performance name and given it beefy motor. Then again, GM is maybe trying to place all their eggs in the Cobalt. Otherwise, why all those commercial of the cobalt teasing the vette?

 

oh the whole mess of stangs is just an age old phenomenon, people like mustangs gts or not. i'll never understand it... i hate stangs, they're soft and they're garbage. and i think you're wrong about the camaro thing, stangs have always outsold fbodies, i think by huge margins.

i thot the g35 was the skyline... it's just they're bringing a "gtr" trimline, which is so disturbing... cuz it's a mating of fairlady and skyline which... if we look at the "eclipse gt" when it first came out... is gonna be an enourmous sports dissapointment.

i hate the fact that they killed the fbody to introduce an OH SO INFERIOR gto... boo to the gto, garbage. i really hope the cobalt really deos something.

 

trinydex is right. Mustangs outsold all F-bodies combined for years. I had a '95 with the 3.8 V6. Damn was that thing slow - and soft suspension wise. I always thought the dash came up too high too. The only part any good was the Mach 460. And the cobalt...bleh...it's just the Z24 replacement chevy is aiming at the under 22 or whatever crowd.

bahamut - what sedan is the 350z's counterpart? That's new to me.