QUOTE(EnergyAnalyst @ Aug 25 2017, 10:56 PM)
So since Mitsubishi and Honda authorised distributor and service centres are from the same principal DRB Hicom group of companies, are you saying Honda gives lower margin and Mitsubishi gives higher margin?
Yes I agree timing can play a role too. Wait till you see the real deal new CX5 , I have seen it in Japan . My head was turned back until it hurts , to me it looks so much sharper and premium . The new CRV still turn me off because of many quirky and jarring bordering eye sore causing design oddities . Much like BRV in certain ways
Market conditions today are a lot more different than it was back in 2011/2012. Honda and even to some extend, Toyota, has finally started to give their cars more kit and warranty for the asking price. So it's definitely much more competitive now than it was then. Even semi-premium marques like VW has started to price their cars a lot more reasonably (no thanks to all their scandals and fiasco), and if you haven't already noticed - even premium marques like BMW/Mercedes/Volvo have even started to sell their entry level sedans at 160k to 170k marque, which may entice some of the buyers from the 140k-150k market.
Saw some photos of the new CX5 - it looks good but more like an evolution of the current design. Agree that the new CRV looks funny in some ways but one of its trump cards is the new Earth Dreams 1.5TC engine which Mazda has no counter for. Whether or not this makes a difference in sales figures is anyone's guess but for those of us who have been so used to the turbo kick, going back to NA will be somewhat of a challenge.
In the end, I think it depends on the pricing. Have you taken a look at the Mazda cars pricing?
Mazda 2 - kind of priced out of the City/Vios/Almera/Attrage war
CX3 - a little priced out against the HRV and 2008?, looks to compete against the new T-Roc
CX5 - competitive against CRV, X-trail
Mazda 3 - competitive against Civic, Altis, Jetta, 408?
Mazda 6 - completely priced out of competition against all its rivals - conti or otherwise
If the new CX5 continues the same pricing policy as the old CX5 while still giving good kit, it should be able to limit the impact of the new CRV. Difficult to say if they will maintain the sales lead but at least it will be a neck to neck battle.
The Xpander has a good chance of succeeding. Design looks good, Equipment looks decent - so it comes down to how they will price it in Malaysia. But Mitsubishi may find themselves facing the same profit margin issue that I and wkc5657 have discussed a week or 2 back. Do they go for market share while trying to survive on razor thin margins or go for better profits with the risk of pricing themselves out of the competition. This is also a problem that is facing the Kia Optima GT as well.