[Anakin23]

I'm a soon to be Scion tC owner (it being built

) and a marketing major. Today in class we were dicussing Mazda and other car companies that are having the balls to go against Toyota. My professor thinks that Mazda can't go up against Toyota because they are in a different class. I argued that it could go against Scion. . . he didn't know what Scion was *sigh*.

So my question is. . . when you were deciding on a new car, what were the other options that you put the Scion up against? What were the most important features that you were looking for in your new car??

Personally, I was choosing between the tC and the Mazda 3. My top criteria were performance, affordability, and looks. Idealistically I'd love an Acura but with my budget I suppose a 4cylinder that acts like a 6 is good enough for me. I wanted sporty but not girly. . . no Saturn coupes for me!!

Anyways, let me know. I fully intend you use your posts to help me get an A in this class, feel used. (j/k)

 

[Anakin23]

I agree with my prof in the sense that the original Toyota image is that of soccer moms and well.... our parents generation. However, Scion has succeeded in marketing towards generation Y... I think that most of us would agree. Also, even though Toyota's advertising budget is over 3x as large as Mazdas, they won't allocate all of that to Scion.

Mazda is moving toward the gen Y marketing strategy too... with the "zoom zoom" (implies fun to drive, fast, etc). Comparing the Mazda 3 and the tC I found that they really are similar, besides looks but with price and features and all that. My prof says though that Mazda has a reputation for being "a #### box". Would you agree??? I had a Protege for a long time and was happy with it. In my opinion I'd put the quality of Mazda and Toyota on the same page, the reason I went with the Scion is because the few more standard features it offered ... and at the risk of sounding cliche, the opportunity to be part of something new.

Love Toyota but have to disagree with my prof and say that Mazda does have a good chance at stealing market share away, at least if they go up against Scion. Or maybe it will be that Scion takes away from Mazda... either way I'd put them in the same class and say they're competitors.

 

[Anakin23]

Originally posted by Plissken@Aug 31 2004, 06:30 PM
I was going to get an 04 Rav4, had it all picked out at the dealership and everything. Went one more time to see it, saw the tC and placed an order. I was never seriosuly thinking of any other brand than Toyota or its subsidiaries.

Ahhh... brand loyalist!!!

 

[Anakin23]

I don't like the ads either. When I first saw them I was like what the ****?! I agree that the ads make it seem like they're trying too hard. However, marketing is much more than just the ads. Do you really think that soccer mom in suburbia is really concerned with 17" alloy wheels standard or a 2.4L engine or even a standard panorama sunroof?

I think they hit their target because look at the poll asking the age of people buying the Scion, the vast majority are under 30. When Honda Element tried to target generation Y, what happened was a bunch of baby boomers bought it trying to reconnect with their youth. A very small percentage of their customer base was anyone in the age group intended.

 

[Anakin23]

It's hard to compare the Acura with the Scion. Again, would've LOVED an Acura but that's for when I'm older, settled into a good paying job or have a company that will buy it for me. I love that Scion is packed full for the money you pay and the performance for it's class is nothing to complain about.

 

[Anakin23]

Not just that poll but talking to dealers and asking who is coming in looking at the car, noticing who's driving them. Of course it's not a perfect measure by any means but Scion is still relatively new and with a little more time it will tell what target they've REALLY hit.

 

[Anakin23]

Do you know anyone in 20's age range with a Honda Element? Just curious. I think the thing is ugly and I think that Honda was crazy when they thought that it'd be a huge trend among the Y gen. But that's just me. . . I heard from another marketing prof. that the Element's largest buyer was the mid 40's male.... just interesting.

I agree when you say that the Scion tC will span across age gaps though because of it's all round good value.

 

[Anakin23]

I briefly considered the Pt Cuiser but it's such a novelty car to me, like the VW bug or something. I've heard that it's a pice of sht too and that owners have had a lot of problems with it. I haven't seen anyone under 40 driving it.

(PS talking in this forum is making me want my tc even more, one more week or so.....bleh!)

 

[Anakin23]

There are a lot of PT's here in Colorado and I've seen two Scions... one xB and one tC.

I'm getting flint mica... thought I was being original... oh well. I'm getting floor mats/cargo mat, bumber protector, side curtain airbags for now. I really wanted the 6cd changer but it's a graduation present, dad didn't think it was necessary. bleh

 

[Anakin23]

Well thank you for all the input, it's definately helped a lot. I see both sides and while I do agree that Mazda could never go up against Toyota as a whole (they're just too big and have too much brand loyalty), I think that Scion and Mazda are reasonably good competitors. I know this forum isn't a great place to do market research but it gives a little more insight to what's behind a car buying decision process.

Even though I was considering the Mazda 3 and had a great experience with my Protege... never had any problems for 8 years.... I'm still very happy with my decision, I think the tC is way more bang for the buck AND it looks better. I just can't wait to get it. Been waiting for 2.5 weeks... SOON SOON

I've already bought a bunch of car care products and swept out a parking space for it...