Baja Sales Slow

[jaxed]

From http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101417 -<br><br>Subaru's slow-selling Baja trucklet gets a reprieve - for the moment<br>YUZO YAMAGUCHI | Automotive News<br>Posted Date: 12/14/04<br><br>TOKYO -- Subaru still is deciding whether to drop or keep the slow-selling Baja.<br><br>"We'll let it go for a while," says Kyoji Takenaka, president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., maker of Subaru cars.<br><br>He says the automaker has no plans to remodel the vehicle. Nor will it remake the vehicle on a new platform, a Subaru source says.<br><br>Sales of the Baja, which was launched in September 2002, are slow. Subaru sold 10,694 Bajas in the United States in 2003 - less than half of its annual target of 24,000.<br><br>Last year, Subaru cut the price by $2,000 and added a turbocharged version. But through 11 months of this year, U.S, sales of the mid-sized car with a small pickup bed plunged to 6,724, down 32.8 percent from the year-ago period.<br><br>The 2005 Baja's base price is $22,670, including the $575 destination charge.

[yellowblaze]

"trucklet"  hmmm.  Maybe that's what I'll call it...

[jaxed]

[quote author=yellowblaze link=board=gen;num=1103610311;start=0#1 date=12/28/04 at 17:53:04]"trucklet"  hmmm.  Maybe that's what I'll call it...[/quote]<br><br>Perhaps a vanity plate?<br><br>TRUKLET<br>

[mbaksic]

I told all of my relatives that asked what it was that it is a Suby El Camino. They got a kick out of that.

[03ClassicYellow]

I was at the D/C auto show last week and they didn’t even have a Baja on display. I ask what's up the reply was" Subaru doesn’t know who they should market the vehicle to" they tried the surfer / Jet Ski folks and that didn’t quite work out.

[mbaksic]

[quote author=03ClassicYellow link=board=gen;num=1103610311;start=0#4 date=01/04/05 at 16:27:34]I was at the D/C auto show last week and they didn’t even have a Baja on display. I ask what's up the reply was" Subaru doesn’t know who they should market the vehicle to" they tried the surfer / Jet Ski folks and that didn’t quite work out.[/quote]<br><br>I believe that, it seems the Trucklet got lost in a corporate black hole somewhere. I don't see any advertising around here for it at all.   Mike

[03ClassicYellow]

I have learned that Honda will begin production of their version of a Baja in 2006 . This might help sales as Hondas can be overpriced .

[alecw81]

This just means that anyone in the market now can get a pretty low price on a Baja  wait till the end of the month to get the best price possible (when the individual salesman is just trying to pad his sales numbers) Hopefully I'll be picking up a Turbo Baja at the end of this month. Most likely the  auto since the 5spd is a major weak point. <br><br>

[yellowblaze]

[quote author=03ClassicYellow link=board=gen;num=1103610311;start=0#6 date=01/06/05 at 09:45:14]I have learned that Honda will begin production of their version of a Baja in 2006 . This might help sales as Hondas can be overpriced .[/quote]<br><br><br>Have you seen the concept?  YUCK!  And I think it's more along the lines of a explorer sporttrac....

[jaxed]

Well, here is another automaker pondering a "crossover vehicle", tho it seems to me they are just rehashing what they used to make!<br><br>Jeep: Jeep Gladiator

[yellowblaze]

That's  not half bad looking.  My neighbor used to have a scrambler, they wrecked off roading a couple times (they rebuilt it though)-they did it in the last time, it was rolled HARD, left on a roll back & never came back.....

[alecw81]

That Jeep is FUGLY

[mbaksic]

I kinda like the looks, has a retro military look to it.  ::)Doesn't look like they will put a good engine in it though. It would be a natural for the 4.0L inline 6. I think that the 4.0L won't be around much longer. Probably can't get it up to the newer emission standards. Plus, it lasts too long!!

[mshibata]

The Honda truck is called the Ridgeline and is scheduled for '06.  It'll be at the Los Angeles Auto Show http://www.laautoshow.com/2005/debuts.aspx

[03ClassicYellow]

A picture and more info can be found here.<br>http://automobiles.honda.com/new_models ... ected=True