Jap sports (and sporty) cars going extinct......

[mazdamazda]

Most of these aren't selling as good - Is the sports compact going extinct?

It is because the Japs are currently crazy over superminis...

[gaijin]

The Daihatsu Copen came out early last year. It has a 660cc engine with a lot of grunt that's really ideal for a single guy/girl driving in the city. The retractable roof gives it a distinct 'cool' look.

[niky]

Dude... ressurecting a SPORTS CAR thread to talk about Hybrids?

Actually the number one sore point of a hybrid is the gas engine. If what you really want to do is save gas, you don't buy a hybrid with a 1.5 engine (Prius) or a V6 (Accord Hybrid) or a V8 (Lexus Hybrid)... you simply buy a car with a smaller engine (1.1 Getz or 1.3 City vs 1.5 Prius ; 2.0 Accord vs. V6 ; Diesel Landcruiser vs. Lexus V8), or you commute.

Hybrids at the moment are for people who can afford the high price and who are either environmentally conscious or who want to appear to be. That's why most Prius owners are celebrities. It's more of an "in-thing" than a true cost saving measure for them... and in the meantime, their other car is a Ferrari...

Right now, Honda is trying to rectify the situation with its Hybrid Fit, which combines one of the most fuel-efficient-per-size engines in the world with Hybrid drive. They're vowing to make it cheap enough for people to afford, but it remains to be seen whether they can. This'll be better than most hybrids, because it doesn't rely solely on the hybrid system to attain good mileage.

When hybrids become cheaper, or when they become less reliant on expensive battery technology (i.e.: they get cheaper eco-friendly batteries or switch to light super-capacitors), then they'll become a true gas-saving measure.

But if we really want to conserve petroleum, electrics/fuel-cells (but only if the fueling infrastructure isn't petroleum dependent) and alternative fuel cars are the way to go. :D

[ghosthunter]

People there is already a thread that discusses about hybrid cars in general... kindaly move your discussion move there.

[Jun aka Pekto]

It could also be that Japanese midsize cars are much more profitable than sports coupes.

[Flagg]

Balita ko there's a new Skyline coming out. 500+hp daw.

[niky]

If we're continuing the original discussion, Japanese sports cars died out because they weren't practical. The first to go were the big boys, the RX7, 300ZX, the Supra and the 3000GT. This was due to spiralling gas prices of the time. The market downsized to the "budget" sports cars, the Integra, the Celica and the Eclipse. The Eclipse evolved into a bloated caricature of its former self, and became so... comfortable that it was hardly any sportier... or even as sporty... than four doors of the time. It went on going, but it was a miserable excuse for a "sports" car.

The Celica and Integra just killed the market for sports cars. Why? They were so safe, so dependable, so... predictable, that they made it difficult for other manufacturers to successfully market budget sports cars of their own. Thank God the Celica is dying out. The Integra deserves to live, though (survival of the fittest), because it's still a bargain of a sportster.

Nowadays, we're seeing the re-emergence of old nameplates... the RX8, the 350Z, the Mustang... but I fear that this is just like the old 70's resurgence in sportscars, or the 90's resurgence. They're coming in at a time when fuel economy is on everyone's minds again. This is a re-emerging market that may not last more than a few more years.

[akuma]

mabalik lang ng konti sa hybrids...
i've been to honda QA last sat...
dadalhin daw dito yung civic hybrid 1.3 cvt... pero di pa sinabi price...
im sure mahal yan... pero its a start for hybrid cars to enter our country...

[pixelparadigm]

Toyota is still selling sports cars: Celica and MR-S.

Hopefully, we'll get to see the new Nissan "skyline" GT-R R35 this year. But is it a Nissan? or is it a Renault? or is it an American-designed sportscar with a Japanese badge on it (because they say it's based on a 350Z)?

[AG4]

Toyota is still selling sports cars: Celica and MR-S.

The Celica and MR-S(MR2) are still in production, its not sure if they will have replacements, both models have been dropped from Toyota's North American Lineup.

Hopefully, we'll get to see the new Nissan "skyline" GT-R R35 this year. But is it a Nissan? or is it a Renault? or is it an American-designed sportscar with a Japanese badge on it (because they say it's based on a 350Z)?

The 350Z styling was based on a concept designed at Nissan Design America in California, but the car is engineered and built in Japan. The current Skyline and 350Z uses Nissan's own FM-platform. The "FM" name comes from "Front Midship" which describes the position of the engine.

The next Skyline(Infiniti G37?) will continue to use Nissan's RWD/AWD FM-platform, most likely updated.

PS: the current gen Skyline is called V35, so the next one will most likely be called V36. The high powered AWD GT-R model will return to Nissan's new Skyline lineup. So I guess it will be called the Skyline GT-R (V36).

Chassis/model codes:
ALSI-1 (1952)
ALSI-2 (1957)
S50 (1962)
S54 (1964)
S57 (1967)
C10 (1968)
C110 (1972)
C211 (1977)
R30 (1981)
R31 (1986)
R32 (1989)
R33 (late 1993)
R34 (1998)
V35 (2001)

[oldblue]

bec. Asian roads are getting too overcrowded. what's the use of sports cars if you cant maximize it.