What was the last "game changer"?

[2o6]

Market is headed towards the integration of devices, not haptic interfaces. That none of the Japanese OEMs have offered touch screen replacement for HVAC controls, but are offering shit like Hondalink, says it all.Pilot? Why not the Highlander, which came out 2 years earlier?
Agree on Prius.
Mustang success prob did give Hyundai the confidence to do the Genesis coupe. I think the 350Z was more successful in this regard though.
CLS is a good one.
Fit is another good one. Def a step up from the likes of the Aspire and old Accent. I don't know if the Fiesta is legit. If any subcompact made the case for the premium subcompact it was the Mini. I wouldn't call the Fiesta premium.

I don't think the Fit or Fiesta (although good cars) were as influential in that segment as the xB and Mini were. The Fit drove nicely, but the Toyota twins matched them on comfort and quality.


And sales of the Fiesta have generally been mediocre.

[ifcar]

Pilot? Why not the Highlander, which came out 2 years earlier?

I was giving Honda credit for the third row, which became the feature to have. (Buick was technically first among mainstream crossovers, but the Rendezvous didn't change any games for it.)

I don't know if the Fiesta is legit. If any subcompact made the case for the premium subcompact it was the Mini. I wouldn't call the Fiesta premium.

The Mini was really a niche car, building on the success of the New Beetle. Whereas Ford was essentially saying "I see your Aveo and Rio and raise you a Fiesta" -- just a very different type of vehicle for a mainstream segment, and one that led the way to most competitors moving upscale.

I don't think the Fit or Fiesta (although good cars) were as influential in that segment as the xB and Mini were. The Fit drove nicely, but the Toyota twins matched them on comfort and quality.

The xB didn't attract attention to the class the way the Fit did. It was an oddity; the Fit was mainstream.

And sales of the Fiesta have generally been mediocre.

They dropped only after so many competitors introduced a Fiesta-like car.

[2o6]

I was giving Honda credit for the third row, which became the feature to have. (Buick was technically first among mainstream crossovers, but the Rendezvous didn't change any games for it.)

The Mini was really a niche car, building on the success of the New Beetle. Whereas Ford was essentially saying "I see your Aveo and Rio and raise you a Fiesta" -- just a very different type of vehicle for a mainstream segment, and one that led the way to most competitors moving upscale.

But it isn't selling all that well, and IMO it's not that upscale. All other competitors had better offering in the wings (and were introduced right after the Fiesta came out). It's not like the Fiesta sat on the market for quite some time in a unique place and everyone emulated it. Arguably, the Fiesta is an also-ran in the segment.


The Mini has such more of cult following, and given the fact that it was as popular as it was (especially in small car timid) USA, the Mini is more of an upscale small car than the Fiesta.

[hotrodalex]

While Mini sales might not be super high, everyone knows what a Mini is and it's definitely had an impact on the image of small cars. Might be a "niche" but it's a very well-known niche.

[2o6]

While Mini sales might not be super high, everyone knows what a Mini is and it's definitely had an impact on the image of small cars. Might be a "niche" but it's a very well-known niche.

It wasn't that low of sales. Quick research shows that 2002 Minis were 24K yearly. xB's (not counting 2003, it was only available in California) - 47K.  Honda Fit (introduction) - 27K. The Yaris is on the same plane as the Fit, and upon introduction in 2007, it sold 70K units.


I think the Mini paved more for the acceptance for small cars than the Fit and especially Fiesta did.

[sportyaccordy]

Yah... Mini would not have been able to create niches within niches had it not been for its success. Plus without the Mini there would be no 500. I think the New Beetle did kind of pave the way for the Mini, but that's a shakier connection than the Mini ---> 500.

In a way the Mini set off the wave of current subcompacts.

[Laconian]

The Mini pushed the price ceiling for small cars sky high. Who would drop $35k on a compact? An awful lot of people, as Mini has proven...

Renault Espace/Chrysler Minivan - have these been mentioned?

[2o6]

The Mini pushed the price ceiling for small cars sky high. Who would drop $35k on a compact? An awful lot of people, as Mini has proven...

Renault Espace/Chrysler Minivan - have these been mentioned?

The Chrysler vans were.

[S204STi]

Yah... Mini would not have been able to create niches within niches had it not been for its success. Plus without the Mini there would be no 500. I think the New Beetle did kind of pave the way for the Mini, but that's a shakier connection than the Mini ---> 500.

In a way the Mini set off the wave of current subcompacts.

Yeah, the Beetle was not that successful IMO in terms of transforming the marketplace compared with MINI.

[93JC]

'83 Camry? O_o

Most people scarcely even remember there was a Camry going that far back. It wasn't until the late '80s or early '90s that the Camry broke into the top 10 in annual US sales, and it took until 1997 for it to actually take top spot. I'd argue the Camry didn't really change the game in any significant way, it was merely a finely honed take on an old concept. You can make the argument that that in itself is game-changing, in the same way that the Miata was merely a finely honed version of the traditional small sports car, but in the Camry's case the Honda Accord did the same thing and did it first (and arguably better). If the Camry's concept was a game-changer in any way then the representative example of that should instead be the '82 Accord, the first time a 'Japanese' car was made in North America, or the 1990 Accord, the first time a 'foreign' car was the most popular in the United States.


In the same vein I would say the 1980 GM X-body cars were a game-changer: the Citation was the first front-drive car to ever top the annual US sales charts; a rear-drive car has scarcely held that position ever since. It was the first truly popular transverse-engine, front-drive, mid-size car. Every mainstream mid-size car in North America since then has been a riff on that basic idea.

[sportyaccordy]

Renault Espace/Chrysler Minivan - have these been mentioned?

Yea I mentioned the Caravan in the first post. Mentioned them in another thread too; people disagreed lol.

When MINIs came (back) out they were a fresh idea. Granted, VW had that segment on lock with the high trim GTIs but w/e. Now MINIs are 3300lb I don't know whats. But they make money which is the name of the game.

[2o6]

Yea I mentioned the Caravan in the first post. Mentioned them in another thread too; people disagreed lol.

When MINIs came (back) out they were a fresh idea. Granted, VW had that segment on lock with the high trim GTIs but w/e. Now MINIs are 3300lb I don't know whats. But they make money which is the name of the game.

No they don't....

[CALL_911]

Yea I mentioned the Caravan in the first post. Mentioned them in another thread too; people disagreed lol.

When MINIs came (back) out they were a fresh idea. Granted, VW had that segment on lock with the high trim GTIs but w/e. Now MINIs are 3300lb I don't know whats. But they make money which is the name of the game.

fux u talkin bout

Yeah, the AWD Countryman S weighs 3,200 lbs. The Cooper S weighs like 2700 lbs.

[sportyaccordy]

A little hyperbole never hurt nobody.

[Payman]

Nobody mentioned the Chrysler 300C yet. Introduced for the '95 model year, it brought back the big RWD American sedan, but with a modern platform, killer looks, and performance unheard of for a big American car.

[SVT666]

Nobody mentioned the Chrysler 300C yet. Introduced for the '95 model year, it brought back the big RWD American sedan, but with a modern platform, killer looks, and performance unheard of for a big American car.

Yet Chrysler is still the only one making big RWD mainstream sedans.  It didn' t change anything.

[Laconian]

Yeah, it didn't exactly spark a renaissance for sedans.

[Payman]

Okay, how about the New Beetle? It influenced the return of the Mini and 500.

[2o6]

Okay, how about the New Beetle? It influenced the return of the Mini and 500.

Yeah, but it soldiered on for far too long unchanged.

[Laconian]

I think it is game changing because it sparked the retro craze of the early to mid aughts.

[sportyaccordy]

Nobody mentioned the Chrysler 300C yet. Introduced for the '95 model year, it brought back the big RWD American sedan, but with a modern platform, killer looks, and performance unheard of for a big American car.

'05? And yea that is a good one.

[sportyaccordy]

Yet Chrysler is still the only one making big RWD mainstream sedans.  It didn' t change anything.

I don't think Chrysler would be here today w/o the 300. Industry wide influence is one measure of impact, but a company's trajectory is another.

[Payman]

'05? And yea that is a good one.

Lol, yeah... '05.

[Laconian]

Ummmm. What trajectory? They were given away to Fiat for FREE.

[sportyaccordy]

Ummmm. What trajectory? They were given away to Fiat for FREE.

Lol touche. Well, maybe they wouldn't even have made it that far. They were having a good run for a while.

[SVT666]

I don't think Chrysler would be here today w/o the 300. Industry wide influence is one measure of impact, but a company's trajectory is another.

I disagree.  If it's a game changer then it must change the game.  It didn't.  The 1991 Ford Explorer was a game changer. The Chrysler minivans were game changers.  The 1994 Dodge Ram was a game changer.  The 1964 Mustang was a game changer.  The 300C was an important car for Chrysler but it didn't change anyone else's game even a little bit.

[Raza]

People said the same about cell phones

And I maintain that you shouldn't be using a phone as the driver of a moving car.  Driving my brother's S4 today, with its dizzying array of electronics, was a keen reminder of why all these features in newer cars can be a bad thing.

[ifcar]

I disagree.  If it's a game changer then it must change the game.  It didn't.  The 1991 Ford Explorer was a game changer. The Chrysler minivans were game changers.  The 1994 Dodge Ram was a game changer.  The 1964 Mustang was a game changer.  The 300C was an important car for Chrysler but it didn't change anyone else's game even a little bit.

One could argue that it forced other full-size sedans to emphasize style over practicality, as automakers saw the success of the 300 compared to the Five Hundred.

[93JC]

The 1991 Ford Explorer was a game changer.

Said it before and I'll say it again: didn't change shit.

[SVT666]

It absolutely did.  It wasn't the first,  but if it had not been built and had not taken the market by storm the way it did,  the SUV craze would not have happened...or at least not for several more years.  SUVs until then were off road trucks.  The Explorer made them mainstream and a livable and comfortable daily driver.