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This story reminded me of the chapter in Business Adventures by John Brooks about the Ford Edsel. The Edsel was one of the last large cars before economy cars
by sleazebreeze 12y ago
This story reminded me of the chapter in Business Adventures by John Brooks about the Ford Edsel.
The Edsel was one of the last large cars before economy cars became popular. The timing of the Aztek seemed similarly unfortunate. It was the first SUV crossover several years before crossovers became popular and it got flak for not fitting in with established vehicle types.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsel
- tdicola 12y agoThere were crossovers and small sport utilities for many years before the Aztek, so it certainly wasn't a timing problem. Look at the Toyota RAV4 (came out in '94), Honda CR-V ('95), Isuzu VehiCROSS ('97), and even original Jeep Cherokee ('84!). The Aztek was just a terrible looking vehicle for the mid-2000's, had a completely lackluster engine and drivetrain, and ended up being built on a mini-van platform instead of an SUV platform to reduce costs. There is truly nothing redeeming about the car.
- at-fates-hands 12y ago>>>> There is truly nothing redeeming about the car. While I agree with everything you said, most consumers would never know this unless they test drove one, or were somewhat engaged in the industry. I would argue on the timing issue though. By the mid 2000's most companies were knee deep in trying to build out their hybrid lines and grab what was left of the market Toyota had already been dominating for years with the Prius. The Aztec looked stuck between a company trying to make a full sized SUV and a economy sized crossover for the masses. These people were looking for a gas efficient hybrid or something getting a decent MPG rating. The engine and drive train killed that idea right out of the gate which left it nowhere to really fit in.