Hornby cutting production

[SpeedyNH]

what a great thread. thanks to all.
I'm an old guy. most of my younger friends and work associates don't even know what a slotcar IS! so I'm doing my best to educate them. but I'm only one guy.
once or twice seeing slotcars on a tv spot isn't cutting it. we need to find a way to get it out there.
speedy

[slothead]

These sorts of conversations are precisely why I visit HRW everyday and spend hours reading the various posts. Thanks to everyone for sharing thoughts on something we're obviously passionate about.

As a Trans Am fan, and especially a Cougar fan, dropping the #79 Mark Waco car from production is a big deal since Scalextric was the only manufacturer to offer any of them. Yes, I have 2 RMS Cougar bodies I bought years ago but my resin-bodied cars mounted on extended Scalextric T/A chassis are all top heavy and can't keep up with the RTR T/A cars. My point is along the lines of what someone else said - personal tastes drive the market for items like slot cars. I buy a lot of stuff because I have to, I buy slot cars because I want to. Yes, spending $80 on a toy car is a bit absurd, but for me less so than hundreds of dollars for an RC helicopter.

If a slot car I want costs $30 or $80 I may say no thanks today, but at some point I'm going to buy it. And if it was there in front of me in a display case to look at in person, it's gonna go home with me. I can always tell myself I'll cut back on pizza.

Slothead

[DaveKennedy]

[DaveKennedy]

[Carrera#1]

As President of Carrera for these past 8 years, I take exception with the comments of Bob @ Victory Lap. Dave Kennedy has accurately described our efforts in the US market and Bob's comments are completely without merit and many of his assertions are downright wrong.
I rarely (and I mean rarely) ever post or comment on the message boards as I prefer to let Dave do his job which he does quite well. I can honestly say that I do monitor HRW and another message board on a regular basis as I like to see what our core hobbyists are discussing. That being said, I felt the necessity to comment and set the record straight.

Carrera is a subsidiary of the Stadlbauer Group based in Austria but that does not mean we have no clue about the US market and its needs. I have been in the US toy/hobby industry for 40 years. I was a slot car kid growing up and was VP, Sales at Tyco when HO scale slot cars were a must have under every Xmas tree back in the day. Carrera has more of an understanding of the American market that any other mfr in our industry and over the past 8 years I defy you Bob, or anyone else to say that Carrera has not been receptive to producing American slot cars or produce cars in racing series like CAN AM or NASCAR. We even produced a series of Formula E cars knowing this racing series was in its infancy. No slot car mfr has produced more American cars and sets for the American market than Carrera

Eight years ago, Carrera was arguably 3rd down the totem pole behind SCX and Scalectric (Hornby). Fast forward to today and not only is Carrera the leading brand in market share, we are the price-value leader as well. Dave K is correct and Bob you are again wrong when you say that slot car mfr's should advertise on TV. It is a changing world and TV is not where toy mfr's put the majority of their ad dollars. No slot car mfr has a greater social media presence than Carrera. No other slot car company is sponsoring a leading car related TV show like Carerra. Anyone watching Stacy David's GEARZ knows that Carrera is a sponsor. Carrera does more in-store dealer events than the rest of the slot car manufacturing community combined. Bob, you would not know this since you choose not to carry our company's product. Those dealers that do and participate in Carrera Race Day in-store events experience higher retail traffic and greater sales. Dave K again does a fantastic job in coordinating these events all over the country. Carrera is also the only slot car mfr promoting at consumer only attended events such as major auto shows, race events such as the F1 race in Montreal or the National Corvette Museum.

I put it to you Bob that Carrera has done more to promote slot car racing than the rest of the slot car manufacturing community combined. We do not have unlimited marketing funds but we do get maximum bang for the buck. Carrera's slot car business has tripled in the past 8 years and our closest competitors have unfortunately experienced market difficulties. I enjoy and want the competition. Competition makes us better and I take no pleasure in seeing weakness in some of our competitors.

I will also add to what Dave K said; Bob you have no direct or inside information regarding Carrera. To make such a claim is false and you have "no sources" within our company. Your claims on this front are pure fabrication and have no standing in truth.

Carrera may not be the preferred brand of every hobbyist, and that's okay, but we make a quality product and offer the best price value for analog and digital slot cars. We have a focus on the American market and as Dave K pointed out produce many US only cars and US specific sets. So Bob if you are going to give the impression that you have your finger on the pulse of what's happening, please get your facts straight.

Ed Gershowitz
President & CEO
Carrera of America

[nhdungeonracer]

Wow!!

Looks like any 1/32 cars I buy will be Carrera's... :D

[HomeRacingWorld]

Well...

Stayed out of this as I have been busy. Also because I won't speculate on the matter. Been down this road too many times. We raced a lot of brands this past weekend that used to be household names in our hobby that are now all but gone. A company will either respond to changing things for the better, or stay on the path that led them to failure.

I have had communication with Simon at Scalextric. Although I might personally disagree with certain models/decisions, I can say that at least someone DOES care and they will try to turn things around. No, I won't reveal private email comments, and NO nothing I learned is anything more than what most of you already know. Except that they truly feel the changes they will make will result in a positive end.

As for the comments toward Carrera, ridiculous at best. I don't claim to know any inside info. I know as much as anyone who follows this forum and others. Carrera has proven they have done more to promote our hobby in the USA than any other brand. And they DO listen.

Thank you Dave and Mr. Gershowitz for setting the matter straight. It saddens me that a good, healthy discussion turns sour due to inaccurate comments.

I cannot fix Hornby's issues, but I can address this right away.

[DaveKennedy]

Yes Bob I do talk with the experts I know that can provide the valuable information. I talk with hundreds of people in my dealings with consumers, dealers, racing teams (real racing teams I mean), toy industry folks... everyone basically. I ask people their opinions about Carrera, about racing, about cars. All of that gets put into a mix and then is hopefully reflected in my suggestions to our company about what we make for the North American market. We have grown each year as Ed has said, so I feel confident we're on a track that is a steady track for growth in sales and growth in acceptance by the hobby market. Giving people value for money, giving people more US-specific cars, honestly dealing with people and helping them get the most of their slots is what we're about. I work in good faith every day to get that done.
Yes I talk with people I trust. I will talk with anyone I feel can add to the mix of what we need to know.