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riviera74

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Everything posted by riviera74

  1. riviera74
    That shifter is in a BMW?! I thought Cadillac was bad in putting a weird-working shifter in the XT5.
  2. riviera74
    Genesis certainly wins the value for the dollar award on all of its models. The problem is this: Where are the sales? I think the the G80 is a really nice luxury car. But Genesis needs MORE crossovers right now. The GV80 is not enough. Remember when Cadillac only had the Escalade and the SRX/XT5? Forty percent of Cadillac sales went to the XT5 as recently as two years ago. The release of the XT4 AND the XT6 were required to plug in the enormous gaps in Cadillac's lineup. Now Genesis has the same issues. They need a GV90 and especially a GV70 right now, not in 24-36 months. Every other luxury marque has at least two if not three crossovers, which are the sales leaders right now and have been so for the past five years. Can you imagine Audi sales without the Q3 and the Q5? Or BMW sales without the X3 and the X5? Or Mercedes Benz without the GL- class? Their sales numbers would be trending down just like Infiniti! In an era where the flagship of almost any car make is a crossover and NOT a large sedan, the G80 is a solution in search of some customers.
  3. riviera74
    That Ford executive wants Cash for Clunkers because he sees an opportunity for Ford to get more money from the government. That is the real issue. I do not believe that we need a Cash for Clunkers program this time. As for back to basics automobiles, maybe that will happen but I doubt it. Not only are current new vehicles too expensive, but used vehicles can be bought at semi-reasonable prices. Unless the fight is over a brand new $10K Chevy Trax, I suspect that automakers will make do with a market that only sells 8-12 million new cars a year for the next several years.
  4. riviera74
    When it comes to Mercedes Benz, I actively wonder why they insist on selling the C-class AND the CLA-class to begin with. Too many badge snobs wanting a subsidized lease I guess. Yes, the original Escalade was little more than a badge job from a same-year Tahoe. . . . . . in 1999. In the last 15 years, Escalade has exceeded anything the Yukon Denali provides in amenities galore by comparison. At least Cadillac has learned to NOT cheapen its brand anymore (unlike the pitiful Cimarron era!) and offer real luxury options for customers. The MB CLA is little more than a 21st century version of a Cimarron. That is awful.
  5. riviera74
    Cadillac has not sold anything resembling a pickup truck since GM cancelled the Avalanche/Escalade EXT several years ago. GMC is doing quite well in selling Sierra Denalis at the moment; same with top of the line Silverados. The real question is what percentage of each pickup truck sales are high-end vs. work trucks vs. middle of the road. As for why those interiors are not in sedans and SUVs, there is a reason for that too. A LOT of Detroit SUVs get similar interiors to the pickup trucks based on trim level: Denali SUVs and pickups get virtually identical interiors. Same with FORD. The sedan issue is simple: the sales of Detroit sedans has fallen off so quickly that FORD and GM and FCA are largely out of the sedan business entirely. Good decision? IDK, but understandable given that sales are now with SUVs and crossovers and trucks these days.
  6. riviera74
    And price it like one, even when it wasn't a luxury car. Perception (to a lot of people) is reality. But that was the 80s. MB and BMW and Audi don't do that now. . . . . .
  7. riviera74
    When the RAV4 came out originally, Detroit was selling BOF SUVs. Only the RAV4 and Honda CR-V were selling crossovers 25 years ago. Then came the original Lexus RX300, arguably the first luxury crossover. Swapping Corolla/Camry sales for the RAV4 has been nothing but Toyota minting money for the better part of this past decade. Yes the Tundra is dated because it does not sell and neither does the Nissan Titan for good reason: truck buyers are quite loyal to Detroit pickups. Since Toyota has a very hard time outselling the Chevy Silverado in any month over the past 20 years, they should simply discontinue the Tundra (and drop any pretense of building a Lexus pickup truck). If anything, Toyota should watch out for Hyundai/KIA AND make Lexus even more successful than it already is rather than pursue the fool's errand of competing in the BOF truck wars that Toyota simply cannot win.
  8. riviera74
    Right. Who in their right mind would actually buy a Tundra? Or any Toyota truck for that matter?
  9. riviera74
    Luxury from MB is rather simple: S class before 1990 and since; E class after 1990 or so; the ML class (nowadays the GL classes). The C class is a tweener (i.e. near luxury) and the CLA class is just a cheap fake luxury Mercedes. Any questions?
  10. riviera74
    The Audi Q series, especially the Q5 and the Q3, are keeping Audi afloat. I have not seen too many Audi CARS on the road in several years. Maybe the occasional A8 here and there. Yes the Denali customer is a luxury customer. That is great for GMC. Other than the pickup trucks, why can't GM move them up to an Escalade?
  11. riviera74
    I agree about that mid-80s Sedan deVille listed above. Once upon a time, GM would have the same bodies but a lot of differentiation. Then came homologation in the 1970s which got even worse in the 80s and 90s. Hence why Olds and Buick lost so much market share for the last quarter of the 20th Century (and the death of Olds in 2004, even though Olds was trying to move away from that as early as the '95 Aurora and the '98 Intrigue).
  12. riviera74
    Wow. 80s J-bodies, N-bodies and A-bodies. Sad era. And people wonder how Olds and Buick lost so much market share by 1990. And how Cadillac went from luxury leader to total has been by 1992.
  13. riviera74
    Maybe, but if EVs do explode in sales and threaten the used car market, then Honda was wise in pursuing what looks like a strategic alliance. EVs, especially BEVs, need to be cheap enough so nobody will want a lightly used ICE vehicle. Otherwise it is all for naught.
  14. riviera74
    The badge snobs embraced the MB/BMW in the 80s; nobody really cared back in the 70s. As for the rapid switch to other marques, color me a little skeptical. The switch to CUVs over sedans took a long while (about 20 years from the original CR-V and RAV4). CUV sales have essentially replaced sedan sales only 5-7 years ago. Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acura have lost very little market share in the past 15 years. The rise of Hyundai/KIA is amazing but Genesis is not a brand that is trendy. Where is the fat and unhealthy luxury marque that needs to be challenged from Genesis? There is a reason that MB/BMW went from obscure in 1980 to the Kings of the Luxury Hill before 1990 (prestige if not sales); then came the 1990 Lexus LS400 to challenge them. Cadillac is not the slothful and complacent non-leader of the 1970s and 1980s. Lincoln is no longer an afterthought (unlike before 2017 or so). It seems to me that just about every luxury marque (aside from failing Infiniti) is pretty much where they want to be. There is no real growth in luxury car sales at all. Mostly it is the craze for luxury CUVs; but also there is some real growth from otherwise common car marques, especially really expensive pickup trucks. The same questions remain: where does Genesis find and take market share? Also, why should anyone buy a Genesis over ANY Other luxury brand? What is Genesis's unique selling point?
  15. riviera74
    Apparently the USA is now a German province. I remember when the USA essentially became a Japanese prefecture. . . . and that was 30 years ago.
  16. riviera74
    I wanted to replace the headlights over my then 1999 Buick Park Avenue Ultra (the part that clouds over the bulb assembly). The parts department at my local Buick dealer said $300 each. Rockauto has it for about $120. Unfortunately, none of it is cheap anymore.
  17. riviera74
    Seems like every (non-German) luxury auto needs a discount in order to compete. US/Koreans especially.
  18. riviera74
    The Escala should be the replacement for the CT6 that was just cancelled. Yes, the Escalade and the XTs can have the bulk of the sales, but a CAR flagship is still somewhat necessary. Just no more 4cyl cars (XT4 and CT4 aside) please.
  19. riviera74
    I miss that car. I miss Oldsmobile. But all things must pass. This '95 Aurora would have made a really good sleek RWD sedan if GM had the wisdom to build it that way. Of course, it would have to meet 21st Century standards.
  20. riviera74
    I really am impressed with the interior. The steering wheel looks weird to me, though. Not a fan of the rear taillights either.
  21. riviera74

    2021 Genesis G80

    riviera74 commented on William Maley's gallery album in Media Gallery

    1934-2021GenesisG80luxuryexecutivesedan-3000..jpg
    I really am impressed with the interior. The steering wheel looks weird to me, though. Not a fan of the rear taillights either.
  22. riviera74
    AMEN to that!
  23. riviera74
    They probably hung around that long. I remember seeing that type of desk in my high school. . . . . in 1989. Schools do not replace desks every two years because it is simply too expensive to do that.
  24. riviera74
    Love the Grumpy Cat. Thanks a lot.
  25. riviera74
    EV sales will go nowhere because auto sales generally are going nowhere. When gas exceeds $4 a gallon ($5 in CA/AK/HI), then EVs will probably really get some momentum. Right now, BEVs are 1% of all sales if that high.
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