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riviera74

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Everything posted by riviera74

  1. riviera74
    Maybe it was not intended to be a global product initially. Perhaps the next-gen Camaro will be meant for both LHD and RHD.
  2. riviera74
    Wow. The S-Class is that much of a powerhouse in its segment? By that logic, why should Audi, Jaguar and BMW even try?
  3. riviera74
    From a US point of view, it does seem rather strange that Europe would actually OWN pieces of industries in their countries. Then again, Europe is more socialist than the USA ever was. At the same time, each can learn from the other on certain things if both are willing to learn. I have never bought into the idea that governments should actually OWN parts of industries or companies for their own sake. A lot of Europe could seriously privatize their stakes of multiple companies. If you want to know how bad it can get, just look at most countries that own their oil industries and the problems with inflation and worse created by government ownership. (Think Venezuela.) OPEC is the biggest reason oil prices are where they are and where they have been. Without OPEC, oil prices would have been consistently lower since 1973. Ironically, the only reason fuel economy standards and pollution standards truly exist is because of the oil cartel propping up oil prices for so long. I am all for EVs but who will buy them? It is not as if Tesla is setting the world on fire. The Nissan Leaf, two of which I saw yesterday, is not all that popular either.
  4. riviera74
    So Britain and France are banning Gas and Diesel cars by 2040. OK. How are they going to generate enough electricity for the hybrids and EVs that they do want? I know that France is still using nuclear energy; Britain I am not so sure. VW did ruin the diesel party by cheating; then again Piech created that problem in the first place by not accepting NO for an answer. Europe does have an acid rain problem because of all of the pollution generated mostly by factories but also contributed by diesel emissions. Sometimes it is simply better to just say, "here is what we want, you figure out how."
  5. riviera74
    VW drivers switch to a GM car, even a diesel Cruze? Call me when there actual numbers to those conquest sales.
  6. riviera74
    MCE stands for mid-cycle enhancement. Instead of an all-new model, the carmaker upgrades a lot of what is there and sometimes even tweaks the exterior and maybe trim prices.
  7. riviera74
    In my experience, I would prefer a large car over a minivan, especially in the 80s. Why? My family bought an 87 Ford Aerostar, and I was required to learn how to drive in that minivan. I never liked that minivan and I have had the occasional issue with them since. As far as I am concerned, I am a little jealous of you guys who drove the old pre-1985 B-bodies since those seemed to be better. When I lived in northern NJ back in the late 90s, there were SO MANY OF THEM, even those from about 1977 and earlier. Back then I had an 84 Cutlass Supreme and there are a few occasions I miss that car (or at least what it offered). What really saddens me is that there are so FEW large cars generally, and even fewer large RWD sedans anymore. Cadillac has the CT6 but needs to resolve the poor sales of the CTS and ATS. The Epsilon FWD cars will almost certainly disappear because of this crossover madness the USA is suffering through. The Chevy SS was too limited in sales and production; the Charger/300 twins require an upgrade; Ford has the Mustang and the trucks (and I do not like trucks!); Lexus has the GS and LS that may not sell like they used to; BMW and MB are the same as they ever were, but they are increasingly crossover-mad; the Jaguar XJ may become endangered; and Hyundai/Kia makes the only semi-affordable RWD large sedans left other than Chrysler. If only Congress simply raised the gas tax in 1975 rather than pursue this CAFE madness, we could have avoided a lot of this mess. Now we are stuck. Help.
  8. riviera74
    IOW, where is the XJ MCE?
  9. riviera74
    Tell that to your state legislature. They are the ones who wrote all those agency shop laws that protect dealers from manufacturers.
  10. riviera74
    No, Elon Musk needs to sell Tesla to an existing auto concern because Tesla is not delivering anywhere near what he promised.
  11. riviera74
    GM has had an advertising/marketing problem ever since the BK, and it probably goes back as far as the '90s. Cadillac should be getting MORE ad/mktg value than everyone else, but they have not put in the effort. Personally I am not sure whether the CTS or ATS should survive, but they need to choose one and make that the CT4. As for the XT5, Cadillac needs the XT3 and XT7 STAT! A Russian-esque degree of choice for a worthy vehicle in each segment. Yuck. They call that a monopoly. Monopolies of ANY KIND are completely awful for everyone (excluding the monopolist).
  12. riviera74
    They could do a 3 row crossover right now to top the F-Pace as we speak without dumping the XJ. The XJ probably needs an MCE rather than an all-new model anyway.
  13. riviera74
    Jeep has supported Chrysler and Dodge ever since Chrysler bought American Motors back in 1987. As for the Italians, FCA should dump them, but Sergio would probably ditch Chrysler and Dodge long before he would dump FIAT, Alfa Romeo and/or Maserati. It really sucks but the Italians are NOT carrying their share of the sales or profit load at all.
  14. riviera74
    Sergio's loyalty has always been to FIAT, not Chrysler. This is the same reason Daimler-Benz basically looted Chrysler after the 300/Charger twins came out. The original sin is that Bob Eaton sold Chrysler back in 1998. There are no REAL Chrysler advocates at the executive level; that is the real issue. Jeep should be thriving, but it cannot unless the Italians are dumped from FCA forever. As much as I hate to say this, FCA now is where GM was before they ditched Oldsmobile in 2004: too many brands, not enough sales and profit to justify any of it.
  15. riviera74
    I am glad that the CT6 is not on the chopping block. As for why the ATS and CTS are not selling, especially compared to MB and BMW and Audi, I don't know what to do about that. The fact that the XT5 is doing gangbusters does necessitate a larger and smaller crossover for Cadillac. But an Enclave clone may seem like badge engineering if Cadillac is not careful. That is WHY I advocated an Omega crossover to distinguish the Cadillac from the Lambda CUVs. Cadillac needs competitive and unique vehicles people will flock to dealerships to buy off the lots period, regardless of which side of the Pacific Ocean we are talking about. A better question is: where the hell is the luxury compact CUV? Buick has its Encore; Cadillac needs a better version of one too --- right now. Cadillac can survive (and probably thrive) with two cars and the rest are CUVs and SUVs. The CT6 is mandatory; an upgraded ATS or CTS should be the other since sales of both look problematic.
  16. riviera74
    Th best or nothing. Can MB explain the CLA then? That is the problem with German cars: the repair bills tend to be stratospheric, especially compared to anything GM.
  17. riviera74
    Well oldshurst, it is not that we do not care what GM is doing in China. It is that most of us care about what is sold here. Sure, Cadillac could use some clarity here. They ultimately need to decide whether the standard is defeating BMW or Lexus. The XTS is a dead car walking at this point. An Omega crossover would work wonders for Cadillac and keep the CT6 on dealer lots and make the platform $$$ case better. Cadillac does NOT need an Enclave clone; it needs an upgraded CUV to take care of the large luxury CUV segment. The XT5 is doing well in its midsize luxury CUV segment, especially against the Lexus RX. The ATS seems to be doing OK but can do better. Historically, Cadillac has been the smooth ride luxury leader for decades, but the market switched to the Germans back in the '80s and especially after Lexus debuted in 1990. I wish I had an answer for Cadillac's situation.
  18. riviera74
    Personally, I suspect that the CT6 will survive. Until further notice, the Escalade is NOT the flagship for Cadillac. Few would ever accept that as a possibility. The underlying technology of the Volt will survive and spread, even if the Volt does not. Why there is no Volt crossover puzzles me. As for Epsilon 2XXX (i.e. the Impala, Lacrosse and the XTS), one will certainly go and probably two. The XTS is a little too backwards looking and not quite Cadillac enough anymore. The Impala for some reason is being rejected for Traverses and Equinoxes. And the Lacrosse may end up suffering the same fate as the Lucerne did in 2011. No more large sedans is in my view rather sad, but time marches on. It wasn't that long ago wagons were everywhere, only to be supplanted by minivans in the '90s. As for the Sonic, I have no idea why Chevy has a Spark AND a Sonic. One of them will go soon.
  19. riviera74
    Plugging in is a lot more like going to the gas station rather than getting an oil change. It is much faster and easier so owners will do it.
  20. riviera74
    When GM sold those Oldsmobile/Cadillac diesels in the late 70s, people bought them but GM then dropped the diesel cars and failed to support or service them. I wonder if Porsche will do the same with their diesel-powered autos once they no longer build them.
  21. riviera74
    Honda is making the right bet that coupes no longer sell. The real question is whether Honda Accord coupe buyers will stay loyal or switch to Acura, instead of going to the competition.
  22. riviera74
    So Genesis wants to become the Korean Lexus. Good luck to that.
  23. riviera74
    Sorry MB, that dog won't hunt. Next time MB, rebadge a RAM pickup instead.
  24. riviera74
    My $$$$ is on China. They are still in a buying spree.
  25. riviera74
    A bunch of CUVs from Genesis is not surprising. But a bunch of coupes from Genesis may not be wise simply because the sales are not there anymore. One luxury compact and one subcompact sedan make Genesis look like it is chasing Lexus or Buick, although I have no idea why they would do that.
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