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G. David Felt

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Everything posted by G. David Felt

  1. G. David Felt
    Thank you for sharing this information, it gives more credibility if you also input the actual link to the facts, you have pulled together. Let me remind you that you have compared Mercedes to many brands here and in comparing them to Kia/Hyundai, or any other brand that makes them fair game for comparing to all brands. As such, Mercedes is trying to compete not as only a luxury brand but as a mass auto company with their A, B and Especially the poor C-Class of cars. This is reinforced by the fact that they have their truck division with selling commercial Vans and family Vans right alongside the A to S-Class of autos. Then they continue to try to compete against everyone in the mass auto market as they have A to S class SUV/CUVs on the market globally. Luxury is a brand that only is in a narrow niche and exclusive. Mass market is where you cover all levels of playing. There is actually 3 tiers in the Luxury market according to the industry. Accessible Luxury - Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln, Genesis, etc. Intermediary Luxury - Some of the same auto companies play here due to the luxury product is very exclusive and limited availability. In fact even Chevrolet and Toyota has played in this market with special limited releases of products. Inaccessible Luxury INACCESSIBLE LUXURY - This level is the most exclusive form of luxury. It is highly rare, very expensive, and accessible only by a handful of people. These products, mostly, are hand-crafted or tailored products. They make use of some of the most expensive and premium materials. These Inaccessible Luxury products are distributed through a few carefully selected channels. An Inaccessible Luxury product is all about exclusivity, heritage, craftsmanship, creativity and prestige. A few of the most popular Inaccessible Luxury products are Dior, Ferrari and Hermes as just a few examples. What Type Of Luxury Products Are You Offering - Agence Luxury Based on this, the S-Class is basic Accessible Luxury and Mercedes then plays in the Intermediary Luxury and plays allot in the markets below Luxury. An example of this is how the S-Class and EQS both have their expensive top of the line dash now also available in the E-Class and EQE lines and Mercedes has stated as costs come down they will push it down stream into additional models. As such, Mercedes Plays in the Mass Auto Market.
  2. G. David Felt
    OK, since you cannot actually site any true sources of saying Mercedes sells the #1 or #2 best luxury sedan, I have done a quick search and the information is very ILLUMINATING! A walk back in time, 2018 The best selling Luxury auto in the U.S. was Tesla, The GLC was the 5th best selling for Mercedes. 10 Best-Selling Luxury Cars and SUVs in America in 2018 (caranddriver.com) Now we will jump to current and here is what TrueCar has to say about the Best Selling Luxury auto, Audi A3 is tagged in #1 place and the best Mercedes could do was 20th place with the CLS. 20 Best Luxury Cars for 2022 - TrueCar Now maybe @smk4565 will point to this one, but unlike the links above based on actual Sales numbers, Forbes does rate the Mercedes S-Class as #1, but #2 is Genesis GV80. Forbes states it is just a notch below the S-Class and far better value. #3 is Volvo S90 and #4 is Mercedes E-Class. In fact Genesis has two autos in the top 10. Best Luxury Cars For 2022 - Forbes Wheels Now if we go by this web site, the Top Luxury autos is even more interesting. The 10 Best Luxury Cars for 2022 (goodcarbadcar.net) They even give a chart which I love. Great info as to why these autos are ranked this way taking both sales, quality, customization, etc. into account. The Might S-Class is ranked 3rd, surprise Genesis in 9th and Cadillac in 10th. So how does Kia/Hyundai and especially Genesis not build a quality product or luxury? @surreal1272 This should be interesting to see what he has to say on this!
  3. G. David Felt
    #2 selling? What a Joke when it is only averaging 674.666 EQS per month. So what is Mercedes Excuse for not building in large volume to sell more? Kia and Hyundai are building due to parts constraints still far more than Mercedes is, you cannot blow off 38,000 sales by Kia/Hyundai versus 4,048 sales. The bulk of society could care less about the 1% market. Mercedes has ignored the rest of the world population while touting Luxury, building Toyota quality bulk C-class crud autos. Common Sense says Kia/Hyundai is nailing the desires of the market compared to Mercedes. Kia/Hyundai have also announced that they will be moving EV production to the U.S. next year, so as I have stated in other threads, this is the chicken/egg issue of building up production factories for auto production and Cell Production factories. We can review this again at the end of the year, but at this point, Mercedes is on track to sell less than 10,000 EVs in the US in 2022 and Kia/Hyundai are on track to sell over 50,000 EVs.
  4. G. David Felt
    Some interesting reads, I like what I see for the IONIQ 6 sedan, the EV fighter to the Tesla 3. @oldshurst442 @ccap41 Might just like the car. Review: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 challenges Model 3 in range, revives sedans for the aero age (greencarreports.com) Seems the EV tax credit for U.S. production will bring back more manufacturing jobs as more auto companies want to compete and take advantage of the EV tax credit. Audi May Finally Build Cars In The US Thanks To New EV Tax Credit (insideevs.com) Seems Amazon is going to continue to fund Rivian as they expand with a European plant that will allow trucks, SUVs and Especially delivery vans to be produced. Amazon will spend €1 billion on electric vans and trucks in Europe (electrek.co) @ccap41 This I thought of you about the inconvenience of charging. Good read on an EV road trip. I find it a fair assessment and yes, it is on the west coast, so charging is far easier to find than the mid west. I took a 2,200 mile electric roadtrip with no prep. It was easy. What’s the big deal? (electrek.co) U.S. Military is experimenting with Electricity and GM Ultium is leading the way. Think 55 ton M1 Abrams tank with quiet electric drive? At 55 tons, who cares if you have to add 3 or 4 tons of battery to drive it. LOL ? The US Military Is Buying Ultium Battery Packs From GM Defense - CleanTechnica
  5. G. David Felt
    Interesting observation that I just learned. Due to parts shortages, Kia and Hyundai are not selling their EV in every state yet in the U.S. The top dozen or so states and those dealerships that have committed to EVs are pretty much getting the bulk for 2022. As capacity comes online Kia and Hyundai will expand selling their EVs across every state. Yet as @smk4565 has stated they have only sold roughly 38,000 EVs YTD compared to Tesla which is hundreds of thousands. Yet Mercedes has not been able to state any of these awards for their EVs and YTD, based on Mercedes own reporting they have only sold 4,048 EQS through the end of Q2 2022. Mercedes-Benz USA Sales - Q2 2022 (mbusa.com) Mercedes EV sales = 4,048 through June. Kia/Hyundai Sales of 38,000 ? Who is making sellable products?
  6. G. David Felt
    Yes, Chevrolet does when you take into account that the High-Country Suburban is a $92,000 SUV and with local markups due to shortages, they are selling for $100,000. Funny that you say there is no volume there and yet you pretty much have stated that all luxury makers have to have 6 figure autos' to be luxury. IONIQ 5 does have volume, more so than any of the EQ brands from Mercedes. So, you are WRONG there, try the excuses again for your fan boy brand that has not delivered yet. Continue to delude yourself with Mercedes is doing fine. They are FAILING in China the biggest market in the world with pathetic EV product that cannot compete with Tesla. I proved that Tesla with just the Y and 3 being built in China are out selling Mercedes big time. Continue to be a horse with blinders on when the fact is Mercedes your hoping will be able to go all EV by 2030 and Genesis alone will be all EV by 2025. Kia and Hyundai are delivering more EVs per year for both new models and existing sales than Mercedes is. Mercedes makes trucks, just FAILURE at it. They tried to badge engineer a Japanese truck and failed. They build Meh vans that are part of the truck division as is all their SUVs part of the truck division so they can avoid the MPG issues with having the SUVs listed as cars. Remember the X-Class Pickup Badge engineered of the Nissan NP300 Navara Mercedes FAILED in putting body pieces on a mass market truck where Mercedes took the bulk of the truck, powertrain, cabin interior and either put badges over the place of the Nissan or just changed a few parts to give it a somewhat look of Mercedes. Customers realized there was no luxury, no Mercedes and worse yet, it was a Renault platform, far from being a Mercedes. Kinda like how the Supra failed when the fans learned it was not a Toyota built car, but a BMW built car with Toyota sheet metal on the front and back. Sales fell flat and it is a dead product just like the X-Class is a dead failed product. Hyundai/Kia is smart in knowing they will have those that will never go EV till they have no choice and as such have chosen to keep their ICE line up as is. But then they are smart as they have built an EV lineup for both Kia and Hyundai that are attractive, desirable and show it in sales to the public. Genesis is the only place they are keeping the same names but also going pure EV by 2025 so having a GV70 and GV70 electric, from a marketing standpoint one can see when they do convert fully, they can just drop the electric and stick with GV70. End result is Mercedes is Following the market and is slow to change and adapt after their huge failure with Diesel gate.
  7. G. David Felt
    If Chevrolet can sell $100,000 SUVs, why can't Kia or Hyundai? Bigger question is where is the equal Mercedes to what GM has that is selling? Mercedes is failing big time to compete with Tesla. They are sure failing big time to compete with Toyota, Ford or Chevrolet in the Full size Trucks and SUVs as well as Mid size Trucks.. So before you attack the Korean's, maybe you should be asking the bigger question. WHY DOES MERCEDES FAIL IN COMPETEING IN ALL THE OTHER CLASSES?
  8. G. David Felt
    Yes, let's compare this to your BOMB of an EQB. Mercedes-Benz EQB China auto sales figures (carsalesbase.com) EQB - Sold 473 in all of China for 2021 EQB - Sold 3,629 YTD in all of China for 2022 Tesla posts record numbers in China by selling 70,602 vehicles locally in Dec 2021 (teslarati.com) Tesla sold 319,102 units in all of China for 2021 Tesla sold 83,135 in September 2022 alone: Tesla sells record China-made vehicles in September following Shanghai factory upgrade (cnbc.com) To base it on Facts, MERCEDES is FAILING to build desirable EVs. The numbers of NEGATIVE Sales rates for 2022 is terrible. Mercedes-Benz Almost Doubled All-Electric Car Sales In Q2 2022 (insideevs.com) So before you say KIA and HYUNDAI cannot compete in the EV space, I would first be asking why MB is FAILING to deliver desirable auto's to the masses. KIA and HYUNDAI are on track to far outsell Mercedes.
  9. G. David Felt
    Reviews and Comparisons are starting already on the EQB and they are just equal in some areas, failing in others and in the end there are better options out there than the EQB. End result is a fan boy who has to have the badge will buy it, but the general public that is informed will pass on this EV. 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB vs. 2022 Tesla Model Y Comparison (jdpower.com) 2022 Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-EQ EQB: Choosing the Right Trim - Autotrader 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB Class vs Genesis GV60, Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model Y - The Car Connection 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB Prices, Reviews, & Pictures | U.S. News (usnews.com) Kia EV6 vs Mercedes-Benz EQB vs Ioniq 5 Price, Specs And Feature Details Comparison | Wapcar
  10. G. David Felt
    @ccap41 I understand that you could think that Kia/Hyundai are on par with Tesla and that Tesla will have a few more years before someone passes them. Consider this: Kia will be launching 2 new EVs every year starting 2023. They will go from one to three EVs by the end of 2023. EV6 and two others. A car and another SUV is what is expected. They also will have another SUV and Truck in 2024. That will be 5 EVs two Tesla 4, maybe 5 if the Cyber truck truly gets going. Yet, interior and fit n finish have been praised by many over Tesla. Kia presents 2030 roadmap to become global sustainable mobility leader (kiamedia.com) Hyundai has the IONIQ 5 SUV, IONIQ 6 Sedan in both standard and long rang models to compete with Tesla 3. They have stated the IONIQ 7 will be out in 2024 as they focus on the Genesis line with the GV70 EV out end of this year and adding to it with two more models in 2023 and then 2024 will be the final change over as all 2025 Model year Genesis cars and SUVs will be electric. https://www.hyundai.news/eu/articles/press-releases/hyundai-motor-accelerates-electrification-strategy.html That is allot more EVs than Tesla has been able to design, test, ramp up production and bring to market. This is why Tesla days are numbered. As American, Asian and European Legacy auto makers bring capacity online for cell production and auto production. Their experience will ramp faster than Tesla has been able to. Tesla, I suspect will be in the news due to their electric Semi, Roadster, Home roof solar cells and their Powerwall more than their autos by 2025.
  11. G. David Felt
    It will clearly outsell the Mercedes Blah designs. This is a winner for Honda.
  12. G. David Felt
    Yes, you nailed it for the EQB. To me, it would seem a half-baked product that is already behind the rest of the market. I just do not get why but have to assume Mercedes does not have the suppliers in place, R&D is not ready yet and as we have learned, their 800V platform will not be out till 2024 when it will make the 2025 models that year. Not sure who, but clearly someone at Mercedes let the ball slip through their fingers and has missed what the rest of the auto industry is already doing. Right now, I would say Kia/Hyundai have surpassed Tesla with their EVs and GM is one to be watched as if they hit everything on time. The online production of battery cells and the various Chevrolet EVs will allow them to ramp fast and possibly lead the industry. Interesting times we live in for sure with the auto industry revolution.
  13. G. David Felt
    Have to say that this is one of the best write ups I have seen on a state-by-state ability to see what your state tax credit is for EVs. Every electric vehicle tax credit rebate available, by state (electrek.co)
  14. G. David Felt
    Yes the Kent IKEA is still there, none in the north end. I agree with you, hate the maze, hate the cheap stuff they sell, was not willing to wait in a long line to try the food, so who knows if I would like it. Over all, my son likes IKEA and I think it is because it is cheap. I would say Acura took till 2022 to fix their issues with the RDX and MDX. My sister inlaw, wifes sister has a 2019 of each. She drives the MDX and her husband drives the RDX. Both have had all types of electrical issues, water leak issues and drivability issues that took till this year to resolve. Both are retired and on a fixed income now otherwise they say they would trade them in on something else, not an Acura. Maybe they are just unlucky, but I will say that I think Acura built a name and then went cheap to maximize profits from the line.
  15. G. David Felt
    First of all, 800V is well supported for those fast chargers and EVs that support it as they do charge in a fraction of the time and weight less than a 400V system. Yes, 800V costs more now, but like all things, economy of scale brings it down. GM, Porsche, VW, Audi and BMW have all acknowledge it as well as Kia and Hyundai and why Honda went with the Ultium 800V system for their EVs. The reason the Equinox will start around $30,000 is due to the mass production bringing costs down. As far as Charging at home, yes if you're only going CHEAP with 110V charging, you will be lucky to pull down 10kWh charging. If you have a proper 220V charger installed, they are 50 AMPs and do charge much, much faster. Yes, there are 220V 38/40 AMP chargers, but the ones from the OEMs as well as ChargePoint that are sold or included are all 220V 50 AMP chargers. Even Amazon sells them, but you get what you pay for. This is in its infancy and so nothing is perfect yet, but we have specs to get there and those that do invest get out of it what they expected. Those that go cheap, well, your mileage will vary.
  16. G. David Felt
    From researching the website for IKEA, it seems this is part of their family events and one has to register to be a part of the family to take advantage of the event. IKEA Family – Join our club for free - IKEA Seems they imply that free certain foods, drinks and events will be available for Family members only and you must join their free family member program to take advantage. IKEA U.S. introduces new IKEA Family benefits - IKEA I could be wrong, but that is the take I get on the IKEA Smorgasboard events.
  17. G. David Felt
    Just found the most current 800V paper on why all EVs should be on this and why the Auto industry has committed to having all EVs on 800V platforms by 2025 globally. Paper was published Dec 15th, 2020 but is the bases of what the auto industry is building too. 800-V Electric Vehicle Powertrains: Review and Analysis of Benefits, Challenges, and Future Trends | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore
  18. G. David Felt
    Good read for those interested in why 800V EVs are desired over a 400V system and to better understand the difference. Why 800V High Voltage System makes more sense for EVs? - Wheels On Roll I also posted this in the thread below as I did not realize till today that Mercedes is the only German auto company NOT on an 800V system, but a 400V system. I could not recommend a Mercedes EV at this time. It will be 2024 before they have a new platform that supports 800V and probably has the parts lined up that are needed.
  19. G. David Felt
    Excellent read on the pros and cons of an 800V system. Why 800V High Voltage System makes more sense for EVs? - Wheels On Roll After reading this, it tends to imply that an auto company that is not building 800V EVs is due to NOT having the required components in place for production due to the need for higher quality SIC and GaN MOSFET inverters. Why 800V High Voltage System makes more sense for EVs? - Wheels On Roll
  20. G. David Felt
    After reading the insideev review of the EQS SUV, I would have to tell people to hold off on buying a Mercedes and if they wanted an EV now, buy Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Audi, VW, Porsche or BMW if they want a full 800V charging system. Yes GM is also in the system, but at this time only the GMC Hummer is 800V and not readily available. BOLT is a 350V system equal to Tesla. This makes me wonder if the Chevrolet Equinox will replace the BOLT or if Chevrolet will go with a BOLT on the Ultium platform down the road. ?
  21. G. David Felt
    One of the first EQS SUV reviews out and I have to say I laughed at the excuses Mercedes gave for this EV only having a 400V electrical system. They were also quick to point out that the next generation system will be a 800V system that will come out in 2024 for all EVs globally then. This tells me Mercedes is not ready unlike Porsche, Audi, BMW and American and Korean auto companies that are currently building to the 800V specification of charging. 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV First Drive: Commodious, Luxurious, Capable (insideevs.com) Interesting ?
  22. G. David Felt
    This makes me dislike Tesla even more. This move to cheapen the auto and take away features temporarily till they can make the features work with cameras only reinforces me not willing to touch a Tesla as I think this is a gamble by Tesla to increase profits at the risk of human life. Tesla bets on cameras, drops ultrasonic sensors, pauses some features (greencarreports.com)
  23. G. David Felt
    A random Bricking is not like the early days of ICE when you had to crank and hope you could turn over your motor. One could say if that was the case, then fck it, I stay with a horse. ? I have seen more and more Hondas broken down on the side of the road, so who knows. Yes you would think a very conservative auto company like Honda would not allow it's EV to Brick, but then sadly their current Hybrids have been broken down in places I never thought I would see them. Time will tell and I suspect the Bricking issue will be resolved by the time Blazer, Equinox come out. I honestly have searched and not found a single Bricking issue for the Chevrolet Bolt.
  24. G. David Felt
    Yes, but then maybe since I grew up working on auto's, I took it as convoluted but still a process for a new era of a new auto, first of its kind for GM. I honestly do not think it was top of the list for the engineers which we have seen for ICE autos with some of the head scratching what the hell was engineering thinking when they put this filter here or required this stuff removed to do a supposedly basic maintenance. I think at this early of a stage, bricking is an expected possible issue for all EVs as we move to everything electric and drive by wire. I am sure as they make more and hit various issues, engineering will say DOH, why did we not think of it at the start, but not everything can be caught at the start of a Revolution. Be interesting to see what Honda does about this in their Ultium based SUV.
  25. G. David Felt
    More information about "Electrified Honda Prologue SUV Revealed"
    Honda has given us the first official look at the exterior and interior styling of the All-New Honda Prologue electric SUV that launches in North America in 2024. The Prologue is what Honda is calling a "Neo-Rugged" exterior and interior styling with ample interior space that enables one for adventure inside and outside the city limits. 2024 Honda Prologue Reveal-en-US_h264_aac_1280x720.mp4  As we get into looking at this Honda, keep in mind that Honda signed a joint agreement with GM to use their Ultium Platform for their Honda EV portfolio. As such, it will be interesting to compare and contrast this SUV with SUVs from GM. On top of this, the month of October Honda also has launched a CR-V Hybrid that Honda even says will be a Gateway vehicle to the Prologue. The Honda CR-V Hybrid will be focused in sales on short term leases in ZEV states to allow Honda to Transition hybrid customers to EVs. The Honda Prologue is the First for Honda's EV portfolio and will be on sale in 2024 North America wide. Prologue is to complement the Honda's light truck lineup, positioned alongside the Passport and above the CR-V, offering generous passenger and cargo space over the ICE autos. Masaki Sumimoto, design lead for the Color, Materials and Finish had the following to say: "Our goal was to create a clean harmony based on a rugged SUV image by coordinating the colors and materials to express neo-rugged design styling that’s familiar to our customers and uniquely Honda," To this end, Prologue upon release for sales will be available in an exclusive North Shore Pearl exterior color, inspired by the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe area. The Prologue also pulled from the Honda e EV auto that was sold outside North America with the flowing front fascia, 21" standard wheels to give the SUV a capable and planted look. The natural beauty of fresh fallen snow on the surrounding mountain tops of the Lake Tahoe area was inspiration for the exclusive use of Charcoal and light grey interior colors. Prologue will keep the great outdoors open feeling by having a panoramic roof and yet showcase a tech-rich cabin with a standard fully digital 11" driver display and a 11.3" audio/connectivity display. Prologue details are as follows: Wheelbase - 121.8" (8 inches longer and 5 inches wider than a 2023 Honda CR-V) Overall length - 192" Width - 78.3" Height - 64.7" Wheel Diameter - 21" AWD available at launch This is the start of what Honda has stated is the "YEAR of the HONDA SUV" All-new models of the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot, play key roles in preparing for volume Honda EV sales that begin in 2024 with the Prologue per Honda's press release. Gary Robinson, vice president, automobile planning and strategy of America Honda stated the following: "We are not going to wait until 2024 to attract EV buyers, because we see a natural progression for a CR-V customer to Prologue with its slightly larger size, larger interior and capable handling," "We will support that transition now by putting smart strategies in place with the CR-V hybrid, that will enable our customers to transition to an EV." Honda made the following statement on their current and future sales plan. Honda’s research shows that hybrid-electric customers are among the first to move into full-electric products. Honda plans to increase the model mix of the 2023 CR-V to 50% hybrid sales and will offer customers of the CR-V hybrid a shorter term, two-year lease in ZEV states when that model comes to market in fall 2022. This will enable a customer in targeted markets to easily transition into a Prologue when the new EV launches in 2024. In this way, the company’s increasing hybrid sales volume will help grow a future EV customer base.  More details on the Prologue will be released in the coming months with customers encouraged to sign up for updates at: 2024 Honda Prologue – Fully Electric SUV | Honda Honda Electrification Rollout Toward its global goal to achieve carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050, Honda will introduce 30 new EVs globally by 2030, with a global sales volume of 2 million units. In North America, Honda has laid out an aggressive timeline of EV introductions based on three initial phases leading to 2030 and ultimately to 100% zero-emission automobile sales by 2040: 2024: Begin sales of the Honda Prologue, co-developed with GM 2026: Begin sales of Honda models based on Honda e:Architecture to be produced by Honda in North America.  2027: Begin sales of a new series of affordable EVs co-developed with GM, also produced by Honda in North America. Honda also recently announced an agreement to establish a joint venture to produce lithium-ion batteries in the U.S. to power Honda and Acura EV models for the North American market.
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