G. David Felt

Let Tesla sell direct, the one big issue for me is their using a crappy company, Pet Boys to service their expensive auto's and Pet Boys has terrible service. Let this force the existing auto companies to step up their game with quality world class service as I want to have my auto taken care of be it my trailblazer AWD SS or any of my Cadillacs in the same high quality manner. I like dealerships where I can go and view the options, talk to a person and then test drive and either buy or order up my new ride. I see no difference than Tesla having their own stores and needing to service them. I would have liked them to have their own service shop but instead they took the cheap way out of subcontracting it out to a joke of a auto company.

Very cool update, you are getting so close to firing her up.

What you say is true if looking at the US market only. In Europe, FCA sells very few of the Ram, Jeep Hemi powered auto's. They do sell plenty of their junky Fiats. This proves out in their recent Monthly report for Europe. FCA sold 354,000 auto's in Europe from Jan to April a 15.6% increase over last year. Sales went as follows: Fiat label - 268,700 Lancia Label - 27,000 Alfa Romeo - 20,800 Maserati - 2,068 Jeep - 35,300 Since taxation is so high based on engine size, Jeep does not sell but a few Hemi's, so your assessment is totally wrong. http://www.fcagroup.com/en-US/media_center/fca_press_release/FiatDocuments/2016/may/APRIL_2016_FIAT_CHRYSLER_AUTOMOBILES_SALES_IN_EUROPE.pdf

Here you are trying to justify MB moving the goalposts again. ALL MB cars are listed as Coupes or sedans and yet even in the Coupe descriptions from the CLA to the CLS class they call them sporty coupes with frameless 4 doors. Last time I looked up the definition of a coupe it had not changed since it came about in the 1950's. Tin can is very much perceived as a noisy, no insulation hear everything world that is very common in your cheapest eco box auto's and even there it is becoming a thing of the past as more and more people demand a quiet interior. So the Tin Can is a failed example of the ATS or any other luxury level subcompact or compact auto. Noiser is a better term but even here, that is a failed term for the ATS. Weight saving is not a selling point? WRONG, weight savings is a selling point as it equates to higher MPG which is a very important thing to the buyers. Not all buyers look at MPG but more often than not in the subcompact and compact class MPG is a very important part of the total package which comes via weight savings. In regards to marketing, he is cloning what BMW and MB has done for years and finally worked for them. It takes time to change perceptions and in 2 years no one can turn a ship around 180 degrees. I personally am not a fan of the current Cadillac marketing but then MB I think also has terrible marketing. At least BMW has still stuck to their Driving Machine even though the auto's have become bloated pigs. Interesting side note is that if you bing or google MB marketing message you find a ton of studies that pretty much shows MB and BMW have always over the last 30 years mirrored each other and while BMW continues with their Ultimate Driving Machine, the introduction of commercial and low end models does have people wonder about the exclusivity of MB products that they have built up here in the US. There is clear concern that this message is being lost on their current marketing and the introduction of value based products here dilutes the MB Exclusivity message they have built up over the last 30 years.

I Love the Black Cherry Metallic paint job on this hot little compact CUV!

I have to say I am really impressed with the update they did to the Encore 2016 Encore 2017 Encore 2016 Encore Interior 2017 Encore Interior

ATS was designed to be the lightest car in the class, the whole "every gram matters" philosophy they talked about. But some other guys got lighter, or got roomier and bigger while not adding any weight, and most of the ATS weight advantage in 2013 was in comparing an NA 4 cylinder ATS to a turbo 4 BMW and a V6 Mercedes. Low weight is nice, it isn't the way to win buyers. If it drives like a tin can, or has no interior space, or a cheap interior, no one will care what it weighs. And yet you FAIL again with your viewpoint, as the ATS is light for the time of when it was developed, does NOT drive like a tin can and has far better interiors and driving dynamics than BMW and MB auto's.

Anyone here long enough knows at 6'6" I am not going to be owning or riding in a ATS. Yet quality is there along with ride and space and if someone wants to complain about rear seat room on the ATS, first better look at their own favorite house first as throwing a stone in a glass house is not a good thing. German, Asian or American, they all suck for head and rear seat room in compact luxury cars.

Chinese owned Volvo wants to be seen as the MB of the world. Their focus on not waisting money but also driving to profitability new models will have them replace their core first and then add performance and other niche products like a potential convertible. Will be interesting to watch and see what Volvo becomes over the next 5 years.

Interesting but you can bing or google and find a ton of editorials and past customers of BMW and Mercedes Benz who feel these companies are overrated. Many feel Cadillac is one of the best values, yet because of being an american car company, people are passing and moving to asian brands for perceived value with quality.

People complain about cadillac not moving fast enough. Infiniti is even slower and truly will be far into the future.

very interesting Drew, Thank you

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com BMW iPerformance, Anything New or Just Addressing CAFE? Last year BMW announced their iPerformance line of auto's using the eDrive moniker. This allowed them to have a line of auto's either pure EV or plug-in hybrid sitting between the M and standard petro auto's they make. This July 2016 iPerformance Line of auto's will be available with their eDrive system. The following models are making up the iPerformance line which currently makes the i3 and i8. New Models: 225xe Active Tour 330e X5 xDrive40e 740e xDrive 740Le xDrive 330e Specs: 184 hp four-cylinder petrol engine and 65 kW, 88 hp, 250 Nm electric motor integrated into the housing of the eight-speed automatic total system output of 185 kW/252 hp (on par with 330i and 330d) 0–60 mph in 6.1 seconds with a top speed of 140 mph. all-electric range of up to 40 km (25 miles) NEDC and 14 miles (22.5 km) US EPA 7.6 kWh lithium-ion battery beneath the boot floor charging in 3 hours and 15 minutes from a household outlet average fuel consumption (combined) of 2.1–1.9 litres/100 km (134.5–148.7 mpg imp) at least 370 liters of luggage compartment volume; the rear seat offer a 40:20 40 split EU-empty weight of 1735 kg (3,825 lbs) 740e Specs: 254 hp four-cylinder petrol turbocharged engine and an electric motor integrated into the housing of the eight-speed automatic giving a total HP of 326 with an average mpg of 112. So now that BMW has committed an extensive lineup of EV / Plug-in hybrids to the company auto portfolio, this makes one wonder if this is to address cafe issues, government regulations or customer demands or a bit of all three? By 2018 BMW has stated that all 5 models will be out. We have the lone plug-in hybrid at Cadillac, a few at BMW and of course announcements at others from Mercedes-benz to Audi and the hybrids already on the lots at Lexus as well as others. So this has me wondering just how fast a changeover will take place and if the governments around the world are going to push to move to a default plug-in hybrid with pure EV and petrol performance auto's bracketing the top and bottom of the new auto line up. So what are your thoughts on this new division that is based in the UK? Is the division really needed? Will the push force auto companies to drop more petrol only models and move to plug-in hybrids faster? Does CAFE have to be so high and if so will it only get super high as they push the hybrids into triple digits? How soon will we see hybrids out sell petrol models? Will truck buyers embrace a pure EV truck or hybrid truck? So many questions and so few answers, but let the discussion begin and sound off on what you think of this! References: insideevs caranddriver performancedrive bmwblog bmwblog hybridcars greencarreports

So VW killed the goose for everyone at low speeds and the fact that normal driving disabled emissions control. Yet here you have a vehicle that driven below 90 the emissions work as designed which is where I bet the bulk of drivers drive anyway and yet above 90 it turns off the emissions to protect the engine. This usually means the engine runs richer to ensure enough fuel, enough oil protection, etc. If Germany allows for this feature then Opel should be fine and just needs to show their engineering manner to the body. Sadly, I suspect every auto maker is going to come under the microscope due to VW and Mitsubishi betrayal to the customer and the environment.

Have to say this is lovely in their Forest Green color.

Me Think Someone just might have a trade-in on a new ride! Haha... my weird short list includes the CX-3, the Renegade, Encore, Trax... and Spark. I find the new Spark absolutely adorable. I would get a Spark 1LT in Splash Blue with manual transmission, then add a set of black Enkei wheels and have a fun little ride. If I went with the Spark, I could buy it outright and be done with auto payments altogether... something I have not experienced since... 1998! So one of the following could be your new ride!

Me Think Someone just might have a trade-in on a new ride!

+1 Hyper Nailed that on the head.

And that is where Marketing has FAILED the consumer. They only talk about HP and ignor that Torque is what is needed to move you along while HP is there to sustain it at the high end of speed. EV motors giving 100% Torque and HP or better Kilowatts / Megawatts give it all from ZERO and keep 100% up to red line thus giving a very nice experience. I totally expect the BOLT to suprise many when it hits the lots this fall / winter.

G. David Felt Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com Understanding Tesla View of HP and Torque Most people today understand when a person mentions Horsepower or Torque they relate it to how well a petro powered auto might perform. Faster, stronger, driving machines that compete for your hard earned dollars while giving you an in the gut experience to make one grin from ear to ear or puke depending on your own personal constitution. With today's EV auto's, people are still looking to relate the EV to the horsepower and torque or HP / lb-ft that they are used to and no fully understanding that in the EV world the motors are dealing with Kilowatts and Megawatts which is the common terms used for electric motors converting electricity into motion. In reviewing Tesla's Blog, I came across a posting by JB Straubel, Chief Technical Officer for Tesla. He wrote a blog titled "Tesla All Wheel Drive (Dual Motor) Power and Torque Specifications" in which he covers Electrical Horsepower, Dual versus single motor, and all wheel drive 85D and 70D covering the differences between the two. One thing that I learned was that while we all know that petro auto's loose HP/Torque in higher elevations, all auto's have reduced air resistance, yet EV motors actually get faster. It is an insightful read especially about the ability to adjust their power between front and rear motor both going uphill and downhill where regenerative power capture takes place. Take a look and sound off on what your thoughts are on his blog post.

Good for GM to jump on this when discovered. The IDIOT who filed the class-action lawsuit is just looking at money. The judges need to throw this out. I applaud GM for being proactive and for clearly letting the engineers bring the issue to light of day. I take this as a basic mistake that happens and not Like Mitsubishi who deceived for decades.

Very Cool CCAP, thanks for sharing. That is a very cool Paw logo! Drew we need some Dawg Emoticons.

Very cool, and yes I would also burn off the tires and save the money for new ones. Glad to hear you has a fine road trip.

Tesla Blog has some amazing reading and insight into how the company is being run. While clearly this is a response to a lawsuit that Tesla was dismissed from as not being responsible for, it is interesting reading and clearly shows Tesla cares. I hope they do continue long term either as a stand alone company or as a division in one but continues to make their outstanding EV products. Tesla Response to Mercury News Story: Here Tesla Hepa Bio Hazard Filter Blog: Here Have to say that the more I read on this filter system, the more I hope other auto companies follow their lead with a superior air cabin filter system. I really like this.

Love the Power of the Pushrod, truly an amazing engine.