Suaviloquent

Okay, the money spent to retool facilities which is included in the cost of development should not be a target of scrutiny. It had to happen either way. And second, the reason why the F150 was not as light as expected the C/D test was that the F150 was larded up with heavy options like a the giant sunroof and a 36 gallon fuel tank. Putting that in perspective as well. And third, you know, I may like that GM is slightly better FE here, but these are $60,000 pickups and above. And to see the GMC lacking luxury equipment, either standard or optional makes F150 the de facto choice for folks who what a giant sunroof, console shifter and rear a/c vents. Even if you won't use them.. Hey, we are talking in the context of luxo-trucks. And I still want to see a like-for like comparison of trucks. Yet manufacturers rarely have them in their press fleets, available to the publications at the same time. Again, it's easy to target the F150 because of course people are salient to their own beliefs, want to exert a self-confirmation bias or have bounded rationality, or want to forage only the information that they desire, and some like Drew may have personal negative experiences.. I don't want to discount them of their credibility, but want to expand the search. $h!, and using one sample to approximate a population parameter is not ideal, huge error possibility. And online sources may be subject to response bias. We may never hear the real, complete story until maybe vehicles can communicate with another and show transmit real-time information to insurers for example, all the time.

Yup, and this is why governments around the world are driving a wedge in the free market. But being the most credible in a field of cars that are still purchased for reasons that are not grounded in overall savings right up front, is worth something.

First off all of the models you list are not cars. Second all are far from world class AWD for grip and performance. All but the Subaru are mostly AWD just to sell them to folks that foolishly believe they need it to drive in 2" of snow. A Malibu at $24 grand makes no money and if you add options like AWD you lose money. Again you show no real creditable info on how it would make a good business case. That's ATP's two flaws in one - weighted average and no indications of specific margins on the product mix. Since when is it fair to dismiss the priority of some customers because they don't want an AWD crossover? Subaru btw has been killing it on sales gains year over year, and I have a good hunch their incentive spending is probably among the lowest for mass-market brands. Their ownership loyalty is among the best, and it's been like that consistently. GM needs to show that its product prowess is going to deliver above average returns. That isn't happening yet if you take the aggregate of the entire company. But Chevy probably cannot court the Subaru buyers anyways. And why would they consider Chevy, when they get great engineering available at a great purchase price.

Must be the orange flavoured creamsicle edition.

Ostensibly Mercedes and BMW can market their body style variations as true separate models in their own right. But it is just minor engineering work that the brands utilize to deliver those products... and then charge a hefty increase in price to make them viable, and profitable. I don't think Cadillac will ever be able to fully plug every hole, but they are marrying the virtues of the dual styles that the German sedans use. They have the more upright, traditional luxury proportions, mixed with the better handling and steering implied by the coupe body styles. Somehow the German brands at times make those qualities seem mutually exclusive. But Buick is kind of a free radical. It can shape its own image more than any brand in GM's stable. Is it the euro-chic Volvo competitor? Or is it classic American and heritage Chinese? Or is it a blend of it all? In this sense, Buick might have in the future a very wide spread of models.

GM is doing has done a very good job differentiating GMC and Chevy trucks. If they can get similar results they won't have to worry about models eating each other, especially if someone jumps from Chevy to Buick. Keeping stuff like Hi-Per struts a top-trim exclusive (like GMC with magneride) is good to woo the media, even though a buyer might not ever notice. But most importantly, I think Cadillac wants to compete with Mercedes in the price wise tier but also luxury tier. BMW may be their performance target - which they exceed in quite a few ways, but really the brand wants to be the best of both. That enough leaves room for Buick as near-luxury. If they do RWD, it'll be because GM is confident that Cadillac is exclusive enough. They're not exceedingly worried for sales at Cadillac. It is making the big jump now. It is fraught with risk, because they no longer cater to the heritage buyer as much - and they've been quick to say that as well. I'd like sales to follow comparison results, but in the long game, my bet is on Cadillac moving upmarket enough that Buick will have a place.

Allright, well, I'll be honest... the new Chevy front face to me, futt bugly. But hey I'm indoctrinated by GMC now, so I guess it doesn't matter, because all the GMC is...is a precision (not really but marketed as and therefore maybe) version of the Silverado. It'll take it as it is. But you gotta love the brash marketing that coincides with realized performance based on statistical evidence.

Which is a noble cause in its own right. And cleaner air tho. Especially for cyclists because we breath the $hit that comes out of tailpipes. Well I don't like the exterior as much as I thought I would, but a Canadian (good guy too! hint: finger lickin' chicken little) reviewer said the dashboard was made of peanut butter. So I became jelly that he was driving it.

We've been here before with the whole speculation of future product that supposedly will do better. Sure, maybe it will. And that's about all that can be stipulated. Everyone damn well knows what stance I have on those meandering, circular, self-fulfilling arguments- I hate those arguments with a penchant desire to bury them, especially when they don't amount to anything other than banter. Right, now, even without considering cost of purchase, this is a spectacular performance by a truck. It beats everyone else in a lot of metrics. With the purchase price in mind, $h! it's expensive but if I'm buying this, I'm not looking to save green at the pump, but I'd like higher mpg because why not have your cake and eat it too? I'm not going to entertain the thought of future product that doesn't exist yet. Maybe 6-7 months from now when the 10 speed actually comes out. And when it actually gets driven. And it actually gets tested. And numbers are close to being posted or are posted by both the manufacturer and publications. Are we cool? Do we agree that it is a pragmatic stance to take?

Yeah, I really gotta get on the Social Media bandwagon. #NewYearResolutionthatIwillrenegeon Perhaps it's due to a kind of ineptitude... But I love a play of masks, and dammit I like what I did to a portrait as myself that I use as the Avatar pic... comfortable resemblance, but flashy anonymity at the same thyme - and it's just like the default Avatar, because Imma wearing a suit and tie and all fancy.

Is there another round of platform weight loss for next year then? Always looking to reduce, but why, does it need it? I thought even more weight loss was going to happen. Well anyways - didn't you actually make a thread about an article about Ford's Alcoa partnership that led to a breakthrough in Aluminum production... I think it was called a "MicroMill". Anyways, it said that Ford had an even better Aluminum alloy that it had an exclusive deal to get supplied by Alcoa. But that's just from my memory - and it could be totally wrong.

Breh - I live for this kind of $hit!!! So because of global wobble... I'm seriously considering a 5 year plan of saving, saving, saving. I guess you could say I've been RWD for a long time. (A blood lust bike is RWD right?) And then a splurge on a V8, Camaro, 6-Speed, Camaro, 1SS, Camaro. Did I say Camaro yet? I'll don't think I did so to iterate because I don't think I did. Camaro. Yeah, I'm dead set to get a Camaro. Must have, must kill save to get.

It's the best product of its kind for its intended purpose, that is to be an EREV. But low gas prices, and 13 year low (or something like that) for natural gas prices, as well as global wobble which makes using cars all the time in winter less necessary for some... Makes rationalizing the purchase kinda a decision that needs to be absolutely based on statistical evidence of performance and calculations of projected running costs. Or could avoid rational justifications and just get it anyways, which is great. I want this car to do well in sales. It's an honest approach. But even the Volt will become obsolete. Heck by 2050 - it might not even exist.

ERMEgerd. It's Christmas, and I thought that article was a gift wrapped by MT, because Shiny Truck Shiny. I can't believe that it's not butter. Anyways, the results of the test were really great. Class leading as of this time. If you wanted to gift yourself or significant other a shiny shiny truck, one that slices through crowds and uses precision magnetorheological dampers... well your shopping experience is pretty easy, go to the GMC dealer. I'm not going to give pity points to any automaker, especially the one the Denali was frequently compared to because it is much newer overall - or should be because that is how it is advertised. But the results are there, and as of this time, the latest from GM leads by a good margin. What's best about it is that it kind of flies in the face against the industry trend of downsizing and forced induction. Anyways, I hope you all had a nice Christmas.

Well, to all of GM's credit, their base models are not "base" anymore. They have pretty good packaging of standard equipment, and the new Lacrosse will be exceptional, I think. I guess the heritage buyers would be more concerned with cylinder counts, but thats mostly an old archytype of the big luxury sedan buyer. There used to be a time when you could only get a V8 in those, and we went along to V6s being standard just fine. Anyways, it's irrelevant. The new money of the world that isn't in America doesn't care about what is under the hood. And soon enougj we'll lose internally combusting engines all together. So powerful are the economic disincentives against big displacement engines - which of itself is a weird way to draw a wedge in the free-market (an issue of its own no doubt).

The more I think about it... the fact that we are even getting a Continental in North America is pretty much just a bonus. It's more a China-first car, because of what it is. Now that shouldn't be taken as a demerit. If there's one wealthy market to chase after, it's China. The prices in of anything with an engine above 1.5L China are hideous with the displacement taxes. Sure enough, I guess the aristocrats there might be able to work around much of the economic disincentives with credits and loopholes, but Ford's more confident in selling a flagship sedan there than here. I suspect many people will equate a CT6 and this Continental as full, viable substitutes of one another. I think D6 based products will be the true "One Lincoln" product effort. I think going with names is better than what they have right now.

Well, I think the next step for Cadillac is to make the Escalade even more better. It dispatched everyone else in this field in the luxury realm in a recent huge comparo. Perhaps now thet can make a hyper luxury model to go against the Mercedes Mayback GLS600 (whatever it'll be called) and the Bentley Bentayga. Cadillac is more autonomous now than in recent memory. If they now see a viable market for an ultra-luxury product, we'll see them commit to it. The thing is, Mercedes-Maybach is even less than a badge-engineered product or platform share. It's just a stretched S550 with the option to tart up the interior to Bentley levels of cowhide. The GLK however is something else. It's a beast of its own, and it doesn't compete with anything internally to Mercedes all that well or is intended to at all. And that is exactly the same with the Escalade. A lot of buyers for Denali and Escalades simply overlook anything else that might be made from the brand. So Cadillac should be worried more about organic growth for its upper echelon for cars, while making sure the Escalade is a vehicle of its own that no Cadillac model can really compete with absolutely head to head. They do that, while preserving its image for excess and bling, they should see no problem. I think making the Escalade a global model, might not be preferable. If it dilutes the product, then maybe an all-new XT7 of sorts would be a better approach.

Okay this is a bit cryptic, and also retarded funny. I've been talking about GMC a lot past few days, so sure enough, Motortrend tests a Denali Truck today. It performs adequately, at the very least. And the same commercial I posted here played on TV at least once - each time I watched TV for about 25 mins at a time. A very merry Christmas to you as well GM. Well played.

You need to look at what is really going on. the Regal and Lacrosse are two of the oldest GM models still out. They are old news in a fast changing segment and that is why they are not seling. Now also look at the fact a new one is coming soon and I would say the lower price is just to keep sales up a little and clear out inventories of parts etc as the platforms are going away. The fact is to make it sell better it is to make it a better and more compelling car. How do you do that you put better things in it and with a Buick and the range they are moving into they can afford better things. Also with a higher price point the profits are higher and the lower volumes will make more money. The key for Buick is to put themselves in a place where they are higher than Chevy and lower than Cadillac and offer better things than Chevy and things that hint at Cadillac level but are not Cadillac level. The fact of life is if you want a different car you rebadge a Chevy you rebadge it and tart it up a bit can call it a Buick. If you want a better car you charge more and build a better car with the increase in price. You get what you pay for and if you want a different car charge less but if you want a better car build it and charge for it. No one rides free. How many years of Buick being a tarted up Chevy do you need for an example of how that formula failed terribly. Again the globalization here will let Buick to offer things they could not alone and sell them at lower numbers and make more money. This is a dream situation that few companies can pull off. Audi has done it and GM can do it with taking some chances on some creative and new products. How about an Opel GT in Buick trim? AWD wagons with world class AWD systems and handling. Just look to the new Camaro and imagine what Buick can do with the proper support and funding. Many people and too many GM people really have no clue how well this situation could come out baring any economy or global issues etc. The point he's trying to make is that Buick should not be receding on pricing, and I agree. If the new Regal really is going to turn heads - and I hope it does. Starting at $30 to $34k... being near the top end of the spectrum will cause immediate sticker shock - in a bad way. Confident brands, espcially near luxury trying to bridge the gap must keep maintaining prices. Then again, it is 7 year old car now. Lots of time to develop a new generation. It's a wait and see situation, but GM has had trouble being as profitable as others for its sheer size as an automaker.

Hey, more product = more choice and I want them to succeed because stealth wealth and wagons!!! We, the enthusiast community cried for more wagons, and we're getting them. Nice. So - is it fair to consider this a discount CTS Wagon?

It's 13 degrees Celsius or 55 Fahrenheit outside. I could wear shorts right now. In the middle of December. A retarded laugh ensues. EL K I reckon you're 6 ft under in snow by now.

Or conversely I'm going to shoot for the moon.... And be the best that I'm made of... Anything less is unacceptable.

Or conversely Suav, you're Indian? And most importantly, you don't have an accent??? Yes, but a fully Naturalized Canadian kiddy. You wouldn't know though, because of the 4 season climate I lived in before, I was pretty used to harsh winters already. And guess what, I got tanned IN CANADA.

Well Olds, English isn't even my main language. I learned it as a second language way back when. People do often comment how I don't have a sliver of an accent - I get miffed at that, because I know people from Northern India who came here very early yet theirs is so thick. Yes, I'm a Northerner and Winter was coming...but didn't come. But yeah, man, I want to slice through crowds. I'm done being a Jeep Comanche (remember the thread about your soul vehicle), I need and want to be a GMC Denali. So I will become one. More like a personal glory type deal, and a way of carrying swagger than anything else. Anything less is unacceptable.

Well if it's like what a fresh XTS would be - which I perceive as much a luxury product as a SRX or Lexus RX, and that is what Lincolns sells the car as... Wow Lincoln, why would you dilute such a name with infamous notoriety?! Okay, knee-jerk reaction aside... If it's what a stretched Fusion RS with a 2.7 EB would be with a full Lincoln skin and interior and the 3.0TT standard to make up for lardy luxury...it can be fairly decent. It can being the operative words. If it's got the handling chops of the Fusion, and the tuning of the steering rack by whoever made the Fiesta ST (yay Fiesta ST steering in a Lincoln you say? Heresy!!!), it might just be playful.