regfootball

Here you are wrong, the west coast has a massive charging infrastructure now especially with the electric highway initiative. You can now drive all over British Columbia and down to Baha California and charge all the way. http://westcoastgreenhighway.com/ I also wrote about this back in April 2015 http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/84688-electric-highway-west-coast-style/ The electrification of the US will happen faster than you think and not 20 years from now. Tesla sells a butt load of auto's in Washington state and we are northern state so you fail in your assessment that this is a Southern state car only. US vehicle market was 17 million plus last year. about 4 tenths of one percent of the US market. that is niche. California is not the US. elec infrastructure will cost trillions and it ain't happenin in 5 years. Buyers who buy new cars this year, those cars will be on the road for 10-15 years yet. Stuff will still be petroleum driven for quite some time, the world doesn't change that quickly. Tesla did outsell Fiat though. Let's send Musk a medal for that.

You have this weird fixation on the 'mainstream'....F the mainstream, Tesla will be going after the entry lux market with the 3, like the 3 series, C-class, ATS, IS, etc...which are all RWD w/ available AWD... model 3 is tesla's mass market car.

RWD cars won't conquer the mainstream in snow states because of their poor weather performance. Even if tesla cars have better weight dist you won't convince the mass casual car buyers. So it will be a southern state car.

One noteworthy bit is the renegade and 500x can be had with AWD + stick.

Fiats have not done well reliability wise but hey, just lease. Renegade (which I've driven) isn't bad but some may be put off by jeep styling. So I actually do like the idea to sell it as a dodge. It would sell very well. Sergio's ego doesn't want dodge to succeed though.

This new Mokka dash is the same basically as the new Astra line. Ok, very similar. Next verano probably gets it as well.

I had thought Buick should sell the new Astra hatch here but the new model's styling is not what the last gen was. The opc Astra 3 door in particular was HOT. the all new Astra doesn't have the sizzle or style appeal the new Cruze hatch does. The new Cruze sedan is good looking but in lesser trims as you see pictures come out you see it's not quite as dynamic as the current gen Cruze. Having the stylish hatch in the showroom now should help offset the Asiany quality of the new one. The Sonic probably had to be planned to be built and sold for a decade to pay for its development and to be built in US. at the prices it sells at, it won't be getting a remake any time soon unless a new design comes out and it's assembly is shipped to China or Korea. New spark is nice but the low power engine will keep it from big sales. It really needs a engine option of 130-140hp, or at least something that can keep up with the lowly Versa. I'll be honest I really like the new spark. I hope this gen offers the electric version also. Chrysler will regain inroads with the new Pacifica in the van segment. I am shocked by the commitment to the product and the stylish new execution. I never thought I would ever be in a position to be a REPEAT Chrysler customer. The van segment is still viable. I'll be cautious and say Cruze hatch should get 15% of sales. More would be no surprise. All the newer Elantras I see on the road now are the GT hatches. Funny how the new Elantra sedan went dead in the market around here. Probably where all the new sonata leasers are going to move up in size. Cruze wagon is a nice idea but THAT wouldn't sell and it would ruin cruzes style. Astra wagon would be a good verano lineup choice and then they could even offer the diesel there too.

Model 3 if it's RWD means it won't take mass appeal. I can see where an electric may work well that way. But the FWD configuration is a mass market mainstay and RWD cars are outside of that. Bolt is a FWD small crossover hatch the combo platter which is hot. All Volt needs to do is up its battery range to 150-200 miles and it would define the everyday car situation for those that periodically take trips etc. Chevy's next car should be a Malibu sized volt. Malibu hybrid doesn't have the plug in. Charging infrastructure won't be set up for twenty years min so full electrics won't be practical for most of the population for quite some time. Model 3 is vapor ware like the elio anyways.

It's not up to the president to set taxes. That is congress' job. Opportunistic to pine for the tax increase when gas is low but it will go up soon and then it's close to 5 bucks because no tax ever goes away. What should occur is a programmed gas tax increase that mildly steps over time. A penny this year, then next year etc. sharp increases at once jar the economy and cause inflation. It could be argued that cheap gas right now is what has helped makes the economy somewhat stable again. Any gas tax increase should be for roads and bridges for cars. If they want money for mass transit projects that should be separate funding. If they hadn't forced cafe and the lower gas consumption, the tax collection wouldn't be less. In that regard, CAFE is a debilitating law in addition to stifling the market choices. Regarding tesla, the piece really just states what is obvious. They don't have the chops to be an automaker, even if they display some innovation in technology and marketing. They don't have the discipline or the smarts of an automaker that would need to survive or at a minimum be responsive in a timely fashion to a realistic customer base. So then, an upstart Silicon Valley tech company on wheels. Gm etc would be dead meat if they kept delaying vital products and couldn't get them to market, or serve emerging segments. Model X only needed to be a taller model s. Model 3 needed to be here 2 years ago at 40 grand. Tesla is on the borderline of fail.

fantastic.

that company dodge journey i used a lot was capable of 28-30 mpg on long trips at times. that was more at 65mph and below, but 25 mpg quite doable. We have exceeded 25 mpg in our town and country with the right conditions and 10% ethanol or less.

Odd but now we have a Chrysler van with pentastar. Nice motor, but we leased. . Part of the reason I became enthusiastic about it despite early teething problems was that a company car, Dodge Journey, had the engine. I put many miles on it. It had great power and very good mpg. GM's 3.6 v6 has had its share of reliability issues too.

did some lot trolling today, new 16's are still tough to come by, and in particular, 2.0's. Most dealers have probably 5 or less of all, some have 1 or 2. place i looked today, the new Malibu was side by side with current get Impalas. Its interesting how the two cars are physically close to the same size but the Impala does assume the role of looking larger, more stylish, and more badass. The Malibu looks lean and trim and uncluttered. They coexist nicely in their own space together. There's not really any confusing of the two. It's probably why the new Malibu has such a sparse dash and center stack, and the Impala's is quite bombastic by comparison. The impala has tons more buttons and stuff, and lots of busy-ness going on. The dash on the Impala is a dashgasm in comparison to the Malibu. The Impala has the huge honking steering wheel and the new Malibus is quite tiny actually. The seats in the Impala have extra shaping and cushioning and the Malibus are pretty basic. The Malibu is more of a mono form shape, with the upper greenhouse being fairly wide still above the shoulders. The Impala is a bit more rakish and has more 'hips'. The Malibu is fairly devoid of solidly defined character lines that the Impala has. The ones on the Malibu are quite subtle. Many have said the Malibu looks better in dark colors but I saw one in Summit white today and I really like the simplicity of the white color and simple shape. The Malibu / GM is really pushing the styling limits of sedan with the new Malibu (and Insignia by the spy shots). The tiny bit of trunk lid left brings them dangerously close to hatchbacks in look. At least they are packaging the car to benefit the interior, which is a great thing. The Impala and Malibu each have good interior space, and yet the cars have different and distinct interiors and feel. Some of the wheel choices on the new Impala are flat out sexy. The wheel choices on the upper trim of the new Malibu are interesting but overall the Impala has some great choices if you like stylish wheels.

the 2.7 was a terrible motor. when i was doing my selling gig, those cars with that motor were either traded in when they were about to blow up, or they blew up right after they got sold. the book value of the sebring and stratus in particular were abysmal. if you had to get someone approved for a sale who had bad credit, a lot of times one of the few choices you had were to find a sebring or stratus that was newer and low miles because the loan to value was always a problem. It was mostly due to the 2.7 being a steaming pile of turd. The used Intrepids were boomerangs too if they had the 2.7.

Not so much in these parts, its scarcity and the market here keeps it up pretty high. I've noticed the market being flooded just within the last few months with a lot of 2013's. Probably lease returns from about the time there were signs of life and loosened up credit in the car market back then.

Azera is alright but its lost in the mix. The newest Sonata is a huge dud. Wait a couple more years and the Azera will be a nice used car buy.

car might be a dud, but Ellie Kemper is a freakin delight, sometimes its more about the marketing, http://www.carscoops.com/2016/01/actress-ellie-kemper-stars-in-cascada.html

the sebring and stratus were tweeners. at least as far as markets, the intrepid still tried to cover the mainstream price segment. actually, the strategy chrysler had was to cover it with the two cars. Nowadays, you pretty much have to nail the size of the car right on to be in the mainstream volume sedan segment. That is what chevy finally figured out with the new malibu. Note how Nissan (is a good example). You can cover the volume segment with the Altima but be damn sure its the right size. The new Maxima is actually quite small, but then it becomes the luxury model. I think the 200 sort of tries to catch some folks that may be looking at a Regal, a CC, or a Maxima. Since Chrysler and Dodge don't have any other cars in the mainstream segment, then, the 200 sort of is Chryslers defacto, even if by covering it its more of a tweener......its good for the Chrysler brand. But if this were a Dodge branded car it would need to match Accord / Altima / Passat size. Passat is a great example of how size matters. A better price plus a better size and it sold way more than it did when it was small back in 2009-2010 whatever.

don't put words in my mouth, i like the 200. the v6 AWD is a great option in the class. I think of the 200 more as a personal sedan rather than a family sedan, and the 200 / Sebring was never a big car either. The Intrepid was always Chryslers room and space car. Uh, the Intrepid has been gone for over decade...the 300 and Charger have been their big cars since the mid 00s... oh i know that, but the 300 and Charger are not mid size segment cars. The Intrepid and Concorde set the bar with the cab forward styling and packaging that wrote the book on how sedans should be packaged for mass market. The 300 and Charger were a step into the RWD foray, and their packaging, while large, is inefficient, regressive and not of the mainstream FWD chassis ilk. Aside from being a Chrysler, the Intrepid had the chance to set the benchmark for family sedans. Dubious Chrysler engineering and quality was their setback. The styling and packaging made all the sense. The GM cars of the same time period were embarrassing from a packaging standpoint in comparison.

Conti looks like Hyundai restyled an Equus to look like a Bentley, CT6 looks the part of a Cadillac and will be more successful because it looks like what you would think a Cadillac may look like. Conti reminds me of off brand stereo equipment. CT6 looks like a Cadillac even if its not a drop dead stunner.

the 200 is a pretty decent car, it's one of my favorites in the segment. People like Reg don't like it because they are shopping for the most cubic feet of interior room per dollar. If you just need a sedan to get you to work and back with little concern for the back seat passengers, there are definitely worse choices out there. The 200 is also unique in that it is the only V6 with AWD mid-size family car that I can think of outside of a top end Subaru Legacy. I also happen to like the interior better than most of its direct competition. don't put words in my mouth, i like the 200. the v6 AWD is a great option in the class. I think of the 200 more as a personal sedan rather than a family sedan, and the 200 / Sebring was never a big car either. The Intrepid was always Chryslers room and space car.

i must admit, i have changed my tune on the Avista. It does look good. But this underscores your point.......no Avenir, no Avista. New Insignia / Regal spy shots look less than exciting to me anyways. And Buick wants to sell a 4,000 pound Astra convertible with a 1.6 liter engine. Is Buick delivering the metal, probably not. But show cars are just for show apparently. I read an article that suggests that what exactly Buick is doing here is purposely bringing this car here to stock the rental fleets with a convertible as advertising for the Buick brand. 'Advertising' that will get you in the showroom to buy an Envision. From China.

CONGRATS! nice looking unit, and the interior color is unique! Good thing lambda was still available you weren't forced into a 17 Acadia that GM decided to downsize!

That would seal the fate of Alfa too though... the way they pay for that new platform is by sharing it with Dodge and Chrysler to get as much volume out of it as possible. Basically, that would be Serg throwing the baby out with the bathwater if he killed the Charger. (not that that scenarios is impossible in Serg's world) How many times was the launch of the Giulia pushed back? Alfa won't complete the debut of its new lineup until the middle of the next decade, and that FCA will be scaling back the brand's research and development, manufacturing, and product investments through 2018. " This new product strategy differs from the original Marchionne strategy in a few key ways. First, all of these vehicles were supposed to have been launched between May 2014 and sometime in 2018. Since it's 2016 and we can't even buy a Giulia yet, it's pretty clear that plan isn't going to happen. Instead, the six vehicles that will follow the Giulia and midsize CUV won't start arriving until 2017, with debuts continuing until at least 2020. " http://www.autoblog.com/2016/01/27/alfa-romeo-realigns-product-onslaught-again/ the 200 was never relied upon as a huge family hauler. So the rear door issue isn't a big deal. There is no precedent for the 200 to need to be cavernous. a car like the malibu, however, deserves to get lambasted if it has a useless rear seat and you can't get in the door. That's why they fixed it for 2016.

^^^^^^^ FCA and Serge want to decimate Dodge entirely, so the Dart itself is no surprise. What car, exactly will Chrysler have to offer for cheap price, good mpg, compact class? Oh, i suppose this is where Fiat comes in?