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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    The GLA is the same length as a Chevy Sonic and has less cargo room than it. I don't feel like the XT4 is that small. GLB vs XT4 I think will be more valid. And think of it this way, the GLA is the smaller than the Lexus UX, which is smaller than the Lexus NX which is virtually the same size as the XT4. The XT4 may very well be better than the GLA or X1 or Q3, but it is also not really in that segment. And if Lexus thought the NX was competing in that segment they wouldn't have just introduced another SUV below NX. There are 3 segments working here.
  2. smk4565
    Subaru is a luxury brand now? ? Although I agree with you in that I think every Cadillac should just be AWD standard and I think every Cadillac should be turbocharged and electrified in some way. And as a side note, if FCA can drop these Hellcat engines into everything under the sun, why don't they put a Corvette ZR-1 engine into the Escalade and charge $175,000 for it. I am sure they can find 2,000 people a year to buy it and why not take their money.
  3. smk4565
    Who's to say the 2.4 is durable? They used that in the Dart and other cheap cars, those engines probably don't last long either. The Malibu uses a 1.5L turbo and that is a much bigger vehicle than a Renegade and no one seems to care, the Silverado has a turbo 4 now.
  4. smk4565
    I think it is sort of amazing that we now live in a world where the optional engine is a 1.3 liter. That being said it seems to make pretty robust torque at 200 lb-ft for a little vehicle.
  5. smk4565
    Well, it looks like a BMW. I am not a big fan of the digital display behind the steering wheel, it doesn't seem to fit in right. But nothing inside or out looks offensive, they are serving up what the people want, the formula isn't broken so no need to change it.
  6. smk4565
    By that thinking the Toyota Highlander and Cadillac XT4 are competitors. I get that people shop price, I can see the cross shop between an ATS and CLA, or an ATS and C-class. The XT4 will probably get shopped against smaller German SUVs or the GLC/X3/Q5, people probably cross shop the Q3 and Q5 when at the Audi dealer. What people compare and cross shop doesn't matter as much as how does Cadillac win? The only Cadillac that wins is the Escalade (XT5 sells pretty well), and there will be a new Q8, new X7 and new GLS to go with the new Navigator, Alfa Romeo is going to build a 3 row SUV, Jeep has Grand Wagoneer coming, etc. That is getting real crowded really fast and now Rolls, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Ferrari are getting into SUVs.
  7. smk4565
    That is all true as far as your size comparisons go, but when the ATS came out Cadillac said it was an A4/3-Series/C-class competitor. Now you say the CTS is a C-class competitor. So the CTS competes with A4 and 3-series now? The 3 Germans are in the same segment. And if we are assuming that interior space is important, why does the C-class outsell the CTS by roughly 8 to 1in the USA. If Americans want a roomy car and the C-class is $50k and a CTS is $50k, why aren’t people buying a CTS? Cadillac has no vehicle as small as a Q3 or GLA, if they did make an XT3 then I would say it should be front wheel drive because you aren’t going to go over 300 hp on a compact SUV unless you are crazy like AMG is, and if you don’t have high HP you don’t need rear drive. Also with the low weight of a Q3 sort of vehicle you probably aren’t as concerned with body roll and weight balance like you are with a bigger vehicle. I agree because GMC and Buick can do small $30k SUVs. But that means that Cadillac has to find growth by going up market and that is something they have tried and failed at since the Allante in the 80’s.
  8. smk4565
    And yet the ATS and CTS are often cited for having the most cramped interiors in their class. And the 2010-2015 SRX you yourself said had interior space like an X3, even though the exterior size was similar to an X5.
  9. smk4565
    I feel like Elon likes to create a bit of a circus and this one back fired on him but I doubt he really cares either. He is still the majority shareholder and can call the shots. And if he doesn’t get what he wants he’ll probably shut it down and move to Mars.
  10. smk4565
    That is the problem, Cadillac is in the Volvo, Acura price class. And really Acura has those Honda loyalists to fall back on, Volvo has really improved over recent years and seems to have some mojo back. Cadillac is stuck in neutral with Lincoln who can't figure out what they want to be. I see Infiniti falling behind just because their lineup is rather dated, and there is no flagship vehicle of any kind, the Q70 is one of the oldest vehicles on the market, the QX80 might be the only thing older and more dated.
  11. smk4565
    True so why bother with a CT6-V? The CT6 sells about 1/10th the volume a GLC does, I can't imagine they will sell more than 500-1,000 CT6-V's per year globally. They might as well put the CT6 on the LaCrosse platform with a base 3.6 V6 and awd and make the 3.6 TT V6 with AWD the V. Lexus calls the RX 350 with no engine upgrade the F-sport, so a Cadillac can call anything with with 400 hp a V-series.
  12. smk4565
    The advantage is in MSRP. This is the XT5's dimensions: 190″ L x 75″ W x 66″ H Range Rover Velar dimensions: 189″ L x 76″ W x 66″ H And Merc GLE's dimensions: 189″ L x 76″ W x 71″ H The XT5 starts at $40,595 and maxes at $70,095. RR Velar starts at $49,600 and maxes at $94,385. The GLE starts at $52,200 and maxes at $127,925. In all 3 builds I added all the options except for dealer accessories like all weather floor mats, wheel locks, engine block heater, etc. Given those numbers it looks like an easy $10-20,000 price increase by going to rear drive. We can do this with the XT4 also, which is 181″ L x 77″ W x 64″ H Mercedes GLC: 183″ L x 74″ W x 65″ H and Porsche Macan 184″ L x 76″ W x 64″ H The GLC starts at $40,700 and Car and Driver had and as tested GLC63 at $103,300. Porsche Macan starts at $47,800 and I had it up to $127,180 on their configurator and I didn't even check a lot of the boxes. Porsche gets $20,000 per vehicle profit, and they don't do it with front drive and a turbo 4.
  13. smk4565
    They are all AWD, but you need a longitudinal mounted engine with the transmission behind it that can help with weight balance, longer wheelbase, and the ability to send more power to the rear wheels, like 40/60 to the rear for example. If chassis does not matter, then the CT4, CT5, CT6 should all be FWD with an AWD setup (make it standard AWD if they want) in order to save money. They can build the whole line off Cruze and Malibu chassis and save engineering resources.
  14. smk4565
    I agree with Cmicasa’s product line but Cadiallc didn’t do that then and they aren’t going to do it now. This brand doesn’t spend money and I have been saying that for a decade. Even going back to the XLR in 2004, they cut cost all over the place. The argument that sedans need to be rwd for better performance, ride and handling, but the crossovers are fine with front drive makes no sense. If rwd has better ride and handling then you should invest in it on the most popular body style of vehicle. Cadillac sales could be 80% SUV by 2020, why wouldn’t they want the best platform possible on 80% of their product?
  15. smk4565
    Which means they probably won’t be any good.
  16. smk4565
    Auto brands, just like brands in any other industry, operate globally. Cadillac operates in 2 countries and ranks in 6th or 7th place in both of them. I don't see any path for them to do better than that. Cadillac doesn't really have a clear focus or brand image, they haven't for decades. Cadillac was late on crossovers, they'll probably be late on EV's and miss that market when it takes off. I think GM will keep Cadillac around because they'll always find a way for the Cadillac brand to turn a profit. But I see no way for them to turn this brand around.
  17. smk4565
    “We lost our mojo for a long period of time. This time, it is different and we will show you," HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah right, why will it be different? Oh please explain Mr. Carlisle. This brand hasn't had mojo since the 80s and that mojo was mostly with seniors even then. Since then it has been one mistake after another, "Dare Greatly" was a horrible idea, I said that at the time they launched it. I don't see the XT4 as their savior because the millennial and Get X-ers that are buying cars don't want a Cadillac, they want a German car if they like performance and they want an Acura or Lexus if they want reliability. Cadillac's brand image is badly damaged, and I guarantee nobody at GM knows how to fix it, or else they would have done it already.
  18. smk4565
    He owns like 20% of the company, he just has to find some big money group to buy up another 30% and he can probably buy up some more shares himself. He could take control of it if he really wanted to, but I think that would slow their growth and limit their ability to raise money.
  19. smk4565
    Jeep has really strong brand image and the styling really works too. This makes it a desirable brand all over the world. And they have 3 SUVs on the smaller side, the Cherokee is the size of an Equinox and they have 2 smaller than that. Japanese don't buy American because a lot of American cars aren't that good. The class leading American cars are full size pickups and SUVs and that stuff won't sell in Japan or Europe either. If American brands had best in class small sedans and small and compact crossovers I bet they'd sell over seas.
  20. smk4565
    You have to have demos, how will people know if they like the car if they can't drive it. Some of these new car dealers stock hundreds of cars, yet they don't want to stock any E-trons? I am sure those buyers will be happy to drive a mile down the road to the Mercedes dealer that has EV's in stock. Likewise for those waiting a year for a Tesla, you can go get a Mercedes that won't have different colors on the door panels or a hood that is put on crooked. I will have to point the finger of shame at Mercedes if they don't sell more EV's than Audi over the next 5 years.
  21. smk4565
    He should take Tesla private just out of spite now.
  22. smk4565
    I said this was a bad idea at the time. Johan did nothing right in his time at Cadillac. And really that is upper management's fault, they didn't know what to do with Cadillac, so they hired him and he botched Cadillac. The original "renaissance" started in 2002 and they still haven't figured it out.
  23. smk4565
    First off, Toyota has billions and billions of dollars, they can build anything they want. This isn't FCA. I have thought for years they should bring back the Celica, when Scion died they should have done this. It won't be that hard to make a Corolla based coupe, you have the platform, just have to re-body it and change the front and rear facias. They could use the Corolla's 1.8 liter as the base engine, and offer a turbo for the GT-S with like 190-200 hp. Or you could put the Camry's 4-cylinder in there that makes about 200 hp. Would be so easy to bring the Celica back. MR2 is a bit harder to make a mid-engine car, that gets into a new platform and stuff.
  24. smk4565
    You can lease a brand new Lincoln for $300-400 a month first off. And secondly, maybe after one month in a Lincoln they couldn’t wait to get a different car.
  25. smk4565
    Probably at the rate we are going a base 2025 Camry will be about $44,000 while the average American household has a $60k income compared to today when a base Camry is $23k and the median household income is $59,000.
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