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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    No, I am just saying tracks like Willow Springs and VIR favor high horsepower straight line ability cars. The Corvette does well on both, on the tracks less powerful cars post quicker times than the Corvette. The E63 is the fastest sedan ever around VIR, but it isn't the fastest sedan on the Nurburgring for the same reason. Lots of straight line power but it is a big sedan to get through corners quicker than an M3 or Guilia or something.
  2. smk4565
    Not now, but in 2019 they will. And it is a conventional looking crossover which is what buyers want, and I think arriving at the right time.
  3. smk4565
    VIR is a power circuit that favors straight line speed. The Corvette Z06 beats the AMG GT R there, but is slower around the Nurburgring. The Nurburgring is the great equalizer and exposes all flaws. And every track this car goes on, the record will fall. I can't wait.
  4. smk4565
    It is, and when does this Buick go on sale? And it isn't like Mercedes is offering one level of electric horsepower, there will be AMG electric cars.
  5. smk4565
    I don't mean a higher trim Escalade, I mean a vehicle above Escalade. Something like a Lamborghini Urus competitor with more luxury than an Escalade and more performance than a CT6 V-sport. And maybe Escala will become a $150,000 base price SUV, I dunno, but I think if Cadillac wants to march upward, then SUV is where you do it.
  6. smk4565
    I think the body looks ugly, but sign me up for the powertrain all day long. 550 hp, 40 minute recharge and 370 mile range is impressive stuff.
  7. smk4565
    The 2019 ZR1 did it in 7:12, the GT3 RS which is less powerful than a GT2 RS did it in 6:56. Motor1 All of this is meaningless since the AMG Project One is targeting 6:10 and then all this chasing lap times stuff ends since no one is getting down near 6 minutes with a road car.
  8. smk4565
    The Escalade is a cash cow no doubt, I just don’t see it being 11% of GM’s total profit, though I would guess it has the highest per vehicle margin of any GM product. I don’t know they never went above the Ecalade, why did they stop? Cadillac could easily have an SUV In the $125-175,000 range. Go above the Navigator and make it 2nd rate.
  9. smk4565
    That was a lot of ranting but I don’t get how a sub $100k AMG only Model is a bad thing. And you can spend $60k on a Camaro or Mustang and it will still have the same rental car interior as the one at the Orlando airport Hertz lot. And it is about driving dynamics. The 755 hp Corvette ZR1 is slower around the Nürburgring than the 577 hp AMG GT or the 520 hp 911 GT2 RS. And the Porsche is like 15-20 seconds faster, it isn’t even close. I think to have a business case for an entry level AMG you start with a 330 hp turbo 4 around $55k and use the 430 hp turbo 6 around $65k. And no V8 because you want to keep the car small to compete with Audi TT, Cayman, etc. AMG could go the other way too and make something above the GT but below Project One, but they’ll sell like 500 a year so why bother. I think Moers wants to attack Porsche at every segment and not Ferrari.
  10. smk4565
    Escalade over the past 4 years has averaged high 30,000s in sales, even with a few export sales, let's call it 40,000 units. They would have to make $25,000 profit per unit to hit $1 billion. I know it is made of Silverado parts, but that still seems like a big margin on an $85,000 vehicle. Pre $10,000 discount, maybe. But if the Escalade is responsible for $1 billion in profits, why did GM post a $330M profit for 2017 when factoring out the European sale/loss. GM posted a $3.88B loss in 2017. Even on 2015-2016 numbers where GM had a $9B profit, I find it hard to believe that the Escalade is 11% of their profit when it is less than 1% of their global sales volume.
  11. smk4565
    The SLC43 is $61,000, so I think they can get in that range with the inline six. The SLC is too small, and it isn't really a pure sports car, it is more like a comfort cruiser convertible, but it isn't that comfortable. The C-class convertible fills that role better. They are for sure dropping SLC, so that does make room for a mini AMG GT.
  12. smk4565
    Agree. If AMG does an entry level sports car I would expect a $55k base price like the 718/Cayman. That could use the forthcoming 2 liter turbo with rumored 330 hp as a base engine and the 430 hp inline six as the range topper at like $70k. This would be a 2 seat hardtop I imagine. An E-class buyer isn’t going buy a 2 seat sports car unless it is a second car, So really just the C43 and C63 sit in that price point and most of those are sedans and even the coupe has a back seat and isn’t a pure sports car. I think AMG would get the sales off top end Camaro/Mustang, POW end Corvette, Porsche 718, Nissan GT-R owners that got priced out with the increases, the 57 people that bought an Alfa 4C, etc. And let’s face it, most car companies are fleeing sports cars and coupes altogether, so AMG may not have a lot of competition left in 2022 if this car arrives then.
  13. smk4565
    Agreed. And when the new GLS and new X7 hit the market in the fall or winter they’ll have $10k off Escalades for all.
  14. smk4565
    Good points, there could be enough demand and volume for it. And from a cost standpoint, AMG is designing the chassis for the next SL, they can share that with generation 2 of the GT, and use a version for a Porsche 718 competitor. That helps economies of scale, and they have all the powertrain stuff already done, so it wouldn’t cost that much they do this car.
  15. smk4565
    I bet a bi-turbo V6 would fit in a Metris or Sprinter, and the high performance van sector is rather under served. I could see a Hellcat Promaster rival entering the space as well. I don't know if they really need a Boxster/Cayman fighter, that is a pretty small segment, you have the new Supra/Z4 but those will be cheaper, the Corvette is in that mid-price sports car market too, and Jaguar F-type, but there isn't a ton of volume in the $50-80k sports car segment.
  16. smk4565
    Gotta build there to sell there. Audi sold around 600,000 cars there last year.
  17. smk4565
    Also interesting is a 2007 S5550 had 382 hp, 391 lb-ft. Today the S560 has 463 hp and 516 lb-ft. While Lexus Has at 415/442. They are falling behind although the gap was worse in 2016 they still had that torqueless V8 in the LS460
  18. smk4565
    354 hp and 415 hp is a whole lot of yawn for a full size sedan. They need more power.
  19. smk4565
    Because Jaguar-Land Rover are one company with one dealer channel. Right now Land Rover has 6 SUVs and Jaguar has 3, that is 9 SUVs in one dealership and this will be the 10th. Cadillac is a stand alone dealer and luxury car line and luxury truck line of GM.
  20. smk4565
    In all fairness to them, Jaguar was supposed to be a sedan and sports car line, while Land Rover built the SUVs, but people want sporty, performance oriented crossovers now, and Land Rover still has that off road vibe, even with the Velar and Evoque and some attempts to change that. They for sure now need a 3 row crossover, with the SVR trim or whatever they have decided their performance model to be.
  21. smk4565
    Not a fan of the new look, sort of has a Chrysler 200 vibe to the headlights, I think when the Gen 5 Camaro came out it looked good, and has gone down hill since with these refreshes. I think you could drop the V6 in time, and maybe that is why they went with the 1LE on the turbo 4. They could probably come out with a higher boosted four, the Mustang dropped it's V6 so it is possible. If you want a track car though, less weight in the 4 makes sense for a 1LE and cheaper cost.
  22. smk4565
    The Infiniti QX60 is the size of an Enclave for XT5 money, since it has more space does that make it good? Or is it a glorified Pathfinder? And I compared the XT5 to mid-size SUVs, which include MDX, MKX, GLE, X5, Q7, Cayenne, Levante, XC90, Range Rover Velar, Discover, the hopelessly dated Lexus GX, Lexus RX, etc. The MKX is the only one in the group cheaper than XT5. As I said before I am not opposed to Cadillac having an entry level SUV, gobble up volume, I think it better for Cadillac to get a sale than Buick or GMC, you make more margin on a Cadillac. My issue is lack of upscale product outside of the Escalade. Cadillac should be getting CT6 money for a mid-size SUV.
  23. smk4565
    I thought they were removing the name "Buick" off the back of cars? I am glad to see more EV's though, and hope it doesn't look like a clown car like an i3. If companies want electric cars to sell they need to look good.
  24. smk4565
    Can't have too many crossovers it seems. One day Jaguar will be an SUV only brand, to compliment Land Rover that is an SUV only brand.
  25. smk4565
    I am not really a fan of any SUV, but the XT5 I believe is the 2nd cheapest mid-size luxury crossover, only behind the MKX, so it isn't really a good volume if you are just a price leader. It is volume, but the Lexus RX I don't like either, it is a lousy product that sells just because it was one of the first and has repeat buyers. But it is important to get in to segments early, so they made the right moves 20 years ago.
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