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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    It is bigger than an Encore. The XC60 is pretty similar, though I like the straighter lines and squared off look on the XC40. here is a side by side comparison https://www.motor1.com/news/181177/xc40-versus-xc60/
  2. smk4565
    MB is making a shift to electric in a hurry, so no fear on the gas mileage. An electric truck could make more torque than any of those Cummins or Powerstroke motors. And emissions standards need to be tightened on those too, they should have the same standard as a gas car. Those HD trucks emit a ton of black smoke and exhaust, and they should have to pay the same gas guzzler tax that a car has.
  3. smk4565
    If ride sharing becomes a big thing, then annual car sales could go under 10 million, one study showed 5 million compared to about 17 million today. GM and Ford aren't sustainable at 10 million annual sales, that is what happened in 2009. They will have to quickly learn how to make money with car sharing services. Teslas just seems better equipped for the EV-ride sharing-self driving car future that is going to happen. And one day Tesla will have a pickup truck with more torque, more horsepower, and lower operating cost than an F150, then Ford is in trouble. One thing about Ford and GM, they are both short sighted companies, what matters most is the quarterly profit number, their dividend and stock price. Tesla doesn't care about any of that, they care about the future. Ford would not take their $10 billion profit and put it into making an Electric F150, they will milk out the Ecoboost V6 until it is well past it's prime like GM did with the 3800 V6 and Dodge/Chrysler is doing with their whole line up. 1 EV. And GM doesn't make their own batteries either. GM should have 10 EVs for sale by 2025. Maybe they will, but I doubt it.
  4. smk4565
    Right, what does the manufacturer have to hide?
  5. smk4565
    Though, I don't think it is likely, it is possible that Tesla could buy GM or Ford in about 15 years time. If EV's really catch on and Tesla starts bank rolling money while GM and Ford go into sales decline, Tesla could take them over. And everyone will say that is nuts, but Apple was near bankrupt and losing money 20 years ago, now they are the most valuable company in the world. Amazon was a start up that lost money, now Sears, JCP, Toys R Us, Kohls, Target, Macy's and half the other retailers are all tanking and none of them have an answer.
  6. smk4565
    The 2016 Buick Envision had a base price of $42,070, you can google it. A 2016 Enclave was $39,065. So when Buick said they were going to release an SUV in between Encore and Enclave, that wasn't really true, Envision was priced above Enclave for 1 year before other trim levels arrived. The 2017 Buick envision has a base price of $34,065. At least Tesla isn't pricing the Model 3 above the Model S for a year.
  7. smk4565
    Companies all the time put out higher trim or at least mostly middle trim first. The first year the Buick Envision was on sale it was only the premium trim with a base around $42k. Now they have one for $34k or whatever the base car is. Tesla is doing nothing different, year one they build all technology pack or extended range cars, and year 2 they will have the base.
  8. smk4565
    Sounds like a good idea, they should push the limit to 10,000 lbs or even 12,000 lbs so these HD trucks have to be EPA rated. I also think for as long as we have a gas guzzler tax, it should be applied to all vehicles. If they hit a Maserati that gets 14/20 mpg with a $2000 gas guzzler tax, then a Ram HD that gets 14/20 mpg should get a $2000 gas guzzler tax, a Suburban should get one, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc. Even playing field. Then you'll see a push for high fuel economy in trucks.
  9. smk4565
    The price of the Model 3 I don't think will slow down sales at all. They will sell as fast as they can make them, actually they sell faster than they can make them since you have to order your car up front from Tesla, there is no dealer supply of 100 days sitting on lots. What is funny though is that if I mention the Cadillac XT5 starts at $39,395, GM fans quickly point out that they usually sell over $50,000 or even $60,000 in Platinum Super Trim. But if the Model 3 starts at $35,00 and transacts at $45-50k, that is a bad thing.
  10. smk4565
    Right, they lose money now, but we don't know how many Model 3's they have to sell to turn a profit.
  11. smk4565
    We don't really know where Tesla's profit point is at. If the Model 3 gets the company profitable look out. And another thing to consider is Tesla has the badge not he front to get people to buy their cars. This is something that Nissan, Chevy, Ford, VW, etc don't have. A car that costs $40k to build, Chevy would have to sell at $40k, Tesla could sell that same car for $50k because it says Tesla on the front, and Tesla is the gotta have product to use a Bob Lutz term.
  12. smk4565
    A smart man. That era 7 series was a terrible car, look at how ugly it is. The 90s 7-series actually looks newer if you put those 2 side bye side.
  13. smk4565
    The Rimac weighs 4200 lbs and has regular car suspension; the AMG weighs 2700 and has F1 car suspension. Which do you think will be better in the corners?
  14. smk4565
    This looks like a better buy than the GLA or X1 unless they price the T5 really high. I'd imagine the T4 should still be 220 hp at least since it is still a turbo 4.
  15. smk4565
    Except that Lewis Hamilton has driven it and his F1 car does 0-124 mph in 4.6 seconds with the same engine. The 2 electric motors and all wheel drive will help make up for the 1,000 lb weigh difference. The Rimac is on season 2 of The Grand Tour which I think comes out in November. The successor to Project One will be all electric around 2025, Mercedes already said they are going to take Formula E technology to put to a road car but they are a year away from racing Formula E.
  16. smk4565
    New rumor says Hyundai is interested in buying FCA. No way they want Chrysler or Dodge. They will want the Jeeps, Ram trucks, and the Pacifica can be the Sedona/Entourage, so that saves them money on developing a new van. I could see them wanting Alfa Romeo as a sport luxury brand and Genesis can be a comfort luxury brand, Maserati seems worthless. If Hyundai is interested, Sergio needs to trim the fat fast to make FCA appealing.
  17. smk4565
    The AMG Project One (which is getting a new name for production thankfully) will beat the Rimac, and it isn't made by a man in a shed, it is made by Mercedes so you know it will work. Even though Richard Hammond did roll a Rimac and survive with little injury so perhaps it is safe. The AMG will stomp these cars in handling, it weighs nearly 1,500 lbs less than the Rimac. A Tesla Model S P100 D does 0-125 mph in 10.5 seconds (and won Motor Trend's World's greatest drag race), Project One can do that in under 6 seconds.
  18. smk4565
    Good price and good that at least someone remembers this market, even though it is sort of a small segment. But there are people that want new and can't afford a $26,000 Cruze or Corolla, or they can, and think it is insane to spend $26k on a Cruze or Corolla, which it is.
  19. smk4565
    Looks pretty good inside and out, and has a fairly potent motor in T5 trim for a little SUV. I think it should sell pretty well. It has a unique look that is rugged, but modern, almost art deco too with that color. The XC40 should stand out against some of the homogenous looking crossovers out there.
  20. smk4565
    "The G90 doesn't have twin turbos like an S-class" "The G90 doesn't have cameras to read the road or air suspension" "The G90 doesn't have a hybrid power train" "The G90 doesn't have autonomous drive technology" Translation is the G90 is slower, less powerful, less fuel efficient, and has worse ride quality than an S-class. Beirmann is trying to say technology and power and interior materials don't matter, because his car has none of those things. Probably why his car doesn't sell very well.
  21. smk4565
    Chrysler sales as a brand are down 24% this year and mostly due to the 200 being gone but the 300 is down year to date. Pacifica is still new, I imagine in 2019 the sales will decline from where they are now. Minivan and Full size sedan are shrinking segments and those are the only 2 segments Chrysler is in. Not a good business model
  22. smk4565
    Oh yeah, They will be lined up out the door to buy a Concorde. I mean this was a car that even rental car agencies didn't want. The market doesn't need another near luxury brand or car even because all the mainstream cars are offering electronic everything, driver assist tech, leather, moonroof, heated steering wheel etc. I don't see a place for Chrysler in the market, they have 2 products both of which are in sales decline.
  23. smk4565
    There is also rumor that the 300 will move to the Pacifica platform and be a front drive sedan. Although I wonder if the 300 even survives, Pacifica sales should slide off by 2019, I can easily see them closing down the Chrysler brand. That will make this mess easier to sell, which is the end goal by those in charge.
  24. smk4565
    But what if you want to drive your car through a lazy river?
  25. smk4565
    I don't get it really, why not make performance models that are hybrids? You can have performance EV's too. I think what it really comes down to, is a performance model G70 at $60-70,000 or a G80 N-performance at $85,000 isn't going to sell. I don't see the Genesis brand as having the bandwidth to get that top dollar price, and they don't really have the hardware readily available to do it either, so that is a lot of money to spend to get there too.
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