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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Compare Side-by-Side.pdf
  2. smk4565
    The G70 will probably already cost what a CLA or A3 cost anyway, and they don't need more than 3 sedans when there is no growth to be had in sedans. They need Genesis crossovers, luxury buyers want those crossovers.
  3. smk4565
    It has to do with the unfairness of a gas guzzler tax. You can't tax Vehicle A that gets 14/19 mpg and not tax vehicle B that gets 11/15 mpg because it weighs more. The Cadillac CTS-V has a gas guzzler tax, the Mercedes-AMG G65 does not. That makes no sense; the "working man" isn't buying a $218,000 G-wagen that gets 13 mpg highway. And the G65 buyer pisses on $2000, they'd pay a $2k gas guzzler tax because they need to be seen in Beverly Hills with the most obnoxious car.
  4. smk4565
    What about people that buy a heavy duty truck to go off roading for fun and don't use it for any business purpose? What if your profession is stunt car driving instructor and you buy a CTS-V for work purpose and get gas guzzler taxed? This is the problem. They either need to have no gas guzzler tax or tax everything under a certain threshold. I have always favored a tax per gallon so it is on usage and not initial purchase.
  5. smk4565
    There is always a diesel Mercedes GL. The GL has a 600 lb tongue weight and tows 7500 lbs. CPO with warranty.
  6. smk4565
    But you order your car from Tesla. If you want to order a base model you can. There is currently a 12-18 month wait to get it is the only problem. Tesla has no dealers so you don't have to pick what is on dealer lots. Anyone that wants the $35k Model 3 can order one. Most Tesla buyers I imagine will want at least the luxury package for $5,000. Personally I wouldn't pay $9,000 for the bigger battery pack, as 220 miles is plenty of range for my use, I assume many others will feel the same.
  7. smk4565
    I do like that Ford went to aluminum and turbo sixes for the F150, and they are going to do a hybrid also. I applaud them for pushing progress forward. Ford is the innovator when it comes to pick ups, and has come a long way since 4.6 liter V8s making 210 hp, and that was 15 years ago. And Tesla's website states $35,000 base price before incentives.
  8. smk4565
    The Freightliner Supertruck gets 12.2 mpg thanks to aero, hybrid system with waste heat recovery and solar panels and downsized diesel engine. Another great innovation from Daimler, double the gas mileage of a typical semi truck.
  9. smk4565
    Mercedes builds what the customer wants. GM has not always done that, which is why market share eroded, rebates went up, and GM filed bankruptcy. GM is usually a few years behind the trend like crossovers were hit 10 years ago, Cadillac has one, even Infiniti has 4 of them.
  10. smk4565
    They already said the Model 3 has a base price of $35,000. The only thing is they are making well equipped models first. Buick did the same thing with the Envision.
  11. 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/
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. smk4565
    Right, what does the manufacturer have to hide?
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. smk4565
    Right, they lose money now, but we don't know how many Model 3's they have to sell to turn a profit.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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?
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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