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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Seems like a good idea to put it on sale, this could catch on again. Once autonomous cars get more common, a van makes the most sense. Because if you aren't driving and just lounging around or even sleeping until you get to your destination, a van has the space. And for autonomous ride sharing, a van could hold more people.
  2. smk4565
    Everyone ever looking to buy something, says they are not looking to buy it.
  3. smk4565
    Yes it is.
  4. smk4565
    That was a W140 chassis car, they were still selling when the W221 S-class was on sale with the same V12 and the Maybach was double the price. I bet they had profit on the Maybach, but they had no reason to keep it going. It was a failed experiment, and over reaction to BMW having Rolls, and VW having Bentley. It made more sense to dump the Maybach brand rather than do another $400,000 sedan that won't sell and doesn't bring any cache to the Mercedes logo. It is better to focus on the S-class as their ultimate sedan and offer the Maybach trim to bolster the S-class and the 3 point star.
  5. smk4565
    Seems like most of FCA is skipping out. Mercedes has a lot planned for this show. I imagine BMW will push the 8-series and Z4, and maybe X7 concept or something. They should have some stuff.
  6. smk4565
    Z8's now cost double what they did 15 years ago.
  7. smk4565
    Not every car Mercedes makes has to be profitable though. They can build low volume one offs or loss leaders just for the sake of doing it. At most car companies the bean counters will kill off a 6 wheel drive SUV or a Laundelet limo or a hyper car well before it even gets off the sketch pad. And the hyper car might not even lose money, the powertrain development is already paid for and the $2 million price might cover the materials and production cost. If it doesn't, Mercedes obviously doesn't care.
  8. smk4565
    EV's for all. This band wagon will start to fill up fast, the technology is just coming to where it is affordable and scaleable.
  9. smk4565
    Yes but they don't have to design something new, they already have most of that work done from the F1 car. Speeds up the R&D time. If they want to make an 800 hp AMG GT sedan, or an e-turbo C300 that is more efficient than the current car, it won't be that hard to do.
  10. smk4565
    I thought Solstice right away from the rear, and there is some Corvette and Jaguar F-type vibe in it too. I think it looks good overall, but needs more BMW like headlights. It doesn't really scream BMW. Cool looking car though, and Mercedes is dropping the SLC so, the Z4 has that space more to itself.
  11. smk4565
    275 already sold out, I don't know why they don't make 500, why stop when you have people in line to buy it. What does become a business model is taking that hybrid system, and applying it to a more conventional engine, or taking the electric turbo from that car and putting in the E53 that is supposed to replace the E43.
  12. smk4565
    AMG has already released those specs on the hypercar that goes on sale in 2018. In almost any comparison test the C300 is near the top of the class, C63 has beaten ATS-V and M3 head on, the E43 just won a comparison test, I remember the E300 beating the CT6 in a Motor Trend compare last year. Those 2 cars regardless of trim level are class leading.
  13. smk4565
    Cheap performance is always nice in the marketplace, but I hope this car is actually cheap. 246 hp is what is in a Sonata 2.0 Turbo that is like $27k and a larger, more luxurious car.
  14. smk4565
    They aren't competitive. If they were people would buy them. Cheap, cramped interiors and a HUE, (Horrible User Interface), torqueless V6, refinement issues, etc. The CTS back in 2006 sold better than what the ATS and CTS combined are selling now. The competition passed them by. The AMG cars constantly beat Cadillacs in magazine comparison tests, and AMG is just getting warmed up. BMW better get their M division up to par, AMG is stomping them too and is now on to Porsche and Ferrari. Let's look at the next AMG car: under 2800 lbs 1.6 liter bi-turbo V6 hybrid 1000+ horsepower 11,000+ rpm redline 4 electric motors F1 pushrod suspension BMW, Cadillac and Audi will never get there.
  15. smk4565
    Before this Custom trim the Tahoe and Yukon were $1,000 apart. Too close.
  16. smk4565
    But in this case the Tahoe is positioned as a luxury SUV, while the GMC is positioned the same way. The Tahoe, and ever Chevy truck for that matter should be cheaper than the GMC. I have long said the base model GMC anything should be priced the same as the Chevy LTZ trim. The Yukon starts at $48,500, a Tahoe should be $43,500 base, so I like that they dropped the Tahoe price, I think it could drop another grand, or maybe up the Yukon base model to $49,950 and make more standard, then you have a $5k gap at least. Mercedes doesn't sell 2 of the same of anything like GM does. Even GLE and GLS which are the closest 2 products they have don't share any body panels.
  17. smk4565
    Which is what Chevy should do. Have a Tahoe V6 at $39,995 because if you want a nicer truck there is the Yukon/Denali, and if you want nicer than that there is the Escalade. Mercedes has a nice stepping stone product spread. GM's brands compete with each other half the time. Chevy needs to be always about value, especially if they are trying to push Buick and GMC as premium or luxury brands.
  18. smk4565
    True, so Mercedes is making 10 EV's and 50+ electrified models by 2022 then. Exciting stuff.
  19. smk4565
    They don't but they outsell the ATS like 6 to 1. JDN is going to go where he can compete and that is front drive crossovers.
  20. smk4565
    Everything I ever read was 10 electric Mercedes by 2022, not Daimler making 10 EV's. EQ brand A, C, E, S-class size sedans and GLC, GLE, GLS size SUVs are a given, that is 7 right there. At some point there will be an AMG electric car, and I have to imagine they want an electric SL roadster.
  21. smk4565
    They should bring back the Buick Century Custom.
  22. smk4565
    I read Johan's statement as CT5 replaces CTS and ATS, and slots in between the current ATS and CTS in price. And a CT4 competes with CLA and A3 and that sweet BMW 1-series that we are getting. Johan knows he can't beat the E-class, C-class or 3-series. So they are going to try that tweener strategy again, maybe go after the MKZ and Infiniti Q50. Cadillac already took their best shot with ATS and CTS, time to go back down the food chain. And if he wanted to take big shots the XT5 wouldn't be an Acadia, and XT4 wouldn't be an Equinox. So we know where his plan is going. And he was there before XT4 hit development, excuse time is over for him being new, if he wanted a CTS-V engine in a mid-size SUV he'd have it already, even FCA has pulled that trick off a few times with no money and dated platforms.
  23. smk4565
    I think the plan for the EQ cars is do do something like Mercedes-EQ C-class, Mercedes EQ E-class, etc. They would ride on a special EV platform but mirror the gas car line up. If they plan 10 EV's they basically have to do like 4 sedan, 4 suv, 2 sports cars or something. That would make the most sense to start that way since post 2030 they will probably only have EV's. The German 3 said they are not going to spend any money on internal combustion engine development after 2023, Chancellor Merkel said Germany will eventually ban internal combustion engines. So no sense trying to make new classes, when C-E-S are all going to be EVs in 15 years.
  24. smk4565
    They need to get a 100 mile range on the Smart for the current cost, the current car has too small a range. 100 miles at a $24k cost, sort of fills that low end niche for now.
  25. smk4565
    Someone is worried about the forthcoming Bronco. I feel like Ford can price the Bronco at $35k and clean up. Good move though to drop the price and have a more basic version if you want a luxury Tahoe that is why they have Denali Yukons. Chevys should be cheap.
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