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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Even at a division, $2 billion isn't much. Mercedes spend $1 billion on the mid-cycle refresh of the last E-class, this gets you like 8 cars for only double that money. Buick doesn't really even need the Regal, they could sell 3 crossovers and the LaCrosse, sedans sales are tanking anyway. And if Buick needs another sedan they can clone the Malibu or Cruze.
  2. smk4565
    The first AMG hybrid will be their hyper car that makes it's debut in September. There will be a 48 volt electric system on all Mercedes, that creates a mild hybrid affect if you want to count that. I think the real performance AMG hybrids are a couple years away mostly due to wanting to keep weight now, gotta get lighter batteries first, but they will come. I actually don't get the purpose of the GT4, they already have a C63 and E63 sedans. I don't get if they are going after E63 buyers who want even more performance, or GT buyers that want a sedan, but making the GT a sedan sort of makes it not as good. This is like the Aston Martin Rapide, except Aston Martin didn't have a sedan. I guess they just hate the Porsche Panamera, so if they want to take out Porsche I am all for it. If they are going to spend R&D dollars on a low volume vanity project though, I'd rather see it spend on a Lamborghini/Ferrari competitor to slot in between the GT and hyper car.
  3. smk4565
    Right except an XT3 is sized like an X3 or GLC, so it should be $39k and an XT5 like $52k if they were lining up with the Germans. They are lining themselves up with Lincoln.
  4. smk4565
    It isn't much money for a car company, but GM doesn't make money on it, they should just sell it. PSA would gain market share and have sizable chunks in France, UK and Germany, in time they can consolidate brands or models and get the profit from it that way. Makes sense for both sides.
  5. smk4565
    Photos of the test model, not even the production E-class. The E-class is the standard for interior and just about everything else in mid-size luxury sedans. I don't like the piano black on the E-class, I wish there was a wood trim substitute for that, not sure if there is. But then there is this with a lot of piano black:
  6. smk4565
    Without the optional leather package in the XT5 you get a lot of plastic and the door panels below the arm rest are plastic. I even thought the CT6 was just an average interior, you get better in an Audi A6 or Q7, or even a Volvo S90. When you sit in a lot of Buick, GMC, Chevy and Cadillac at once you see a lot of design similarities and parts sharing. And you can see the same dash shapes in a lot of these cars the Cadillac just swaps out the head unit and center stack from what a Chevy would have. i feel like XT3 is going to bring us an Equinox with the CUE center console and the Envision's 2 liter turbo. Because it is all about parts sharing and speedy development and low cost. We shall see when it is revealed.
  7. smk4565
    GLC43 coupe for that money!
  8. smk4565
    Not loyal to brand but I am just saying people that want a Cadillac or walk into the show room have one option. If you go into a Lincoln dealer you might debate between MKC and MKX because with options there is going to be a lot of price overlap. An XT3 will naturally steal some sales of an XT5, but steal some from Competiors also because small crossover is the fastest growing auto segment right now. i don't get how they can pile on $30k of options on an XT5 when there is no engine or transmission change. I did sit in an XT5 at the auto show with a sticker of $57k but no car sells at base price they are all optioned up. I don't see where the money went either, the interior seems just as cheap and plasticy as a Lincoln.
  9. smk4565
    XT5 sells because it is the only crossover in the show room. It is also mid-size vehicle for the price of a small european crossover, I think that helps it with female buyers with a family that want space. XT5 basically sells the same way the CTS sold in 2008-2013 era, it was a mid-size car for the price of a 3-series, that has appeal. It is the same formula Lexus used on the ES and the RX. It is a formula that works, but then you get into a situation that Lincoln and Lexus are in, where you have a mid-size SUV at $40k, and need to get a small and compact SUV below that.
  10. smk4565
    But what percentage of sedans are performance based? V-series is like 5% of ATS and CTS sales, yet they still build them. I happen to think the performance crossover market is getting ready to boom. And even if you aren't taking horsepower wars, rear drive products just have better ride and handling, even on a 250 hp vehicle it is noticeable. When the XT3 enters the market, what does it do better that a Lexus NX, MKC, RDX, Q3, Q5, BMW X1, Infiniti QX30 or whatever their small crossover is don't already do? It is already crowed marketplace in which it will be hard to stand out.
  11. smk4565
    The great thing about Mercedes is they cater to many tastes and many levels of performance. If you want a solid all around luxury sedan, the C-class does a great job. If you want an off road vehicle for Safari, the G-wagen does it, want a 570 hp track car they have the GT R. You want a convertible, they have 5 of them. You want a V12 limo they have that too. If you thought, gee how awesome would it be to have a Formula 1 car engine in my car, well it is coming. There is no ceiling. Cadillac seems to have self imposed ceilings because no SUV can be better or more expensive than an Escalade and no sports car at GM can be faster than a Corvette. And not sure what the goal is with CT6, if that is flagship or place holder, it isn't enough for a flagship but maybe there will be a CT8.
  12. smk4565
    That is pretty funny, I like the Darwin Award winners line. The C-class isn't too cheap though, they start at $39k but I just saw a test of a C63 that was over $90k. I actually think the C63 is priced a bit high. And we know Mercedes cars cost more than rival BMWs, Audis or Lexus. And they beat them still so they don't need the CLA to do that. Only ballers and rappers (and actors) drive G-wagens because that is who can afford them. In reality the GLE is the same size and a much better daily driver and it costs half as much. But there are those willing to pay for an icon even if they will never use the 3 locking differentials or even know what they do.
  13. smk4565
    But an ATS-V engine and chassis would be a good match for the Macan Alfa Romeo and coming GLC63. And where is the X5 M and Cayenne competitor? Those things have been anoint a dozen years. If Cadillac said the next CTS will be on the Malibu platform and the CTS-V will have a 3.0 TT V6 with a Haldex all wheel drive system, GM fans would flip out. Yet Cadillac builds crossovers (which out sell sedans) with this philosophy and GM fans praise it.
  14. smk4565
    And yet Mercedes is charging around $500,000 for the G650 Landaulet. I don't see any Cadillacs selling at that price. The RX, NX and RDX are top sellers because they are cheap. I guarantee that people buying a Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5 care that it is a rear drive based vehicle especially those buying the 500 up V8 versions. If they didn't care they wouldn't spend $90k on a crossover the same size a $45k Lexus. Sedan sales are dropping across the market, last month mid size sedans dropped like 24% while crossovers were up 18% or around there. The future is crossovers but Without rear drive you can't do performance. What Cadillac is doing with their crossovers is the same as using the Cruze and Malibu platforms to target the 3-series and 5-series. The problem Cadillac fans have is they never had a good crossover (with exception maybe being the Northstar SRX) so they don't miss it. Imagine BMW without the X5 M or Porsche with no Cayenne Turbo S, or If Land Rover decided to scrap all the Range Rover's off road ability and build it on a fwd mid size Sedan platform because most people don't go off road. But Cadillac never had a true off roader or a 650 hp supercharged V8 SRX so their fans don't miss what they never had.
  15. smk4565
    Cadillac's number 1 selling SUV and #1 selling sedan are front wheel drive, and XT3 and XT7 are coming with more front wheel drive. The dealers will pressure them for product volume, they'll get that with crossovers based on Chevy/Buick products because it is fastest and cheapest to do, that is just how GM works.
  16. smk4565
    I think it is very luxurious.
  17. smk4565
    Cadillac and Lexus sell way more front drive cars than Mercedes, I guess they are not luxury brands either and compete with Chevy and Ford, given the above logic. The Australian army didn't commission this, Mercedes made it just because they could and they aren't afraid to build something ridiculous and over the top. The GM board would never approve a convertible Escalade with a CTS-V engine, they would have 6 committee meetings with bean counters, then kill the idea.
  18. smk4565
    A good addition to a growing segment. This car should be pretty good, even though it often gets overlooked. I bet they put that engine in the F-Pace also to compete with the Macan and AMG GLC models.
  19. smk4565
    Mercedes makes the best engineered vehicles in the world. And I think it pretty widely accepted that they are a luxury car brand. And they build performance versions of everything, and they build the dream cars that others never have the guts to build. Who else would make a 6 wheel drive SUV, or a V12 convertible SUV, or a road car with a Formula 1 powertrain and suspension, or cars like the Pullman S-class, or McLaren SLR or SLS Gullwing. That take the concept car stuff and actually sell it. I actually thought coming out of the bankruptcy, GMC should be Denali only so it wouldn't overlap with Chevy. Most GMC's however are priced identical to the Chevy counterpart, sort of pointless to do that.
  20. smk4565
    In response to Casa's post (I didn't want to quote the whole thing), I agree that Cadillac has heritage, but they fail to capitalize on it. Mercedes talks about their history all the time, Cadillac wants people to forget theirs. I mostly agree with the 10 products they need, but I don't think Cadillac needs 4 sedans when sedan sales are tanking, 3 is enough. They do need coupes, convertibles and sports cars, and I believe they need alpha and Omega crossovers with V-series versions. They need electric cars in the 2020-2025 time frame to hit. XT5 is priced like a GLC now, an XT3 is going to have GLA level pricing, so the haters of the GLA better get ready for that, and XT3 is front drive just like a GLA, they are going after the same market. I'd rather see Cadillac go up market and sales volume will come later. Cadillac lacks prestige, if they want to get it they have to go up market. If Buick is really so strong, they should be able to take on Lincoln, the Lacrosse can go up $10k in base price and replace the XTS, Regal can go up in price and take on MKZ. Make the ATS and XT3 $39,950 base, CTS,and XT5 $53,000base, CT6 and XT7 $84,950, Escalade $99,950 base model. Good luck getting dealers to accept 20% price hikes to Buick and Cadillac models though.
  21. smk4565
    Good points by Riviera. i picked the $70,000 number because a full size Sedan or SUV at Lexus starts in the 70s, at Buick a full size sedan or SUV starts in the $30s, big difference. You can't compare Lexus and Buick when Lexus has a $95,000 coupe, an $80k sedan, an Escalade competitor (that doesn't sell), etc. Cadillac is the Lexus fighter, XT3 and XT5 vs NX and RX, ATS and CTS vs IS and GS with V-series and F versions each. LX570 vs Escalade, CT6 vs LS460 on the last 2 Lexus does the car better, Cadillac does the truck better. As as far as MB profit margin, theirs around 9%, which is strong but Audi is 10% and Porsche and Bentley are like 20%, this why I said VW's luxury group sets the standard.
  22. smk4565
    I specifically said Buick is not a luxury brand, because they aren't in the higher price points. GMC only gets there with a luxury full size truck, but you can spend $60k on a Ford Super Duty, which I wouldn't call luxury, it is expensive because it is a commercial truck. The "bottom feeder" CLA costs more than a Buick LaCrosse. More myth busting: It was said that Mercedes relies on FWD GLA's to get sales which is false, the GLA is their worst selling crossover, the GLE is #1, GLC #2, GLS #3. Another fallacy is that the high end cars don't make money. Tell that to Porsche who makes $19,000 profit per car or Bentley who makes $25,000 profit per car, Lamborghini is higher still. Audi makes over $5,000 per car profit. The VW luxury group is the gold standard when it comes to profit margin
  23. smk4565
    $12 billion will only make a dent, that is over 5 years or something that they get that, they need more like $25 billion not 12. The ATS and CTS are dying on the vine right now, and the Escalade is the only reason Cadillac has high ATP. Cadillac should have a Porsche Cayenne competitor mid-size SUV with a CTS-V engine, they need a sedan above CT6 with a twin turbo V8, they need a Tesla Model S fighter, they need 2 convertibles, one could even be an ATS convertible, the other needs to be $75k car, and they need a super car in the $150-200,000 range to compete with Lamborghini Gallardo and Audi R8. Where is all that? Where is the high end stuff? And I know the argument will be that they need to fill out the bottom end of the line, but the bottom end of the Cadillac line is just overlap with Buick. That doesn't help build the brand, it just makes them like Lincoln.
  24. smk4565
    But you are comparing the top end Buick to the bottom end Lexus. That is pretty much like saying Chevy competes head on with Cadillac because the Impala LTZ is as expensive as an ATS. Also comparing a full size Buick to a mid-size Lexus. There is a laundry list of things Mercedes has done, whether it be semi-autonomous driving tech, luxury features, 9-speed, plug-in hybrid, coming soon 48 volt inline six, 7 SUVs, 5 convertibles, 5 coupes, over 30 AMG performance models, a coming soon Formula 1 car for the road, etc, etc. How may V-series cars are there, like 3? The money goes into giving the consumer choices and giving them what they want.
  25. smk4565
    GM is an international company that sells roughly the same number of cars as VW. GM's entire R&D spend is half of VW's.
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