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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Clue is an awesome movie that I have seen at least 20 times. 200 miles is a lot of range. 99% of people don't drive 200 miles in a day. 238 miles would take easily 4 hours in the car to achieve, and that is at highway speed, in normal around town driving probably 8 hours. If you drove 238 miles a day, 6 days a week, you'd drive 74,256 miles per year. No one is doing that. People with range anxiety at 230 miles are as insane as people that think they need a 4-wheel drive truck to drive on a gravel driveway or through 1 inch of snow.
  2. smk4565

    Safer

    smk4565 replied to ocnblu's topic in Cadillac

    Waking up a sleeping driver is a good idea, that is why Mercedes came out with that in 2009.
  3. smk4565
    Rumor is that Mercedes is working on a boxy looking GLB crossover to slot between GLA and GLC. That would give them 10 models of crossovers, SUVs and wagons. Also debuting at the Paris motor show was this Pullman Guard that goes on sale in January for $1.56 million. Dictators rejoice!
  4. smk4565
    So are the only places to ban Tesla sales Michigan and North Korea?
  5. smk4565
    It is much better looking than the current Equinox, the current car has dopey looking headlights. Even though this has a strong Acura/Honda vibe from the headlights and grill I like it. Good engine choices, I doubt many buy the diesel but it is worth giving it a shot, 3 engine choices is better than 2. downsizing it was an excellent idea, the Equinox now is like Edge size, it is a foot longer than an Escape or CRV. Now they can slot a crossover in between Equinox and Traverse.
  6. smk4565
    That won't sell here. I am not even so sure it will well in Europe where crossovers are heating up, but Europeans are more likely to buy a wagon, so maybe this will appeal to them. All they did was lift the suspension 1 inch and put some gray plastic on it. Seems pointless to me, but it isn't like it cost them anything to do this, and maybe they are trying to keep the wagon body style alive.
  7. smk4565
    A unique EV platform makes the most sense, trying to convert a gas engine platform to EV doesn't work. The Bolt is so small though, there isn't really much else they can build off it, a subcompact sedan won't sell, and they already have a Trax, unless they want a Traxx EV that looks like a Traxx but is a Bolt underneath. Cadillac should develop an EV car platform to replace Alpha, they could build the ATS and CTS replacements and XT3, XT5 all off that one EV platform. They could put 4 EV Cadillacs out around 2020, let a 2nd generation of gas powered Alphas live on until like 2024 until it is time to kill it off. At Cadillac's price point you don't need to worry about value shoppers and can focus on performance and technology.
  8. smk4565
    Passing power and highway merging power is more important than 0-60 I'd agree. And my car never really feels fast at all, but the speedometer tells a different story.
  9. smk4565
    This reminds me of when Tucker tried to get up and running in the late 40s. (which is a good movie by the way) The Big 3 did everything they could to pressure lawmakers to block Tucker at ever turn, and Tuckers car was at least a decade ahead of what any of the Big 3. They got their protectionist laws back then, although it only delayed the inevitable until the 1970s when Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, etc came to the USA and cleaned their clock.
  10. smk4565
    The Model 3 is supposed to do 0-60 in 6 seconds. Of course that is their claim and we don't know what the actual car will do, but 6 seconds puts it in line with ATS 2.0, C300, 328i, A4 etc, cars that are around $40k. If it is sized like those cars and performs like them, Tesla can make a compelling argument.
  11. smk4565
    The dealership laws are mostly pretty bad. The idea that a company can't sell direct so we can protect another business line removes competition which isn't good. Tesla will still cars online and get people to drive a couple hours to pick it up. GM and Ford and their dealers are scared, if they weren't they wouldn't care, but hat 1950s and 1960s thinking of protect Detroit and keep all other completion out thinking still exists. Instead of seeking government protection how about spend those lobbying dollars on building better cars.
  12. smk4565
    I have to imagine the average income of a Tesla buyer is over $100,000, they don't need a tax credit to make the car affordable. I read a survey that said 89% of Tesla buyers would still buy the car even if there was no tax credit. Chevy buyers look for a deal though, it is a value brand customer that wants cash back or a low lease payment. A Bolt with no incentive is a hard sell, Tesla doesn't need it.
  13. smk4565
    Tesla has sold 110,000 cars world wide through the end of 2015, but only about 60,000 of those cars have been sold in the USA. Ford and Nissan have used more EV credits than Tesla so far, in 2017 maybe Tesla passes them up, but GM, Ford, Nissan and Tesla will all run out of credits around 2018, then they have to sell without help and compete with their gas counterparts head on. Good news is Mercedes has 191,000 tax credits left for S-class and GLE plug-ins, although you only get $4,040 credit for those due to battery size.
  14. smk4565
    Lexus did pass up Mercedes, and they do have solid reliability for sure. But people here always claim that no one wants an old Mercedes, yet 70% of 20 year old Mercedes are still running, while most brands can't crack 20%.
  15. smk4565
    I would take the C300 over any other coupe in the segment, but if I was picking a different coupe then probably Infiniti Q60. It looks decent, and even the 400 hp TT V6 is $52,000, so I could get that with no options or a loaded up 300 hp V6 model. I don't care for Audis, buzzy motors and VW clone styling. BMW styling inside and out does nothing for me, even though they make a great inline engine.
  16. smk4565
    While we talk prices, I hope everyone realizes that GM has sold about 120,000 plug-in or electric cars already, and will be at at least 125,000 by the end of the year before the Bolt even goes on sale. If Bolt and Volt combine for 70,000 sales next year, come 2018 those incentives dry up. GM has used more EV tax credits than any other auto maker so far. The average $40-50k car buyer is buying 3-series, C-class, IS250/350, Acuras, Infinitis, etc. They'll like a Model 3, they won't touch a Bolt. Notice they aren't touching the i3 even with the BMW badge on it. The average $40k crossover buyer wants a 3 row Traverse/Explorer/Pilot/Highlander to haul the family, Bolt can't do that. So they need to steal away MKC, NX250, XT5, X3 MDX type buyers, that seems unlikely. If Bolt was Equinox size, and a crossover, I think they could have a hit.
  17. smk4565
    70% of Mercedes total sold since 1954 are still on the road, that is incredible. In another study of percentage of cars still on road sold since 1985, Porsche was #1 which makes sense since they are low milage type cars. Mercedes was #2. Granted this study was done in 2010, but in 2010 over 60% of 1987 model year Mercedes were still on the road, over 70% of 1990 Mercedes were still going against an industry average of 15%. Let's think of that, after 20 years, only 15% of cars in general are still on the road, but 70% of Mercedes are. Lexus, BMW and Audi also ranked really high. Here is the graph: http://s248.photobucket.com/user/ocscion/media/Untitled_zps357462cd.png.html
  18. smk4565
    Good review, I like the Chex Mix analogy. I never drove one, but I imagine the problem comes down to trying to cram power into a front drive chassis and make a family sedan sporty. It wasn't designed to compete with an A4. Gotta have a rear drive biased car if you want performance. Quite the sales experience they have going on at the Ford dealership too. That is pretty embarrassing really. It isn't hard to greet some one, introduce yourself and shake a hand. I do that when dealing with customers, I'd expect the same when I am a customer some where.
  19. smk4565
    I'd say the 2016 leftover X3 or even certified used 2014 or 2015 as the X3 has been pretty much the same the past few years. A certified used one would have taken the first year depreciation hit already, still have warranty coverage and then they can get the "I want a BMW" bug out of their system. If they love it and keep it 10 years then great, if they don't like it after a few years they could sell it and not lose much since BMWs hold value pretty well.
  20. smk4565
    That definitely does not Rock. But I guess when you need a city car on the cheap in Europe it will fit the bill.
  21. smk4565
    Maybe $60k then for that level performance, but the $35k target car is 0-60 in 6 seconds, which puts it in line with a base 3-series or C-class or A4. Even if the Tesla is $40k that is what most of those cars cost. The turbo 6 versions are near $50k, if Tesla was targeting $35k and 6 seconds 0-60 I think $50k and 4.5 seconds 0-60 is doable. They'll be competitive for sure as far as price and performance and brand image goes. Interior is where they might drop the ball compared to the Germans.
  22. smk4565
    Probably no one thought Tesla would make a sedan that does 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, but they did. If they can make the Model S accelerate as fast as a Bugatti Veyron, I am sure they can make a Model 3 accelerate with a Camaro or Mustang.
  23. smk4565
    But the Model 3 is a larger car than the Bolt and will be made for performance. Tesla could make a Model 3 for $50k that does 0-60 in 4 seconds. That is M3 performance. That is how they will get sales. Toyota could make a 200 mile range Yaris EV for $40k and no one would buy that either.
  24. smk4565
    Oh right, I was thinking of the Sonic 5 door, and wrote Spark, that was my mistake. The Prius has Camry level pricing, The Prius is actually $2,000 less than a Camry hybrid and the Prius beats it by 15-20 mpg. Prius has 58 mpg for $25,000, If GM had a Cruze hybrid that was $25,000 and got 58 mpg, GM fans would run through the streets singing it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. You can buy a Prius and enough gas to travel 120,000 miles for the price of a Bolt, and the Prius is larger than the Bolt is. That is a hard value proposition to overcome. Tesla doesn't have to argue value, they sell performance.
  25. smk4565
    I am pro electric car, I just think the Bolt is small and ugly and isn't going to light up the sales chart. Hopefully the 2nd electric car is a mid-large sedan to replace Impala or even call it Impala, because the Impala as we know it will be dead post 2020 as crossovers take over, making the Impala a $35-40k EV sedan could save it, and they could make a roomy, good looking car that people would buy. The Bolt is basically a Spark 5 door for $37,000, that isn't a good deal.
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