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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Nissan sold 17,500 Leafs last year, BMW sold 11,000 i3's. That is about the size of the EV market for this price point. It is less than 50,000 cars a year, vs how many million gas cars are sold between $30-45k? Bolt has to steal sales from gas burners, therefore it has to be better than gas burners, at least some of them.
  2. smk4565
    How big is the EV crowd? My point is the Model S is better than many of its gas counterparts. Is the Bolt better than most gas cars at $35k?
  3. smk4565
    They need to give it up, these guys aren't going to take on BMW and Mercedes. Maybe they could put Alfa in the VW, Buick price point and try to sell $25-45k sedans and crossovers and have the 4C as their exotic car.
  4. smk4565
    It all seems pretty awesome, car looks great, good power, etc. They clearly are after the 911 coupe and convertible. But my question is what about the SL? The next-gen SL is supposed to be designed and engineered by AMG, but I feel like the SL is getting lost in the shuffle a bit with the AMG GT and the S-class convertible. The SL I think needs some retro feel, the 50s and 60s SLs are iconic, the current car is not.
  5. smk4565
    Corvette should go back to a base V6, I have for years said they could do a base V6, they could price it at $49,995 for the affordable model, even with the 3.6, 335 hp engine and 8-speed, the Corvette doesn't weigh much, it would still be under 5 seconds 0-60 and get over 30 mpg. That is a lot of performance for $50k in a car that has that kind of handling, and you could use all the power. I think Z06 should have 600 hp max, the car can't even put the power down to use it at that point. This also keeps Corvette $50-100k which is plenty of price for a Chevy, the value, mainstream brand of GM. Part of the problem of GM thinking is they think the Corvette has to be the best performing, fastest, most powerful car at GM. But why? Why can't they make a sports car above Corvette? When Porsche wanted a 210 mph hyper car, they didn't try to put a 10 cylinder in the back of a 911, they made the mid-engine Carerra GT followed by the 918 Hybrid. Mercedes didn't try to make an a grand touring SL hit 215 mph, they had the SLR McLaren for that. They didn't throw away what the 911 or SL were because they wanted more performance, they just added a model above them. That is how GM should be thinking, let the Corvette carry out it's mission, which is really successful doing, and make something above it to go after the hyper cars. And where does it end? They bring out a mid-engine Corvette, but then Aston Martin-Red Bull bring out the 001 with 1,000 hp weighing 2,200 lbs. Then Mercedes-AMG start selling the R50 with a Formula 1 V6 and 3 electric motors making 1,300 hp. Do they push the Corvette to 1,000 hp and $1,000,000 base price to keep up? They can't have the mentality that Corvette will compete with the best in the world because it can't. They shouldn't even want to price it like an Audi R8 because the Audi R8 has crap sales.
  6. smk4565
    The Accord V6 isn't that fast, but regardless, the Model S has appeal due to the brand name and the looks and top trim performance. I am not comparing the Bolt to the Model S, I am just saying the Bolt isn't that good looking of a car, which I think will hurt sales. It isn't a spacious crossover either, the people spending $35-40k on vehicles have a dozen crossovers to pick from, that will look better and do a lot of things better than a Bolt does. What Tesla did was make a car that looks as good as any of the competitors, better than any Lexus or the Panamera, it has more cargo space than a 5-series or Lexus LS460 or Panamera or Ghibli, and the Model S is faster than all those cars too in a similar price bracket. The Model S isn't selling because just because it electric, it is selling because it is better than many of the competitors cars. Bolt shoppers can get an MKC, Envision, Edge, Tiguan, GLA, X1, Q3, Q5, 3-series, Lexus NX, RDX, Q50, QX30, QX50, CX-9, Volvos, Subarus, etc. There is a ton to pick from in the $30-40k range, the Bolt can't beat the field on looks, performance and cargo/passenger space like Tesla does with the Model S.
  7. smk4565
    Corvette should be front engine/rear drive. Mid-engine should be a Cadillac super car. Mazda didn't make the Miata mid-engine, Porsche didn't make the 911 front engine. They still with the formula. I am all for GM offering a mid-engine car, but not a the expense of 60 years of front engine - rear drive Corvette.
  8. smk4565
    I think the cracks are in the dam, and it is about to burst as far as EVs go. There are a few out there now, but I think around 2020 they are going to be coming fast and furious, as everyone will have EVs and they'll be good ones that are fast and have range, and you can charge at home, never go to a gas station, awesome stuff.
  9. smk4565
    The Leaf isn't a good looking car, in fact it is an ugly car, that hurts it sales just as much as the range does. The Bolt isn't a very good looking car either, it looks kind of like a lifted Sonic hatchback. Tesla makes a good looking car that can accelerate like a Lamborghini, that's why it sells. I think 200 miles of range is enough to squash range anxiety, most people are not driving 200 miles in a day, you'd have to spend 4 hours in the car to get to that. The Bolt has the range it needs, I don't think it has the looks. When the Tesla comes, it will look cool, and the Tesla brand name is like Apple when it comes to phones. People just want it.
  10. smk4565
    This sounds like a pretty awesome bus, to have no emissions and no noise and 1/4 the operating cost of a diesel that is amazing. Seems like it could recoup the additional cost to purchase in fuel savings. The Tesla is only 100 kWh battery, with 600 kWh battery they could put an insane ludicrous mode on this bus.
  11. smk4565
    But the Camry won't break down all the time or lose 50% of it's value in 1 year like a 200 will.
  12. smk4565
    It was meant to be a joke. I have no idea how big a discount they are shoveling on Darts and 200s.
  13. smk4565
    V8s are smoother and make less noise than a boosted 6, especially the GM 3.0TT which has gotten knocked for be unrefined, although I never have been in a car with it. Either way, if you are going to spend $70,000 on a car, get a 2 year old S-class off lease, it mops the floor with anything else at $70k.
  14. smk4565
    I think Chrysler 200s are selling for $9,995 right now.
  15. smk4565
    You could argue the CT6 has better looks or interior, or better equipment for the price for sure. The 2 cars are close, but you can argue the V8 is better than a turbo V6 if you like V8 sound or smoothness. I am not saying I would take a G90 over a CT6, I actually think there are better buys than both for $70-80k, but I don't think the Genesis pricing is out of line.
  16. smk4565
    This: Is better than this: I wouldn't buy an Acura, and I think the MDX interior lags behind any German or the Lexus RX or even XT5, but the MDX is better than an Encore. Look at all the plastic in the Encore, the lack of a center console, lack of real wood or aluminum trim, etc.
  17. smk4565
    Acura interiors are on par with Honda interiors for the most part. But an MDX is nicer than an Encore, that isn't really close. Buick could use a 4th crossover in between Envision and Enclave, GMC needs a crossover below Terrain, they could get 10 crossovers/SUVs in that dealership channel.
  18. smk4565
    Can't get a V8 in a CT6, the twin turbo V6 in this is cheaper than a CT6 too. So I don't think it is really that unrealistic a price. A Lexus LS460 is this price, and that car has a V8 from 2007 under the hood.
  19. smk4565
    Heritage High Roof perhaps? Buyers love it regardless of what they call it. I am sure there are people that don't want to take the Phantom Drophead out to inspect the oil fields, this all wheel drive tall vehicle will pit their concerns at ease.
  20. smk4565
    Fusion is doing okay because it is a good product and because Taurus is basically dying. Chevy has too many sedans, they can probably consolidate too. These crossovers were once though as more of a premium car or more desireable I think because not as many people had them. When 60% of the vehicles sold are crossovers and they are a commodity just like the CamCord I wonder if they will still be thought of that way.
  21. smk4565
    They are making Dodges in 2017?
  22. smk4565
    One problem is there are 16 mid-size sedans in one segment. This is a huge segment, but you have so many players in it, some will fade away like the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart which small, but is dropping off in sales too and discounts won't save it. There is a war of attrition going on in this segment, only the strong will survive. A 2nd problem is outside of Subaru, it is hard to find all wheel drive on a mid-size or small sedan, but every crossover offers it, and the marketing people have convinced buyers that AWD = Safety and that they need it. And most people aren't driving like they are on the Nurburgring, to plod along in traffic or around town a crossover handles just as well as most mid-size sedans, and you get the added space and higher seating position. And related to that, think of some of the crap sedans that people are trading in now. If you have an 2006-2009 Malibu, Fusion, Sonata, W-body Impala, etc, and go drive a 2016 crossover, the 2016 crossover probably rides and handles better, might even get better gas mileage than that V6 family sedan of 10 years ago. The consumers are just flocking to crossovers like crazy.
  23. smk4565
    All the Germans will have electric sedans. The A8 is kind of dead in the water right now, this might be a way to pump life back into it. I don't see them needing an A8 and A9, but then again BMW may make an 8-series and 9-series. A 95 kwh 3 motor A8 could be competitive, but they also need to get electrics down in the A6 level because $100k+ cars are a tiny segment. Getting in the $50-60k area would make a bigger impact.
  24. smk4565
    Nope. 40 years at the top of the luxury sedan segment, 40 years as the gold standard. The others have tried and failed, Infiniti left that segment years ago, Jaguar might leave it, and Audi would dump the A8 if it wasn't for China because they A8 is tanking here and in Europe. As crossovers keep eating at sedan sales there will be fewer big sedans left on the market, only the strong will survive. Much like luxury roadsters, the SL is the last one standing. Cadillac, Lexus and Jaguar all scrapped theirs.
  25. smk4565
    Leases are huge on Cruze, Elantra, Focus type cars because people can lease them for $179 a month, when you can't even buy a $10k used car for that monthly payment. That puts a lot of cars on the used market at 3 years old, probably bad for resale but good for used car shoppers.
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