smk4565

I don't call $45k for a Lincoln Fusion with the same 3.7 V6 from a Taurus a good deal. Even worse is the $55k Reserve trim still has the 3.7 V6. At least make the 2.7 V6 standard at $45k price point and up. If they want to offer a 3.7 V6 or even a turbo 4 to the fleet market for $39,995 go on ahead. Problem he is they aren't selling handling or performance, nor are they selling badge or image or prestige. All they have to sell is quite and comfortable interior. At least with the 2.7 turbo V6 it would have low end torque so you could drive around at a low engine speed and the car would seem quiet and torquey, and have a bit of a premium feel. Cranking that 3.7 V6 up to 4,000 rpm to move all that mass isn't refined luxury.

Since we are posting dealerships, here is where I get mine serviced. Bobby Rahal Mercedes is a 12 time Best of the Best award winner. I must say they are on it, they greet you right when you pull in, loaner cars are waiting, service advisors meet with you pretty quickly, they text and/or call with updates, car is always washed and clean when you pick it up. The people there are top notch at customer service.

Hold up.. are U saying that General Motors is incapable of building an engine with more power/torque than the V12 BT?? LOL.. U Crazy.. On top of that.. why would they need to. The LT4 in a car the weight of a CT6.. that's almost 1000lbs less than the S-Class doesn't need that much torque to achieve a.. LOL.. 4.2 0-60 time. It could achieve that with a NA LT1 The argument about the S-Class being heavily discounted is not only sound.. but relevant. If U are gonna tout the $220,000 price as something that is so desirable.. then explain why NO ONE ACTUALLY PAYS the $220,000 price. Incentives?? Even without the $220,000.. ooooops... $170,000 (price corrected for fire-sale) Cadillac still managed to have the highest ATPs last month and ranked in the top 2 most of 2015 and 16 Bottom line on the CT8 is U don;t kno a GOD DAMN thing yet.. nor do I, but I personally don;t see a need for a CT8, when the CT7 hasn't shown up yet. Quite frankly I would be disapointed if Cadillac followed the tired German formula at this point with just another big sedan in a market segment that is going no where I'll agree on CT8, or anything else above a CT6. We don't know anything, especially because as of now it looks like they aren't going above CT6. But maybe they will, maybe the CT6 in 2nd generation will go up market and get a name change, when they name change ATS and CTS to CT-number cars. So we have to wait and see what happens there. I also think GM is capable of building a V12 engine, I just know that they won't spend the money to do it. They could try to increase more power form the LT4, but at what level of refinement? A car in that price range needs to be quiet and smooth too. I also think if it was so easy as drop an LT4 into a CT6 and price it against an AMG S-class they would have done that already. As far as ATP, the Escalade is a big % of Cadillac sales right now, it outsells the ATS and CTS. Once they get an XT3, and XT1 or sub-ATS car and the line up fills out, that average will drop. A better judge would be ATP of ATS compared to 3-series, IS, C-class and compare ATP of CTS to A6, 5-series, E-class, etc. If you go segment by segment Cadillac probably loses all of them. But BMW and Audi don't have an $85k SUV (base price, I know a loaded up X5 gets there) to pull their average up. Which why it has taken BMW this long to get na X7 is their own dumb fault as well. But I think brand ATP can be misleading on brands with only a few models.

Overpriced. The fwd fleet version should have been $39,995, the 400 HP model $55k and the black label $60k. I expect slow sales on this one.

Not even remotely in the same ball park, chief. There isn't really a $30k coupe that I like, the Genesis coupe is rough and loud, I wouldn't drive a Mustang, Challenger is too big, and too cheap inside. 370Z does nothing for me. So I'd rather have a Mazda 6 that is a good all around car.

Yes I forgot Lexus. The NX crossover is another vehicle they can tackle.

I would buy a Mazda 6 Grand Touring with the technology package. That comes out to about $33k, which is pretty much loaded for a Mazda 6.

The LT4 doesn't have the NVH characteristics needed to match any V12. Secondly, it doesn't have the torque. The S65 has 738 lb-ft, and has had that for 10 years now. The head of AMG has said there would be a power bump, but not when. I'd imagine they are waiting until the awd system and transmission are beefed up. That engine can easily produce over 800 lb-ft of torque, they detune it to 738, because you have to put that on the ground somehow. I always love the argument of how S-classes are so deeply discounted. As if the competition doesn't do the same thing, or more. Usually the #1 selling vehicle in a segment isn't heavily discounted. S-class outsells it's 3 closest competitors combined. Cadillac spends more on incentives than any of the Germans do. Bottom line is CT8 is dead, and Cadillac isn't going to step up to the plate to go after an S63 or S65. Cadillac should roll out the crossovers to really put the hurt on Acura, Infiniti, and Lincoln. Those brands are weak and ripe for the picking. Cadillac should try to steal all their customers.

They should take the CT6 platinum interior and put it in a a CTS and ATS. They have a better chance lifting those cars up to Mercedes-Audi level than they do lifting the CT6. Plus I don't think anyone will pay for $100k Cadillac sedan no matter what it is. I think Cadillac should go Crossover crazy, and not only do front drive XT1, XT3, XT5, XT7, but also at least 2 rear drive crossovers, XT4 on alpha, XT6 on Omega. Then they would have 6 crossovers and can compete with Q3 the coking Acura version of HRV, all they way up to Porsche Cayenne and X5 M.

Not even in Fantasyland at the intersection of Dream Street and Hope and A Prayer Avenue will the CT6 get enough upgrades to compete with an S65. No one is paying $220,000 for a CT6.

Making the front end of the CLA ugly won't help any. I do wish the E-class had the split head light set up to make it different from the other model lines, or that the SL went back to 50's era round headlights, but this soft, homogenized look seems to work for their customer base and gives them broad appeal. They have to have a styling theme that works in Germany, China, Middle East, USA, etc. Aero plays another role, most Mercedes are around .24 drag coefficient, so the similar style is probably a push toward maximum aerodynamics, plus the pedestrian impact and crash standards, that make the shape of a lot of cars similar.

Aluminum is stronger than steel, so this makes sense. Kudos to Ford for taking the gamble on making the F150 aluminum, cutting the weight, going with turbo V6s, etc. They are trying to move toward the future and keep the F150 compliant with crash regs and the coming CAFE hurdles.

Airscarf is offered on all Mercedes convertibles, came out a few years ago. It blows hot air around the driver's neck and shoulders, so you can drive with the top down in cooler weather. That combined with the AirCap spoiler thing on top of the wind shield and the wind diffuser behind the back seat, keeps you comfortable in all season. Airscarf is built into the seat though, so it takes the air in from behind the seat and heats it and blows it out. It isn't run off the car's HVAC system fans.

I think it looks good, I like the update. I like the air filter too.

Maybe Chevy should put the Spark's nose on the next generation Corvette.They put the Camaro's nose on the Sonic. I actually don't love the S-class coupe grill, I think the sedan grille is better. I'd like to see the Maybach S600 front on the coupe and convertible.

They are not video screens on the seat back, it is the air intake for Airscarf. I don't think they even offer back seat video screens on any of their 2 door cars.

Such a shame that Cadillac does not have a full size convertible. The Ocean Drive concept showed the possibility of a full size convertible and Mercedes delivered one.

I guarantee that make profit on this car. S-class is the Daimler gold mine. I would have liked to see this car a bit longer and with the sedan grille. I think it would have looked more imposing. I feel like all S-classes, even the coupe should have the raised hood ornament, it just seems more old school and upper end. You'll never see a Rolls with a grill logo, they put it on the hood like classic luxury of yore. I will read the article tomorrow, the S65 convertible is $248,000, there is your profit margin, and these guys still make V12 monsters, which is great to see.

Good points, and you have to factor in not paying for gas. Electricity is way cheaper as you could run a Tesla for about $250-300 a year in electricity. $35k puts it near the avg price of a new car, but that $35k car could still cost $600 a month on a 5 year loan. So for the average income that may be too much to spend. But there are a lot of cars/SUVs sold in the $30-40k price range, probably millions a year. So there are people that will find that will find the Tesla affordable, even though for many others, such as myself, $600+ for a payment would be too high. We will have a better idea next spring or summer, by then they should have some more exact numbers and pricing out. But we still no nothing about optional battery backs or motors. I am optimistic that this car will be success. I love the idea of solar panels and electric cars and sustainable energy, we just need the costs of batteries and solar panels to come down more, but they will.

What? Are you saying you do not have Tesla's beloved Pet Boys auto centers every 3 to 5 miles? Yes many nerds have put Tesla in the same league as Apple and yet you have to go to Pet Boys for service!, That does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling about their quality when your dealing with a cheap retailer. I would rather trust my chevy dealership over pet boys. How much service is there? Change the brakes (which last longer due to the regen) and change tires. Wiper blades and cabin air filter can be changed yourself. The only maintenance item is changing the coolant on the battery every 4 years. Electric motor has no maintenance, no oil change, no trans fluid change, no filter and belt changes, none of that.

Agreed with all, and you pretty much knew they wouldn't build it when they showed it. They make these coupes and convertibles to build excitement for the brand, but then when you never make on, it is a bit of a buzzkill. I think Cadillac needs a concept looking car more than Buick though. Avista won't see production because it isn't a crossover. That was pretty clear from the start.

GM has sold more Volts than Tesla has sold cars. GM will run out of tax credits just as fast as Tesla will. Besides that, will the Bolt have the Cadillac Super Cruise as standard equipment for $37,500? Because the Model 3 has autopilot standard. The last piece of the puzzle we don't know. The $50k Model 3 is going to have more battery and more motor than the $35k model. What if the $50k Model 3 is faster than a Corvette? Maybe it won't be, but we need to know how much power the Model 3 will have. I know for sure a Bolt will never be as fast as a Corvette.

U may not be an Audi guy but U are a Germany is better guy.. to the point that I am probably not wrong in say that U probably wanted Hitler to win WWII. Also.. how is the 0-60 time relevant in this conversation.. especially that of the M4 and Camaro versus an AWD vehicle? Lastly.. and this is a dooooozy. Have U ever even been in a CT6??? I have yet to read that U have.. and altho I may be wrong.. if U had.. U would have most likely written a few expected negative paragraphs about already I like Mercedes, doesn't mean I like all German cars by default. I like the interior of the A7 and A8, and I think BMW sedans for the most part have good ride and handling balance. That is all I like from either brand and I don't like Porsche, though I certainly can respect something like the 959. I have not sat in a CT6, I was only able to look inside the car at the auto show. I have sat in the A8, it is impressive. When I get a chance to sit in a CT6 maybe I'll change my mind but I doubt it. As far as the question of why people would buy a German POS as you call the A8, I am just saying it is a fast car. The A8 4.0 does 0-60 in about 4 seconds and gets 27 or 28 mpg highway. Those are impressive numbers. Audi's do break down all the time though, I wouldn't buy one, but I can why people sit in it and read the spec sheet and then buy it.

I am not an Audi guy, but the A8 interior is better than any American or Japanese car. One thing not to forget about the A8 4.0, is that is has the same 0-60 time as a BMW M4 or Camaro SS. It is a fast car.

I never said it was a negative for Cadillac to steal from other GM brands. If I were Johan, I'd want to steal every single GMC Yukon Denali sale and get that person to buy an Escalade. That helps GM's overall profit margin too. Or if Customer X has $50,000 to spend on a vehicle, I wouldn't want them to buy a loaded up Enclave, I'd want them to buy a Cadillac. A Honda Pilot Touring is $43,000, and there is an Elite trim for $48k. Explorer Titanium is $50k. A Cadillac XT5 awd with luxury package is $48k. So once again, if Mr. or Mrs. Customer has $48k to spend on an SUV, I'd want that sale. And my lineup can't be applied to Benz or BMW because they don't have that many platforms to build cars on. Cadillac could build 4 front wheel drive platform crossovers on existing Chevy/Buick platforms, and then build 3 more rear drive platform crossovers on alpha and Omega, and still have the Escalade as an 8th crossover/SUV vehicle. With XT1, XT3, XT4 and XT5 all starting under $40k you can steal massive sales away from Lincoln, Acura, Honda, GMC, Jeep, whomever. Then your XT6 and XT7 come in around $50k base price, ranging up to $75-80k. Then the XT8 comes in around $80k base to compete with Mercedes GLS, BMW X7. Buyers want crossovers/SUVs, the reason people spend $50k on an Explorer or Grand Cherokee is not enough luxury SUVs are on the market. Sedan segments are shrinking across the board. Makes sense to hit crossovers hard and leave no niche uncovered.