Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close

smk4565

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    13,751

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

 Content Type 

Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    I think it looks good, I like the update. I like the air filter too.
  2. smk4565
    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.
  3. smk4565
    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.
  4. smk4565
    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.
  5. smk4565
    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.
  6. smk4565
    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.
  7. smk4565
    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.
  8. smk4565
    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.
  9. smk4565
    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.
  10. smk4565
    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.
  11. smk4565
    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.
  12. smk4565
    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.
  13. smk4565
    The first two pictures are A6 and E-class, so that isn't a top trim $100k car. The M4 interior is still way better than a Camaro's. But if you are just buying for performance, the M4 interior isn't $35,000 better than a Camaro. The Camaro has really good performance, the numbers back it up. M4 isn't a bad car, it just seems over priced to me because it is $30k more than a 340i and for what?
  14. smk4565
    "on a whole" "even in top quality models" The 3-series interior is a bit lackluster, but mainly because A4 and C-class stepped their game up. You can get an M3/M4 in 9 different leather colors including Nutmeg, Red, Silver, White, Beige, Black, Golden Brown, Cohiba Brown, and Amaro Brown. Maybe most BMW buyers like black, and that is what they buy. I hate all black interiors personally. But BMW does offer a long color list on the M4. I give them credit for that. I still think the M4 is over priced, gotten a bit too big, and doesn't have an engine different enough from the 340i, which makes it seem even more over priced. I don't necessarily want more performance from the M4, but it shouldn't be $81k with options left on the table. The previous car was loved and cost about $65k, these new M cars seem like the used the Porsche pricing system and they don't feel as special as the old ones. And it isn't because they have more M models, it is because the M3 and M5 are big, heavy, lack steering feel, they lost that essence of driving, where it is all about exhaust note, and steering and suspension. The new cars seem to fake all that.
  15. smk4565
    Just had a great idea, I would add an XT-E, which is a mid-size electric crossover. Not sure what platform that rides on, probably would have to ride on something totally new. After those 6 above were on sale, I would roll out XT-E and CT-E (yes it is brain disease, but I didn't pick alphanumerics, I wanted Eldorado and Fleetwood). XTE and CTE could share a mid-size electric car chassis, give them 250 mile range for base, 350 mile optional, about 350 hp, rear drive base, 500 hp all wheel drive optional, and 700 hp all wheel drive v-series. That is your Tesla fighter, that could range form $60k to $120k.
  16. smk4565
    Camaro is a coupe, ATS is mostly sold in Sedan trim, and Chevy to Cadillac is a big step up. Buick Enclave or GMC Acadia Denali to Cadillac XT5 and XT7 is less of a jump. Those could get cross shopped. And yes I have said that it is a good thing if they sell more Cadillacs because they in theory have higher margins. GM doesn't break out the numbers, but we can assume a luxury brand has the best margins in any company. I have been saying for years to turn Cadillac loose and give them the product they need. Cadillac should be stealing off Buick, GMC, top end Honda Pilots, Ford Explorer Titaniums, Lexus, Acura and Lincoln with ease. All those brands have crossovers in the $40-55k space, Cadillac should be in there kicking butt. That is a winnable fight. For the past 15 years they have been trying to fight BMW on the sedan front and they let also rans like Lincoln actually go up in sales the past couples years. If I we running Cadillac this would be my crossover line up: XT3: D2XX platform, turbo 4 engine, similar to Lincoln MKC, Lexus NX XT4: Alpha platform, 2.0T, 3.0TT and 3.6 TT V6 (ATS-V engine) similar to GLC/X3 XT5: we have XT6: Alpha or Omega, crossover of current CTS size, 2.0T, 3.0 TT, and 4.2 TT V8 engines XT7: C2XX lwb, the Cadillac Enclave with 7 seats, 3.6 V6, this would be a $48-60k type vehicle against Infiniti QX60. XT8: Omega 3 row crossover, 3.0TT V6, 4.2TT V8 Escalade: add CTS-V engine, leave BOF for now as people that want a big truck like it how it is 6 crossovers plus Escalade, on a 6-7 year life cycle, you have 1 all new crossover per year, and one mid-cycle refresh per year. There is probably even room for an XT2 in there. Something GLA size or even Audi Q2 size. That might be more for Euro or China market. Kill XTS at the end of the cycle, add a convertible somewhere, anywhere.
  17. smk4565
    Well that is like saying most cars are silver and beige, and it is boring. If a company offers 10 colors and 50% of the consumers pick gray/silver, then it isn't the companies fault that more people don't buy red or yellow.
  18. smk4565
    Yes, these are so dark, drab and monotone. Any car with black on black interior is monotone, so don't pick all black, they offer other colors. This one is really dark...
  19. smk4565
    Same old thing, like the Camaro, Corvette and Mustang. Yet those are considered America's best.
  20. smk4565
    So the head of the brand said his goal is 500k units by 2020, but that is not what their real plan is. He definitely wants to sell 500k units a year, they may not get there, but that is his goal, he said so.
  21. smk4565
    Hard to have legitimate interest without the car being priced. Those 40,000 people could disappear if they price it wrong. I find it odd that this car is supposed to go on sale soon, and still has no price.
  22. smk4565
    Frivolous lawsuit that some people are trying to cash in on. Mercedes will win this one. On the diesel issue as a whole though, how much nitric oxide toxic fumes do tractor trailer trucks, city buses, school buses, etc spill into the air? Seems like they should have the same emission rules as passenger cars.
  23. smk4565
    Much of the engine play is because of the emissions laws in various markets. Some also due to engine size taxes too. As for Chassis tuning it was just a choice as so many BMW owners are getting older maybe they expect a smoother ride? That one you can choose. As for interior the Germans really have never set the world on fires unless you like all dark leather. They are to blame for many of the dull interiors the other MFG have copied. Audi has made good interiors for years, Mercedes currently does also. And Mercedes put a V8 in the C-class, they have to follow the same rules as BMW. BMW gave up on what made the 90s and early 2000s M3 and M5 so good. They better find their secret sauce again. Luckily for them, they have a loyal following.
  24. smk4565
    I posted that interview earlier. I think the new path of Cadillac is to introduce a ton of crossovers. The quickest and easiest way to do that is to build them on existing GM platforms. So I can see an XT3 based on the Envision or new Equinox, and XT7 Enclave, could do a version of the Buick Encore, or even something the size between Encore and Envision. They could take the existing XT5 and make a crossover coupe out of it. Johan wants 500,000 units a year by 2020, and he talks about being global, but they are basically an American and Chinese market player. They need to get to more markets to get the volume he wants. I suppose rolling out 5 more crossovers and stealing sales of Buick and GMC will boost volume, but that won't get them to 500k I don't think. China's growth is slowing.
  25. smk4565
    All those little cars have no where near the interior room of an A8L. Or the interior quality. S550 is the obvious choice for this price, even if awd and Premium 1 package are all you can get on it for the price restriction.
×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search