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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    GM should put the plug-in hybrid into the Silverado. 335 hp/432 lb-ft is more than the 5.3 liter V8 makes. There is obviously space for batteries and weight isn't a concern. All these car makers want to introduce hybrids and electrics, but the biggest gas guzzlers are the best sellers. This is why CAFE makes no sense also. Companies make a 40 mpg car that they lose money on to offset a 15 mpg truck they make profit on. Look at GM's best sellers, 600,000 pick ups a year, 350,000 Lambdas and Tahoes/Yukons a year. Almost a million units of trucks that average 20 mpg at best. Why not put the plug in technology there and reap the impact.
  2. smk4565
    I think the interior looks good. It is clean and simple, not overly tacky or loaded with buttons like some Acuras. I think the interior is the strong point of this car, it looks better than the Azera or Cadenza or Avalon.
  3. smk4565
    How many vehicles have start/stop, cylinder deactivation, AND 8-speeds or more? I'll wait, it's a super short list. Start/stop and cylinder cutoff have been around a while. I think every BMW has had start/stop and an 8 speed the past 3 years. Lexus had an 8-speed transmission 9 years ago. I also heard a Ford engineer say that start/stop gave about a 5% gain in city fuel economy. So that is going from 20 to 21 mpg. Not a deal breaker for most people. I think a 300 hp V6 with start/stop, 8 speed auto, 22/31 mpg is what is expected in a $35,000 car. The Chrysler 300 had 300 hp and 31 mpg and an 8 speed n 2012. That is just what is expected of the segment. I think the Lacrosse engine is what the buyers want and expect. That's not what I asked. Here it is again: How many vehicles have start/stop, cylinder deactivation, AND 8-speeds or more? In other words: what vehicles feature all three of those technologies? Not many because most manufacturers don't use cylinder deactivation. The more common path is smaller displacement with turbos. Personally I don't even like start/stop, I turn it off when I get in a car that has it. You can cherry pick 3 attributes from any car to say why don't others have it. I think it is good that the LaCrosse has an 8 speed, since cars like the 300 have 8 speeds, Acura and Chrysler 200 have 9 speeds. This is where the market has gone. I like that they used a V6 in the LaCrosse either, I think it fits the car better than a highly boosted turbo 4. I don't think fuel economy matters a whole lot to most buyers. Look at sales of pick ups, SUVs, crossovers, etc. Cars win in handling, braking, ride, acceleration and fuel economy and still get outsold by the trucks. People will trade that fuel economy away because gas is cheap here.
  4. smk4565
    How many vehicles have start/stop, cylinder deactivation, AND 8-speeds or more? I'll wait, it's a super short list. Start/stop and cylinder cutoff have been around a while. I think every BMW has had start/stop and an 8 speed the past 3 years. Lexus had an 8-speed transmission 9 years ago. I also heard a Ford engineer say that start/stop gave about a 5% gain in city fuel economy. So that is going from 20 to 21 mpg. Not a deal breaker for most people. I think a 300 hp V6 with start/stop, 8 speed auto, 22/31 mpg is what is expected in a $35,000 car. The Chrysler 300 had 300 hp and 31 mpg and an 8 speed n 2012. That is just what is expected of the segment. I think the Lacrosse engine is what the buyers want and expect.
  5. smk4565
    The LaCrosse absolutely competes with the Toyota Avalon, that is the car is was modeled after pretty much. The Avalon actually has a higher base price than the LaCrosse, so do the Cadenza and Azera. The Lexus ES costs more than all of those cars, and until a couple years ago the Lexus ES was about the size of a Regal. Buick is not a luxury brand either, it is a premium brand. Cadillac is the luxury brand of GM. If you want more than 300 hp buy a Cadillac. This is also why I have been saying Cadillac should make the 3.6 V6 base in the CTS and CT6, 3.0TT as a mid-level volume engine. Buick doesn't need a 400 hp car, Cadillac makes 400 hp cars. Lincoln can put all the power they want into the MKZ, it is still a Fusion. The 400 hp is to cover up the inferior chassis underneath. And that won't really help sales all that much, it might just get some people that were going to buy an MKZ anyway to spend more money on it.
  6. smk4565
    Start/Stop and 8-speeds have been around for a few years. I saw a Ford engineer say that 90% of 2017 Escapes will be sold with start/stop, this is pretty standard stuff now, I think in 2020 it will be as common as ABS. The Lacrosse will be fast enough for what it is. 305 HP is a lot for front wheel drive. And it is more important that a car like the Lacrosse has enough power to move around with the engine at 3,000 rpm or less. The typical Lacrosse buyer doesn't want to be revving to 6,000 rpm and bearing engine noise all the time.
  7. smk4565
    I made a mistake before, the S-class hybrid is rear drive, not AWD. Even the TT V8 CT6 should be able to start under $90k. If a Platinum turbo V6 is $80-something, adding 2 cylinders shouldn't push the price too much. I think the hybrid has to be cheap or it won't sell at all. People would rather have a V8 than a hybrid. Look at the Escalade, one of Cadillac's best sellers and it is thirsty as hell. Luxury buyers don't care about gas mileage. The exception to the rule is Tesla because it is modern and trendy and the car does 0-60 in 3 seconds, so it can beat all the V8s anyway.
  8. smk4565
    The TT V6 model is probably only the middle and high trims. The hybrid shouldn't cost any more than the TT V6. The cheapest S-class you can buy is the plug-in hybrid, and they probably don't even sell many of them. I think if Cadillac wants to sell any hybrids it needs to be cheap. This is the problem facing all electric cars and hybrids. Gas is cheap and here people don't care about fuel savings, people would rather pay $85,000 for an Escalade that gets 15 mpg than to buy a CT6 hybrid. Until they apply a gas guzzler tax to any vehicle under 25 mpg EPA combined number, people won't look for a hybrid or electric. With the exception of the tree hugger crowd that buy the Prius.
  9. smk4565
    Who says this will be near $100k? If it is they will sell like 5 of them all year. I don't see why they couldn't make a hybrid 4 cylinder model the same price as a turbo V6.
  10. smk4565
    Hopefully they price it or below the TT V6 model, they have to price it cheaper than the ELR. Interesting now the transmission works. Memo to Cadillac, put this drive train in the ATS sedan and coupe, and kill off the ELR.
  11. smk4565
    I don't think the CT6 competes with the S-class. There was speculation as to what the CT6 would compete with before it was released, but now that we have seen the car and have the specs and pricing, clearly it is not an S-class competitor. Cadillac fans seem to want to compare it to an S-class, I am sure Hyundai/Kia fans want to call the Equus and K900 S-class competitors but they are not. The comparison was made of the CT6 plug in to the S-class plug in and the 0-60 time. So first off, not the same price point or segment, second the S-class is AWD. If you add AWD to the CT6 plug in you are adding more weight which will slow down that 5.3 second 0-60 time and cut into range. That was my only point. with AWD, the CT6 is probably 5.5 seconds 0-60 and loses 5 miles of range. Which are still good numbers if priced around $65k.
  12. smk4565
    If the CT6 plug-in is well priced, it is the model to buy though. It will be faster than the base car or the 3.6 V6 obviously. If the plug in is priced equal or below the 3.0TT that is a pretty good value because they will probably be similar in performance.
  13. smk4565
    The S550 plug in is all wheel drive, so that adds weight which will slow it down but you can sell it in the snow belt. The CT6 plug-in is rear drive so that will scare a lot of buyers away in the snow belt. I drive a rear drive car, but most won't consider one. The Mercedes 9-speed will help the S550 0-60 time, is looks like it is good for a .3 second gain as the S550 coupe does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds vs 4.8 for the sedan of equal weight. Mercedes did announce today that they are increasing V12 production to meet demand and there are plans to add electrification to the V12 engine.
  14. smk4565
    Agreed. Ford is just a Euro brand copy cat anymore.
  15. smk4565
    I think the Buick demographic is why there is a V6 instead of a turbo 4. The Buick customer is going to see a 4-cylinder as an entry level engine or not enough for a full size car, and the V6 would probably be smoother in that you aren't relying on boost to make power. If you want more than a run of the mill V6, that is what Cadillac is for. Unfortunately, many Cadillacs have turbo 4's and run of the mill V6s.
  16. smk4565
    Well I read some news release that this was the most powerful Lincoln ever. Problem is, they can put 400 hp in it, but it is still a Fusion chassis underneath.
  17. smk4565
    The E-class has a standard V6 and is the segment gold standard, the Lexus GS is a standard V6, Infiniti Q70 has a standard V6. Anything the CT6 is supposed to compete with has 6 or 8 cylinders. Cadillac is also the challenger, not the leader, they should use the 3.6 V6 as their base model, a 3.0 TT as a mid-level engine.
  18. smk4565
    Props to Lincoln for putting a 400 hp turbo V6 in the MKZ to breath some life into it. I was surprised that this is the most powerful Lincoln ever, hard to believe that in their 100 year history they never mad a 400 hp engine. The grille doesn't look that good, they are just copying Jaguar and some others. They will have an all new styling language in 2020 anyway, Lincoln doesn't stick with anything.
  19. smk4565
    I like the interior. The inside has a bit of a 1st generation Hyundai Genesis to it, and that is a good thing. The interior layout was good in that car. The new Lacrosse interior is elegant, and clean and straight forward. The current car was too busy and the layout was weird. I give them an A on the interior for the $35,000 full size car segment. The outside however reminds me of a Nissan, I just can't get excited by it. Has some Azera in the rear 3/4 and C-pillar area, not really a fan of the wings off the hood ornament, I'd rather focus on the waterfall grille since that is their signature. Interesting how this car gets a STANDARD 3.6 liter V6, yet the Cadillac ATS, CTS, and CT6 get a standard 4 cylinder. That makes no sense, if Cadillac is a full level above Buick. CTS and CT6 should have a standard V6 as well.
  20. smk4565
    My first thought was 2005-2007 era Saturn Aura, Malibu or Pontiac G6. They are usually in that price range. If he wants a coupe or more youthful car, Scion tC of 05-08 should be affordable. The Focus got a redesign . 2008, could probably get one for under $7k.
  21. smk4565
    Over $90k is steep for a car that starts at $55k, and isn't giving you a V8 either for that price either. I suspect most of the sales will the the 3.6 liter V6 model for around $60k, which will give XTS buyers a place to go when the XTS dies, even though it costs more.
  22. smk4565
    One day they might build the trucks and SUVs in Mexico too.
  23. smk4565
    And people said GM needed Pontiac and Saturn, etc. And GM is doing better with 4 brands than they did with 8. There just seems like a lot of overlap still in FCA and you don't need to be all things to all people. Jeep builds crossovers and SUVs, do you really need carbon copies of them in other brands if Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler are all in the same dealership? Do we need a 300 and a Charger? And is Maserati ever really going to compete? Sergio wants to consolidate, but has an army of low volume niche products, and probably about 1/3rd of their products are really profitable.
  24. smk4565
    If FCA wanted real consolidation, they could probably keep Fiat as the small cheap car brand, pick one of Dodge and Chrysler for the middle, dump Alfa and put the effort into Maserati as the luxury brand. Then you have a 3 step car line up. Jeep and Ram stay for trucks and SUVs. But they won't do that because they like having 8 boutique brands rather than 4 strong ones.
  25. smk4565
    A Chinese built car will be a hard sell. I do think this opens up the slippery slope of build more and more in China where labor is cheap, and send those manufacturing jobs over seas. Most car companies build vehicles where they get sold (with the exception of low volume), but if GM can get super cheap labor in China, they don't need the UAW factories anymore.
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