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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Corvette not quite a luxury car. But we can compare a Z06 Coupe (which is quicker than the convertible) to an AMG GT with Car and Driver numbers, they are pretty close. But the Corvette does nothing to help Cadillac sales or Cadillac brand image. Z06 AMG GT 0-60 mph: 3.0 seconds 3.0 seconds 0-100 mph: 6.8 seconds 6.9 seconds 1/4 mile: 11.1 sec @ 127 mph 11.2 seconds @ 127 mph Top Speed: 185 mph 193 mph 70-0 braking: 128 feet 141 feet skidpad 1.19 g 1.05 g Fuel econ: 13/21 mpg 16/22 mpg
  2. smk4565
    They do make this though, Cadillac has no answer for it.
  3. smk4565
    Small crossovers is what the people want. The CLA gets 38 mpg highway, 35 mpg for the GLA. Pretty strong numbers, and as was discussed they need that for CAFE when the V12 cars get 12/20, most of the V8s are around 16/25. I'd much rather them make a CLA than stop selling V12s and V8s. The CLA is outselling the Regal, ATS, ILX, 1/2-series, and the A3 sells even better than the CLA. I don't think Mercedes would want to hand over another 25,000 sales a year to Audi. The CLA makes good business sense from a sales standpoint, from attracting new buyers to the brand, and from a CAFE standpoint.
  4. smk4565
    True, I forgot about that part of it. Either way the original Escalade was pretty bad, they hardly did anything to change it from the Yukon. Te 2nd gen had distinct headlights and the 345 hp when the GMC had 315 or whatever, but I feel like the 2006 Escalade is when Cadillac really stepped it up and tried to differentiate more. Although even still in side view there is a lot of commonality between a Suburban and Escalade.
  5. smk4565
    GM is the big SUV leader for sure now. But I was more talking about when the Navigator was announced in 1997, whoever was head of Cadillac at the time said Cadillac was not a truck brand, and the Yukon Denali was the GM luxury SUV. Then the Navigator sold like hot cakes and 1 year later they did a literal badge swap on the Yukon Denali and called it the Escalade. Cadillac has often been a reactionary brand, so often they are chasing segment leaders rather than being the defining car in a segment. I think the 2006 Escalade really left the Navigator in the dust, and other car makers started to give up on big trucks, so the Escalade became the king of that segment, despite the GL outselling it a couple times, the Escalade is sort of the defining vehicle there. For Cadillac to really be on par with the big boys they need more models, and some high end models, a true sports car, true flagship sedan, V12 engine, diesels or hybrid, convertibles, etc. I think Cadillac knows what they need, but I just don't know if they'll really follow through on what it takes to get there. Like will Cadillac ever have a sports car faster than a Corvette? I'd love to see a mid-engine Cadillac supercar, but I don't think the Corvette people would like it, so it probably won't happen.
  6. smk4565
    I do think Cadillac needs to play on the heritage more, their advertising right now is very weak, the heritage is something they should celebrate, but they seem to run and hide from it. I think now they are seeing a path to what they want their product line to look like, but for a while they thought we need a 3-series clone, a Lexus RX clone, Navigator clone going back to the late 90s, etc. They just wanted to copy the leaders in segments, regardless of whether it fir their brand or not. I think now they are trying to define a brand identity and be more consistent. As far as service goes, I haven't really noticed any different treatment of people regardless of what car they drive at the Mercedes dealer I go to. Everyone gets a free loaner car regardless of what you drive, the loaner fleet is C-class and GLK. The nearest Cadillac dealer to me has its service department at the Chevy dealership. OMG, the Escalade owners might run into a Chevy Sonic owner, chaos will erupt! I don't think it really matters that much, half these people probably don't even go to the dealer for service. As far as the CLA goes, obviously they have the A/B segment platform already in place, the CLA helps attract some younger buyers, that probably otherwise wouldn't consider the brand and helps the CAFE equation. I am not a CLA fan, but I understand why it is there. The electric B-class is dumb, but California mandates you have to have an electric car, so there you go. Sometimes you have to have a couple compliance or business case models in place. Mercedes knows what they are doing though, they know how to market and create brand image.
  7. smk4565
    Jaguar and Maserati have high ATP's and they have super low volume. But I don't think any other luxury brand is striving to be like those two.
  8. smk4565
    Which makes you wonder where are the Cadillac hybrids and diesels? I just don't think Cadillac will ever be able to throw product out there as fast as the other companies do. Lexus has 6 hybrids for example. The body styles that BMW and Mercedes put out is almost mind boggling they can do so many. They can really hit specific tastes of luxury buyers that want something unique or different.
  9. smk4565
    If BMW does the X7 well, I think some of these big body on framers could be in trouble. And maybe not so much because buyers know the difference, but if the X7 rides and drives well, has technology and performance, better fuel economy, etc, I bet they can steal some sales off the establishment.
  10. smk4565
    Sounds like they are a bit desperate. Interesting how aluminum in the Corvette or in Cadillacs is good and they tout weight loss and how it gives them the advantage over the competition. But when a competitor uses aluminum, all of a sudden it is bad and steel is better.
  11. smk4565
    I think $75k for a Yukon Denali is nuts, just like I think nearing $100k on an Escalade is nuts, but people will pay it, so more power to GM for getting it. Obviously Escalade sales are up, so people are willing to pay the price for it.
  12. smk4565
    I agree. I wonder what the ATP is on vehicles other than Escalade and if those are up. Escalade sales rose a lot in 2014 and so far this year, and it is the most expensive vehicle. Increase Escalade sales by 50% at an ATP of $80,000 that is going to pull the brand numbers up. If Cadillac stopped selling ATS, they could get ATP up even higher, but that isn't what is good for business. At some point they still need volume.
  13. smk4565
    The CTS is replacing the STS of 5-10 years ago, they never had a coupe there before. Audi A6 and Lexus GS don't have a coupe, the 5-series has the GT, but I imagine 95% of 5-series are sedans. I don't think a coupe magically boosts sales 30% in that segment.
  14. smk4565
    Imagine if the Supra is like $35-40k on a BMW chassis and BMW suspension, a Lexus 8-speed, with a twin turbo V6 making near 400 hp. It will run circles around the RC-F.
  15. smk4565
    Automatics are faster shifting, smoother shifted and get better economy than a manual. The computer is just too good compared to what a human can do. I'll throw this out there as a reason it isn't all about power. Look at a Mazda Miata, if they put a 300 hp V6 in it, they chassis would be stronger, engine heavier, transmission heavier, bigger wheels, brakes, etc. It would weigh 3250 lbs, not 2250 lbs, and then it wouldn't be a Miata anymore. The best BMW is the E39 M5, that had 400 hp, but it was 3900 lbs. Now these M cars are getting so heavy. If BMW can put carbon fiber into mass production and make an M5 that is 3600 lbs, 500 hp is plenty, it will smoke what they are building now. I guess to sum up, BMW doesn't really have a horsepower problem, they have a weight problem.
  16. smk4565
    I like that interior a lot more than the current car. Looks a lot more organized and simpler. Reminds me a bit of a Genesis or Equus with the big screen and the wood. But there could always be Chinese market differences to ours.
  17. smk4565
    I'd like to see them do a new I-6 and maybe turbo it for a Supra. I think they are working on that with BMW. Toyota is for sure developing a sports car with BMW, I can't imagine they call it anything other than Supra. As far as this hideous looking SC goes, it is just as ugly as the early 2000s Lexus SC. S-class coupe is way nicer.
  18. smk4565
    Usually as horsepower goes up in a car, weight goes up also. Because they have to stiffen the chassis, bigger suspension, bigger brakes, etc. And at some point you hit a limit of how much power you can put in a sedan and use it. There are 500 hp cars that beat the Charger Hellcat 0-60 and a lot of cars that beat it in the corners. Mercedes has had a 600 hp car over 10 years. Audi doesn't need a 600 hp car because they have Lamborghini and Bugatti to take care of that crowd.
  19. smk4565
    I was just surprised that the 5-series took a 63% decline, especially in a month when the E-class was also down. If this was a year from now and the new E-class was out against a dated 5-series I might not be so surprised. I am not surprised that crossover sales are up, but they sold 7,500 X5's. That is a huge number, that vehicle averages like 3-4,000 a month. The X5 outsold the 3-series and nearly tripled the X3. Pretty good month for BMW when their number 1 seller has a base price of $53k, most probably sold around $60k with options. And I don't even like BMW, I am glad 5/6 series sales are in the tank. I'd say it is more sales for Mercedes, but BMW still sold 32,000 units. I'd love to see the 5-series, A6, CTS and GS all selling less than 1,500 a month with the E-class selling 6,000+ a month. Maybe the new E-class can crush the 5-series the way the S-class crushes the 7-series.
  20. smk4565
    Why does it really matter if it is an activity vehicle or a utility vehicle? You can do activities in an X5, I wouldn't say it is false advertising. The X5 M and X6 M probably are the fastest best handling crossovers, maybe the Cayenne Turbo S is. Every company builds crossovers, I think BMW just wants to state how their crossovers have better performance than other people's. Doesn't mean the X5 is better performing than an M3. But when you have Acura, Lexus, Cadillac, Lincoln all selling front drive V6 crossovers, I can see why BMW wants to brag about rwd and 550 hp, because the other guys (other than Mercedes) can't do what they do.
  21. smk4565
    That they are, but the 6-series has a higher base price than a 7-series for some odd reason. I think the 6-series has crap sales volume because they don't know what it is supposed to be. If it was priced like an E-class coupe they might get some sales. What BMW does with the 6-series is dumb, and that "gran coupe" looks like a 4 door sedan, doesn't even look like a coupe. A CTS Coupe around $50k could get some sales, but I think an ATS coupe would always outsell a CTS coupe.
  22. smk4565
    To Oldshurst442, I guess Chevy should stop producing SUVs and pickups because they are hurting the image of the Corvette. Crossovers don't hurt BMW's image, it has made them more popular with a larger segment of prospective buyers. And clearly you can't build a sport car and a truck. How could Mercedes sell a Sprinter at the same dealer as an S-class? Maybe the same way Chevy sells Corvette Z06s at the same dealership that sells Express work vans. All these brands build multiple products. The X5/X6 are only one model year newer than the 5-series, as they are built on a 5-series chassis. And that has how it has been for years, and will continue to be I'd imagine. And I don't understand how a 5,000 lb SAV out handles a 4,000 lb sedan on the same chassis. last I checked and M5 can beat an X5 M around the Nurburgring.
  23. smk4565

    Poor Li'l Cimarron

    smk4565 replied to axlon's topic in Cadillac

    Maybe I should have said, outside of the Escalade, Cadillac can't get German money. The XT5 is their mid-size crossver, most companies price their crossover higher than a sedan of similar size. If a CTS (or CT5) is $45k base, then an XT5 should be $49k base. This allows you to sell a $37k XT3 and maybe slot in an XT6 around $60k before you get to the XT8, errr Escalade. But because they'll never get $49k base for an XT5, they'll price it at like $39k, so the XT3 then has to be about $32k, and now Cadillac is stepping on GMC Denalis and Buick. The BMW X5 starts at $53k, I am guessing the XT5 starts no where near that. Here is where Cadillac is not on par, and it is in vehicle selection and high end vehicles. Mercedes has 16 models with base price above $100,000. BMW (not counting Alpina) and Audi each have 5 vehicles over $100,000. Cadillac has nothing in the $100-200,000 range.
  24. smk4565
    I don't get why a 5/6 series would have worse ride and handling than an X5 or X6. BMW SUVs are build on their car platforms, so you are just adding weight and height. Saying the X5 handles better than a 535i is like saying the X3 handles better than a 335i. And as far as styling goes, they basically look the same, the 5-series front end isn't too different from an X5. I was just surprised that their sedan sales crashed and burned, but the crossovers are on fire. Mercedes is still a car maker, the C-class outsells the GLK by a lot, the E-class outsells the ML. The ML and GL are not built on a car platform but a crossover platform just for those two vehicles. The C-class, GLC and 2017 E-class are on the MRA platform. I think Mercedes still makes cars that sell, BMW has 3/4-series which always sells like hotcakes, but further up the line things don't look so good. The 6-series is way overpriced too. If costs as much as a 7-series which makes no sense. If it is supposed to be liek a 5-series coupe, then a 635i should be like $57,000. They price a 635i above an M4, gee I wonder why the 6-series doesn't sell.
  25. smk4565

    Poor Li'l Cimarron

    smk4565 replied to axlon's topic in Cadillac

    XT5 is probably bigger than a BMW X5. It is just that Cadillac can't get German money so they have to sell a mid-size SUV for $35k, thus no room for a compact SUV below it. There should be an Alpha based crossover the size of the ATS for $37k (2.0T base engine) which would make it $750 more than the ATS 2.0T sedan. The XT5 should be $46k out of the gate, if it sells great, if not, then it needs to be RWD with some performance credentials. There would still be room for a 3 row crossover at $60k, but then you also risk stealing Escalade sales, because people that want a 3 row Cadilllac now have a cheaper option.
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