smk4565

The GLC is bigger than the GLK was, but still only like 183 inches long. The MKX is bigger but both seat 5 and most shoppers probably won't notice, and they cost similar money. The GLC400 will have 362 hp turbo V6, the turbo 4 is just the only engine at launch, and they'll have a diesel and AMG version next year too. The ML/GLE is a lot nicer than any Lincoln, that is like comparing an MKZ to an E-class, that is 2 different worlds. The Enclave is like 202 inches long and a 7 seater, much bigger than an MKX, I don't see those 2 being cross shopped as much. Just like the Explorer is a lot bigger than an MKX.

$2,000 for Ecoboost? Seems steep to add about 30 horsepower, granted the torque is way higher. This thing is GLC money, granted it is slightly larger, but it still just seats 5. I can't imagine buying a Lincoln over a Mercedes unless the Lincoln has $8,000 cash back and 0% financing for 6 years.

I think Mercedes is doing a throw a bunch of stuff against the internet and see what sticks this week. They are thinking of a convertible crossover also. I think these companies just put ideas out to see what gets any traction, even if they aren't really that serious about building it. The R-class would muddy the waters. The GLE coupe and CLS are about as much as they need to divert from the proven path. They have a perfect set up of compact with the GLA/CLA, then small-medium-large car and crossover, with 3 sports cars at $43k, 84k, 130k. Screw the R-class, put that money into the E-class, or next-gen GLE/GLS.

So Chevy has this and the Corvette, Buick has the Cascada convertible coming. Where is Cadillac's?

Oh yeah that is right, I forgot about the 60 degree angle, which is the proper angle for a V6. Since it was paired with the 3500 V6, where did those come from? Was that based of the 3.4 liter V6? I'd imagine all the GM V8s are 90 degree so they couldn't cut one of those down, like they did with the Northstar to the 3.5 DOHC V6.

Eligibility rules for the 3800 V6 racing league are up for debate. What is great about 3800 cars is there are so many from so many different eras with different capabilities. If you did a Mercedes 6.3 V8 league, then every car would be an SLS AMG because it has better acceleration, braking, handling, than an S63 or E63. Likewise if you did a Hemi V8 racing league every car would be a Charger Hellcat. With the 3800 cars, you could see a 95 Camaro, 98 Firebird, 99 Riviera, 97 Regal GS, 04 Grand Prix, 05 Monte Carlo, 05 Impala, 08 LaCrosse, 02 Park Ave Ultra, etc and any of them could have a chance to win.

One of my first rules was the twin turbo Trans Am and GNX would have to be banned. They are just too fast for the rest. But as I think about it, I think a price cap should be put in. $10,000 at most maybe would be even more entertaining if there was a $5,000 limit on the car. But a good point about the S/C engines.

Imagine this starting grid:

the 3900 was a last ditch effort to continue the pushrod V6 and 3800 series, made from 2006-2009 I think. They used it on the Malibu SS and G6 GTP for a couple years, the Impala and Lucerne had it. I think it make like 239 hp without a supercharger, so it was a way to stay competitive on horsepower at least with the Honda and Toyota 3.5 V6s that were putting out around 250 hp. Then the 2.4 ecotec four replaced GM's smaller V6s, the 3.6 liter V6 replaced the 3900s.

I saw a Bonneville SSEi with 140k miles for like $3,100. I think to maintain competitive balance you can't let in SLP Firehawks or the Comp G Grand Prix with 260 hp from 2007. Clearly that is going to win too easily. Which is a problem with many forms of motorsport, the team with the biggest budget is going to win.

The G6 had the 3500 liter pushrod and 3900 pushrod V6. I did just think of another rule that would create more strategy and simplify rules. $10,000 would be the budget for the car plus upgrades. So you could spend the whole $10k on a newer car, like a 05 Monte Carlo supercharged or maybe spend $3k on a 97 Grand Prix then spend $7,000 on maintenance, sticky tires, beefed up brakes, etc. I think I like that rule, sort of like when Top Gear tried to make a Renault Avantime go faster.

What is great about this form of racing is the low cost of entry. For $5,000 you could have a car, maybe $10,000 max. Vs. millions of dollars for a Formula 1 car.

That would probably be a hard car to beat, I wasn't thinking of non-American cars. That might have to be another rule change. I suppose the Holden would be allowed, if it got too dominating it could ruin the sport. Sort of why I don't think the Pontiac Grand Prix Comp G from 2006 should be allowed. It had 260 hp and was the newest. A GNX did 0-60 in liek 4.7 seconds, that would just be unfair even with 80s handling. What is great about the other 3800 cars is all have a flaw. The Camaro/Firebird should have the best handling, but are the slowest. Every car has a trade off, the Regal GS might be fastest in a straight line but would handle the worst.

I would say the suspension has to be the stock set up. So you could put new shocks and struts on, or put new brakes on. What would be allowed is if you go to Autozone or Advance and they have brake pads/rotors that are like regular, Gold or Platinum level, you could buy the platinum ones which may be better than stock but aren't really going to change the performance of the car.

As mentioned before a V12 would be cool, but I doubt anyone would offer a V12 under $100,000, and I don't think Cadillac will ever make a V12 either. Autoline After Hours a few weeks ago had Cadillac's lead engineer, whose name I forget, but he spend about 15 minutes explaining the CT6 chassis and they had the full size cutaway model and he explained the materials, welding, riviting, etc. So that would be a good thing for anyone wanting to learn about the chassis to look up on You Tube.

I like Formula, but a friend of mine was saying how it has gotten boring, it isn't as good as the old days, there is no passing Mercedes always wins, etc. Which got me thinking how great would a racing league be where all cars had to have a 3800 V6? This way there is strategy in car selection and it would reward skilled driving. Some basic rules: 240 hp max (the GNX and Twin Turbo Trans Am would not be allowed) Stock wheels, but you could put on any tires you want Can remove excess weight like spare tire and jack, can't change the body or remove seats No engine modifications, but allowed to put new oil, filters, spark, plugs, etc to keep it maintained Races would be roughly 120 miles, so they could be done in under 2 hours on a mix of race tracks, some power circuits, other handling circuits so all cars have equal chance. The true strategy comes in car selection, as you would use the same car in all 10 races, so reliability is a concern, a newer car like a LaCrosse would have an edge in that regard. The rwd Camaro/Firebird have then handling and braking advantage, but no supercharger, woeful 0-60 times around 8 seconds, and are form the 90s, and reliability issues are a concern. A Grand Prix GTP or Regal GS with the supercharger would win the straight line battle, but not have as good handling as a Camaro. Being a no contract league, perhaps one wants a Park Aveune Ultra that will be harder to overtake since it is so large. The Monte Carlo would have NASCAR pedigree. And the one year the Trans Sport van had a 3800, it is welcome too. So of all the 3800 V6 cars, which would be win the inaugural season of the 3800 V6 Racing Series? I personally might go with a 2004 Buick Regal GS It has the supercharger so it will be good in a straight line, it is on the newer end which should bode well for reliability, it has soft seats for driver comfort.

But 15 years ago Toyota was building the Prius, Highlander, Rav4, and Lexus RX. Those were already on market when GM decided to put money and man power into Hummer, Chevy SSR truck, and Bravada/Trailblazer/Envoy. Because crossovers were hot we got half-assed products like the Aztec and Rendezvous built off a minivan platform (and a poor van at that), the Equinox went on sale in 2005, 10 years after the Rav4. The Traverse went on sale nearly 7 years after the Highlander and Pilot went on sale. GM made it's money in the late 90s on trucks, Ford made it's money on the Explorer and F150, so GM of course thought to keep putting money into trucks. Toyota put their money into crossovers and hybrids in the late 90s because they saw it was the future. I'm not saying Cadillac coupes are the future, but GM will allocate money to the products and segments that paid yesterday's bills, rather than trying to predict what will sell tomorrow.

It shows GM's own lack of faith in Cadillac. GM knows they can sell pick ups, large SUVs, and crossovers like no other, and they have had success with Camaro and Corvette. I believe in GM's weird way of thinking, if the ATS/CTS sedans aren't hot sellers, they don't deserve more body styles. And they don't realize that not having a coupe or convertible hurts sales. Or if Cadillac sales are low, spend less on marketing, and pump the advertising dollars into trucks. The money has always flowed to vehicles that had past success, not necessary where future success will lie. In the early 2000s, when crossovers started to get hot and the Cam/Cord were hot, GM put money into Hummer, the GMT360 trucks, then around 2005 poured it into GMT900s. Meanwhile their cars soldiered on using the W-body and 3800 from the 80s, and became hopelessly uncompetitive, they ignored hybrids while the Prius was a success, they ignored small cars, then we know what happened in 2009.

Chrysler on its own needed government bailout twice in 30 years. Not exactly strong.

I know they are doing the CT8 no matter what, I think the CT6 will need some success for them to make the CT8 really good. It isn't like GM hasn't half-assed a product before just to get it out there. They could lengthen the CT6 by 6 inches and change the front and rear facias and pass it off as a new model if they wanted. I don't think that is what Cadillac will do, but they could if they wanted to be cheap.

To an R-class return I say:

Of my list there, only the Acura RDX (Ohio), Lincoln MKC (Kentucky) and BMW X3 (South Carolina) are made in America. The Lincoln MKX is made in Canada, the SRX made in Mexico, but XT5 is moving back to US production I believe. Lexus RX in Japan or Canada, and the Q5 and GLK are made in Germany.

Porsche spend $727,000 to build a 959, but sold it for $239,000. They took the loss because it was a halo builder, and got them lots of press and let them sell more 911s and 928s and 944s, etc. And it established Porsche up there with Ferrari and Lamborghini at the time. On a sports car I think you can afford to lose money on production because you'll get media coverage and press for your brand. I don't see a sedan being featured on all the TV shows, or ending up on t-shirts or bedroom wall posters the way a supercar would. To use an analogy, Disney paid over a billion dollars to buy Star Wars. Even if they don't recoup that in profit from the movies (which they probably will) they still have cartoons, toys, action figures, t-shirts, video games, etc to sell. GM can't use the Omega platform anywhere else except for big Cadillacs (or a big expensive Buick), so the CT6 and CT8 can't really afford to be long term money losers. Otherwise the bean counters won't authorize replacements.

The R-class wasn't too early, it just is a dumb vehicle. R-classes are long too I think over 202 inches, about as long as a GL, just not as tall or bulky. No one is going to buy an R-class. Mercedes would be better served on trying to get a 3rd row in the next generation GLE. Right now it is 189 inches long, they could move it to 192 inches, try to lower the rear floor a couple inches or remove the spare tire and use run flats and get a 3rd row, or do side mounted folding seats like the old Land Rover Discovery. If they can figure out a 3rd row option for the GLE, then no R-class is needed.

Suppose they get 300 a month here, 300 a month in China. That is only 7200 cars a year, I don't know if that makes profit when the chassis underpins only that one model for now. The turbo V6 could be scaled across other Cadillacs, so development cost on that shouldn't be too big a deal, but do they re-coup the chassis cost, and interior design cost, wind tunnel cost, certifications, advertising costs, etc at 7,000 global units a year?