
smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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Lexus News: All-New 2026 Lexus ES Gets Electrification On All Models
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Lexus
This thing is huge, I don't know why it is so big. Unless they plan to kill off the LS, which they say they are not doing. The interior looks too sparse and boring. Good that they did hybrid and full EV. Looks too much like the Camry, and the moldings on the doors look weird. I am so sick of plastic moldings tacked on doors, why can't car companies just make a metal door without cladding and molding all over it like a 1990s Pontiac.- 18 replies
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Tariff Tuesday - Buick Killing it in China; Killed in the U.S.
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Opinion
Buick is at risk of becoming Chrysler, a 1 model brand. They can keep the Enclave since it is built here, and the XT6 is dying this year which might help sales. They won't kill the brand since they don't want to buy out dealers, so you cut them down to 1 model and hope dealers opt-out. The Envista and Encore GX hit a sweet spot of small SUV at under $30k, but the tariffs would wreck that formula. Although the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Kona, VW Taos are all imported too and would suffer the same problem. -
Buick Electra Sub-Brand Launches in China with the Electra GS Concept
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Buick
This thing looks worse than the EQS. 2 things that car companies need to get rid of is the bar of soap design and the yoke steering wheel. And I just saw Mercedes is going to steer by wire and showed a yoke style steering wheel. People don't want yokes in a car. -
Subaru News: Subaru Reveals new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Subaru
I assume this is like Blazer EV size, and the Blazer has a lot better range. Also a tough size of SUV anymore, because the "compact" SUVs like the Rav4 an CRV aren't so compact any more, they are kind of like mid-size vehicles and if you need bigger than that you go right to the 3 row. That is why vehicles like the Edge and Venza got killed, and the Blazer (ICE) is probably getting killed.- 30 replies
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Subaru News: Subaru Reveals new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Subaru
These might be over $50k, which is a lot for a Subaru. The Mercedes CLA has 400 mile range and will charge at 320 kw, not that Subaru is competing with Mercedes, but 150 kw is sort of slow, but the Ultium cars are the same. But if EV buyers rarely fast charge and charge at home, then it doesn't matter.- 30 replies
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Kia News: Kia EV4 Brings New Affordability to the Electric Vehicle Market
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Kia
It doesn't look good, and I think it looks too funky for mass market adoption, which is the problem these car companies have with EVs. They make the EV the most radical looking car in the line up, when if you ant volume it should be the most vanilla looking. Price will determine whether it sells or not.- 13 replies
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Subaru News: Subaru Reveals new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Subaru
260 mile range and 150 kw charge rate aren't that great, but maybe enough for the majority of buyers that charge at home and drive 50 miles a day. I wonder if this is really unique to Subaru or if the Toyota Crown Signia EV is coming out next year.- 30 replies
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Subaru News: 2026 Subaru Outback Transitions from Wagon to SUV
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Subaru
I think it is too tall, and I don't like the body color piece of plastic they just glued to the rear window. They should have left that out so it looks more like an Outback. And I am also tired of split headlights, I don't see the point of those, it adds cost and it doesn't look good. -
Subaru News: 2026 Subaru Solterra Gets Important Upgrades
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Subaru
The 2026 Solterra, now with more Camry front end styling! It looks better since the original looked terrible, this gets them to average looking. I doubt 338 hp yields a sub 5 second 0-60 run, maybe mid 5's. They at least got the range fixed, so if the price is the same as before, it gets it more competitive with the Equinox and iD4. -
There is over abundance for sure, especially when China has 100 EV car makers and eventually they will spread out past China. Not only will the tariffs kill off some weak brands, but it is going to crush a lot of suppliers once the supply chains get all destroyed. Not to mention dealerships that close up and job losses there.
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Tariffs will kill off the Japanese sports cars, and the Mitsubishi brand and probably Maserati, JLR, Alfa Romeo who are all struggling and might be gone in 5 years even without tariffs. Which then, with less competition in the market, prices of everyone else will probably go up.
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Ford is selling about 150k Mavericks a year, or on pace maybe to get there this year. If Kia comes out with a sub $30k pickup they will sell 90k of them easily. Also if VW would do a crossover coupe version of the Taos, and a crossover coupe Tiguan, sales would go up 11,000,000%. Because if you have 5 crossovers that struggle to sell, don't make them better, just make a coupe version of the same piece of crap.
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Chevrolet News:C9 Corvette-Inspired Concept Car Reveal
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Chevrolet
Seems like they want to push the Corvette to hypercar territory which would really throw away the original mission of this car. Although the C8 already sort of started to do that. It seems like we are just a few years away from having almost no sports cars under $100k, because I think the Supra and Z4 are dying soon, I can't imagine the Nissan Z will be around much longer with their issues, Mustang is on pace for its worst year ever. But there are probably 50 supercar/hyper cars at $250k+ available. The choices are endless among Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren, Rimec, Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Gordon Murray T50, and all these other one off build in a shed super cars for a million dollars. -
Well 25% tariff added to it, which makes a G90 like $125,000, and probably dead in the water in the US. The Chinese have luxury cars with over 1,000 hp for less than the price of a G90. I don't know that they are really going to compete there either. Unless they come up with some next gen EV tech and have full self driving and impeccable build quality or something.
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Here's the problem, the G90 doesn't sell, and coupes and convertibles don't sell, combing both would be a disaster. If they did a mid-size car maybe they would have a chance, but maybe they feel like the 4-series and CLE already kind of took that space away. And Cadillac for sure needs to do a coupe version of whatever replaces the CT5. I think if you took a Lyriq drivetrain and throw a coupe body on that for $70-80k range they have a winner.
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GMC News: AT4 and Elevation trims added to 2026 GMC Sierra EV Pickup
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in GMC Trucks
Yeah 440 mile range is excessive. I think if you offer extended range battery as a stand alone option it is fine, but you should be able to get the standard battery on any trim so they can get the cost down.- 4 replies
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Genesis News: Genesis debuts a Long Wheelbase G90 Black Edition
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Genesis
Agree, if you have a 5,000 lb EV it is going to be more efficient than a 6,000 lb EV, thus be more efficient. They could make a 3,000 mile range F150 Lightning right now as long it is pulling a 5,000 lb trailer full of batteries and cost $450,000. I suspect if they made a solid state Equinox EV for $35,000 with a. 302 mile range and a 600 mile extended range option that was a $15,000 stand alone option, and took away interior space and made 0-60 time longer it would have a worse take rate than manual transmissions do now. The Cybertruck will be the litmus test for this, I suspect almost no one buys the $15,000 bed mounted battery that takes away half the bed and makes it slower and less efficient. -
Genesis News: Genesis debuts a Long Wheelbase G90 Black Edition
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Genesis
But we don't really need 600 mile EVs. What we need are EV's that replace the 100 kWh battery with a lighter, cheaper 75 kWh battery and get the same range. -
Genesis News: Genesis debuts a Long Wheelbase G90 Black Edition
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Genesis
We'll see if Toyota is first, Mercedes already has solid state on the road in prototype form. I would imagine they want that ready for the next generation S-class EV that replaces the EQS. And usually the S-class gets the technology first. E-class EV is due out in 2027, I don't know if they would be ready that fast, and even if so, is this expensive tech that starts on S-class and 10 years later ends up on a regular car. From their media release: Safer, lighter, more efficient and 25 percent longer range in the first vehicle: solid-state cell chemistry delivers higher energy density and weight reduction, with improved driving efficiency and cell safety Mercedes-Benz, together with Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) based in Brixworth UK, developed and patented new innovative solid-state battery pack Mercedes-Benz integrated solid-state battery, with cells from U.S.-based solid-state battery leader Factorial Energy, into slightly modified EQS Sedan Road tests with new solid-state battery in "621 mile" EQS development car started in February 2025 -
Genesis News: Genesis debuts a Long Wheelbase G90 Black Edition
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Genesis
Yep, BYD (and other Chinese brands) will take over Asia, Mexico, South America, etc were they need lower priced cars and they are making some inroads to Europe also. And at the improvement rate of Chinese cars with all these 1,000+ hp, 400 mile range, charge in 5 minutes they will move into luxury and performance segments. Which forces legacy auto into the middle and upper market in the US and Europe and I don't know if that is enough volume for them to survive, probably half will die after getting beat up by tariffs when BYD swoops in to pick up the pieces. -
Genesis News: Genesis debuts a Long Wheelbase G90 Black Edition
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Genesis
Cadillac's EV's seem to be selling though and Genesis's are not. The Lyriq is more GV80 sized the Optic is GV70 size. I think Cadillac could still step up the interiors a bit and the Ultium platform cars are still a bit heavy compared to other EVs, but I think they have a better line up than Genesis. And Cadillac will have an EV sedan or 2 to replace the CT4/CT5, although rumor is one is mid-size and the other full size. Either way, I was just reading about the BYD Yangwang U7, which is a full size sedan, interior looks on par to a Genesis G90 but it has 1,287 hp and costs $86,000. And it charges at 500 kw, and BYD has 1,000 kw charging cars going on sale this year. And the Yangwang U8 SUV also is a boat, which the Escalade IQ cannot drive across rivers. All these guys are toast anyway. -
Genesis News: Genesis debuts a Long Wheelbase G90 Black Edition
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Genesis
I found a Genesis dealer website advertising $378 for front brake pads and a Mercedes dealer advertising $299 for an S500. They both use synthetic oil, both require premium fuel. I doubt a G90 is any cheaper to maintain than a BMW or Mercedes. I can appreciate that Genesis had their own styling language and tries to be different, but they don't have the performance of a German car, don't have the reliability/resale value proposition of a Lexus, I think Cadillac does EV's better than Genesis. There are just too many getter choices. Now if you specifically want a LWB chauffeur sedan and can't afford the Maybach, then this G90 is the only option, at least in the US, I don't know what all China has for this market.