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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    The 3.6 TT was the logical choice because it is a Cadillac engine and they don't want to be seen as using a Camaro or Corvette engine. Cadillac could have made a brand new dohc twin turbo V8 for V-series cars only, but we know they don't have that sort if engineering budget. Cadillac has to work out of the parts bin, until they day when they don't have to, they'll probably always lag behind the Germans.
  2. smk4565
    Transparency would go a long way to helping GM's cause. They have always seemed to be so secretive and like they are making back room deals.
  3. smk4565
    I think the F-type looks sweet, especially from the rear 3/4 angle or from behind. Headlights could have been better.
  4. smk4565
    I think the Impala is one of GM's best cars right now. It is quite roomy and I thought the interior was pretty goof for the price, and better than the competition in that segment. The back end looks dull, and almost Hyundai like, but I think the front end of the Impala looks really good. Never drove an Impala, only sat it them at the auto show.
  5. smk4565
    $40k+ for this is almost as bad as $40k+ for a Maxima or Cadenza but at least those are a bit bigger with more room. For $40k you can get a 3-series, or even an Acura TSX or Lincoln MKZ if you want 2nd rate luxury badge.
  6. smk4565
    But word names are bad, so the Escalade should be renamed XT8.
  7. smk4565
    The Leaf is cheaper and all electric. I think there is more appeal for an all electric car than an electric car with very little range and a gas engine. You could get a plug in Prius for less than a Volt and it basically is the same thing, and greenies love Toyota products.
  8. smk4565
    I don't really care about back seat space, that was never a concern of mine. I just wonder why the SRX with 190 inch overall length, which is bigger than a Lexus RX350, bigger than a Lincoln MKX, has interior space like a 179 inch long GLK or Lincoln MKC. The SRX doesn't even compete with the Germans, it competes with Lincoln and Lexus because mid-size fwd crossovers at $40k are a hot item. If you want a mid-sze German SUV you haveto spend $60k once the options are on there, and most crossover buyers are clueless as to RWD vs FWD or 8-speed vs 6 speed, or what BMW's regen braking does or what Mercedes Airmatic does, etc. And even if they understood it, they wouldn't pay extra to get it. But since Cadillac is revamping their crossover lineup and starting new, I question why an XT5 on a FWD platform shared with Buick/Chevy/GMC, because I'd assume they will be charging Lexus RX money at $40k, when Cadillac's CT5 sedan might be $50k. Seems odd, and XT5 and CT5 would have no relation at all. The whole plan doesn't make sense.
  9. smk4565
    The 3/4-series alone outsold the entire Cadillac brand. Cadillc does need more body styles and crossovers in a hurry. They also need diesels or hybrids. The Malibu continues to suck, but no surprise there. Cruze must have had a lot of fleet orders come in. I am always surprised by how many Cruzes they sell because it isn't really that good of a car, but neither is the Corolla. The Mazda 3 is so much better than either one.
  10. smk4565
    But the RX and MKX are not as small as a GLK or X3, that is why Lincoln and Lexus both put an SUV below that. And what does it say about Cadillac that their 190 inch long SUV has the interior space of a 178 inch long German SUV. That is poor packaging. Buyers of $30-40,000 crossovers prefer FWD because they don't know any better. I'd suggest that the XT5 should be more of a $50-70,000 crossover with a 550 hp V-series. Then a $35-50,000 XT3 can be sold below it with a 420 hp V-series model. Although Mercedes is making a 470 hp GLK, and they'll have a plug in hybrid that outdoes the RX400h in efficiency. Give it some time and the Germans will turn that crossover segment to their favor. In the 1980s and 90s Cadillac pushed front wheel drive because that was where the volume was, then the Germans turned luxury to rear wheel drive and took all the volume and profit, leaving Cadillac, Lincoln and Acura in the dust. Cadillac has been trying since 2003 to catch up. So are they going to make the same mistake on crossovers?
  11. smk4565
    Lexus motors have no torque either. Them trying to build performance cars is a joke.
  12. smk4565
    It may outsell them for now, maybe the FWD crossovers always will, but Lexus, Lincoln, Acura and Cadillac have to sell a mid-size vehicle at the price BMW and Mercedes sell compacts. The Lexus ES350 outsells the CTS, does that mean the CTS should move to FWD and have a price cut to $37,000 because that is where the crowd goes? The real problem the brands like Acura and Lincoln and to a lesser degree Cadillac and Infiniti have, is that too much of the product is too similar to the mass market vehicle and the brand image gets hurt. Over time that 2nd tier image sticks and it gets harder and harder to compete. It also creates a culture of build what is "good enough" instead of build the best, and there are too many brands and too much competition to just build "good enough" products.
  13. smk4565
    Sounds right, but that makes Cadillac's entire crossover/SUV lineup shared on Chevy/Buick platforms and it is the 80s all over again with 3 versions of the same product, and the Buick is a little nicer than a Chevy but with the same engine, the Cadillac is nicer than a Buick and with more power. Why wouldn't you build crossovers off the Cadillac Alpha and Omega platforms?
  14. smk4565
    WOW! 5 liters and 500 horsepower, BMW didn't do that until 2004, oh wait that was 11 years ago.
  15. smk4565
    If the CTS becomes CT5, you'd think that the crossover with a 5 in it would cost more than a sedan, so that puts the XT5 at $50,000 base, If they make an XT5, there is probably going to be at least and XT3 and XT4, maybe even XT2. Hard to price the XT5 at $35k base like the SRX, how do you get crossovers below that? Unless the plan is to do an XT3 at $33k to compete with the GLA, MKC and Lexus NX, an XT5 at $40k to compete with the MKC and RX350 and then an XT7 (lambda size) crossover at $55k to fill the gap currently between the SRX and Escalade. That plan also gives Cadillac 3 front wheel drive crossovers (on platforms no doubt shared with Chevy), when they claimed RWD and independence was their future. But the XT5 doesn't look big enough to have a 3rd row, and it looks front wheel drive, which probably means Lexus RX and Lincoln MKX pricing. You can't get RWD money with a FWD car.
  16. smk4565
    The Fiat 500L I think is the least reliable individual car model sold in the USA. Not surprised the sales volume is awful and they languish on dealer lots. The Fiat 500 coupe was a fad, that for a year or two was a novelty item. It had that funky Italian look and was tiny so just like the PT Cruiser, or the New Beetle when it first came out, or even the Mini Cooper, they sell for a couple years while they are a hot item, then people realize the car sucks and all it had was styling, and the sales dry up and something else comes along.
  17. smk4565
    I mean I guess they did an AMG on the GLA, but that is a compact car, I think the length is less than a Corvette's. They could do a V-sport with 400 hp but Cadillac won't have a 500+ hp SUV to compete with the Cayenne turbo, the Range Rover Supercharged, the X5 M or the AMG's. Then you consider a Mercedes-Maybach GL600 is likely coming to do battle with the Bentley SUV, a Maserati SUV is in the works and Rolls and Lamborghini might make an SUV. The Escalade is still one of the top dog SUVs (at least in terms of price), but there could be a whole slew of $100,000+ SUVs hitting the market that make the Escalade look 2nd tier. Then do they risk it becoming like the Fleetwood/Deville of the SUV world, riding high for a few generations, until the more powerful, better handling, more luxurious imports came along and stole the ultra rich buyers. The Escalade is selling well, and no doubt a profit god for GM, but it is still a fancy Tahoe, and it hasn't really been challenged by anyone else in the past 10 years other than the Navigator which has gotten really dated, and the Mercedes GL which outsold the Escalade most of the past 5 years. Put 5 or 6 Euro luxury brands in that high end SUV segment and the Escalade is in for a battle.
  18. smk4565
    If Chi is scalable to difference sizes then it could replace both the Lambdas and the Thetas. The long wheel base Chi would be Enclave, the xT5 and other 3 row crossovers. A short wheelbase Chi could be Equinox, Terrain xT4. Similar to how they have a small and large Epsilon platform. But then you have an XT5 SUV that has no relation to a CT5 sedan. So their pointless naming scheme still doesn't make sense if they do that. And do they really think they can compete with the Germans with some front wheel drive crossovers. Lincoln and Acura have gone hard at that segment, and it has kept them alive, but it hasn't made them relevant. And how do you do a V-series of a front drive crossover?
  19. smk4565
    So Cadillac will get another front wheel drive crossover based on the Equinox, you have to figure a smaller than SRX crossover is coming on front drive, so much for their rear wheel drive plans.
  20. smk4565
    I was surprised by that too, since Fiat has the worst reliability in Europe and the worst in the USA, and Chrysler is right near the bottom also.
  21. smk4565
    They should give that $5 billion to cancer research or something worth while. Spending $5 billion on Lincoln is a waste of money.
  22. smk4565
    What I don't like is the top grille looks too small, and the lower air intake under the bumper is huge. Other cars use that styling cue also, it looks bad on all them. Why make your grille tiny, when that is a focal point, and make the air intake huge. Not a fan of black wheels on any car, but I am sure they have silver ones too, so not worried about that. The engine and performance data will be interesting to see how it compares to the Germans. The Lexus IS-F sucks, so I guess not much to worry about there, unless Lexus learns how to give a car torque.
  23. smk4565
    Can't Tesla still sell it over the Internet or if they can sell it in a neighboring state, people can just drive a few hours and bring it back. If people want a Tesla they will find a way to get one. And over time more and more people will buy Teslas and Michigan will probably lose money and business in the long run. It is this type of backward thinking that has led many of Michigan's cities to be bankrupt and living in depression.
  24. smk4565
    GM builds sedans, (mostly 4 cylinder) crossovers, and pick up trucks. No crazy talk about hatchbacks, coupes, wagons, or off roaders.
  25. smk4565
    Even if the CLA was the worst car ever built, it is unlikely E-class or S-class owners would ever know, it isn't like they are going to trade down to it. Chevy made a crappy subcompact Spark, it hasn't hurt Silverado sales. They are two totally different vehicles and different buyers. Mercedes sales, revenue, profits are at all time highs, their plan must be working. I am sure there are a lot of badge snob E-class buyers they don't know a thing about what is under the hood, but those are the best kind of customers to have, they will come back no matter what.
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