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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Lucerne had a negative image, just like Lesabre had a negative image. Why isn't the Verano called the Skylark? Again negative image of the Skylark name because they were junk, so the marketing folk have to come up with an all new name with no baggage tied to it. GM often dumps model names so the marketing people have something "all new" to sell since "all new" is perceived as better. I just think they should do a better effort keeping products more competitive so they don't have to dump name plates. I also have a hard time believing that anything called "CT6" will restore Cadillac to greatness. I think Cadillac has marketing guys running the show and the car will have a limited engineering budget. Which has led to failed GM products of the past because they oversell and under deliver. "CT6" just isn't catchy or memorable, at least Fleetwood or Eldorado have some weight to them. It is also interesting that Cadillac is trying to bury their past as if they are ashamed of it.
  2. smk4565
    Agreed, and I think part of the problem is having marketing people run the show. We've seen the renaming with Cavalier, Cobalt, Cruze, Deville, DTS, XTS, look at the whole Buick line, in 2005 you had LeSabre, Park Ave, Century, Rendezvous, Rainer, then a few years later all those name plates were dead, Lucerne came and went. They figure they can build a mediocre car, put some flashy ads out and gets sales for a couple years before people realize the car sucks, then they start all over with a new product and repeat the process. Infiniti looks a mess right now, why is the G37 still on sale if the Q50 was supposed to replace it? And there is no brand equity in Q70 or Q80 or whatever used to be the M37, I have never heard of a car changing names mid-cycle. I can only imagine the base G37 is being pushed to fleets or low end buyers until they can get a FWD entry car based on the Mercedes CLA platform in place.
  3. smk4565
    I think the S-class has plenty special, it can steer itself for one, Audi, BMW and Cadillac are planning on introducing that technology in 2017, Mercedes had it last year. The S-class (and SL) have lasar cut windshield washer blades that dispense the washer fluid, better drag coeffcient than a Prius or a Volt, it can raise and lower the ride height, it is the only car in the world that can scan the road and adjust the suspension before it hits a bump. It has been the technological trailblazer for the past 30+ years. I can see lots of people saying asking if the CT6 is a CTS with a V6 engine. And if a CT4 comes one day, is that a 4-cylinder CTS or a CTS 4-wheel drive, because they make a CTS-4 (with the subscript 4) And why is it a CT6 if it has 4 doors and I would assume a V8 engine. And why is there an "Escalade" if word names are bad, why not call it ET6 and throw away some more model recognition. The quicker Cadillac gets back to Fleetwood, Seville, LaSalle, Eldorado, etc the better. Heck use Vizon or Ciel if they want to.
  4. smk4565
    S-class stands for Sonder-klasse in German. But they have stuck with that name for 40-50 years. Cadillac and GM in general changes names a lot. I think Cadillac should use word names like they always did. They should embrace herritage and not just be an import copy. Import buyers will buy the import anyway.
  5. smk4565
    But the chassis was already developed for the Cruze, Verano and Volt. All they did was put a new body on it and the Volt powertrain was already there. If they ripped the Volt powertrain and put a 2.0 turbo in it, GM already has that in the form of a Buick Verano which is like $30k. Ocnblu wanted an ELR body/interior and a Buick Verano powertrain, to me $40k would be a fair price for that.
  6. smk4565
    Lamborghini Hurcan, Gallardo, Diablo, Aventador, Countach, etc. Here is the thing. The S-class has been around nearly 50 years, whether it was 280SE or 560SEL, or S500, they have always advertised it as the S-class, likewise with the 3-series. That has always been their naming scheme. Acura dumped names like Legend, and Integra for RSX or RLX, just to be like Infiniti or Cadillac, Lincoln later followed. I don't get why you throw away a 30-50 year name plate like Continental or Fleetwood in favor of alpha numeric. That is like BMW changing the name of the 3-series to the BMW Cunningham just for sake of giving it a word name that means nothing. So if the sales of the CT6 are bad, in 10 years they will rename it something else because "CT6" is a "damaged" name plate and the marketing people will think give it a new name and it will sell. I am surprised Chevy hasn't renamed the Malibu the CM-4di Turbo since it is clearly the name and not the product that leads to the low sales.
  7. smk4565
    This car is like 3,650 lbs too, pretty good for packing 500 hp.
  8. smk4565
    And charge $39,995. If an ATS coupe with rear drive on Alpha chassis is around $40k, the same powertrain on a Cruze chassis is worth less. It could compete with the Audi TT.
  9. smk4565
    Lame name, as I said in another thread, they seem to care more about naming schemes than the product itself, as was the case at Infiniti. Not that Infinitis' names made any sense, over hauling it to Q50, Q60, Q70 doesn't make any sense either. Cadillac should have gone back to real names, it just seems like they are trying so hard to be like Infiniti or Audi with this CT6, CT5, CT4 plan. What is CT mean anyway, and what about the Lexus CT200? Cadillac is run by marketing guys so this is the type of stuff they care about. They will try their thing, 5 years from now de Nysschen and Ellinghaus will move on to new jobs and Cadillac will have new marketing, another new naming scheme and another renaissance coming. Compared to Mercedes who has Dr. Z, and Thomas Weber who both have PhD's in engineering running the ship, and Tobais Moers head of AMG is an engineer. All 3 have been with Daimler over 20 years. Cadillac needs engineers in power, not marking guys and bean counters.
  10. smk4565
    Separating from the mainstream GM brands is a good idea. Cadillac needs to be more exclusive and original and break away from the pack. Although I do wonder if this is more for show and marketing.
  11. smk4565
    And they will call it CT6. What a weak name. People will probably confuse it with CTS and think it is like a $50k car, then realize what it costs and think no thank you. Good to see the de Nysschen's philosophy of crazy naming schemes over product is alive and well at Cadillac, since it worked so well to revive Infiniti.
  12. smk4565
    I like the C-class a lot also, they are serious about it now which for a while I feel like they cared more about the E, S and SL since those are their bread and butter products. Not a fan of the floating screen, BMW does it also. Love the engine, all new and way more powerful than the M3.
  13. smk4565
    Only way to improve this car is to charge $49,995 for it.
  14. smk4565
    Cadillac doesn't need to cut prices, they are still priced below a lot of their competitors. What they need to do is add more content, and get an 8-speed transmission, more fuel economy or performance, more features, etc. Just make the car better to justify the price, if anything I would say they should increase the ATS and CTS by $2,000 each and stop selling the base models that are probably fleet deals anyway. Look at the base prices: A6 $44,800 (front wheel drive model) CTS $45,100 5-series $49,750 E-class $51,400 GS $47,700 Q70 $49,600
  15. smk4565
    Waiting a model year later for a coupe is pretty standard stuff. My complaint about the ATS is it is in model year 3 and still no V-series. I don't expect a top range Eldorado coupe launched with the LTS sedan, but the next model year it should be there. Cadillac also needs more than a 400 hp V8 and an 8 speed, the others have had that for 5 years already, this car is still 2 years away. Cadillac has to steal buyers away, so they have to wow them somehow, and offer something new. The S-class hybrid isn't using the old system, that is being scrapped. The S-class plug in can go 20 miles on electric, and has a 3.0 twin turbo V6 with electric motor, 436 hp and 479 lb-ft total output. There will be 10 plug-in hybrid Mercedes by 2017 when the LTS goes on sale. Cadillac should plan one, and not a POS like the ELR, put a plug-in system with a Corvette engine or something for wow factor.
  16. smk4565
    But the S-class had the AMG models out the first model year, the coupe is here and the plug in hybrid S-class goes on sale in the spring. I hope they bring a diesel-hybrid here, they have it in Europe. If Cadillac does the one body style 2 engines off the shelf strategy, it is a repeat of the ATS. And the argument of why the 3-series outsells the ATS by so much is the ATS has no coupe, convertible, diesel or V-series.
  17. smk4565
    No 5.3 V8. A SIlverado engine in an S-class competitor? 3.6TT as the base is acceptable. They should make a 4.0 DOHC TT V8 with a plug in hybrid system and 10 speed automatic for the primary engine. They gotta step up. Or else build the entire body of carbon fiber to keep weight under 4,000 lbs, then you don't really need 500+ hp, they could shoot for 400 hp and 30 mpg.
  18. smk4565
    Escalade ESV Platinum fully loaded hit 100K with the 6.2L V8 and 8AT. So having the same powertrain in the LTS would be fine and totally acceptable. People pay more for SUVs. Well American SUVs anyway vs American sedans. Chevy can sell a $65k Tahoe, doesn't mean they can sell a $65k luxury sedan. I mean we will see, I just suspect if Cadillac takes the Escalade powertrain and puts it in a $100,000 sedan no one is going to buy it. The Hyundai Equus has a 425 hp V8 and an 8-speed and they sell about 200 a month at $60k. I would assume though that a Cadillac would have more features and a much better interior than the Equus though.
  19. smk4565
    It is Cadillac's own fault they lack body styles. It it their own fault they don't have a diesel ATS and CTS or a hybrid SRX. It is their own fault it takes them years to get a V-series out. I don't think GM has the money to spend on Cadillac to build multiple body styles and 4-5 engine choices per car including hybrids and diesels. This is why I think the LTS will ultimately fall short, they will try to do it on a limited budget. Unless GM spends more money on Cadillac they will never catch up. Audi plans to spend $28 billion on R&D between now and 2020 to expand their lineup. GM's entire R&D budget is about $7 billion a year, so in 6 years, that is $42 billion. Even if they up it to $45 billion for inflation over the next 6 years, do we think Cadillac will get 28 out of 45 of that budget. It is better than it was, at least GM doesn't have to spend money on Pontiac or Saturn, but still Cadillac fights with a limited budget and limited product line up.
  20. smk4565
    Cadillac sedan sales are down 20% this year. Lack of crossovers doesn't effect that the CTS and ATS sales have gone down. The CTS sales are down because they raised the price. The XTS is getting the generations of Deville/DTS buyer that were fine with paying $50k for a big Cadillac, that group of buyers is dying off, so that explains why XTS sales have declined. I have doubts that the current Cadillac customer base will pay north of $80k for a sedan, the track record for high end Cadillacs is not good, Allante, XLR and ELR were all busts. Given that, I think they will need to conquest Lexus or German car buyers, so this LTS better be amazing enough to steal buyers.
  21. smk4565
    Lexus was founded basically to build a car like the S-class but at a lower cost. Lexus sold their cars cheaper than the Germans and they had better refinement and quality than what Lincoln or Cadillac had, so it was only a matter of time before they took sales away from both. But 25 years later and the LS460 still sells at a discount to the German competition, they were never able to elevate the price up. Bentley, Rolls, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Mercedes all have a 12 cylinder sedan, so I do think you need one for that cache level. The Panamera has a turbo V8 and brings a big price, but Porsche never needed a big engine to charge crazy money. I don't think the Quattroporte, LS460 or XJ have the status level of the big boys. I don't think Cadillac should make a V12 for this car though, they need to see if they can sell V8s first, and GM doesn't really have any economies of scale for a V12 because there isn't much else to use it in. They will have to charge more for the LTS than they do for the ELR, GM/Cadillac isn't afraid to throw out a high price, if they make it great, then at $80,000 they may find enough buyers, I don't think they can at $100,000. Cadillac's current customer base does not buy sedans that expensive, the DTS, STS, XTS, CTS all have been priced in the $45-60,000 range for 15 years. That group isn't going to magically spend double on their next car, so now you need to conquest the establishment. Tough task, it is worth trying, but it won't be easy. There should also be sedan, coupe and convertible versions of this car.
  22. smk4565
    No chance the LTS will get to $140-200,000 even in V-series form. You need a V12 to get that kind of price, and huge brand cache, neither of which Cadillac has. Even the 12 cylinder A8 and 7-series are in the $130-140k range. I could see Cadillac going with a $75-100k price point. I don't even know what they would do for a V-series, I guess a Z06 engine, but then you are filling your top end Cadillac with Chevy engines and Cadillac is supposed to be better than Chevy. S-class will get a mid-cycle refresh for the 2017 model year, but also remember they are years ahead of everyone else, Audi, Lexus and BMW have been chasing it since 1991 and haven't caught up yet. Mercedes is also releasing 10 plug-in hybrid models in the next 3 years, the S-class being the first one. One complaint I have on the S-class is Mercedes hasn't made a transmission that can handle over 800 lb-ft of torque because the S65 engine makes 811 lb-ft of torque but they limit it to 738 lb-ft because of the transmission.
  23. smk4565
    Most consider the S-class the best car in the world and it has been that way for 20-30 years. Cadillac has a big challenge at hand, although I do think Cadillac needs the LTS. Without a flagship you are no better than Acura or Infiniti, the big boys all have $100,000 sedans. But also look at how established models like the 7-series and A8 are getting killed by the S-class. A new entrant to this segment better aim high. Corvette motor wouldn't surprise me either, but this has to be the quietest car GM has ever made, is the Corvette engine going to offer that level of refinement? Put a 6.2 liter V8 and 8-speed in there and it is the Escalade powertrain, and is that enough for a car that should be priced above the Escalade.
  24. smk4565
    I think unless the ATS gets 100 mpg, does 0-60 in under 5 seconds and comes with a 10 year unlimited mile bumper to bumper warranty with free maintenance for 10 years, the 3-series will still outsell it, no matter how bad steering feel might get or even if the interior hasn't changed in 10 years. 3-series buyers love the 3-series, they aren't leaving. 3-series sales have actually increased since the ATS and updated Lexus IS went on sale. Mercedes is making a smart play to not copy the 3-series and make the C-class a luxury car. They build luxury cars, that is their strength.
  25. smk4565
    If they make this car with a 3.6 liter V6 and 6 speed automatic for sure I will complain about it. It better have an 8-speed standard, Lexus had an 8-speed on the LS460 in 2008 I think, Mercedes had that 7-speed all the way back to 2004. I myself am a bit surprised the 9-speed hasn't taken over but the 2015 CLS has it. Most 2015 Cadillacs still have a 6-speed, that is yesterdays news. If the LTS has a plug-in hybrid, a turbo DOHC V8 then we might be getting somewhere. I am not expecting V12 power, the CTS V-sport engine as the base wouldn't be awful, but they better have more to offer than just that. Interior better blow away the current Cadillacs. I still think the bean counters will crush this car, regardless of what De Nysschen wants.
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