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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Camry and Corolla prove that vanilla is the best selling ice cream flavor. Although I have to say, the current Camry isn't bad, it has sort of a sporty look in the front (way better than the Jelly Bean Camry of 5-10 years ago) and the interior is pretty roomy. I'd take a Fusion or Sonata/Optima or Mazda 6 over a Camry, but most buyers in the "white good" family car segment buy either on the deal or the name, and that Camry name gets people to buy it by default.
  2. smk4565
    GM is still a truck company, they survive on trucks and SUVs. They still don't put their primary focus on engineering or advertising cars because to them the profits are on trucks, so they'll keep milking it as long as they can. I imagine a lot of people by a Cruze or Malibu based on if they can get a good deal, so if incentives are big that month they buy, if the incentives are better on a Hyundai or Ford or whatever they will just go there. Cadillac's sedan struggles don't surprise me, the XTS got its fleet sales the first year, now it is cooling off back to where DTS sales levels were. The ATS and CTS look a bit boring, plus Cadillac doesn't have the hybrids or diesels that Lexus and the Germans have. Cadillac also lacks coupes, convertibles, etc.
  3. smk4565
    They need the new C-class since the 3-series is beating it 2 to 1. However the dated C-class is still #2 in the segment. They also need to do an SL400, the SL starts at like $110k and probably a lot of the people buying it don't need 450 hp. The bi-turbo V6 with 339 hp in the SL at a lower price would be sweet.
  4. smk4565
    Right, Audi needs to rely on the bottom end of the line up. However they are probably bringing in younger buyers with the A3 which could pay off years from now if they choose to buy another Audi. Q3 is a big seller too, so they are appealing to younger and probably female buyers, but they are rolling.
  5. smk4565
    Huge increases on the 7-series and 5-series. The 5-series usually don't outsell the E-class either. I wonder what they did or if it was just a fluke.
  6. smk4565
    China is expected to surpass the USA as the #1 country for luxury car sales within the next few years; China is already the largest overall car market. The Germans are ahead there too though, according to Forbes, 73% of luxury car sales in China in 2013 were Audi, BMW or Mercedes. BMW is selling over 325,000 cars a year in China and growing while Cadillac and Lexus are in the 50-70,000 a per year level. Cadillac does have a better chance in China than they do in Europe, but they face a similar battle. At least the Chinese market is growing though, and not flat like Europe.
  7. smk4565
    If they made a diesel for this, they could put it in the Dart also as a Jetta TDi and Cruze diesel competitor. I bet people would buy a diesel Jeep Cherokee too, there is a diesel Grand Cherokee afterall.
  8. smk4565
    It is more like a 3 wheel trike, to me this isn't really a car. What is a bit sad is the old Honda Insight from the early 2000s got 60 mpg city and 70 mpg highway, and it was car, and no car since has really topped that, that wasn't a plug in of some sort. This seems like a Reliant Robin part 2, except the single wheel is in back not the front, so it probably doesn't roll over on every corner.
  9. smk4565
    They will have to put Cadillacs in Opel dealers and fancy up the Opel dealerships then. Cadillac better go diesel crazy, there should be plug-in hybrid versions of the ATS and CTS also. I am not convinced though that they are willing to spend the money on technology and powertrains to make this happen. This is a go big or go home type of deal, and Cadillac works with a limited budget and the GM parts bin. Plus given the recall expenses coming of the next couple years, I doubt GM is going to turn over several billion dollars to Cadillac for R&D.
  10. smk4565
    True, the sales channel has to be there, so they either need to make their own dealerships, or partner with Opel. What GM should have done years ago, and maybe still can is to phase out Opel/Vauxhaul and put Chevy in Europe, then you can have Chevy/Cadillac dealerships instead. Ford has streamlined the products so they basically have the same cars here as in Europe, GM needs that approach even if that means different engines or interior options, you could still sell the same basic car in both places. They have to build a product line simultaneously with the sales channel though. If they get dealerships then send the SRX over there and a pair of gas V6 sedans, they aren't going to sell anything in those dealerships. Cadillac can't convince Americans to buy an ATS over a 3-series or C-class, how will they convince Germans to buy an ATS?
  11. smk4565
    I like how it is.
  12. smk4565
    I think the Mazda 6 is a looker also. Even more so I like the Mazda 3 hatchback with the LED light package, it looks quite sharp, especially for a lower priced car. I saw a white one and a bronze one, both looked sharp.
  13. smk4565
    I like the Ford better in styling, from the A-pillar back the Promaster City looks a bit like the Transit. I think the Ram looks much better than the Nissan though. I do like what they did with the engine giving it a bigger 4 and 9-speed transmission, rather than a 140 hp 2 liter and a 5 speed or something dated. I know you need fuel economy since these are usually delivery type vehicles, but it is still a work van and has to haul stuff. Surprising that none of these small vans don't offer a 1.9 liter turbo diesel, you could get 140 hp and 240 lb-ft out of an engine like that and probably low 30s mpg.
  14. smk4565
    There are many issues, but Lexus and Infiniti have failed too, Acura or Lincoln haven't even tried. The market is hard to crack, you have a lot of different countries a lot of buyers loyal to what is made in their country. Here are mid-size luxury car sales for Germany, you can see the dominance of the German trio, "other" is 8.5% of sales.
  15. smk4565
    Problem is Europeans don't think there is a role for something other than the three Germans, with the exception of Jaguar/Land Rover which mostly relies on the UK for sales.
  16. smk4565
    Highway? Did you leave the parking brake on? Not on highway, suburban type driving. I am sure a lot of cars can beat the EPA highway estimate if you really try to, but in everyday driving they aren't going to post a number like that. If a CLA45 is rated at 31 mpg highway I am sure people could get over 35 in it also. There is no way a 5.7 liter V8 4,000 lb car is going to get better mileage than a 2.0 liter 3400 lb car, it is simple physics.
  17. smk4565
    They have had to stop selling new Cruzes now because of faulty airbags. You'd think they would test this stuff before putting it in cars and shipping them to dealers. So it looks like the 2014 Cruze is the next on the recall list. And yes Toyota is just as guilty as GM, Toyota builds junk too, their owners are just blinded to it, because they haven't driven anything but a Toyota in the past 20 years and they don't know how good Hyundai, Kia, Mazda etc have gotten. I saw a Mazda 3 hatchback the other day and thought it looked like something BMW or Infiniti would make, it looked really sharp.
  18. smk4565
    The Taurus can run over $40,000 also, I think the Maxima is at least more exciting than a Taurus, or Avalon for that matter. I think the Impala is the most exciting from a styling standpoint, it looks good in the front.
  19. smk4565
    The E-class is the #1 selling mid-size luxury car, because all around it is the best luxury car. The diesel gets 42 mpg, better than any Jaguar, Cadillac, Infiniti, or Lexus, better than a 5-series or an A6. The E63 AMG S does 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, that makes it faster than any other 4-door on the market.
  20. smk4565
    I had a 300 rental with the Pentastar last year, it averaged like 22 mpg. Cheaply made car too.
  21. smk4565
    I noticed that the 300C now has a base V6, sort of defeats the purpose of what the "C" badge was for.
  22. smk4565
    Notice there were no Pontiacs on this list, that is because they were all about EXITEMENT!!!
  23. smk4565
    An AWD Chrysler 300C with a Hemi gets 15/23 mpg, not exactly fuel efficient.
  24. smk4565
    I too would take a CTS v-sport over a CLA, but I'd take an E-class or 2015 C400 or perhaps a Jaguar over the CTS. I'd probably take a 535d or 335d over the CLA and I don't really like BMWs that much. Doesn't make the CLA45 an awful car though, it is still fast and gets over 30 mpg.
  25. smk4565
    This needs done by segment, I will start with subcompact and move up to large car, then luxury then van, suv. Their list has some boring cars, but I don't think the Altima is as boring as others in the segment, and the Passat in SEL trim looks nice. Mainstream: Toyota Yaris and Mitsubishi Mirage (tie) Toyota Corolla Dodge Avenger Toyota Avalon and Buick Lacross (tie) Luxury: Acura ILX Lexus ES Lincoln MKS SUV or Van Honda CR-V Mitsubishi Outlander Honda Pilot Toyota Sienna Most boring car ever award goes to the Toyota Echo.
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