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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Where's their luxury brand? That 850 MKS they sold is pretty impressive. Sounds like a sustainable business model to me, with a dealer network of about 325, they are selling nearly 3 cars per month per dealer, NICE!
  2. smk4565
    S-class outsold the LS460, 7-series and A8 combined by about 400 cars. That is owning your segment right there.
  3. smk4565
    The Corolla is crap, but Toyota buyers know nothing about cars, they just assume that since it says Toyota it gets the best gas mileage and is the most reliable. When for a lot of years the Corolla had the worse mileage in the segment, and even midsizers like the Sonata and Altima were getting better gas mileage than the Corolla a couple years ago. The Camry is a sales force, it has been for a long time, could be a while before someone figures out how to dethrone it. Unless a mid-size car comes out with 50 mpg and a bumper to bumper 10 year/100k mile warranty, I think the Camry will keep winning. What is interesting is the 120% jump in the Lexus IS, that car used to never sell, and it is crushing the ATS and A4 right now. It could be that the old C-class has dropped off a little bit and once the new C-class arrives the IS will be toast, but for now the IS looks strong and it never did before.
  4. smk4565
    These guys out sold Cadillac with a few VW badge job SUVs and 3 sedans that look the same and a funky looking A6 hatchback. The S-class is killing the A8, I am surprised people even still buy an A8, they should sell about 200 a month like the Phaeton did.
  5. smk4565
    Huge month for the Altima. Infiniti sold over 10,000, that isn't too bad. The Q50 is doing alright, it sells as well as a CTS or ATS does. The Q70 I assume is a Q60 with a V8? To me that makes no sense to have 2 model names for the same car with a different engine. And if that is true, then they can't ever give the Q50 another engine unless they give it a smaller one and make it a Q40. Their naming scheme makes no sense. I don't know what a QX50 is, but it looks like they can discontinue it, the buying public doesn't seem to know what it is either.
  6. smk4565
    That is a lot of Cruzes, for a car that has been out for a while and hasn't sold that big before it is a bit odd. And the Malibu and Sonic had a decent month so it isn't like the Cruze stole all their sales.
  7. smk4565
    Mercedes does a 7 year cycle with a refresh after 4. The C-class is a good example, 2008-2011 just had the minor tweaks here and there in equipment or adding some LED lights, then 2012 got the all new interior and revised fascia, a turbo 4 option and DI V6. That was able to keep it fresh another 3 years. The Lambdas all had good exterior refreshes so they look current still, but they didn't do anything with the engines. BMW also does a 7 year cycle, and they tweak the bumpers, headlights, tail lights, introduce a new engine or transmission, etc and it works for them too. The Jetta refresh will go unnoticed, it doesn't look like they did anything. So if that is the type of refresh they plan to do, they might as well replace the car every 4-5 years.
  8. smk4565
    The Escalade's closest competitors as far as size and body on frame SUV go are the Navigator at $56,000 and the Infiniti QX80 at $63,000. The Escalade is now $71,000 and outsells the other two with ease. The GL is $63,000 base and unibody but it is as long as an Escalade and has 3 rows of seats, it really serves as the Escalade's greatest competitor since the Range Rover costs more and is a smaller 5 passenger, and the Lincoln is hopeless. The Escalade is a successful produce for Cadillac, but they don't need another 3 row SUV, they need a small SUV.
  9. smk4565
    The Mercedes GL is unibody and outsold the Escalade the past couple years. I do agree that on some level there will always be a market for a big SUV like the Escalade, just like there will always be that select market for a Bentley or Ferrari regardless of how much gas costs. I think the market for mid size or slightly large SUVs could decline, that is why Cadillac is making the right move not throwing a 4th Lambda and another SUV into the mix. Look at sales of the Audi Q7, Lincoln MKT, Lexus GX, etc, they don't sell (although they are lousy vehicles too). Small crossovers are the hot thing now, that is the market to move into. Cadillac doesn't need a middle size, bigger and biggest SUV approach; they need to have small, medium and large. I wouldn't say Cadillac needs to go Encore small, but if they used Alpha they could make something ATS sized and keep the price based at $35k.
  10. smk4565
    I don't like the new front end, but I think the interior looks nice on this car. The car is still a good value, $40k gets you a lot of equipment and a 311 hp V6, $50k gets you a V8 and the Infiniti Q50, Acura RLX, Lexus GS, CTS/XTS and Lincolns have a V6. So if you compare the Genesis to those, it does still give pretty good bang for the buck. The Genesis is a big car though, it is about 5-8 inches longer than cars like the E-class and Q50, and it is a heavy car too. So you can't really say the Genesis competes directly with them it isn't a sporty car, it is more of a big luxury car. The Genesis I think on size, price and features compares more to an XTS or RLX, maybe Infiniti Q-whatever number the M37 is now. Genesis or Equus definitely not competing with the S-class. The S-class outsells the 7-series, LS460 and A8 combined and all 3 have base prices about $20k less than the S-class. Very few cars in any segment can outsell the next 3 closest competitors combined. What the S-class does would be like the Camry selling 70,000 cars per month at a $5,000 premium over the Accord, Fusion and Altima.
  11. smk4565
    7 years works if you have a refresh in the middle. 7 years with no refresh does not work except maybe on niche vehicles. Look at the GMC Acadia, that went on sale in 2007, it is in its 8th model year and 2015 will make 9 model years before being replaced. Thats too long, but it hasn't seen sales go down the toilet because there was a refresh in the middle. Maybe VW can bring back the Phaeton, they can give it a 2 year life cycle because sales will be dead by that point.
  12. smk4565
    The S-class Hybrid they have been talking numbers like 70 mpg and 0-60 in 5.5 seconds so that thing could be the bomb and really unmatched in that segment. I still wonder why they don't just take the 2.1 liter diesel and add a hybrid system to that, they have it in Europe on an E-class, that would be ideal on a C-class or ML because you'd have battery power around town and diesel on the highway and could get some huge mileage numbers.
  13. smk4565
    They don't need 4 Lambdas and Cadillac doesn't need more front wheel drive vehicles so this is a smart move. I also think that big families may be a bit on the decline, people wait longer and longer to have kids and they have less of them. And if gas keeps climbing, how much demand will there be for SUVs, when there are cars that might get 10 mpg better. Even in the luxury market, once the diesels catch on and people can take a 38 mpg sedan vs a 24 mpg SUV, that is a pretty dramatic difference. We have crumbling infrastructure also, gas taxes aren't going down, they will only go up. Maybe gas stays at $4 a gallon, but what if it is $6 per gallon in 2018, how will those big SUV sales look then? What Cadillac should do is make an SUV off the Alpha platform, and if they wanted to be economical they could make a short version and a long version like Hyundai does with the Santa Fe, then you can battle with X3 and X5 with one vehicle that has 2 versions. They won't do that though because the SRX sells. The other option is to make the SRX a bit smaller and keep the price in the $35-50k range and keep it front drive like the Lexus RX, and build an Alpha SUV the size of the CTS and not make it look like a station wagon on stilts like the last time around.
  14. smk4565
    Agreed with the previous 2 posts. The price will be crazy high, and how many people want a $60-80,000 Charger or Challenger. And if you want a Dodge, get one that is 2 years old after it lost half its value. A regular Hemi still has a lot of power, granted these are heavy cars, but it has more than adequate for daily use and you could spend $20k for it. Even a 4 year old SRT I bet gets down near $25k. One problem with a car like this is the Challenger is still so heavy it still isn't going to be a sports car, on a track a dopey Boxster with 250 hp would probably beat it.
  15. smk4565
    People still buy Toyotas. Granted, their reputation has been stronger than GM's, but still, people will buy what they are used to or what they think looks good, despite recalls or bad press.
  16. smk4565
    I am surprised Volvo is still here now, I also doubt they make it to 2025. All their stuff is really dated, the S80 is based on the Ford Five Hundred platform from 2005 I think, they still use that inline six from the 90s, turbo 5's from the 90s, etc. When they bring out the Drive-E engine in 2015, it is a turbo and supercharged 4 cylinder with 300 hp. The Mustang has a turbo 4 making 300 hp so it isn't totally new stuff. If they deliver 300 hp and 35 mpg highway that is a nice combo. But no one will notice it with their weak marketing. This business of "we don't count cylinders and we can get the performance of a 6 or 8 from our Drive-E engine" is baloney. Do they realize that V8s are making 400-500 hp? There are V6s making over 400 hp. Their new Drive-E makes 302 hp max. I'd like to see the 4 cylinder Volvo S80 that outruns a CTS V-sport or E550 in a 0-60 sprint.
  17. smk4565
    The lambdas are in the recall, those are current, and the 2015 Silverado is in the recall group too. I think certain ATS models were also. It is pretty wide sweeping, so you wonder if they have really addressed the issues, or are they just focusing on the 2004-2010 stuff now, and will be doing another round next year on 2011-2014 cars.
  18. smk4565
    I don't see Ford recalling 15 million cars.
  19. smk4565
    Up to 15 million this year, that has to be a record.
  20. smk4565
    The S2000 is supposed to come back. Mini sales I don't think will do too much because the styling has been the same for 10 years. And the SUV Mini looks awful, the Clubman was a stretch as it was, then the other variants came in and they are all bad. Retro does only work for so long, Mini might need a new look. The roadster market is tiny, but if you made a cheap roadster like the Miata there would be some sales there, and the platform and engines are there already. An unrelated problem to Mini is that 10 years ago when most small cars were crap, or just boring like the Civic, the Mini had it easy and they would win on gas mileage and looks. But now the Elentra, Veloster, Focus,Fiesta, Mazda 3 etc have stepped up their games, there are several good looking cars that can get 40 mpg now. When Hyundia and Kia made crap and Chevy and Ford had the Cavalier and Escort, the Mini didn't have much to worry about. The competition got good, and Mini still builds the same car from 2003.
  21. smk4565
    A 160 hp, 3-cyldiner front wheel drive roadster sounds awesome! Oh wait, no it is about the worst idea ever. BMW more than any other luxury brand needs to be RWD because their whole mantra is "ultimate driving machine" and handling and performance. If they want to utilize the Mini platform why not build a small British roadster, since the British were the kings of the small roadster. Who says every Mini brand car has to look the same, why couldn't they mimmick styling of a Triumph or Austin Healy roadster of the 60s but with modern interpretation. That would be way better than a cheaper, crappier looking Z4 with less power and handling.
  22. smk4565
    From all the magazines I have read, they say electric power steering has killed steering feel. I haven't driven a new BMW, I have only driven the previous 2 generation 5-series that had hydraulic. Maybe BMW should not worry about the .3 mpg improvement from electric steering, and go back to the good stuff.
  23. smk4565
    And longer than a Suburban.
  24. smk4565
    $75k for an electric SRX, that wouldn't sell either.
  25. smk4565
    The Camaro has a lousy interior. People would buy this over a Camaro or Mustang for luxury and probably size and looks, and handling. The same reason people buy the A5, C-class coupe, 4-series, etc instead of buying a muscle car. Once the Camaro shifts to the Alpha chassis then the comparison gets a little closer, which is why I think the next gen Camaro will have a 4-cylinder as the base, because they can't give the Camaro a better base engine than a Cadillac on the same platform.
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