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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    If Mercedes is so ripe for the picking, maybe Cadillac should put their whole line up for sale in Europe and take them out.
  2. smk4565
    Well, Cadillac has made that statement already by having the Escalade as its pricier model... Pretty sad when a dressed up Tahoe is your flagship. That needs to change.
  3. smk4565
    Mercedes took 12,000 orders for the S-class in the past month, we'll see how the Pullman does. Mercedes isn't really going directly at Rolls and Bentley, but they will continue to offer cars in the $200,00 range because they have a loyal following and people that can and will pay that price for a special Mercedes. I don't think we can say the 3rd gen CTS has eclipsed the E-class and 5-series when it isn't on sale yet. The CTS is also prices $4,000 below the 528i and E350. The 5-series and E-class sell about 5,000 a month here, I don't think the new CTS can get that level. The 3-series outsold the ATS, CTS and XTS combined in June, 3-series sales were up 49% in May, up 62% in June, the ATS isn't hurting it, that car is hotter than ever.
  4. smk4565
    The S-Class is a fleet car in the rest of the world outside of North America. It's main advantage is that it can be used a taxi or limousine simply by changing the paint. At least Ford bothered to put a different grill and tail lights on their limos. Yet it is still the #1 selling large luxury car in the world, and has a higher price point than the 7-series, A8, XJ, or LS460. And Cadillac, Acura, and Infiniti don't even try to compete with it. Mercedes got 12,000 orders in the first month since the reveal of the 2014 model, looks like another generation of dominance.
  5. smk4565
    Cadillac is no where near being ready to go after Rolls or Bentley, they probably never will be. Rolls-Royce can charge $400,000+ for a Phantom, that is rarefied air. You could argue that the Hyundai Equus is closer to an top end luxury sedan than anything Cadillac as. GM let Cadillac's image weaken in the 1970s, then dragged it through the mud in the 80s, 90s, and it wasn't until around 2003 when they starting to pump some life back into it. They have yet to prove they can challenge the 5-series and E-class, let along climbing up the ladder. The ATS and CTS are where to start, if those cars succeed, then it is time for an S-class level car, but you have to go all in, or it will flop. It would probably be the biggest R&D budget GM has ever put into a car.
  6. smk4565
    Cadillac has yet to succeed above $60k, so no sense going after Rolls or Bentley. They need a $50-65k CTS to succeed, then to go after the XJ, A8, S-class and 7-series. But even the A8 which is a well reviewed car struggles to sell. Cadillac could build an all-star car and still only sell 6,000 a year, that gamble makes me wonder how committed they are to a big luxury sedan.
  7. smk4565
    The Crown Vic was a fleet car that no one tried to go after either, and now it is gone. Lexus, VW/Audi, and BMW have spent billions on big luxury sedans, no one can knock it off the throne. The 3-series and the S-class dominate their segment globally more than any other cars.
  8. smk4565
    2008 Cadillac SRX for $18,000
  9. smk4565
    Rear drive cars ride and handle better than front wheel drive. CTS has a better chassis, Alpha vs Epsilon 2, CTS will have the same magnetic shocks. If Cadillac can't make the CTS have better ride and handling than a dressed up Impala, how are they going to go against Mercedes.
  10. smk4565
    Most car companies don't put 2 cars of equal price and similar size against one another. They will cater to different markets yes. But RWD beats FWD in the luxury game. The CTS should be able to cut into XTS sales big time, because of the superior ride and handling, and the interiors are basically the same.
  11. smk4565
    Well if 2003 is on the table, lets just end this right now. http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=15222&endYear=2014&modelCode1=AURORA&showcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=2002&makeCode1=OLDS&sellerTypes=b&searchRadius=200&mmt=[OLDS[AURORA[]][]]&listingId=349357587&listingIndex=6&Log=0
  12. smk4565
    Maybach wasn't an S-class. The S-class always succeeds, it has been #1 in it's segment for 40 years. This thing will be awesome, they'll probably only build 1,000 a year world wide and they'll have a waiting list for it.
  13. smk4565
    Here is a Ward's Auto article on how on 2016 big changes are coming. Dodge won't get an Avenger replacement, Caravan goes away, Chrysler is getting a new 100 and new 200, maybe the Dart leaves too? http://wardsauto.com/blog/dodge-s-future-and-other-questions-loom-fiat-chrysler Another article on how most of the new Fiat-Chrysler cars coming post 2015 will be going to Fiat, and the Wards Auto article also stated that 75% of the Fiat-Chrysler cars post 2016 will be on a Fiat platform. Jeep is getting a 7-passenger Wagoneer, looks like the Durango will be doomed. http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2013/02/07/chrysler-has-issues/ I could care less what Fiat and Chrysler do, I think they are both doomed anyway. My belief though is that Fiat will do what they think is best for Fiat, and not for Chrysler LLC.
  14. smk4565
    I thought the XTS would sell around 2,000 to 2,500 a month, and that is sort of where it is. It should be able to sell 30,000 a year when the Town Car is gone, the MKS isn't very good and it basically replaced STS and DTS. There is still a segment of buyer that wants a big cushy American car, and there is the Livery market. You can get 30,000 sales a year there. I don't see the livery market or 70+ year olds wanting 410 hp, or spending $65k to get it. I am curious how the new CTS will sell and what will happen to XTS sales once it comes out, because they are priced nearly the same.
  15. smk4565
    What about a 2010-11 Saab 9-5? I saw one at a local dealer that is the Aero X for $22k. And if that is a little too big or too expensive, a 9-3 Aero can be had under $20k. I did find one 9-4x in Ohio for $24k. I bet they sold under 1,000 of those, super rare.
  16. smk4565
    I like the front, but not a fan of the back. Plus if it is wider than a Veyron, it must be really wide.
  17. smk4565
    They'll extend the S-class to about 213 inches long, there was already a prototype being tested. They can definitely up the level of luxury with silk and cashmere fabrics, that was rumored also, and they have the V12 and all the engineering bits they need. The S-class has more technology in it than a Rolls or Bentley, and they can beat them in performance, they just need to make the rear seat area like a private jet. 3rd world dictators love Mercedes also, they'll buy them up fast.
  18. smk4565
    The Charger can die off because they have the 300, and they could replace the Challenger with a rear drive Chrysler coupe. There are rumors that the Challenger will be replaced by a Chrysler/SRT Barracuda in 2015. If they want to keep an SRT Charger, they could, then you a V8 only Charger (competition for Chevy SS) that can sell for near $50k. If people want V8s post 2015 they are going to have to pay a steep price. The Chrysler 300 would get V6 gas and diesel and a V8, they could do the SRT Charger and Barracuda off the same platform which gives them 2 "halo" cars and something to appeal to the 55-60 year olds that used to drive muscle cars and still want that sort of car. This also clears out the $15-30,000 mainstream car segments (where Chrysler is terrible anyway) for Fiat to move in with their econoboxes. When the 2025 CAFE hits, and as the younger urban generation takes over and the "traditional American car buyer" dies off, our car market is going to look a lot like Europe's does now.
  19. smk4565
    CTS V-sport is cheaper than this. Interesting that they make this AWD and the CTS V-sport is rear wheel drive as to try to make them not compete against each other. I think no one is going to buy the XTS V-sport, why pay more for a heavier car with less power, less gears, and worse handling than the CTS V-sport.
  20. smk4565
    I saw a 9-4x on the used market, but it was over $25k I think. I was shocked, I didn't know they even sold any of them, I thought the brand went bankrupt before any were built. Interestingly enough, a Passat TDI just did an 8,000 mile, cross country trip and averaged 77.9 mpg, can't do that in a GMT360.
  21. smk4565
    Because the Town and Country has a base price of $31,000 and the Caravan's is $19,995. It is about profit per car, not volume. Chrysler Corp went bankrupt because they made no money, and Fiat bought them because they had Jeep and American dealerships. If Chrysler didn't have Jeep in the stable, they'd be with Saab and Pontiac.
  22. smk4565
    Dodge may have volume but how much of that is to fleet sales. Ford and GM dropped minivans, Dodge can lose theirs too, and the plan is for the 2016 van to by Chrysler only because it has a $31k base price, compared to $20k for the Caravan. Fiat is going to look for profit, not volume and sell vehicles with higher margins. I think Dodge is done after 2015 model year, they are weak on CAFE, and without the Caravan and Avenger, they have no mid-range products. The Dart will get revised to become a Chrysler 100, Challenger redesigned to the SRT Challenger, joining the SRT Viper. Journey dies, Durango is replaced by a 3 row Jeep SUV, because a Jeep Wagoneer can sell for $10,000 more than a Durango. Fiat can't survive with all these brands. Chrysler and Lancia will have overlapping products, similar to Buick-Opel, or the One Ford plan, but same product, different badge. Fiat-Alfa will expand offerings here, and SRT will stay for the Mopar fan boys because they can jack the price up on those. Jeep has always been a solid brand name with a loyal following, nothing to change there. Fiat didn't buy Chrysler for Chrysler/Dodge, they wanted Jeep and entry to the American market. When you look at Chrysler-Dodge-Ram-SRT-Jeep in the USA and Fiat-Lancia-Alfa Romeo-Maserati-Ferrari in Europe, that is 10 brands, that is what destroyed GM. Now a few of those brands are low volume and super high profit margin, so they are safe, but and Automaker doesn't need 10 brands.
  23. smk4565
    There were only about 500 GNX's built though, that is a rare car. There are tons of SL's out there ranging from classic car to beater. Overall the 80s was a pretty weak car decade. Possibly the worst decade for cars, because the 50s and 60s had a lot of cool stuff, and even in the 70s, they still had muscle cars early on. In the 80s everything was boxy with lousy build quality and V8s had 150 hp.
  24. smk4565
    No-va, like the name, it's a no go.
  25. smk4565
    Looks pretty beat and it is probably parked because that diesel engine broke down. There are very few 80s cars that I think are desirable. Aside from the high dollar rides, like the S-class, SL roadster or Ferrari F40, Porsche 959, etc, there wasn't much good going on that decade.
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