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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    Awful idea, they want an SUV too, which is a bad idea. Jaguars need to sell on being beautiful looking sports cars, they don't have that wide range appeal of BMW or Benz. They do need a small RWD sedan below the XF, that at least gives them 3 sedans and 2 coupe/convertible models, 5 products is good, let Land Rover do the SUVs. If they plan to dress up a lesser front wheel drive car as a Jag, they won't be doing a Cavalier turned into a Cimarron, they would be working with the Tata Nano.
  2. smk4565
    Why is cache so important? Hyundai isn't having much trouble selling the Genesis or Equus, even though their reputation was just above 'garbage' barely even a decade ago.Cadillac needs money. Why not build what people want? They did a good job giving people what they wanted with the SRX. Why stop there? Cache lets you charge luxury prices for luxury cars. Hyundai has to sell at a discount, and the Equus is only moving about 3,000 cars a year, not really setting the world on fire there. If Cadillac needs money, wouldn't it be nice if the CTS was $50,000 base price and sold better than when it was $35,000 base price? If you have image you can charge more and sell more.
  3. smk4565
    In the US, aren't they more like 99% AWD? It doesn't matter if the Cadillac SRX has a 100% AWD take rate nor does it matter that the Cadillac XTS can send something like 75% of its torque to the rear wheels when the computer tells the AWD system to... they are still FWD. Audi isn't FWD because they have longitudinal engines... even though they are driving the front wheels just as much as the FWD Cadillacs do. </smk mode> That is correct, haha. Longitudinal engine means Audi's have a 55/45 weight split, much better than the 60/40 or worse of may FWD cars. But if you aren't 50/50 you might as well go home. The ATS and CTS are done right, now Cadillac just has to convince the sheeple that they are superior and worth the price. I think crossover buyers are Sheeple, just like Cam-Cord buyers are. They think a CR-V or RX350 is unstoppable in snow, and safe in a crash, and a rwd sedan like the ATS or 3-series will get stuck all the time and lead to a firey death in a wreck. The same people that think a Nissan Sentra is crap, but will pay $5,000 more than Sentra for a Rogue, even though the Rogue is just a raised Sentra hatchback. Cadillac needs the Eldorado back because they need to make cars cool again. From the early 90s until now SUVs were thought to be cool, and you hadn't made it unless you had an Explorer, Grand Cherokee, etc. Time for cars again, scale the Elmirage down to CTS size, V6 for $52,000, twin turbo V6 for $62,000 and we have a winner. If they put the Elmirage in production as a bigger than XTS 2 door for $100,000 no one will buy it, and it will be another fail like the Allante and XLR, probably bigger. Then to get quick cash GM will make another crossover for the Sheeple. Do the Eldorado and do it right please.
  4. smk4565
    Agreed on the lack of X5 competitor and the SRX not being it. If SRX was made a bit smaller (on the outside and not inside) it could open the door to a vehicle in between it and the Escalade. Audi sort of plays 3rd fiddle to BMW and Mercedes. Notice Cadillac was benchmarking the 3-series for the ATS, not the A4. And everyone benchmarks the S-class. Audi is ditching the A8 platform for an all new RWD platform, because they can't compete with the S-class. Audi does their Quattro thing well, they market it well and it is sort of the luxury Subaru, where they have a following, but they aren't the big dog on the block.
  5. smk4565
    Cadillac could do a Delta crossover and it would sell, but you risk hurting the brand that doesn't have a lot of image or cache built up, because they lack halo cars. I think Cadillac needs ATS and CTS coupes and a convertible ATS, and a flagship sedan before they mess with another crossover.
  6. smk4565
    Why would you want Cadillac to lower sales to the level of the Germans in that segment? A rwd SRX could base at $47k though, not $37k, fewer sales, but more profit. They could put some other crossover at the $35-40k area. Or keep the SRX how it is, and make a new RWD crossover off the CTS. But then they risk taking away from the Escalade. 50% of Cadillac's 2014 line up is front wheel drive though, that is a lot for a luxury car company that wants to be "standard of the world" And it won't be long until they add an crossover below the SRX because once Mercedes and Lincoln hit that market, and Audi Q3, they will want one too.
  7. smk4565
    The FWD ones outsell them because they are bigger but also the crowd that grew up on the Rav4 or first Gen Lexus RX keep buying Lexus, they also don't demand better driving dynamics. A GLK is 5 inches shorter in length than an ATS, so it is pretty small. The SRX has over a foot in length on the GLK. But people that want RWD handling are going to buy a 3-series or C-class, the X3 and GLK are going to be less appealing. And the GLK is pretty small and firm riding compared to the Lexus that women buy like crazy.
  8. smk4565
    Distinctive, but ugly. The current Lincoln designs are awful, the Fusion looks way better. This Black Label is pointless, I guess the marketing people want another pricey option package to throw on. Some fancy leather or paint can't save this car, and I doubt the materials are all that great anyway.
  9. smk4565
    The engine doesn't exist, I doubt it will. Just like the V16 never existed, and most concept car engines don't ever exist. Chrysler had a 425 hp V12 for the Phaeton concept in the 1990s, not like Chrysler was going to put a V12 in anything they made. I think it hard to sell to the uber rich, when the uber rich haven't bought Cadillacs in 50 years. If this is the V-series and they want to go after the S-class coupe, where is their twin turbo V12? I don't think Cadillac should go to the uber luxury level, that is why this should have been a mid-size concept because they have a V6 and turbo V6 they can put to use. Cadillac always seems to dream up these concept cars, like the Sixteen or the Imaj, Ciel, Elmiraj, etc to try to trick people into thinking Cadillac is an elite brand, then they build a flagship based on the Chevy Impala or a sports coupe based on the Volt. Why not focus on ATS and CTS coupes, and getting the SRX back to RWD.
  10. smk4565
    The Ciel grille was better, this is a bit Mazda like. The back end is really good though. However I still say this car is too large, it is over a foot longer than a BMW 6-series, 16 inches longer than a Bentley Continental, it is even bigger than a Mercedes CL which is being killed for an S-class Coupe, so we don't know what that car will be like yet. Had they made this concept 192 inches long, you'd have a really easy path to a CTS based Eldorado coupe that could sell in the $55-70,000 range (V6 and turbo V6), with the CTS V6 sedan being
  11. smk4565
    There would be for Cadillac if the SRX was more expensive, and priced like an X5 or M-class. But then the SRX would have to go back to RWD and share CTS hardware. But they could make an ATS based rear drive SUV also, like how the X3 is. A Delta SUV makes more sense for Buick it could base around $28k and go up to $35k. Then Buick has a 3rd SUV and something in the middle of the 2 they have now, without just copying an Equinox. I think there is no shortage of buyers for these small crossovers. Look at CR-V and Rav4 sales, people that have bought them over the past 10 years will eventually trade up into a small luxury crossover. Look at how well the Lexus RX has sold, for what is basically a Camry wagon on a lift kit, people pay over $40k for it. Crossover buyers will buy anything.
  12. smk4565
    GM doesn't have a crossover priced like the GLA, the CLA is $30k, figure they'll add some for the SUV version, every car maker does, so $33k might be the base price, going to over $40k loaded. The Encore starts at $24k, the Cadillac SRX starts at $37k. The GLA competition on price is the Infiniti EX, Acura RDX, but it is smaller than those two, BMW X1 is the only direct competitor, until the Audi Q3 arrives. CLA and GLA give Mercedes and entry car, and people will buy them. It won't dilute the brand because they will still have the legendary Mercedes build quality and engineering that people want. Mercedes is so strong in the $50-150k space, and their image is so strong, the GLA won't hurt it, it will just make more people like the brand. Mercedes has 10.5 million likes on Facebook compared to BMW's 14 million, they wants some of that younger crowd.
  13. smk4565
    In a video one of the designers said there would likely be a 3rd car in the series with this and the Ciel. So I would assume a sedan is the next concept, and the 3 will all inspire what is to be their A8/7-series/XJ fighter. I for one miss the wreath.
  14. smk4565
    205 is much better than 191, IMO. 205 inches is Hyundai Equus length, they can't sell a coupe that big, no one would buy it. The press release also said it has a 4.5 liter twin turbo V8 but I wonder where they got that from since GM hasn't had a 4.5 liter V8 since the late 80s. And adding 2 cylinders to the 3.6 V6 gets you a 4.8 V8. Seems like a mythical engine.
  15. smk4565
    The rear screams return of the Eldorado. Much better than the bland CTS rear. The rear is great.
  16. smk4565
    I really like the back end, but the grille looks too big and the headlights too narrow. Not a fan of the interior, but concept car interiors are always pretty weird. I read this thing is 205 inches long, what is the point of that, it is longer than an Escalade or XTS. At first I thought this was going to become the CTS Coupe, because the CTS front end and body, with this car's C piller and trunk could work, but a CTS Coupe should be near 191 inches long.
  17. smk4565
    In their eyes they need to attract younger buyers or risk losing sales to Audi, BMW or the entry-lux brands. If they have no car for $30-35,000 then those buyers will go elsewhere. But look at the price on their other cars. C-class, E-class and S-class all have the highest base price in their respective classes, their SUVs cost more than their BMW or Audi counterparts and the GL and Escalade price overlap pretty closely. They aren't going to push their current models down, so they need the CLA and GLA.
  18. smk4565
    More expensive though, and the GLA does 0-60 n 6.4 seconds, that is quick for a crossover, it beats the 308 hp Cadillac SRX, let alone any of these small SUVs.
  19. smk4565
    It is for women and younger people. CUVs in most cases don't make sense, doesn't matter what brand is making it. There was a Top Gear episode where Jeremy drove a BMW X6 and made the comment how it has less room than a 5-series wagon, gets worse gas mileage, handles worse and is slower, yet costs more. He tried to drive the X6 up a grass hill and in snow, in both cases it cost stuck and it had AWD. This year they looked at some other small crossovers, from Mazda, Toyota, Honda, etc, and the same thing holds true, a Civic is quicker, handles better, gets better mileage and is cheaper than a CR-V. Yet people will pay a premium for small crossovers. Buick Encore is another good example, it sells at nearly the same rate as the Verano, but the Verano has more power, better fuel economy, is larger and has more features on it and costs less. There is a small crossover market, women think they are safer, fools think they are better in snow, or they think because it is a box, it has more cargo room than the trunk of a car, when most of that cargo space is useless anyway. So Mercedes wants a slice of the small crossover market. Why should they let Acura or Buick or Lincoln or whoever have it, when they can build a better vehicle and force those brands out.
  20. smk4565
    I am not a fan of the styling, in the CLA it works, but not so much here. It does give Mercedes a cheaper and more gas friendly crossover to sell though and that could win buyers, especially since the GLK is very blocky and this is rounded off. But the GLK diesel gets like 33 mpg, so they have a gas friendly SUV already. As far as the name, it makes sense, GL stands for "Geländewagen Luxus" German for luxury SUV. Add a K for Kompakt so that is how they get the GL and GLK names. Same way they have an SL roadster and SLK. GLA I guess is Luxury SUV on A-class platform, so it sort of works.
  21. smk4565
    Encore is doing well, imagine if the engine had some more power to it. But it sits in a space there there aren't any direct competitors, which I think is a good thing. I wonder how long until they put the Regal out of its misery, that thing is bombing, as is the Malibu. You need to bring your A-game in that midsize car segment. The ATS seems a bit lackluster for being a new model and the entry Cadillac, but I think the cramped interior and front end styling hurt it. I am curious how the new CTS will sell with the higher price, and how that ATS-CTS-XTS will shake out and if all 3 will sell 2900 a month like they just did. I read the old Impala was still being sold along with the new one, which I don't know why but must be like when they did Malibu Classic and sold 2 Malibus for a while. That 12,000 Impalas might be due to the old ones being sold.
  22. smk4565
    I would take a 328d over an i3 because the 3-series looks better, and is cheaper, and faster. I'd take a 328d over a 328i because the diesel has far more torque and gets about 10 mpg more. The only hard decision would be 335i performance vs 328d efficiency. The C-class will go down the same road, the new model will have the turbo diesel 4, which is 201 hp and 369 lb-ft, if that gets 45 mpg, how much appeal is there for the 300 hp/273 lb-ft V6 at 29 mpg. The good news is some good stuff is coming, I think it is exciting to see 45 mpg on something that isn't a Geo Metro or a Prius.
  23. smk4565
    I just read the 328d is rated at 32/45 mpg, I'd rather have that for less money than an electric car with low range. But that being said there are fools out there, and people in California or big cities that will buy it just because it is electric and says BMW on it.
  24. smk4565
    I like the wreath, and I like the current logo. The shield or crest if you will looks modern, and I think the wreath and crest is a good combo
  25. smk4565
    At $64k I'd take a Hyundai Equus over this. Which makes me think, has any magazine or website done a comparison test with a Hyundai Equus in it? Because on price, you'd compare it to a XTS and Acura RL, on size more Lexus LS460L.
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