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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    At least BMW doesn't promise differentiation... BMW has 3 brands and one would not confuse a Mini for a BMW or a BMW 7-series for a Rolls-Royce. GMC for years has just been Chevy, yet Generals Motors pretends they are a unique brand.
  2. smk4565
    I think GM has promised "more differentiation" on vehicles for a decades, yet they all end up looking pretty much the same. Perhaps this means the pickups get the work truck style interior while the SUVs get an evolution of what they had.
  3. smk4565
    There are already plug-in hybrids on Toyota and Ford lots, it isn't like Cadillac is breaking some new ground here. And cars still come down to cost to buy it, cost to own it, and performance it gives back. The Volt doesn't sell because you get the size and performance of a Cruze, for double the price. The ELR is going to be more of the same, it will probably cost more than an SLK, Boxter or Corvette and perform like a Civic, that is a hard sell even if it runs on water.
  4. smk4565
    I think that new MKZ is ugly, it looks worse than the MKS that nobody buys. And even though they redesigned their car, the Fusion looks better and is cheaper, and you have a new Lexus ES and new 3-series on sale, the ATS and a new CTS coming, a new Mercedes C-class isn't far away, there are too many better options than the MKZ. The NKZ got a little bigger too, so it might even steal sales off the aging MKS, and the Navigator is seriously outdated, so sales should keep sinking there, and the MKX has probably hit it's sales peak and will decline. Even if the MKZ goes up 15%, the rest of that lineup could drop 15%.
  5. smk4565
    Unless there is only one engine, like the G37 has just the V6. They could do the Q50 with the V6 for example, then the IPL trim has more power. Or maybe they do regular and turbo, like Sonata or Verano turbo options but same model name. So you have a Q50 and Q50 turbo.
  6. smk4565
    I meant GM overall of the past 10 years or so. They did the SSR, Solstice/Sky and some novelties of Bob Lutz like the G8 and GTO even those were just imports, but then they abandon minivans, small pickups they have neglected as of late, the Impala was neglected for years until now, etc. GM for a lot of years liked doing those niche products, then putting a half assed Malibu out there to get clobbered by the Accord and Camry.
  7. smk4565
    The ELR might sell even worse than the XLR did, and the Volt probably loses money, dumping more money into that platform to create a low volume Cadillac sounds like another money loser. This smells of old GM when they used to make a lot of low volume, niche segment halo cars like the Chevy SSR, while neglecting the key segments. I'm curious to see the final product to see what they do with interior and how they price it. But I still feel that another Cadillac flop is coming with this car.
  8. smk4565
    Even using the Volt base, I think the ELR could be a money loser. This car doesn't help them catch the Germans, they need to pump money and resources into the cars that do.
  9. smk4565
    I don't see an 18% increase as possible, that new MKZ is ugly and their line up overall is terrible. If they get the Lincoln Escape on sale this year, and steal some sales off Ford, then maybe they get the 18% gain.
  10. smk4565
    I am curious to see the final car and the price, but from the little we know, I don't think they'll sell more than 5,000 a year. Wouldn't surprise me if it is less than that. To Hyper's point of the car not being a home run, I have another sports analogy; Cadillac needs touchdowns and not field goals. What annoys me about this car is it takes some level design, manufacturing and marketing dollars and resources. Money and resources that would be better spent on upgrading transmissions in the ATS and CTS, getting an ATS coupe/convertible into production, working on a large sedan etc. Cadillac has a lot of needs right now, and the ELR is the answer to the question no one is asking.
  11. smk4565
    Mercedes lasar drills windshield washer fluid nozzles into heated wiper blades to allow for better cleaning and no obstruction to driver's view. I don't see too many other car companies that obsess over everything like they do.
  12. smk4565
    The Infiniti (and Acura and Lincoln) naming is random, arbitrary and confusing, but not sure calling them Q40-50-60-70 is any better. They spend a lot of time advertising "G35/G37" and getting that model name to sink in to now just dump it. At least they will have a hierarchy that maybe new customers will understand, but this seems like the move of a desperate brand. I like names more than alpha numerics, unless you have a sensible structure such as Audi: A4, A6, A8, and S4, S6, S8 for sport versions, that is easy to understand and it makes sense. I think BMW is going wrong with the 4-series coupe, while Mercedes doing it right by having a C sedan and C coupe, they are both a C-class they don't need 2 names.
  13. smk4565
    The European or Asian market Mercedes aren't much different than the ones here, mostly just smaller diesel engines because of the fuel cost. I think because of the dollar exchange rate (and taxes), Mercedes are actually cheaper here. In China a C300 costs $75,000, in the UK, $52,000 for a C250, although the diesel models are cheaper. Even in Germany, a C250 is $44,000 without the 19% tax, those taxis they are sending over aren't so cheap. And you can't find a Mercedes chassis and powertrain in a cheaper family sedan, in the way that Acura and Lincolns are mechanical twins to their low end counterparts. Cadillac goes to the GM parts bin a lot, and gets reworked Chevys instead of what they really need.
  14. smk4565
    ELR will be a bigger bust than the Allante or XLR. Cadillac wastes time on garbage halo cars that tend to hurt image more than help. It looks like they are getting the ATS and CTS aligned with the Germans, but other than that the rest of the lineup needs work. I see the ELR as a distraction to getting to where they need to be, but GM likes to clone product to get more models out to appease dealers. It is like what Lincoln does, take a Chevy, put the wreath and crest on and add 20 hp and some leather and call it a day.
  15. smk4565
    Yep, 2-doors work on a full blown sports car like a Corvette or 911, but I don't know about an electric or economy car or whatever you want to call this.
  16. smk4565
    Agreed on the pricing problem. It also seems that the tree-hugger types don't buy luxury cars, they buy low cost hybrids. That group of buyers does not want excess, they like simple, extra power or extra luxury doesn't seem to appeal to them. The ELR will probably be priced in ATS-V and CTS-V territory, that is too high for a FWD anything. The battery life could come into play also, a gas engine is going to run for years, where as that battery may need replaced after 10 years. My car is 12 years old and the engine is fine, works like the day I got it. If it was an electric car it could be dead by now or in need of a really expensive battery. Too much risk with these electric cars.
  17. smk4565
    Looks like a Hyundai Elentra coupe in profile. I still smell disappointment coming here, my prediction is more expensive than an ATS coupe (if made) or CTS coupe, but not as good as either. Only time shall tell.
  18. smk4565
    Because they have nothing better to talk about. They could have at least done a carbon fiber tailgate that was light and easy to open, or something to make their truck stand out. Or a power fold tailgate that is foot operated like the Ford Escape has. Instead, in-laid doors and and "all new" engine from the 80s.
  19. smk4565
    Not due to Tacoma influence. The three automakers let their small trucks wither. But why did they let them wither? Detroit could no longer compete in the compact pick up segment or minivan segment in the case of Ford and GM, because the Japanese took those over. Build mediocre full size pickups for another 20 years and Toyota or someone else will move in and that that over too.
  20. smk4565
    The problem with this car, the M6, or the future M4 coupe is the name on all them. The M5 is the gold standard of sport sedans, why pay more for a Gran Cou-pay M? Or who wants to tell their friends they just bought an M4, nobody knows what the hell an M4 is, but people know BMW M3 as perhaps the best performance/luxury car over the past 20 years.
  21. smk4565
    You can replace Mercedes with Toyota since they have the same international resume sans the V12. Yet have the Tundra and Tacoma upset any of the Detroit 3 truck lines? I'm back to calling :bs: :bs: on your words. Toyota is no Mercedes, Mercedes engineers way better than Toyota does. But at any rate, the Tacoma has outsold the Colorado/Canyon combined by margin of 127,000 to 44,000 this year. And Dodge and Ford don't have a small truck, so the Tacoma is outselling the Detroit 3 nearly 3 to 1. They have work to do on the Tundra, but it is still good for 100,000 units a year, and where might all those Tacoma drivers trade up to in 5 years.
  22. smk4565
    Most likely these were the top trims that were shown, so when you see the base model it will look pretty cheap. You know that gray plastic will be all over the front end.
  23. smk4565
    Cue should run on an Intel core 2 processor powerful enough to run a good home computer, and the hard drive should be 150 GB minimum. That way 4 years from now the whole software can be updated. The problem with all these car computer/Nav systems is they will get dated quickly. People get a new smart phone every 2 years because they change so much, imagine having one of these car systems for 10+ years how dated it will get.
  24. smk4565
    Huge power numbers from a small engine. Makes me worry though that if Porsche and BMW have 4-cylinders, how long before cars like the Fusion and Malibu are 3-cylinder? Although still better than the days of 150 hp V8s.
  25. smk4565
    Well Apple is the richest company in the world, so over rated or not they do something right. And I have a Droid phone so I am not just an Apple fanboy, I do own an iMac though. Bottom line is I have read more poor reviews than good form CUE. When you are trying to break the German luxury car strong hold you need to be perfect top to bottom because people already don't trust Cadillac like they do BMW or Mercedes.
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