smk4565

I can't see Chevy offering a sedan at $38-50k, that is Cadillac CTS price, and above any Buick sedan. If the Epsilon 2 car remains Impala and the W-body one is killed, I am not use what this NASCAR vehicle is supposed to be. The G8 didn't sell very well, imagine the volume if it the V6 wasn't offered and it was only V8. I just can't see GM offering a V8 only Chevy sedan, they won't even make a V8 Cadillac sedan aside from the CTS-V. The next Impala and CTS will get 4-cyldiner power, GM is in engine downsize mode.

I thought about Chevelle, but that would have to be a 2-door, and I can't see Chevy offering another 2 door when they have the Camaro and Corvette. I wonder if Caprice is back for public purchase not just police sale. I wondered too if the Epislon 2 sedan to replace the Impala may get a new name, because the Impala brand name is pretty shot at this point. They dumped Cobalt and Aveo pretty quick, I could see Impala going away and them calling the replacement something else, and that is what the NASCAR is.

Makes sense to do. GM needs to get on board with the V6 pickup revolution.

I did see the report that said Merceds has 35% repeat buyers but it also said they were #1 among luxury brands. However JD Power in their customer retention study had Mercedes at 57% this year and 59% last year, and the top brand was Hyundai at 64% so by JD power's measure Mercedes has high retention.

The Lincoln Town Car; proof that 239 hp is all you need, regardless of weight. This car was well overdue for a death and the price was perhaps thie biggest joke about it. Compared to other cars near $50k, the Town Car really falls short. And there are many better options for the livery and fleet markets, at lower cost, Genesis and Chrysler 300 are two of them, before even getting to the MKS and XTS. And the Deville was front drive and livery services bought them, so MKS and XTS should do fine for those markets.

That looks terrible. I like the Aventador as it is, I don't like this roadster version, looks to busy and clumsy.

I like it, looks cool.

I don't think quality will suffer. It may not be as well equipped or lavishely trimmed as a C-class or E-class but I think it will be just as well built. People will not only want the badge, they will want that build quality, engineering and safety that Mercedes has. I also don't think it will dilute the brand that much because they have so many high end cars to offset it. And Mercedes has used this lineup in Europe for years and Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac etc haven't been able to make a dent. Also important to remember is Mercedes retains nearly 60% of their buyers so if the A-class/B-class brings in people that would have never bought a Mercedes before, they may be able to move those people into a C-class or E-class later down the road.

The more I see this thing, the uglier it looks. The live photos from the show make it look even worse than the press photos that originally came out. Bentley needs to scrap this idea.

Well I don't think Mercedes is looking to compete with existing models from other brands, but rather capture Gen Y and some Gen X shoppers in urban areas that want a nice car with features, but can't afford a $45k optioned up C-class. I see the A-class or B-class whatever we get as an alternaative to small crossovers and sedans. Sort of like how the Smart For2 didn't compete directly against anything, it was an alternative to what everyone else had, but of course the Smart doesn't sell.

I just don't like the idea of SUVs from Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls, Ferarri, Aston Martin, Lambo, Maseratti or Porsche for that matter. What is wrong with making sports cars? It seems that auto makers want to make SUVs or FWD compacts and kill the RWD sports car.

They will probably keep the A-class in Europe and bring the B-class here. Because it will be a little bigger, and Americans like big cars. And they can keep the price point on the B-class a bit closer to $30k.

I have to totally disagree with you and everyone else who says MB and BMW fit and finish is better than Cadillac. I can believe this on Lexus as I have idiot family members who buy and bitch about the fit and finish and lack of quality and then they go back and trade in for another newer one. Like freaking Lemmings. MB and BMW have some amazing high end models but in the C category or 3 category, I have yet to be impressed by either company compared to what Cadillac has to offer. Agreed on Lexus, you can feel the Toyota Camryness coming through the dash in them. Even the new GS is just a BMW-wannabe inside and not as quality of materials. And lemmings do buy them. As for Cadilac, the Escalde's fit and finish is weak, but it is a Tahoe so it gets a bit of a pass. So really we can judge the CTS and SRX only, and those models don't match the fit and finish of a Benz or Audi or BMW for that matter. The panel gaps are tigher in the German cars and Mercedes uses higher grade materials than Cadillac does. I think the new 3-series is pretty well executed inside, as far as the leather, wood and metal trim they used (I don't care for the nav-screen though). And how will that interior hold up over time, Mercedes are built for durability, GM cars usualy start to have things break, or leather wears out, etc.

This could go one of two ways. Either it will be a flop because Mercedes buyers don't want a cheap car and it isn't RWD and powerful. Or it will be a hit. I actually think this may sell because it could really put the hurt on Acura, Volvo, Mini, and even the mass market brands. There are probably a lot of people out there who would rather have an A-class over a Jetta, Sonata, Altima, CR-V, Rav4, etc. Because not only do you get the Mercedes badge, you get Mercedes build quality and safety. It is feasable that the fit and finish on the A-class is better than what Cadillac or Lexus offer, yet it is priced against Ford and Chevy.

Seems like a Porsche Cayenne with a Range Rover looking tail end and a Continental GT engine in it. Looks ugly, and seems pointless.

Way too expensive. The red carpet in the garage I think it more impressive than the car.

Makes sense, with the Town Car and DTS gone, XTS not available yet. And the livery crowd loved the RWD Town Car, they will probably like the RWD Hyundais that offer a lot of capability at a good price.

Looks a little too BMW-like. I wonder how big it is, and I wish it looked more like the Optima. The tail lights on every car are starting to look the same.

Nissan GT-R and Audi A5 I don't like any Japanese car brand, and the GT-R is the only Japanese car I like. I don't care much for Audi, but I like the A5, although I would never pick an A5 over a BMW or Mercedes or Jaguar product. On the flip side, I sort of like the Lincoln brand, but hate all their cars. It is a shame they are so irrelavant and useless.

I am not a fan of calling out others or comparing one attribute of Car A to one attrbute of Car B in commercials. I prefer promoting your own product attrbutes and brand identity. I think Mercedes does this better than anyone, because their ads focus on engineering, safety, heritage and new products. I would rather see Cadillac talk about what makes them Cadillac, not compare themselves to BMW one day, Lexus the next, Lincoln the next, etc. The 3-series is unique because it is the best car in the segment and has the highest perception. So Cadillac has to win on two fronts, vehicle and public opinion. And let's not forget a 328i gets 36 mpg and does 0-60 in 5.7 seconds, quicker than a CTS 3.6 DI, with fuel economy like a Malibu Eco, so the ATS has to post some impressive numbers to beat the 3-series.

Escalde's length/width/height is 202.5/79.0/75.9 inches. Wheelbase 116.0 inches Enclave's length/width/height is 201.8/79.0/72.5 inches Wheelbase 118.9 inches Enclave has 115.0 cubic feet of cargo room compared to 108.9 cubic feet of cargo room (from GM's websites) Those two vehicles are basically the same size, the Enclave is actually larger on the inside, the Escaldae is 3 inches taller but it has a big roof rack too.

Word is the next CTS may get an 8-speed automatic, but probably not at launch. To me the CTS needs 8 gears, even if they have to buy it off ZF. There has to be some sort of diesel or hybrid model that posts high fuel economy as well since Infiniti, Lexus, BMW have hybrids, and Merecedes has diesel, and Audi or Jaguar may add a diesel by 2015.

I believe they thought an E-superlight would be priced like an E63 AMG, but yes it could be pretty expensive. A regular V6 E-class is 3825 lbs, which I suspect is about what they will weigh for several years to come.

Carbon fiber chassis and body, and possbily a fuel cell powertrain. They expect to only make 20,000 globally per year.

Magnetic ride is an reactive suspension. M-B's new suspesion reads the road so that the suspension changes settings to prepare for bumps. The demos of the test cars have been pretty spectacular, there is no body roll or bounce.