smk4565

GM has been "wait til next year" for the past 10 years. When will "next year" finally arrive? The platform share works when the Chevy is $23,000 and the Buick Version is $28,000. With little price overlap it is a good strategy, and when not jumping multiple price points. For example, Malibu-Regal works, because they overlap slightly in price, but the Regal is one step above. If there was a Cadillac Malibu at $45-50,000 it would be a joke, because it is too many price levels above the Malibu. On luxury cars you need more than styling and interior trim to separate yourself from the mainstream stuff, that is where Lincoln and Acura to a degree fall flat. I see the XTS in the same way, they can put a fancy grille on and some leather on the inside, but it is still a Buick LaCrosse underneath.

Multiple cars on the same platforms for 4 brands was one of the reasons GM went bankrupt. They still do it with trucks and SUVs. All they learned was to price the platform shared car higher so it doesn't directly compete. GM does however do a better job than Ford of making 2 cars on the same platform appear different.

Here is an alternative, a 1988 Buick Park Avenue with pick up bed, and 3800 V6.

GT-R now makes 530 horsepower. And I'm not saying that everyone has to copy the GT-R, just that with a V6 you can still have a really fast car. The M3 with a six cylinder will still be the best sport sedan in the class, and they'll do it off technology and agility. GM tends to think performance = big V8 in a standard car, but it isn't 1968 anymore. I for a while have thought they should make V-series cars lighter, because weight is what kills performance. V-series, AMG, M, cars all get more powerful, but all add weight. Although Mercedes may change that with a 2,860 lb carbon fiber E-class. That is what the ATS-V should be, a 2900 lb car that really does handle like it is on rails.

Correct. That is why a tarted up Buick pushing into a high price point I don't see being a success. Especially once the Epsilon2 Impala comes out, then the Buick is a dressed up Impala, the Cadillac a dressed up Buick. And people that want a good engine and performance, probably aren't looking at Lincoln in the first place. (or Buick for that matter). Cadillac still has some prestige with the blue hairs, so that gives them an advantage the Lincolns don't quite have.

Was the MKS Ecoboost the saving grace of Lincoln? That pretty much went unnoticed in 2009, Buick/Cadillac doing the same sort of car in 2012 I don't think is going to set the world on fire.

The Nissan GT-R has a V6, it doesn't have any problems crushing V8 and even V12 super cars in straight lines or around the Nurburgring. There are obviously people that like V8s and would prefer that. If the ATS-V uses a V8 that could cause for some appeal. My belief though is the M3 will still best in class anyway. Lexus has a V8 in the IS-F and that car sucks. The BMW inline six is an awesome engine, I think it can match up to whatever anyone else has, and the M3 wins on chassis, suspension, and steering anyway. Many think the older M3 was better because it was lighter and more agile, and the V8 car has gotten a bit too big and muscle car like.

I prefer the 60's Continental to this one, I saw a late 50's Continental sedan at a car cruise this summer and it was huge. I think the Cadillacs of this era had better styling. My question is what is the cost to convert a car to have a bed. Especially on an old hearse with the flat floor, you might be able to recreate this car.

Straight sixes are still great engines. I look forward to a modern take on it. Perhaps an inline six turbo diesel is in the works as well.

don't show a pic of the interior That's when the Bonneville had 20 vents and acres of nasty gray plastic inside? Yes it did, and I think they tried to put some carbon fiber looking stuff on top of the plastic to make it look sporty. Bad interior for the price, but the seats were from the Aurora.

I think the BMW/Mercedes buyer and those in the luxury segment are more knowledgeable and discerning than many of you think they are. If they were so clueless the imitators that sell at a lower price would have more sales. But instead more people would rather spend $55-60k for a mid-size BMW or Benz compared to $35-45k for a mid-size Lincoln/Acura/Lexus. Globally I think BMW and Mercedes are as strong as ever, they have growth all over the place. In the USA they are the top 2 in the luxury game, Lexus is fading, and the rest haven't mounted much of a challenge. It is possible for Cadillac (or someone else) to take them on head to head and make dent, but it will take A+ effort and execution to do so. And I think if a 3rd company rises to their level, it will just further hurt the weak brands like Lincoln. I see the strong surviving and the weak going down, not the strong falling back to the pack.

Bonneville SSEi had the supercharged 3800. The Bonneville GXP had a Northstar, I think they only made it in 2004. It was 1-2 model years only.

Everyone copies the 3-series, or at least they try to and come up short. I like V8s but the 3-series reputation is so strong whatever they do will be thought of as the best.

I like the Inline-6 idea. That give the C-class and E-class a better chance against the 3-series and 5-series and a straight six in the M-class SUV will be good. And Mercedes used to make inline sixes before, they should be able to make a good one, and a straight six has the refinement of a V8, perhaps even more so. Now what about the V12? I can't imagine an S-class (or Maybach) without a V12 option.

The Aurora V8 was also the greatest engine of all time, in the world. The Bonneville GXP had the 275 hp Northstar.

The last STS before it went RWD was on the Aurora platform. The last Bonneville was also on the Aurora platform, it even got Cadillac's Northstar. But the Aurora platform is probably the greatest platform of all time, in the world.

The ace in the hole that the XTS has is there are very few large sedans left (that aren't near $100k) and very few large FWD. The MKS is the only car on the market right now in this spot, and I agree with Drew about the execution of the interior, and how Lincolns always seem to get F150 and Taurus switches and trim in them. The old Lincoln LS had window switches that looked like they came off an Econoline van. The chance for success is that there is only one direct competitor to the XTS, and it isn't a very good car.

We don't know what the fuel economy is on the XTS, and we don't know the engine. Currently, fuel economy isn't something Cadillac does well, but perhaps because of that they will make it a focus going forward. The S-class is big, but it so expensive and many of the buyers may ride in the back seat. You can spend $112,000 on a nicely equipped S-class with a V6 engine, no other V6 sedan can command pricing like that. The S-class is a different animal, it is hard to compare other cars in terms of sales volume or pricing to it.

No, but the car closest in size is the MKS, and that doesn't sell. The Chrysler 300 is 198.6 inches long, the Genesis and Acura RL are smaller. The LaCrosse (come 2012) is the biggest Buick and it is only a couple inches longer than the 1997-2004 Regal. So people are moving away form big cars, if the XTS is 6-7 inches longer than a Chrysler 300 which is already a big car, it may be too big for a lot of buyers.

Probably what will hurt this car the most is size. Isn't it expected to be 204 inches long? That is bigger than a 300C, LaCrosse, Avalon, RL, etc. Only the MKS is that big, aside from the Equus and $100k luxury sedans. I am not sure that there are many buyers for full size sedans (longer than 200 inches) anymore. Especially with better space packaging allowing more interior space in mid-size cars.

M3 is going back to 6 cylinders, so it will be interesting to see how many of the competitors follow. Rumor is Mercedes is working on a straight-six engine. I am torn on the 6 vs 8 cylinder decision, because on one hand performance hounds like V8s, but on the other hand, the gold standard of sport sedans will have a six. And the BMW six will likely be a lot more fuel efficient than any V8, and fuel efficiency is hot right now. I think they should aim for $55k (or more) for an ATS-V, at some point Cadillac has to climb the price ladder.

The 2012 3-series has a 4 cylinder and 0-60 time is 5.7 seconds which is quite good for a base model entry luxury car. Most will find that plenty quick. But someone like me would opt for the straight six just for how smooth it sounds. CamCord market doesn't have to worry about enthusiast buyers who spend dollars for intangibles.

I agree with this because I for one won't buy a 4-cylinder car. Even the good ones still lack refinement, they vibrate, don't sound that great when pushed hard etc. And I feel that way about current Ecotec's, Saab turbo 4's and Audi's turbo 4. Surprisingly I thought the Sonata had pretty good refinement for a 4-banger, but I'd never buy one of those either. For me I want a 6 or 8 cylinder, even just for the sound of it. And I don't see a turbo 4 competing with the 335i, so there better be 6-cylinders in the ATS.

They should make a 17 liter V20!!!!! But seriously, why don't they use some technology, rather than just constantly increasing engine size. Throw in a super charger or something.