smk4565

I think the Maserati SUV is a great idea. Sincerely,

Is that like the Cimmarron factor? I do get what you are saying, in that German sedans are so utilitarian in their design, that could turn some people away, especially those used to driving Fords or Chevys looking to move into the entry lux segment. But small luxury segment hasn't had an American car in it for 20 years and has been growing and thriving. I don't know if the American factor really helps much, there are a lot of import car buyers that still won't consider an American car. How they go about the refinement issue will be interesting, because the BMW inline 6 is the best in the world, that is a fantastic engine.

That is good question. From the video it sounds like they have the right idea, but the execution is what I wonder about. It does have to be spectacular, the 3-series has been dominating for 30 years. Plus it is a crowded segment, and a lot of challengers have come and gone over the past 25 years, yet the 3-series and C-class are still there on top.

Two things stood out to me, first was about starting from scratch on a fresh slate. Secondly that Cadillac can't just be about big V8s and supercharged motors and how they have to lead on technology and refinement. I think both are important for this car and the Omega car. Everyone always says their car has fantastic ride and handling, so I expected him to say that. But starting from scratch and putting refinement over big V8s are a bit different from GM, so I at least get the feeling that they understand the segment.

That sound is the nail being pounded into the coffin.

He should be concerned when 40% of the #1 selling vehicle in the country have that engine. But I'd agree that there isn't much he can say about it until the get a similar engine.

The 7AT couldn't handle the V12 torque even though it was much newer. I have to wonder if the 9AT will be built to handle more torque or if it's another "pull-it-out-and-see-whose-is-bigger" project. I could not find a torque rating for the 9G-tronic, but the 7AT can now handle up to 664 lb-ft so that transmission could work on the S600. Rumor is the S65 AMG will rise in power though, so the transmission will be interesting. 650 hp and 800+ lb-ft are capable from the V12. Regardless the V12 is a small part of the S-class line up. The rest will have 9-speeds, Audi, BMW, and Lexus have 8-speed. So even if Cadillac needs a new tranny anyway. Really, even the ATS-class is going toward 7-8 speed transmissions.

Go back and count the gears in the S600/S65 transmission and see how far away they've gotten from a 6AT. 9 are coming.

6 speed automatic? Really? The segment has already moved on from that, come 2015, Cadillac will look way behind. A 2007 Lexus LS had an 8-speed auto. Cadillac better aim really high, so they aren't shocked when the next-generation S-class goes on sale, because that car isn't far away.

A buyer of a $150,000 car isn't interested in ease of service and low maintenance costs. They want the best and they're willing to pay for it. True, but this car won't be $150,000. An S-class starts at $94,000, almost all the other competitors are $10,000+ less. I'd expect Cadillac to slot into the $75-95k range. Although buyers at that level still demand a lot.

The market has needed a car like this, before the Jetta was in the $20-30k range, but has since moved down market. Plus the Jetta was a stiff riding car with firm seats, there wasn't a car for people that want soft ride a some creature comforts that was small. So now we have to see how it sells.

Mercedes dropped displacement on the V8 (6.3 to 5.5 liter and 5.5 to 4.7 liter) and added a turbo and fuel economy went up. Power was up too, so it worked for them. Although most automaker gains are from going the ecoboost route when you are dropping cylinder count and displacement. If the transmission is limited to 551 lb-ft, then GM may have to develop a new transmission. The main challenge of this car is GM powertrains are really made for mass market cars. With the STS dead, the CTS is the top end sedan, and that is really made for the entry-lux class. The Corvette is a sports car, there isn't a lot from that can can translate to a $100k sedan. So almost everything for Omega really needs to be done from scratch. It will be incredibly expensive to do this car right. I think it is worth spending the money because this is a car they have to get right. They can't have another Allante or XLR-V that ends up a joke.

Chevy needs to promote "American" and "value." Even though the Camaro and Impala are Canadians. But Chevy has to push value and getting a lot for your money image.

I would agree that Cadillac isn't going after the Quattroporte, Rapide, or Panamera (which is ugly as can be). Even the Jag XJ is probably a bit sporty for Cadillac. The Lexus LS is for old folks, the Equus is cheaper. So A8/7-series/S-class is the target. Interior of this car will vastly important, they can't pull what they did with the STS-V and XLR. I see this as the primary challenge, because GM never did a really high end interior or a car where even the most minor details matter.

The high feature V6 sure did kill off the high value 3500 and 3900 V6s pretty fast. Even Buick is mostly 4-cylinder now, rather than pushrod V6 of just 5 years ago. Do the current Regal, Lacrosse, CTS, Malibu lack performance, economy, or ease of service compared to an 04 Lesabre, G6 or Impala?

The Panamera Turbo S has 550 hp, 590 lb-ft of torque with overboost and gets 23 mpg. Not bad for a 4.8 liter DOHC.

The new M5 has like 570hp from a 4.4 liter, so the CTS-V isn't more powerful. The CTS-V also gives up over 100 lb-ft of torque and is less fuel efficient than the AMG 5.5 bi-turbo. GM only uses the pushrod because they were too broke to replace it. Regardless of the power, I have big doubts that they can get the refinement and fuel economy and beat the displacement taxes and gas guzzler taxes with a huge pushrod V8. Although horsepower is easy, fuel efficiency is harder. This is where I think Cadillac has to really set themselves apart. Audi has a 37 mpg A8 going on sale soon, I think the Cadillac flagship should aim for 40 mpg. No one makes a 40 mpg large luxury car, that would be a first. Unless of course Mercedes keeps the promise of a 70 mpg S-class, in which case it is pretty much game over anyway. I think suspension is another important criteria, they have to nail that.

VVT is from like 10 years ago, and DI was on 2006 model year cars. Everyone else already has that in the segment, Cadillac arriving in 2015 with it isn't going to give them any advantage whatsoever. And there is a reason to make a unique power plant, so that your $80-100,000 Cadillac doesn't have the same engine as a $30,000 Camaro or Silverado. Cadillac hasn't had success selling a high end car in over 50 years. They have to do something to attract buyers.

Oh right, because I just read how Maserati is dropping the Ferrari engine from the Quattroporte in favor of a 6.0 liter V8 from a Chevy Silverado.

Turbo a pushrod for a Cadillac? It works for the last dinosaur that Bentley makes, but in the segment Cadillac is going after I don't think it will. Look at what the competition has, and also consider the move toward fuel efficiency in this class. They could do without the V12, since there are very few of those. But, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes, Porsche all do a DOHC V8, even Hyundai if you want to throw in the Equus at the low end.

I did forget about 60 degree angle for V12s, the V8 would have to be done from scratch. The Mercedes S65 has 621 hp now. The 760Li is 535 hp, and 550 lb-ft @ 1500 rpm, so Cadillac could better compete with a car like that, or the Audi A8. I think 7.2 liters would be awfully thirsty though, they need at least 20 mpg highway. And I suspect come 2016 or so when this car comes out, the Germans will have raised the bar on power and efficiency. And power won't be the real challenge, fuel economy will be. Aside from getting people to spend serious coin on a Cadillac sedan.

The Omega needs a V-12... let's hope they endeavor to create a stretched version of the 3.6 liter LFX block. Such an engine will displace 7.2 liters and produce about 640 hp @ 6800 rpm / 550 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm. It'll require a "high input speed" 6L90 transmission to fully harness (otherwise it'll have to be capped at 6200 rpm for an approximate loss of about 40 hp; which actually isn't too bad). A 3.0 or 3.6 liter Bi-turbo V6 -- making 360~430 hp -- will serve it well as an base power plant. If they want to do a hybrid, it can be clobbered together using the Bi-turbo V6 and the same Dual-Mode Hybrid transmission currently in the Escalade Hybrid. 7.2 liters is a bit large. Mercedes gets 740 lb-ft of torque from a 6.0 liter, and that engine is 6 years old. I'd rather Cadillac just design a V12 from scratch, and do a V8 derivative of it. And max torque should be no more than 2,000 RPM. The S550 makes 516 lb-ft @ 1,800 RPM and returns 25 mpg hwy. Cadillac has to step their game up for this car.

Those were their only 2 good ones, although American Revolution was a decent one. I think they should go back to something with "America" in it.

I don't think Lutz will hurt in any way, but I don't see him as the savior. He had his chance, with he and Wagoner at the helm the company tanked, and I realize a lot of that had already started before Lutz got there, but he couldn't save them before. And even headed toward bankruptcy, he Fritz and Wagoner were more of the "stay the course" mentality, rather than blow up and start over. Lutz may be able to help in a few places, he knows how to rattle the cages, but I don't think he'll have much impact. The ZR1 isn't that good an example of Lutz success. All they did was supercharge a Corvette tweak the suspension and put a body kit on it. The interior is terrible, Corvette sales have declined since the ZR1 went on sale, and it isn't like the ZR1 got Chevy tons of publicity and drove up showroom traffic. Yes it is a fast car, but Corvette sales and Chevrolet sales would probably be right where they are now even if the ZR1 never existed.

I never cared for this slogan much, it just didn't seem to make sense for a car company. But GM does have a problem with changing slogans every year, and not developing clear brand identities that you can have a slogan fit. "Chevy runs deep" doesn't really inspire me at all to look at a Chevy. The best slogan out there is "ultimate driving machine" (and BMW needs to lose the Joy crap), because it is what the car is, and it makes you want to drive one.