smk4565

That would be nice, but this is GM we're talking about. The beancounters won't be able to "build a business case" for a new rear drive platform and a new V8 engine, so I'm expecting another front drive V6 derivative of the Epsilon platform.

So the XTS is 2+ years away from dealerships, and the Impala replacement is probably a 2014 model. That means the current Impala has 2011, 2012 and 2013 model years left, yikes it is outdated already. This smells of platform sharing on Epsilon II but on the supersized version (as to differentiate a little from the LaCrosse). Looks like GM is doing the Taurus/MKS but 3 years later.

If you convert pounds to dollars, in England, a 530i is $56,800 and an E350 is $60,600. In Germany, the E200 starts at 39,000 Euro, which is $56,000 to us. The E350 starts at $51,000 Euro, which is $73,000 for us. The S500 in Germany is 100,000 Euro, or $144,000. Benz commands a price premium anywhere in the world.

But what of the new M5? It has KERS, which comes from this:

Cadillac doesn't charge $25,000 less to not gouge the customer, they charge $25,000 less because the car isn't as good and no one will pay $90,000 for a CTS-V. The CTS-V has the power and speed, but at the same time, a Mustang GT is faster than a CTS 3.6, but that doesn't mean the Ford isn't better than the Cadillac. The Mustang costs $15,000 less for a reason. BMW and Mercedes charge what they do because they have a good product that people are willing to pay for, not to gouge customers.

GM was not bankrupt in fall of 2007 when the CTS came out, or at any time in 2008. The CTS coupe could have been out in summer of 2008, 1 year before bankruptcy. Bankruptcy can't be used as an excuse. Everyone else is introducing new product and the competition isn't going to slow down or wait for GM to recover from their problems. Ford had financial problems also, their response was to bring their 2012-2014 products up to 2009-2012 to get ahead. The CTS-V is fine for an mid-range Cadillac, but GM acts as if it is some ultimate achievement, and right now it is the best Cadillac has to offer. The CTS-V can't be the best Cadillac has to offer. They have to sell it at a $25,000 discount compared to the competition, what does that say about Cadillac?

I like the CTS name, people know it, CTC will add confusion. But why summer of 2010 for this car, the CTS sedan came out in August of 2007, this is almost a 3 year old car as far as design and interior go. The car looks good overall, although I still like the sedan better because I don't like the coupe's rear window. The other problem I have with it, is the exhaust pipes, why are they round on a car that was drawn up with a ruler, nothing is circular on the CTS (aside from the tires), why aren't the exhaust pipes square or trapezoid shape? I think on the concept coupe they were. Will it have Kinetic Energy Recovery System like Formula 1 cars? Aluminum body panels, carbon fiber roof? Hmm, probably not, probably weighs 4200 pounds.

Finally the Genesis is picking up some, although $40,000 for a Hyundai is still a tough sell I assume. But all along I've though the purpose of the Genesis was not to sell a lot of cars, it was to help Hyundai sell Sonatas, Elentras, and Santa Fes, and so far that is working. This is why Cadillac needs a flagship ($90,000 territory), because even if they only sell 5,000 a year, it gives the brand credibility.

The Car and Driver article doesn't surprise me, the Terrain is ugly and heavy. Other GM cars (such as the Malibu) have been criticized for being geared too much for fuel economy and the drive and acceleration suffering, seems like they did that again. Somehow the Terrain is the biggest vehicle in the class, but 5th in cargo room. Improvement over the Torrent, but they aren't quite there yet.

GM fleets just like everyone else, usually at a higher rate. It is interesting that every automaker gained 10% or better, and Chrysler and GM posted declines. For GM, it probably just reflects their new market share position with 4 brands. As the 4 dead brands get phased out, obviously customers will leave, the 4 remaining brands can't retain everyone. Chrysler didn't close any brands though, it just goes to show how uncompetitive their product line is. Malibu, CTS, LaCrosse did well, but at the same time, look how pointless the Impala, STS, and Lucerne have become. Not that that is a bad thing, it is good that GM made products good enough to make their old ones look terrible. The Key for GM is going to be sustaining sales levels as models age, and not falling into the old trap of strong sales in years 1 and 2, then not advertising the car and letting it dwindle on the market for 5 more years as people forget about it and need to rename it (Chevy Cavalier and Chevy Cobalt).

They tried an experiment, it failed, time to move on. The Toyota badge has a solid reputation, any of those Scion cars would sell better with a squiggly T on the front of it. Toyota could use a youthful model like a Nissan Cube or that Subaru bases sports coupe to get some younger buyers.

A 1-series is 3,252-3,384 pounds depending on engine and transmission. So it is lighter than a Mustang. A front drive BMW would have the same level of EXCITEMENT!!! as a Pontiac G5, and thus should never be built. I don't like the 3-cylinder idea either, because their turbo diesel gets 50 mpg, a gas 3-cylinder turbo will likely have no advantage in power or fuel economy. BMW has yet to add hybrid tech to their 4 or 6 cylinder engines, they should start there to boost efficiency.

I am just saying, if Cadillac wants to be tier 1, then they have to have a tier 1 product line. Cadillac likes to claim they are on par with the Germans, but the product line doesn't back it up. So either get the product line, or go after Acura and Lincoln and aim to be the best Tier 2 luxury brand.

I am in no way a fan of the 1-series, but it isn't that much of a down market car. The 135i has the same 0-60 time as a Camaro SS, and will probably out handle the Camaro, so the 1-series sticks to BMW performance car image. Even in Europe where they have the 2 liter diesel, at least the 1-series is still rear drive and can offer handling and driving dynamics. But if gas was $8 per gallon here, I am sure Cadillac would be selling 2 liter diesel cars too, everyone would. BMW can sell a car like the 1-series and not hurt their reputation because they have the 7-series creating prestige. And the 3-series and 5-series have a 20 year reputation as being top of their respective classes. That is what Cadillac is missing, every vehicle with a wreath and crest on it isn't great, and they have no halo car. The CTS-V has performance, but not the luxury or refinement of the European sport sedans. CTS-V sells for $20k less than any comparable European sedan, there is a reason for that, and it isn't GM trying to be charitable. The new M5 has technology off their Formula 1 car, the CTS-V won't even be close to it.

Bankruptcy came out of years of poor decisions on product planning, that seem to continue in the post bankruptcy era. And customers don't care about the company's struggles, GM/Cadillac have to find a way to build a better car than the Germans despite bankruptcy, and every year they delay is more time for the Germans to build their lead. If you measure success by profit, GM is pretty terrible. Cadillac isn't exclusive in a good way like Maserati or Bentley, they are becoming exclusive because fewer and fewer people want their cars. Much like Saab and Volvo are exclusive. The 1-series which you always say is a flop, outsells the STS. The SRX is selling well, but they cut $10,000 off the price from the previous SRX. Going down market to get volume isn't going to help their image any. If Cadillac goes down market, they don't really need Buick/GMC then. CTS Wagon and Coupe on the way isn't enough, BMW and Merc have had multiple body styles on multiple cars for years. Even Infiniti and Lexus have sedan/coupe/convertible on the IS and G37.

So what, the 3-series was in a current model for all that time, while the CTS released a new model in 08. The 1-series also came out, which probably took some 3-series sales. The 5-series and E-class dropped off in 07 to 09 also, but the 2010 E-class is selling at the same rate as it did in 2006 when the market was strong. The STS/DTS combined sold 72,342 in 2007, and will be lucky to top 23,000 this year. That would be a 68% decline, and the XLR was canceled. So if those customers are leaving, and the CTS is down 39%, what does Cadillac have left?

2009: C-class 47,578 E-class 37,635 2008: C-class 72,471 E-class 38,576 2007: C-class 63,701 E-class 48,950 2006: C-class 50,187 E-CLASS 50,195 2005: C-class 60,658 E-class 50,383 Note: CLK is counted separate, it averaged 15-18,000 per year until 08 when it dropped to 10,000. CLK is dead and will be E-class coupe and convertible from now on. 2007 was Mercedes record sales year in the USA.

I found recent BMW numbers: 2009: 3-series 81,997 5-series 36,195 2008: 3-series 112,464 5-series 45,945 2007 3-series 142,490 5-series 54,142 2006 3-series 120,180 5-series 56,756

Some of the Wikipedia numbers look a little off. Especially 2009, when the CTS, STS, and DTS combined have sold about 54,000. I do remember the CTS topping 60,000 in 2005, that was its best year and sales did drop a little after that as the car aged, so the 04-07 Wikipedia numbers look pretty good.

They should just kill that brand, they build hideous looking cars, the TC was the only half decent looking one. They should just keep one of those Scions, like the boxy one, and sell it as a Toyota. That gives them a competitor to the Cube and Element. Otherwise they have the Yaris and Corolla to sell boat loads of, and don't need Scion.

Looks very roomy which isn't true of all 5 seater SUVs, the Grand Cherokee, especially the older ones, for example has a smallish back seat. One area that looks cheap is the wheels, the LTZ model should have better, but more so, the gap between the wheel and the fenders is a bit big. The Ford Edge does a better job here, they have expensive looking wheels that hug the body more.

Rebadging gone bad. Why make a vehicle that competes with Chevy, dumb move.

What about a Dodge Royal Monaco as detailed in this exquisitely made piece... Although my personal favorite of that era was the Seville (the original, not the hideous slant back one) or Town Car Coupe, only because a 2-door Town car looks ridiculous.

If he doesn't like negative press, maybe he should work on not selling defective floor mats and cars that rust. Beyond the Tundra tailgate problems, it seems like whenever I see a late 90s or 2000-2001 Toyota or Lexus it has rust on it. A car shouldn't have rust when it is 8-10 years old. All Toyota makes is appliances, and they aren't even as good as Honda's appliances. Toyota is getting arrogant, they better not forget how they got on top in the first place. If Toyota gets complacent like GM did, they'll fall like GM did, because Hyundai is looking a lot like Toyota of 1990 but growing faster. And I'd love to see Hyundai eat into Toyota's market share and take them down.