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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    But the WLTP standards are tougher than US, so if the car passes in Europe it will pass here. And most of what Mercedes doesn’t sell in the US is a diesel or a wagon. Every model line is sold here, for cars anyway, not the commercial trucks and busses.
  2. smk4565
    “Wild Reports” And again they don’t have a supercharger in 10 years, and AMG has cut displacement over 33% from the 6.3 V8 of a decade ago. And all AMG 53’s are all mild hybrids and the 63’s are in the process of switching over, GLE and GLS already are. On February 10, 2020 they signed a five year deal with Ineos ( I thought it was 10) and Mercedes committed to 5 more years of F1 and I don’t know if anyone else is committed that long. https://jalopnik.com/mercedes-benz-confirms-its-commitment-to-formula-one-in-1841585529
  3. smk4565
    Right. Mercedes isn’t selling in one country so they need to be all country compliant. And AMG’s sales and product management head said in November 2019 that the One is “first priority at AMG”. So it happening and the most important project they have.
  4. smk4565
    The Corvette and Camaro can’t meet emissions in Europe either. Which also means they don’t pass in South Korea, India or Japan that also use WLTP. Why isn’t GM fixing that?
  5. smk4565
    They haven’t used a supercharger in 10 years. They went from 6.3 liter to 5.5 liter to 4.0 liters, and now they added mild hybrid system to the 4 liter V8 to help mileage and emissions. And they did that in a 10 year span increasing power and fuel economy along the way.
  6. smk4565
    The Corvette doesn’t meet the WLTP emissions standards that AMG One is trying to make. AMG wants this car to be world compliant, not a regional player. That’s old news, Mercedes said they will be in F1 for years to come. Toto said it and their CEO said it. They signed a 10 year sponsorship deal in February with a new sponsor. They are here to stay and if this season ever starts they are going to win title number 7, as preseason testing shows their car the fastest again and has dual axis steering that no one else has.
  7. smk4565
    AMG One will happen, Mercedes is going to be in Formula 1 another 10 years that they committed to, so the R&D is already there. Also the Tesla will be heavy, the Corvette needs to lose a 1,000 lbs of weight and double the horsepower to even get close to an AMG One. I don’t know where GM engineers find 1,000 lbs to cut out of a C8 when the only way they know how add power is displacement and superchargers which adds more weight.
  8. smk4565
    AMG One will be on roads in 2021, the car works, it hitting emissions that needs the work. I think they’ll beat the Tesla roadster to market and beat it in a track.
  9. smk4565
    It means they can engineer performance. GM has no performance SUV’s. How don’t you have a performance vehicle in the body style that is over 50% of the market and growing?
  10. smk4565
    Well the GLS63 can do 174 mph although it bet it will barely break 8 minutes on the Nurburgring. I’d be curious to see it’s time, the GLC63 is the current SUV record holder.
  11. smk4565
    Never read that article but it is very true. The only 4 seater that is going to beat the GT63 is the GT73 when it comes out. I would hope a top end C8 being a 2 seat, mid-engine car can beat a 199 inch long 4 seat sedan on a track. But AMG has the One to rule them all. When the C8 breaks the 7 minute barrier we can start to talk, but there are cars in the 6:40's now, they have a long way to go.
  12. smk4565
    But a 577 hp AMG GT Coupe is faster around the Nurburgring than a 750 hp Corvette ZR1 (C7). Shouldn't the same theory apply that with an extra 173 hp the Corvette should be faster on those straights? And that is apples to apples since both are front engine V8, rear drive coupes. And this is because the Corvette looks good on a spec sheet with a lot of horsepower per dollar and a good 0-60 time, so Corvette fans think it competes with a 911 or Huracan or Ferrari but the Vette doesn't have the chassis/suspension/grip/aero/brakes, etc that those top end cars do. They can put as much power in the C8 as they want, they need to the chassis and grip to use it. I still think they need a car above Corvette to put serious money in it to charge that high price that you can't do with a Chevy. AMG One is going to shatter all the records anyway, so maybe none of it matters. They are going under 6 minutes around the Ring and it s game over for years if not decades.
  13. smk4565
    So why is the C8 slower around a track if it can accelerate faster and stop faster? And the AMG GT is heavier? They can throw another 200 or 300 hp in the C8, I don't think it is getting to Ferrari or Huracan or 911 GT2 times on a track. And the reason I brought up the AMG sedan is because how is Cadillac going to make a sedan faster than a Corvette C8. If GM's best engineering effort was the Vette, how do they get a sedan without mid-engine and with another 1,000 lbs of car, speakers, leather, power rear seats, power trunk, etc to go that fast? So the people that can't make a Malibu are going to make a more high tech pure EV with over the air updates and self driving tech? EV's will be their moon shot, they have to get that right. As is the case with many auto makers.
  14. smk4565
    Let me know when the C8 posts a 6:45 on the Nurburgring. The fast cars on sale now are in the 6:40’s. If the Corvette is going for the elites that is where it needs to be. I would argue that the Corvette should be about value performance like a Porsche 718. You can make a great sports car that is fun to drive and usable as a daily car. Most of these track beasts are not that usable as a daily driver. The Tesla model 3 outsells the Malibu. There is strength in good EV’s. If GM makes good EV’s and beats Toyota to it they have a chance. If they make Bolts or let Toyota and VW get a lead they are screwed. And GM sells more in China than in the USA. That is why they need this, VW is #1 in China and has like 80 EV models coming.
  15. smk4565
    It isn’t just a function of horsepower it is brakes and suspension, it is around 170 corners to get through. I know the Corvette isn’t done. But the C8 and AMG GT63 have the same 0-60 time and the faster car on a track is maybe 1,000 lbs heavier. I know they’ll have a 700 or 800 hp Corvette, that is a given. And they’ll actually have traction this time that the C7 never had. But OldsHurst makes it seem so easy that Cadillac engineers can build a great performing car, I don’t see how Cadillac takes something like a CT6 big sedan and makes it go around a track faster than a C8.
  16. smk4565
    If they can make an Equinox sized EV for $30-35k that performs the same as an Equinox (which should be easy since it only has 185 hp or so), then it won't be so gloomy. If they can put affordable EV's out there that are good, Mary will save the company. If they make an Equinox EV (for lack of a better name) and it is $50k, then it is gloomy.
  17. smk4565
    But the AMG GT63 S is a 4,750 lb sedan. Do we think Cadillac is going to make a full size luxury sedan faster around a track than a C8? That I would actually love GM tell the engineers to do. AMG has a GT73 in the works, they already teased the testing of it running on electric power. By comparison, a GT R coupe can do the Nurburgring in 7:04, Porsche 911 GT2 RS does it in 6:47. It is going to be hard to take 45 seconds off lap time off a C8 to beat the 911. And again I don't think a Corvette should be attempting to go for elite performance, GM needs another sports car (a Cadillac) that is faster than the Corvette.
  18. smk4565
    Maybach is a trim level though.
  19. smk4565
    Maybe but GM changes management every 5 years and Johan was supposed to be the savior of Cadillac and that didn’t happen either. Really what is important here is can GM beat the Tesla Model 3 or whatever Electric RAV4 or CRV come out. That is the meat of the market, are these Chevy EV’s going to heat Toyota or Tesla who have strong reputation and buyer loyalty. Even if they can sell 5,000 super expensive Cadillacs a year that isn’t going to move the needle. And even worldwide I doubt they hit 5,000 sales per year.
  20. smk4565
    I said a Chevy sedan. I know what a C8 costs and I also said for years there should be a sports car above the Corvette. The C8 Stingray is slower around the Nurburgring than an AMG GT 4-door which is like a 4600 lb sedan. You can’t put elite performance in a car for $60-100k. Nor should a Corvette cost more than that, this the reason GM should build something better than a Corvette. It is okay for the Corvette to be the best sports car on market in the $60-100k range and then there be something else. I don’t get the reason why GM fans don’t want GM to build a sports car better than the Corvette. My point on Cadillac is in the past they have not delivered, I don’t know why this time around would be any different.
  21. smk4565
    Escalade does well but it starts at $75k and loaded out is $100k. A $200k start price is 2.5 times higher. Celestique is supposed to start at $200k so with options we could be in the $220-250 range. But bring it on, competition is good for the industry and the consumer. Before the CT6 came out, all the Cadillac fans rejoiced that the S-class killer was here, and then the CT6 had to be price cut down to $55k, never competed with the S-class and after 4-5 years it is gone. Now they want to go 4 times more than the price of a CT6, I don't see how that works. People aren't going to pay Bentley Money for a Cadillac, it makes as much sense as Chevy selling a $130,000 Impala or Kia selling a $125,000 K900.
  22. smk4565
    Are they? The Escalade sells well on name and the fact that GM has strong full size truck buyer pool, from Silverado, Tahoe, Yukon, etc. And credit to them for cornering that market and FCA isn't even there and Ford they really squashed in full size SUV's the past 10 years. Aside from Escalade, North Americans have not shown up for any high priced Cadillacs in the past 30 years. They don't sell in all levels, Mercedes doesn't have sub $20,000 product, just like Toyota/GM don't have $100k+ product. And I am not opposed to them selling in all market levels, the Corvette sits on the same lot as commercial vans and Spark and Sonic sub-compacts and no one cares, and Corvette fans still love it. Because what a Spark or Express van is has zero impact on what a Corvette is. Just like what the A-class is has zero impact on what the G-wagen or S-class are.
  23. smk4565
    They haven't delayed anything. They are selling the EQ C in Europe, they aren't selling it in the USA because they need to sell 100% of the units they build in Europe to try to beat the C02 threshold and avoid a billion or multi billion euro fine. Europe has imposed C02 standards that basically want auto fleets to be Prius level emissions or face fines. That is also why they introduced 4 or 5 plug-in hybrids last month. EQ A, B, S, E all are pretty deep in development. Sure it would be nice to have them now, but they have to get the product right, and plus with cheap gas and a a really good inline six mild hybrid engine and inline 4 hybrids, a lot of buyers are going to choose that over EV.
  24. smk4565
    I don't care about brand ATP's. If Mercedes wants to sell A-classes and Metris ands then good for them, give consumers more choice and put more good product out there. I would hate if it Mercedes was just 2 sedans and 4 SUV's like a lot of luxury brands are. Google search said 6.2 billion which was before their taxes and right off I think. in 2020 I imagine Daimler will be lucky to just turn profit, as long as they stay profitable this year I think they are in great shape when the economy rebounds and EV demand rises.
  25. smk4565
    2.7 billion Euro after the adjustments so like $3 billion. But that doesn't matter as long as they aren't losing money. What matters is they had record high spending on R&D, they didn't budget cut and sacrifice future product like FCA has done the past 10 years and starved their product line. All these companies are about to have a bad 2020, Daimler will have a bad 2020 no doubt they already said they are going to hold R&D the same as it was in 2019 which is super high, but they'll be ready in 2021 and 2022. Anyone pushing hard for the EV change over is going to have rough years because you are spending on ICE and EV at the same time, once the transitions happens, the profits will come back.
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