smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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GM News: UAW to Strike General Motors Tonight
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in General Motors
It is kind of a catch 22, because the UAW wants more for their workers, but the more they get paid the more GM is going to be motivated to automate more jobs or build more cars in China. It is a fine balance.- 44 replies
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Funny how the C-class outsells all Cadillac sedans combined, you'd think if quality was so bad people wouldn't buy it. And as I said recalls are are not directly related to build quality. CT5 is priced BELOW the C-class, Cadillac knew their only hope to compete with a C-class was to re-work a CTS and take $10k off the price, CT4 they know would do worse against the C-class than the ATS did. I still think CT4 is a one generation car, and Cadillac will move to a 1 sedan lineup around 2025, unless they put an EV sedan out.
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Every auto maker has recalls, that isn't an indication of quality or long term reliability, especially when the recall can be for different things. Talk about moving goal post, "Benz has released more FWD models in the past 4 years than Cadillac" Not sure what that has to do with anything. Although the only FWB Benz released in the past 4 years was the A-class, and Cadillac introduced XT4 and XT6 this year. If you want to go back to 2012 when the CLA/GLA came out, the XTS and XT5 have been released since then. Not that any of that really matters. I don't see how selling the A-class effects any other car in the line up. Chevrolet makes the Spark and Sonic, it has zero effect on the Corvette.
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16.4% of Mercedes sales in 2019 are FWD based compared to 64.6% at Cadillac. If Mercedes has a high number then what is Cadillac?
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BMW is the #1 selling luxury car in the USA in 2019 and Mercedes is #2. And they command higher prices than any of their competitors. Lexus hasn’t been the top selling luxury brand in the USA in about 20 years and they are surviving on 2 products right now. Cadillac has lost crazy market share in the past 20 years, and not just here they are way behind in China and non-existent in Europe.
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The CT4 is 187 inches long, a C63 is 187 inches long because the hood is longer to accommodate the V8. A C300/C43 is 184.5 inches long. A-class is all wheel drive too. The X3 and GLC outsell the XT5 now. The ES350 outsells all Cadillac sedans combined, does that mean Cadillac should kill all rear drive product because people want front wheel drive? Or maybe people just want a Lexus ES because it has been on the market for 25 years and they keep trading in for another. I question how long the CT4 will last, my guess it is a one and done product like so many other GM sedans of the past 20 years because I just don’t think they will find enough volume. I think the CT5 will do better since it is bigger.
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64.6% of Cadillac sales first half of 2019 were FWD. And that number will rise since XT6 wasn't on sale then and ATS was, and ATS is now dead. Cadillac is a 70% front drive brand and most of that rear drive is a Chevy Tahoe with luxury appointments. Standard of the World I am sure.
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I haven't seen any complaints of build quality on the A-class, like the recalls we are seeing on the Explorer/Navigator, or seen complaints of panel gaps or creaks and rattles, etc. I have sat in the A-class, interior seemed well put together from a quality standpoint. It doesn't have the fancy materials of the higher Benzes but it isn't poorly made.
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The ATS is closer in size to the C-class than it is to the A-class, and the ATS is out of production. Also the CT4 is actually larger than the C-class, CT4 is 3 inches longer. CT5 is $2,000 cheaper than a C-class, CT4 I would assume is $10,000 cheaper than a C-class and that is how Cadillac should price it.
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When GM, Toyota or VW builds a car the size of the A-class it costs $18,000 and yet the A-class costs $32,500. They are putting money somewhere. This CT4 will also cost less than an A-class and is a size class bigger, so how is the build quality on it when even expensive Cadillacs don’t have good build quality?
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I do believe the A-class has the same build quality of any Mercedes. The A-class was rated the safest car tested in 2018 by Euro NCAP. It may not have the materials or technology or engine of an s-class but the A-class is still well built, it is still super safe.
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FCA quality at work. That turbo 4 is also very closely related to the Alfa Romeo turbo 4, but they probably cut even more corners on Jeep since it isn’t a performance brand. The reliability of this thing must be spooky and people will buy it anyway.
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GM News: GM Recalling 3.46 Million Trucks For Brake Issues
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in General Motors
You wonder if they know this stuff is faulty and sell it anyway or if they just don't test this stuff up front and then learn 4 years later that it doesn't work. You'd think with the massive profit margins on GM's big trucks they would put more money into the R&D and testing side to make sure they got everything right before putting it on sale. -
Got to blanket the all segments, they have a car for everyone. If you want a coupe, convertible, wagon, SUV, they have it. If you go to Cadillac and want a coupe, wagon or convertible, sorry; go to Lincoln in about 2 years and want anything other than an SUV and you'll be out of luck. A-class isn't even a money grab, they don't make much profit on those, the real money is made on S-classes and G-wagens. Really Mercedes is doing a public service by bringing Mercedes-Benz quality, technology and safety to more people. I don't see anyone knocking Chevy for not just selling Corvettes and Silverados and scrapping any car under $30k. They still have the Spark and Sonic and the Traxx, as they should because they aren't just targeting a small sliver of buyers. Plus the C-class is not so entry level, that has become a pretty nice car and you can get a 500 hp V8 in it, I think there is room for a vehicle below it. And next gen S-class will raise the bar, AMG GT73 was confirmed today, so S73 will follow, they won't use that powertrain in just one car. They are pushing plenty upmarket too.
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Yes they started the big invasion in the 70s in the USA, they were a luxury car since 1886 in Europe, because having a car was a luxury, and they made some of the most expensive cars in the world in the 1930s. While I wouldn't want an A-class, I like rear drive and a bigger motor, plenty fo people are happy with a 200 hp front drive car. Pretty sure about 50,000 people last month bought a Toyota Rav4 with such a powertrain. And look at the top 10 selling cars in the USA, 3 full size trucks Rav4, Camry, Corolla, Accord, Civic, CR-V Altima off the top of my head. 7 of those are front driver rocking 200ish hp. Given that the A-class has the most popular drivetrain in the USA, and Mercedes-Benz safety as outlined in my previous post, the question really is why wouldn't people buy an A-class?
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Mercedes is self described as a premium car brand. Which is what they are, I think it is fantastic that they make the A-class starting at $32,500, even with options those are selling under $40k. And to make Mercedes-Benz build quality, technology and safety available to more people is a great thing. The #1 type of car accident is rear end collision and over 90% of car accidents are human error. Every Mercedes has standard automatic braking and standard attention assist. Tesla, Volvo and Mercedes are the only 3 car companies that have automatic braking standard in even 50% of their cars and Mercedes is at 100%. The more sales they can take from Chevy, Toyota, Hyundai or whoever the better it is for those buyers who will avoid accidents, have lower insurance premiums, better driving records, and be safer in a crash if one does occur. Yep, could have hooked that up to a 48 volt electric system with an electric compressor feeding the turbo for more power.
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The CT5 is the 3-series competitor by price. I think that is the better comparison. The 3-series advantage is interior (although I think it is the worst of the German 3) and the 3-series turbo 4 puts out more power, the turbo inline 6 puts out more power than the CT5-V, plus that the inline 6 smoothness compared to V6. If you want to compare CT4 to 3-series, huge interior and power gaps there. CT4 vs A-class, may be a good comparison, CT4 has RWD benefit, A-class/CLA can bring more power, would probably be a good track comparison. CT4 might have more room, I don't know how the interior specs are of the 2, A-class has better infotainment, GM is a bit behind the times on infotainment systems.
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People complain Mercedes is overpriced and poor value, then complain that Mercedes are too cheap and too low end. Hmm, can’t be both ways. I don’t think Cadillac needs a luxury Cruze or anything smaller than the CT4, the CT4 will probably be a sales dud even In the low $30s. A-class will out sell it. CT5 might do better than CTS did, I think they got the pricing right on that. But Cadillac has no other option than to price way under the Germans.
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Mercedez Benz News EQS and S-Class to Live Side by Side
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Mercedes-Benz
Both is better. People wanted to jump on Mercedes for cutting models. When really they are cutting dead weight like the SLC, as well as some possible redundancy like E-class and S-class convertible when we already have SL and AMG GT convertibles. They are trimming body styles not model lines. And in 2020 they are launching GLB, EQ C, EQ S, and EQ A won’t be far behind. They are still adding model lines. And yes the S-class coupe may die since there isn’t a lot of demand for big coupes but a Maybach GLS is going on sale next year because SUVs are red hot. -
That is my point, the CT4 should be priced like an A-class and sized like a C-Class. Cadillac needs to push size for price, that is their only working strategy. Every other play they have tried in the past 20 years failed.
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Crossover = sales.
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CT4 is the size of a C-class, which starts at $41,400. They need at least a $10k undercut to give the CT4 a chance. No demand for a Cadillac the size of the A-class.
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CT5 is $38k, I wonder if this will start at $29,995. I think Cadillac is smart to go with size and value, it is the only strategy that has ever worked for them.
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I wonder how they will price it. Also not sure why they offer a 309 hp and a 325 hp version, seems a bit redundant.
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GM’s report shows plenty of CO2 output in 2025. When will GM have a 100% EV lineup, with 100% of factories that are powered by wind and Solar power? And if they can pull that off before Daimler then great, that is less pollution.
