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hyperv6

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Everything posted by hyperv6

  1. hyperv6
    The Volt is here to do one thing and one thing only develop systems for future models and products. We are seeing it now in the Hybrid Malibu and CT6. In time the prices will drop on the Volt and range will continue to climb. This was a car that was the egg for the Chicken that everyone wants. With out the Volt there would be little investment and the prices on the cars like the Malibu Hybrid would be even higher. Like the Saturn program at NASA it had a stated goal of going to the moon but the real goal was to stimulate investment in technology to get there and adapt it to the use of many other products. I recall years ago the unenlightened used to claim that NASA was wasting money going to the moon. But the pay off came and we have developed so many things that have touched so many lives that and gave America a technology lead that is just now being eclipsed due to the lack of funding of programs like this. Now China and Russia are both back in the space race to develop technology. We are quietly getting in till the next election and I expect things will take off again.
  2. hyperv6
    First off all of the models you list are not cars. Second all are far from world class AWD for grip and performance. All but the Subaru are mostly AWD just to sell them to folks that foolishly believe they need it to drive in 2" of snow. A Malibu at $24 grand makes no money and if you add options like AWD you lose money. Again you show no real creditable info on how it would make a good business case.
  3. hyperv6
    There are few AWD in the Bu segment because of how much it would cost. Ford with AWD on the Fusion in Platinum trim comes in at $42,000. Do you really think many would by a Bu at $42,000? Also the Ford system is far from world class. Better to leave the Buick to the AWD/FWD segment Ford abandoned with the Mercury. For a little higher price point you can give the car a better AWD system and other options that would justify the price increase. It also would give Cadillac more space to move up and make more money per unit and not worry about volume. Net profits are what matter here not so much volume. Sell smarter is the key here.
  4. hyperv6
    First off most of the cars sold here are not base models so toss your low ball prices out the door. Get real with what things are really going for and it adds up just fine. Second you are comparing old models to new models here. Let Buick finish their work and it will make sense to the rest of us and maybe you. We are in a transitional period as Cadillac is working to move higher up and give Buick some space to fill in. Both companies are not even close to being where they need to be yet. You need all your marbles to play in this game and GM has now shown all the marbles yet. Lets get the game pieces all on the table before you start getting to critical here. Much of your argument will be negated with the new products as they appear.
  5. hyperv6
    You need to look at what is really going on. the Regal and Lacrosse are two of the oldest GM models still out. They are old news in a fast changing segment and that is why they are not seling. Now also look at the fact a new one is coming soon and I would say the lower price is just to keep sales up a little and clear out inventories of parts etc as the platforms are going away. The fact is to make it sell better it is to make it a better and more compelling car. How do you do that you put better things in it and with a Buick and the range they are moving into they can afford better things. Also with a higher price point the profits are higher and the lower volumes will make more money. The key for Buick is to put themselves in a place where they are higher than Chevy and lower than Cadillac and offer better things than Chevy and things that hint at Cadillac level but are not Cadillac level. The fact of life is if you want a different car you rebadge a Chevy you rebadge it and tart it up a bit can call it a Buick. If you want a better car you charge more and build a better car with the increase in price. You get what you pay for and if you want a different car charge less but if you want a better car build it and charge for it. No one rides free. How many years of Buick being a tarted up Chevy do you need for an example of how that formula failed terribly. Again the globalization here will let Buick to offer things they could not alone and sell them at lower numbers and make more money. This is a dream situation that few companies can pull off. Audi has done it and GM can do it with taking some chances on some creative and new products. How about an Opel GT in Buick trim? AWD wagons with world class AWD systems and handling. Just look to the new Camaro and imagine what Buick can do with the proper support and funding. Many people and too many GM people really have no clue how well this situation could come out baring any economy or global issues etc.
  6. hyperv6
    I Doubt the safety thing goes any where lower than the old body on frame guys. The rest look for 5 star ratings and leave it right there.
  7. hyperv6
    Well here is the deal. Things are not just as simple to class as you may think. The PT was considered a non car as it counted for truck fuel mileage. That is unless you had a convertible and then it was considered a car because it had no hatch and no cargo area like the 4 door. The truth is these small wagon with high roof are considered what is a CUV today and not counted among the car volume. The HHR was based on a Cobalt but no one would have bought the Cobalt wagon at a volume of 150,000 units per year but hive it a high roof [HHR means Heritage High Roof] with some modern Suburban lines and people will buy it. The Nox, Terrain and SRX have a platform that is based on a car platform and adapted to their use. Many of the other small CUV's share many car parts too. The point is if it looks like a truck or has cargo area like a truck no matter if it is FWD, RWD or 4x4 it can be a CUV in todays terms. We may see a sub set yet added to space out the CUV segment as there are so many variations today. To be honest my HHR is a car but looks, feels and is classes at a CUV/SUV. The trick to a good CUV is to make it appear like a truck, haul like a truck but drive, ride and get MPG like a car. That is what people want today. Also the lower cost vs. a full size SUV has driven people to these lower cost alternatives. We are in a state of evolution in the auto industry we have no seen on this scale for 100 years. The automobile is being totally transformed because of the regulations driving MPG, peoples expectations of still being able to get the same of better untility and at a price they still can afford. Lets face it the cost is going up fasteter than income levels. You can call it what you like but this automotive mish mash is not going away and will onlyu continue to evolve. Hell they now are predicting we all will start ride sharing. Wonderful! Just what I want to do is share a boring self driving car with a bunch of monobows that leave all their Mc Donalds wrapers on the floor. While right now is the best time for auto enthiusiast it also is a time many want to take it all away from us too. Anyways the real reasons people are going to CUV models is this. Cheaper to buy than say a Tahoe. Better MPG Better utility vs. a small car in most cases. Many sit high and people like this. AWD options because somne folks think you can not drive in snow with out it anymore. A CUV is loved by women and accepted by men unlike the Mini Van loved by women and detested by most men. As for safety I really do not see that as a factor. Most vehicles are 5 stars now and going to a Fiat 500 X is not a symbole of safety to most coming from a Tahoe. As for power most CUV models are 4 cylinders few are V6 unless you get to the high end models that only account for a smaller number of sales. Count the tail pipes on a Nox and if it only has one as 3/4 do it is a 4.
  8. hyperv6
    Well we will have several Cadillac crossovers as they are already coming. So any money you would save means nothing. Also with Opel building and selling the bulk of the wagons Buick can bring them here sell them in low numbers and still make money and change a few minds. I think you plan to just make a more expensive feeling Malibu has failed already and this is why they are moving to take this car to a higher price range with less need for bigger volumes in one single market. GM had a damage culture and you just want to return to it. While success is not assured the odds are much more in favor of them making money here with realist expectations.
  9. hyperv6
    Yes Buick has already moved this way to AWD. They are at that price metric where they can offer the things that Chevy can not offer at a Chevy price but yet still offer some of the things Cadillac can offer but the people can't afford on the higher end car. Buick is targeting low to mid Audi, Acura, Lexus and other cars in the lower priced luxury segment. Cadillac will focus on the RWD/AWS and offer the kind of quality and options Buick can not add at their price metric. You will have three specific classes of cars at GM. Also with Buick the White Space they speak of will be the AWD Wagons, The OPC Buick Version of a hatch and a Buick version of the GT Opel is getting. These are all cars that would be sold in smaller volumes and niches that one market alone can not support but several global markets can. Buick will be doing car you never thought we would see not only at Buick but in America or even from GM. Buick has been giving some pretty big hints that we are going to see some very un Buick like products and things we will be excited about seeing.
  10. hyperv6
    Yes campers as we call them are popular there as few people have the ability to own a RV there. The Caravans are cheaper and much easier to use there and are pulled buy their one and only vehicle. Most people in Europe generally have 1 car and in many cities many do not even own one car. Public transportation has always been a main part of their culture their not just in cities but between them. Heck they have beer in vending machines too. Many Americans who have never left this country just assume everyone else is much like us. Well they may have some similarities but we are much different in many ways too. This is not all one world. We here in America do a great many things different and it amazes many overseas how we do them.
  11. hyperv6
    Again; the data from 2009 thru 2014 shows sedans --as the singular car body style-- down only 0.9%. IMO, a decline I would consider dubbing "major" would have to be closer to 10%, not >1%. My 2 cents. You have your reports and I have mine. As pointed out there are more than one place that shows the gains and number sold that support the CUV segments strength. Just go to any store parking lot and you can see the percentages there. More often than not the new CUV/SUV will out number many of the new cars. Chevy alone sold something like 260,000 Nox last year alone. What other Chevy car came close not using any kind of fleet sales? Even back in the HHR days they were selling 150,000 plus HHR's which is amazing as it really was a car under the skin but people perceived it to be a SUV/CUV. Even someone like you has enough awareness that GM and most other MFG's are investing and building more and more CUV models because they are the hot ticket and are growing much faster than any other segment there is. Also they produce more profit than most cars that are sold with larger incentives. Even as I drove down the street tonight most homes now hold at least one CUV in the garage or drive way when just 10 years ago that was not true.
  12. hyperv6
    The truth is where they travel and how much fuel is has more to do with their choices. They have paid a lot more for fuel and in Germany and most parts of Europe the roads may be wide in the large cities but the smaller towns space is a premium not just for driving but parking and storage. CUV models are not the choice for the most part because they take up more space in many cases and they most often use a little more fuel. Also it is a cultural thing too. they just have other priorities too.
  13. hyperv6
    What used to be the volume cars like the Crown Vic and the Caprice are now pretty much gone and people are in mid sized cars like Malibu and Fusion. These are smaller cars than what was the norm before trucks really became a force. Most full size car owners moved on to trucks and SUV models. Yes the mid size cars have grown as what car owners we have left have down sized mostly due to price or need or want of MPG. They forgo the Imapala because they just can't afford the loaded LTZ there but they can afford more Malibu. As for ability to haul things the Maliu and Cruze do well for their size as long as the object is not tall. They have lots of room in the trunk but large square boxed that will fit inside can not get past the opening. People discovered the mini van in the 80's were it has more interior room and cargo ability and they liked it. Men were not smitten but women were and they now buy half of the cars on the market. Now the CUV is the happy medium for most people as it has utility more space and head room and the ability to make men feel a little better driving the wifes vehicle. The market has shifted and we are now a mid size based market as the full size cars are shrinking in availability and sales. The over all size of all cars averaged out from the 80's to today is smaller as a market size as a whole. Yes some grew a little but more shrunk and even smaller ones appeared. No matter what people like the size and utility of the CUV and it will continue to grow. It has nearly killed the mini van and has made a major hit in the sedan segment. A Malibu may have grown in size but to get that new 60" screen home that smaller Encore can do it much better.
  14. hyperv6
    One would do well to recognize that these articles --again; ever eager to trumpet any sort of "news/trends"-- are putting all non-pickup 'trucks' against a singular 'car' body style. It suits media's frequent agenda, but it does not suit logic. It is what it is in an ever evolving market. We do not set the standards but we are left to abide by those that will be set and modified. Either way the market and the products will continue to evolve and change what a CUV or SUV are and at this point most will be in one large mash up. With the ever growing CUV market and the shrinking SUV market the CUV designation will prove to be the most dominate till the next trend comes along. In this day of ever shrinking product Americans cling to the larger vehicles or those with the most interior space and utility.
  15. hyperv6
    I expect something along the lines of a Insignia Cross 4. This will be a little more like an Audi like wagon. Now if only all those who cried for a wagon only would really buy one. At least with the Opel production this will be able to sell at low volumes and make money. This is a positive for Buick globalism. This is just a little more of the Buick White Space the spoke about.
  16. hyperv6
    I have struggled with this for a while. I know the market looks at them as the same but on forums I have to adapt to who ever I am addressing as so many have not adopted the new convention of one and the same. The merger really took effect when Ford took the Explorer to the unibody FWD based vehicle and GM went to the Lambda. The stories I have read lump them all and last year was the year they consider when they took over for the sedans and the segment is only getting stronger. As for the Monaro Convertible that was in the make the wife happy. From what I read they made it because one of Nissans leaders wives wanted one.
  17. hyperv6
    Actually it pains me but I have to stick up for his claim on the CUV is outselling the Sedans. I can't remember where I saw the story but it may have been on Autoblog. They stated last year CUV sales has passed up Sedan sales. I totally disagree with about all he post but in this case I did see info stating this. They did not give the criteria on how they came to this total but with the great number of CUV models and the large numbers they sell in I could see it happening. Just the Nox and Terrain alone at GM account for almost 300,000 units with the SRX taking them over that. That is Camry numbers and they mostly all sold for more than a Camry. Also note the rise of the CUV has never been hampered by fuel prices as most get better than SUV MPG. In fact many of the buyers have come from larger SUV models. One look in any parking lot at the mall will show you the vast numbers being sold today too. I have seen where entire rows a the stores are parked up with SUV and CUV models. People want larger interiors and more capacity to haul things and that is what they are getting. Also the CUV have a better appeal to men since it is not a Mini Van. For many the Mini Van was a sign you gave up for a guy. At least with a CUV it has a truck like appearance or stance. As the trend is going more and more people are going to the CUV and that is only going to bring more models. Also the MFG are making more money per unit on these than a comparable sedan in many cases. So they go to where the sales and money is going. Sorry I had to support him here but he is right so little odds it will not happen very soon again. Keep in mind they were counting even models like the Encore etc. We always heard we would be driving pods in the future. At the rate it is going with people going to small CUV models and such they may become pods by the time we are done.
  18. hyperv6
    That is why Trax's, Encores, Lighter Nox and Terrains are on the way. Also hybrid systems that at one point will no longer be optional but standard. Weight cuts are coming every where and smaller engines will be the trend. You can only cut so many cylinders. We already know that.
  19. hyperv6
    Well the engines in all vehicles will grow smaller and smaller. We will see more hybrid systems of all nature too. What is notable is many in the industry and even retired are now saying they can see a day when the ICE may be limited in the future in many models. I just read a interview with Fred Simmons past Pontiac guy off all nature including their last Motorsports manager and he made this statement in the story. That was really telling to me. Most of them say that the 54 MPG in 2025 is not going to be met and most companies will pull out the stops to find MPG anyway they can. I do not think many of us here really can conceive just how far the changes may range in the next 20 years.
  20. hyperv6
    Even if they had lowered the price it would have not been a success in business terms. Lets face it the Volt as it was is not making money and the little added for a Cadillac would have not made money either. Odds are it was priced to where it did make money. Where GM failed here was to market the car as a technology showcase and really get the PR out of it as it was never going to make money with it. They needed to float this one up like BMW does their electric car. No profits but a lot of PR and continued work to make it profitable, Is suspect the new Volt and Bolt may be down to break even or even might make a little money. This segment has to be grown as you are not just going to walk into this one with out earning it. The present Cadillac management Is in the honesty mode. They are coming out admitting where Cadillac is failing. Why? Well Honesty can take you a long way and in their case they had nothing to do with it or many other failings as they have only been there 2 years. They want to clear the slate and set their own path to the future and first they need to clean up the messes of the past. The ELR probably should have never happened. But I suspect they had little money in development here since the Volt did most of it. The styling was robbed from a Show car so they already had that but with the compromise of a show car. We will see them re enter this segment in a much different way and with much different products. As for now the ELR may go on to be a prime collector car due to it's great styling and low numbers. I wonder if someone will take one and just make it a 2.0 Turbo and remove the battery. Imagine what it would do with little weight in it.
  21. hyperv6
    Friskey you really think a slight delay on a Diesel Colorado will make GM unprofitable. How many years have people cried GM did not take the time to sort out their product before release and just pushed them on the public to sort out? Now they do the right thing and make sure it is right on a engine that is a hot topic today in the media. GM gas been very profitable with out this truck and will only add ot existing profits. As it is they have even been profitable through the Ignition deal and have come out of past sins in pretty good shape. They have not cut back on spending, they are still making money and they did not have to sell off anything to hang on. Now over at VW they may need a loan and cuts to make it and if they they can not pay the loan they may have to sell one of their luxury divisions to pay it off. This is not going to be a vehicle that sells more than 10% of the model but they will make money with it and work to grow it in the segment over time with trust because they got it right. Now if they get this wrong and it blows up it would be a PR nightmare and the media would just love to pounce on GM for anything. We all know that after seeing it happen while other brands often walk away with only a scratch.
  22. hyperv6
    GM knows they will be under a microscope with the new model and they have to make sure it is right or else. It is more than the EPA they have to worry about. The magazine of journalist that breaks a story that GM trucks fail the test would make headlines like you would not believe. This is one deal there is no wiggle room for GM they either have to get it 110% right or pay the price.
  23. hyperv6
    Sorry I slipped on the title it is Poncho Perfection. Sorry.
  24. hyperv6
    When it comes to todays technology not everyone wants Vanilla or even ice cream. Offer many options and there is something for everyone to latch on to. Actually it is really like offering many models too. Not everyone wants a Cruze of Pick up.
  25. hyperv6
    Well there is a new Pontiac Magazine. Pontiac Perfection http://ponchoperfection.com/ This new magazine is by Don Keefe past Pontiac author and writer for Pontiac Enthusiast and High Performance Pontiac. Don has driven and written about most of the great Pontiacs in history. He also was recently the editor of Smoke Signals Magazine for the POCI. He really made it into something worth reading. With Pontiac Perfection he is taking that to the next level and making it something worth reading. Now at this point there is no subscription. You can get the electronic version or you can opt for a print. You will for not have to buy them month to month. Selling magazines are tough anymore and to start one is a great undertaking. I spoke to Don and he is taking this in steps and hopes to continue to expand the magazine. The initial issues are not cheap but I expect things may get better with more circulation. If you want a Pontiac magazine it will need your support. I have already ordered the first two issues. Note Don also has a new book that will feature many of the Project X stories from High Performance Pontiac. The book will cover 1939-1980 and he has said there will be a second issue with the later years. These stories were some of the best documented stories on many known and unknown prototype Pontiacs. So if you are one that has complained that we have lost out magazines on Pontiac and we have few people willing to publish anything on Pontiac here is your chance to support someone who will fix this issue but he needs all our help. This magazine is something different as it is a Pontiac magazine owned and written by a real Pontiac enthusiast and owner. He also has more connections to people from Pontiac to get great stories and information than just about anyone. So here is a chance to support something we all want and will help our car and hobby in the future more than anything. I spoke to Don today and he is working hard on this project and if anyone can pull it off it will be him. We sit at work reading old HPP issues and now we have something to look forward too each month.
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