hyperv6

I expect hybrid technology to be used with the V8 starting out and as time passes and new technology comes along I suspect the gas engine part of the equation will be pared down. As cars lose weight and size also more power in other forms is made the gas engine will be less and less an need. I am not going to say I am happy about the tried and true ways of performance going but I am not going to shut my eyes to the future either. Hell we all would not be here bench racing if it were not for technology so never underestimate it. If we can take out targets in Yemen from Nevada we can pretty much do about anything with enough time and money.

We all need to learn to be open minded and willing to accept change as the government has given us change. To meet numbers and keep performance we will have to learn new and different ways and adapt of just take the bus. We have all been though the doom and gloom before. We lived through the 70's and now have the best products we ever have had! But I still get those who are stuck in the 60's and refuse to use anything with electronic ignitions or fuel injection. I hated turbo engines and 4 cylinders and today I have one that is faster than any stock Big Block I ever owned and can be modified to be as fast as any modified Small Black I ever owned. The only thing I fear is the cost involved to build, buy and repair these cars and what that will mean to the used car market or the operating cost as these cars get older. I expect we will have some very fast vehicles but will be have to toss them out once the electronic begin to fail as they will be more expensive to repair than they are worth.

It is not a matter of if but when. I would expect systems similar to what is already out there in the limited space of the Corvette. At most it will be a power assist system. It will be interesting to see how GM keeps the cost in check. These systems are not cheap.

Right, I mean if they do an SRX V-sport, hopefully that has a turbo, unlike the RX350 F-sport which has the same engine as a Camry. I expect from what Cadillac is showing that first V sport to be they all will have some kind of engine enhancement. GM learned a lot from the GM Performance Division. If it did not go stop and turn better than a standard model it did not get a GMPD badge. As For the V series I expect it to go over 600 HP easily. I also would not be shocked if it finds a AWD system involved somewhere. With the V Sport now there is no reason not to do something like that as this will raise the area they can take the price. Just look at the coming Z07 and how it may be taking the performance spot from the ZR1 and the ZR1 replacement will be able to go even more upscale. Even the base Vette has replaced the Z06 pretty much performance wise.

They do in the TT V6.

Yes they may be the last. You may not tailor the car to them specifically but you will add elements that will get them to look and in some cases to at least take a bite. Styling is the one item that will get people the most as visual is the most attracting element. Look how many people bought the first Gen Viper that would not be caught dead in the rest of the line unless it was a Magnum Hearse. The key for GM is to capture people with cars that will attract attention like the Elmirage but then get the to realize there is much more to Cadillac and the rest of the line than just styling alone. Hyundai has done this with styling and features. Now if they could only complete the deal on quality. They dance a fine line between sales price and quality and too often the price lets down the car. My point is you reach people with their senses and then you show them the logic of the car with value, quality and MPG. Toyota does not care but on the senses as they already hold the customer. If GM can add this element and meet or exceed the other areas they can do very well. If you want an example of how GM has done well with this just take a look at the Equinox and Terrain twins. They came out and stunned everyone with looks and features and value., The fours showed good MPG. These models have done what most other GM car have not done and added a lot of sales each and every year they have been out. In reading the forum site they have converted a lot of other loyal, brand owners over. GM did it with making a vehicle that appealed to a vast group and not just GM owners. I see the same in many of their other new models. Lets face it the new Impala may look like a Impala to a point but it has the looks of a car much more expensive than it is. This is a Formula the old Caprice back in the day before down sizing would use to capture buyers. GM has the best Design and engineering departments in the world. Many of the greats at other companies came from there. GM never knew how to manage them properly to get the best out of them. Lutz opened the doors and let them do what they could do with out dealing with the GM matrix of management. The others still in charge today understand this and have fought to retain this element of growth. The results are GM that is again growing vs. losing market share. Many are new customers to them and as time goes on and the owners that are happy will return as will their children etc. This is how Japan stole our market and how GM will take back their share. You have to admit the new GM cars have much more and wider appeal than the cars we had when all the division were all working with the same platforms. As time goes on with Cadillac moving up as well as Buick we will have a very diverse segment that should appeal to a very brought group of people with little overlap.

From here going forward GM and all other MFG will be going for anyone they feel they can convert. There is less and less brand loyalty anymore and one bad ownership experience will chase most customers away anymore, The idea of being a Buick man or Chevy man is antiquated anymore. With GM going global they have taken advantage of this and as I can see they are targeting owners of all makes with their brands and models. With the way the industry is going ever percentage point will count. We have yet to see the last of the automakers fail.

Well I agree to a point but names and marketing of names can and could create confusion. In GM's case the abuse of names and letters can make people discount a model of confuse it with another. In the case of the V sport I have already seen where too many think this is the new V Series. As for the numbers game it s more A Euro thing that Americans either do not understand or care about. In Europe most numbered cars represent the class, engine size and or configuration. This was pointed out well by Lutz in his new book when he was at BMW. The Numbers at Ferraris also were the same as they let you know just what a car was and has under the hood and you never even lay eyes on it. I do not believe Cadillac should use these Number or letter games as they are American and let that be part of their difference. I do hope they chose as they bring new cars to the market new and original names to represent a break from the recent 40 years. If you want people to think you have changed do not rename the car the same name you had when they began to leave you for other makes. Now I do believe in saving the name for a later time when you have earned their trust again to revisit them in a new model later on. The trouble with all of us here and I include myself is we all think as GM fans way to much. I work hard to see things from outsiders perspective. While it is important to retain the GM fans and customers they now have they need to win those many who have never owned a GM car let alone even an American car. We now have 1-2 generations that have never had an American car in the family and this takes different thinking vs. the loyal GM thinking we here generally have. While the customer is not always right you still have to make them think they are right. You have to serve them your idea and then make them think it was their own anymore. I also find where a Import company many make a ugly or poor car the owners of that brand are easy to forgive. But with GM they have little forgiveness. That just means GM has to get things right more often to win back the loyalty. In the case of Benz the name Maybach was not so much the trouble than the car being just an little more expensive Benz. It was a similar issue to the Vette and XLR. While the XLR was not a bad car the Vette was just as good or better and cheaper. Also Maybach here in the stated meant nothing unless you were a Graf Zeppelin fan as they supplied the Zeppelin company with engines. Now in Europe they may have remembered but even if you chose to bring back Duisenberg as so many have tried it would be difficult. Cultures have changes as have values and names like these hold little value to the present buyers. As for Rolls the BMW cars are just ugly and to be honest I see Bentley as a much more appealing car anymore. I must not be alone as I see may more Bentleys in my area than new Rolls. Even sales of Masuratis have been off the chart here as the sedans are more common than even a Jag.

So true!

For GM has sinned before and BMW not so much has. If you get drunk once a year you had too much to drink but if you used to drink too much and were an alcoholic but you get drunk once a year later on you fell off the wagon. The reputation of what GM has done in the past will haunt them till they earn their standing back. I agree with you that it is not a big deal but little things like this can create issue with new customers who are not as forgiving. In the end it will still be a great car and what it is hopefully will give them the ability to win all potential owners and attract even critics.

That is my fear that the V seen on a SRX would send the same signal a SS on a Malibu would. Chevy learned their lesson. As for who cares about non GM people. Well Cadillac should as if they are to lead the market they need to sell these cars to people who are not presently Cadillac owner. GM will never lead if they only try to sell cars to who are buying them now. This is just a chance for two well defined models that will be seen as one by many. If one was crap and one was good this would be a good thing but you have two lines that could be all their own. Both lines will do fine but could they have done better with more distinction between both of them.

Well this is what I do know. The Omega will supply one of the Crossovers if what GM is indicating is correct. The first Omega is the LTS sedan in 3rd QRT 2015 as a 2016. The next will be a Crossover Omega for Cadillac. Then they will follow with coupe and or convertible.

Do you know if the Dumbo Ears side mirrors (also present on the Euro 2014 Corvette) are regulations mandated (mirror area requirement, for example)? I hate to say it but the last I saw and heard Yes. The American and Euro mirrors were different even on the last export F body Camaro. they had to change them to meet the rules. If I recall then they had to change the mirrors to be larger and folding and they had to incorporate yellow into the rear turn signals. Not sure if it is a Euro thing or just some countries but the mirrors can not be ridged as some are here in the state. I guess with the smaller roads they want them to give if you brush a pedestrian. As for size I have not heard but GM always makes them larger. I would have to say they must have a size too meet other wise they have many other smaller mirrors to choose from that fold that would look much better.

But I have already seen the non GM fans already thing the V sport is the new V Series. It is a good enough car to be considered a top line for many companies but yet Cadillac has more to come. The bottom line is the V sport is good enough it should not need the V Series for help. Olds had too many Cutlasses in the 80's and 90's and Michelin has too many Pilots. Too many take the easy way out in marketing and I feel while they do ok they leave some more on the table. Either way the V sport will do fine but if it were treated as it's own true model Cadillac could have to distinct series and two distinct model lines. Now the one has to be compared or confused to the other. As for the point one is V6 and the other is a V8 is not always clear with the non GM public. It is the details in todays market that separate 1st in class from 3rd in class as things are that competitive anymore. As good as the V sport will be if it was issued with the first Cue system it would be sent to second in class by the critics. I expect GM will have this detail fixed in the first one. If GM wants to beat BMW and Benz they need to do a knock out. This is a heavy weight fight and like Ali the reigning champ get the benefit of the judges. The details on these cars are what will prove to be the knock out and I think GM can do it.

Why go out side when we can Google Earth It? I know what you mean. I took every Monday off all summer for 3 day weekends since we did not go on vacation this year. I had a lot of work around here to do with some short trips to near by towns and amusement parks etc. We were on a Cool WWII Sub in Cleveland the other day with 5 V16 GM diesels. Anyways one of the observations I had were the kids do not go out anymore. I was out all day most of the time and seldom saw a kid. I grew up here and we were out on bikes and had our BB guns and you did not see us till supper time. I had to force my son out to do things. All they want to so is play PS3. Text and watch TV. It is sad how the more advanced we get we still take a step back.

my old boss and buddy who gm's the chevy store is fetching 27 for impala LS right now. 10 months from now it will have bigger discounts and more rebates and will be able to be had for 24-25k. http://www.appleautos.com/2014-Chevrolet-Impala-1LS-Northfield-MN/vd/16363248 the 08-12 malibu rear seat is tight also....moreso in width. gm cannot do backseats to save it's life If you think so. Here they are not budging on price much and they sell them as soon as they come in.

I'll have to disagree. V-Series is a recognized brand and BMW trades on the M moniker for an appearance package, just like Mercedes has the 'AMG Styling Package' on certain models.People covet these packages, often for their looks and the association with high-performance models. I think it'd be a bad move to call the VSport anything else. They could have created two distinct performance models that stand on their own and do not have to feel like one is the second best as one if beyond the best. I also have seen many already people on the auto web sites are mistaking the V Sport as the new V Series. The GM guys have is handled but the non GM guys are missing the point and these are the people GM wants to attract. All I ask is to give the V Sport its own Identity and leave the V to the V series. But what is done already is done and it is not going to change. I guess they could do a V sport and then a V Series Gold like the AMG and AMG Black. They could make the emblem with a V and in gold.

The Taurus is much worse than any of the cars names. The console is so wide and the dash comes out so far it take much of the open air feel of the car. Note how the Impala and even the Malibu have dashes that do not intrude. The Malibu's major issues were the back seat and to be honest if the last model had not has as much room as it did few would have complained. I am ready to test the new redesign and see how it has changed things.

The more I look at this Photo, the more it smiles at me with the chrome strip in the steering wheel. Weird is why are so many people hung up on chrome. I like the monochromatic look best myself, MB and BMW have made billions on this compared to chrome which always seems to rust and be much more maintenance. The chrome on the wheel is all that is good. The center is just flat and has no real design to it. Kind of reminds me of the crummy wheels the German cars had in the70's.

Ford fully expects the Fusion to out sell the Taurus but they are still expecting better numbers for the Taurus. Just as Chevy had expected Impala Sales to be less than before and the Malibu to increase as the volume leader. This is no secret but MFG still expect specific numbers to be met and Ford is already moving to make major changes in the Taurus to improve it's numbers. The Taurus is much like the Malibu at Chevy and not horrible sales but not as good as expected. I would not hold my breath on Impala priced at $23K. If sales are good the prices will remain closer to $30K at the low end. You have to keep in mind what cars are going for $23K and nothing close to the Impala class is that cheap unless it is a sales flop.

I am not sure I would have used V twice here. It reeks of when Olds used Cutlass on nearly everything they had with 4 wheels. Leave the V Series as the V Series as it has established a strong name equity and then just make this package a Sport or another letter Sport.

Taurus sales have been a disappointment for Ford and it is due for a make over. While it sells ok It is not in the numbers they had predicted. It is kind of their Malibu. Here I have seen a lot of Impala's already and to my surprise they have been the loaded models not the $32K ones. The sad part is an average car s $35k anymore no matter the make and the reality the Impala is not just an average car anymore. You have got to pay to play. With the number of people paying around $40K or more for a Denali Terrain or more for the Acadia I see no issue with the $40K here with buyers. The only ones that will be mad are the ones happy with the W model that had many issues.

Caldwell's ego was something else. The Polling chapter really teaches a lesson on fiscal responsibility by either holding the ling too hard on the budget or not holding it enough. Bob make great examples of each side. I liked when he told Red he would rather spend $50 more a car vs. paying out high incentives to get people to buy them.

Another perspective I have from the book. I can see why Bob was never made a head of an automaker. His bluntness hurt him as well as some of those over him feared him as often he was the one who had more of a clue. He did have many flaws and a lot to learn as he well points out in the book. But he rocked the boat so many times that it really held him back. Often when he was right it only made things worse. The chapter on BMW shows where he really learned a lot as he got snookered well by the German Baron. The book really points out how much automakers need a balance of bean counters and car guys that can work with each other. Alone each group an sink a company together working as one they can take one to the top.

It is understandable as they are very limited in sales for now as this car lays the ground work for the next gen that will be offered with all the engines from 4-8 and a proper RHD. This is not the first export Camaro model Chevy has done and I expect this one will be similar in numbers, This car will sell in so very few numbers and give it a presents in Europe when the new Mustang arrives very soon with out the V8 unless Ford changes its mind. The present Camaro is not a Car that the average Euro will embrace. The new smaller lighter car will fit their needs and like a lot more. Unless you are Richard Hammond. In other words they wanted to beat Ford to Europe with the Pony car even if the intended car is not ready yet. It is simply called Marketing.