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No. It's the fanboi's problem for promulgating the idea that every car has to be exactly the same in order to compete. You are one of the most guilty of this phenomenon. You cannot accept the fact that cars can be different sizes, favor comfort over handling, use technology in a different way than your pet brand. You cannot admit that the CT6 is a competitor to the E-Class and 5-series because you can't get over the extra room it offers... somehow that disqualifies the car even though it is in the same price range. No, they didn't. This is why you have no credibility. Luxury SUVs released before or the same time the M-Class (1997): Acura SLX (1995) Oldsmobile Bravada (1990) Infiniti QX4 (1997) Land Rover Range Rover (1994) Jeep Grand Wagoneer (1980) - say what you will about the brand, it was definitely a luxury suv with its pricing. It cost more than a base Eldorado or Mark VII. Jeep Grand Wagoneer (1993) - the Grand Cherokee based Grand Wagoneer was a separate nameplate and the luxury version. No they didn't. People like you insisted they had to copy... that the only valid entry in that class had to be certain dimensions and certain suspension tuning, and certain number of gears in the gearbox. You have repeatedly insisted that the old CTS and 3-series didn't compete because the CTS was 4 or 5 inches longer. Well, you're flat out wrong. I leased a CTS because I didn't want the cramped interior of the 3-series. I leased the CTS because it was a bit more compliant over these awful pittsburgh roads. Cadillac went from near zero in that segment to selling 60k CTSes a year. They were taking sales from someone. There is no such thing as a 4-door coupe. What you're thinking of is a 4-door fastback and Cadillac was doing those way back when Germany was being turned into a pile of rubble. Oldsmobile has done them multiple times, Eagle has done them, Rover has done them, Citroen has done them. You even owned a nameplate that previously was a 4-door fastback. I laugh at the term as there is no such thing as a 4-door crossover coupe. First, if we're going to call them that, then again, none of the Germans were first. Even if you don't want to count the AMC Eagle SX, there is still the Acura ZDX (2010) which came out 5 years before the GLE coupe and the same year as the X6. Furthermore, if that Audi Q8 is a crossover coupe, then someone needs to send a memo to Infiniti about changing their marketing because they've been building that body style since 2002 with the FX/QX70. And then still, there is the Suzuki X90, an ugly looking SUV that by being 2 doors and 2 seats has more of a claim to the "crossover coupe" name than any of the modern vehicles. In short, Germany is in no way the leader for this completely misnamed body-style. So still.... wrong all around.

(Slightly) Better looking than a Jaguar, but not as good reliability. I really want to be impressed with these new Alfas... I was in love with the 159s.... but these just fail to impress me.

It's one of the flat out biggest reasons I've seen...this coming from someone who owns a few Cavaliers and a Cobalt... They are easily about almost a third too much right now...that same hatch should still be well under 25k..... Between the economy and gas prices, I feel like I am changing my choice of car daily.... The Nox and Escapr are the easy choices....but one can't go wrong with a Cruze hatch either.....

more so with the 'nox diesel. it'll be interesting if mazda puts the x engine in the CX-3 soon. 29 city / 34 highway now , but add ~25% makes it ~35/43 This will be why the small CUV/Crossovers(?) may continue to dominate even in $3.50+ gas prices

^ It's easier to make a longer vehicle have lower drag, all else being equal. "want" what? There's nothing there to 'copy'.

Beautiful day here for a ride ~

Jeep Super Wagoneer would be the first luxury SUV, came out in 1966. Mercedes absolutely copied tons of features and types from others. Sometimes it took decades to follow the trends, sometimes they literally had to buy components from other OEMs. And they blatantly copied the 3-series- now it's their highest volume sedan. They massively fudge RE "inventing" the automobile and most lazy ass journalists just numbly nod along. The "4-door coupe" thing is a hoot- it's literally a fastback-esque 4-dr, nothing remotely new. The worst thing about it is the gross inaccuracy of the term.

I like that big coupes are making a comeback, but can we get some real usable rear seat headroom? See my signature on an example of how to do it.

Mustang pretty much is writing the template for a successful GT, so it makes sense BMW would emulate some of that formula. But what's puzzling is BMW's recent entry with the very same vehicle, then called the 6-series, nobody bought, so I wonder what sort of business case they pitched to get a MORE expensive version of an unwanted coupe green-lighted? BTW; IMO the Mustang looks a lot more cohesive of a design.

I was literally scrolling down to type that and saw your comment. ????

I thought I would have been the only one...

Sharp. Strong Mustang vibe to the greenhouse and midsection...

Interesting options as a cab driver. I wonder if Joe Schmo could buy one o these and use it as an Uber or Lyft driver?

For once I have to agree with @dfelt, I am not a fan of the new Alfa's exterior design. Interior looks ok to me. Also, way too many stories about really questionable build quality puts me off them also.

Yes, the I30 was the ES equivilent, and IMHO, a nicer vehicle than the ES of the time. But they dropped that to try and pursue German car drivers who will never defect their brands and built this instead. The Lexus GS was still a pretty attractive piece at the time, but had just given up its inline 6 in favor of a V6.

Agree, I think it would be very interesting to see from 2000 to 2017 a chart showing this level of detail on how the auto industry in all categories has gone. I think you would be right in seeing very small gains in the SUV/Truck segment compared to the car segment.

It's also the reason used prices are increasing. The people who do want sedans are playing the depreciation game to get the price to be more reasonable.

Only plastic on the outside of that car is the front turn signals, the taillights and the backup lights. Silver Streaks died after '56, quite a bit before this generation. I don't care for the dual Streaks, but I always liked the single, centered Streaks.

The problem is that people aren't willing to spend what manufacturers are asking for new compact cars. I tested a Cruze hatchback RS Redline edition. It was a great car, but the sticker price was $27k. That is insane for a Cruze, or any Focus that isn't an RS. Civics can crest $30k now. A Trax and a Sonic cost roughly the same to engineer and (labor costs being the same) build. But people will pay more for a Trax than for a Sonic. Chevy could offer rebates on a Trax that bring the price all the way down to the sticker price of a Sonic and still make money on it. It's not that people don't want sedans, it's that manufacturers are making more money on SUVs and fake crossovers.

When prices hit $4 again, Ford will be regretting their short sighted move, I suspect...

Hmmmmm. They could merge the GS and IS and get a tweener sedan, and I'd like them to actually do that, because they don't need 2 sedans whether FWD or RWD that are almost the same length.

What kind of seasoning do you want on your crow when the specs finally come out? The base FWD XTS has a 60/40 front/rear weight distribution. There is no way an AWD 4 cylinder with electric motors and batteries in the back is going to be 60/40. Further, you reveal your ignorance about Volvo’s powertrains. The electric motors are in the back and only drive the back wheels, so not all of that power is going to the front, it’s split front/back, but they operate independently. (The RX operates this way also). It’s about as close to symterical as you can get without Quattro. Additionally, the system can favor the rear wheels for power delivery. The Polstar 1 coupe with the concept version of this same power train has a 50/50 split and weight distribution. In summary....

i think there was a blip that suggested all these lux carmakers needed BMW 3 sized cars to have a legit lineup. Caddy even took the bait. When it comes to brass tacks now, who even buys 3 series sized lux sedans and what brands do they really only look at? I think the original CTS was a perfect entry level caddy and so to reincarnate that as a CT4 would make sense. But if the new CT5 is a little larger, then i am ok with that being Caddy's entry level sedan. What does that have to do with Lexus? To me it means that IS was always a poseur even if it was a good car. The ES was bread and butter but now crossovers may have supplanted ES buyers base. And where does that leave the LS and the GS? To circle the wagons for Caddy and Lexus, they probably could survive on 2 sedans each. CT5 / CT6 and GS / LS. An IS and CT3 will always not sell like an A3/A4, 3/4 series, or C class. I think the other reason these smaller lux sedans proliferated so much last 15 years is the idea that young punks would buy / lease them and they were sort of the new age 'hey look how cool i am' cars. That the younger set due to preference and urban living wanted smaller cars. I don't think that logic carries through to Caddy and lexus like it does BMW and Audi. And maybe never will. And especially if neither is big in Europe.

That's just a random photo I found online to illustrate the wheel style. The one I saw was dark red, with those wheels w/ the center caps.

Cadillac already had an EV and has a Plug in hybrid you can buy today.

Today, I took a lunch brake to walk the top of our roof at First and King St. in Seattle. We have two large areas for BBQ, eating, relaxing and enjoying the view. This is facing North East towards the Downtown core. This is facing Northwest over Puget sound.

Except the S-class is the most aerodynamic Mercedes and it has 3 box design so 4-door coupe must not do anything. I do think SUV coupes are ugly but Mercedes and BMW have so Audi and Porsche want it. And if the Germans do it then every other luxury brand will copy it. And I have said before that I think the CT6 is more an e-class competitor than S-class competitor. The E-class still has a better interior and more performance than the CT6, the CT6 has a larger back seat. Customer can pick what matters most to them. But then what is the CTS become, other than irrelevant? From 60k sales a year to 12k sales a year, it is in the same boat as the Lexus GS.