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As usual, MB gets the credit for "inventing" something that someone else invented. In this case, crossover "coupe" styling.

The Masterpiece looks pretty large and obnoxious and they should build it just like that and use that name also because it will sell well here. Americans like big obnoxious trucks, I think the Masterpiece would steal some Tahoe and Expedition sales for sure. As far as the SP goes, sure why not, we probably won’t saturate the crossover market until 20 brands have about 10 crossovers each to pick from. Then all the millennials will hate crossovers because that is what “mom” drives much like Gen X thinks minivans mom mobiles and their grandma had a Buick so those aren’t cool. Then we can get back to cars after this crossover craze burns out.

Are they smart enough for that?

Which Dave? ? I still see the recession myself. There are some really goofy ups and downs with the Dow..and the slightest hint of global issues, and down it goes....And with a certain person in office at the moment- makes those boys on Wall Street sweat like pigs weekly... Speaking of Wall Street, I expect them to be the reason oil/gas prices go shooting back up.....it’s easy money to them....

There are industrial cutbacks all over. China economy is slowing, automakers are pulling back manufacturing all over the place... expect more stories on that front.

That may be the best looking of the new generation of GM trucks..I like that blue, brown and the dark red.

Looking good. So glad Lincoln is using names again. Hint hint Cadillac...

Lincoln has released a teaser video and picture to generate some buzz head of the NY International Auto Show in 3 weeks. The Lincoln Corsair will take over for the Lincoln MKC when it goes on sale late this year. Two of the engine options will carry over, the 2.0T and 2.3T ecoboost 4-cylinders, but a plug-in hybrid variant will bow in as well. The Corsair fills in the entry level of Lincoln's SUV lineup, but if it is anything like the Aviator and Navigator, it will greatly up the ante on interior appointments and luxury. Corsair is a nod to the nautical and aviation naming theme that Lincoln is using for its SUVS. Corsair is unique in that is has been used both for boats and planes. View full article

I just remembered. The soon to be dead Focus and its RS version,well, THAT 4 cylinder version makes 350 horses and 350 ft lbs... We could wax poetic all we want about this AMG baby Benz, and as enthusiasts, we should applaud this effort because in a world of CUVs, smart phones and a future where folks envision of not even driving, I still find it hard for me to accept this car seriously. Its the fakeness of it all, I guess. The fakeness of AMG on THIS particular effort. Not on a performance level. But on what makes an AMG special. On the fake leather stuff. On the FWD based vehicle. JUST because of how Mercedes has branded itself on the position it has taken vis-a-vis RWD and AWD. The hypocrisy of the automotive journalist world of shytting on Cadillac for their FWD STS all those years prior... The hypocrisy of the "car enthusiast" that shat on Cadillac for FWD STS but praised anything shytty that M-B slung our way...INCLUDING THIS... yeah SMK...even you... Funny, no dissing this flavoured Merc... Its only got 300 horses and and NOT EVEN 300 ft-lbs...and apparently it needs AWD to put all that god fearing power down...GTFO!!! (I guess I am not accepting it even on a performance level...because I see its performance fakeness on that level too...) Yeah...Im cynical with this car...

Oxymoron And peeps dont care about that concerning crossovers. They barely care for that on sports cars... The new Big Daddy Caddy is set to arrive soon. Plus the GMC and Chevy versions... Sure, the GLE will sell well...but GM will clean out in this price range. Just the Chevy version will handily outsell M-B... And Im willing to bet that it does. Even with 1 engine offering. And even if it doesnt...GM as a company in that price range will easily outsell Mercedes Benz... Remember...Chevrolet taps into that price range in their SUVs. Luxury brand or not...price range is what counts here. Mercedes Benz lowered its aspirations in North America for volume sake. Kudos for Chevy for being able to sell Chevys in that price range. .Your argument, whatever it may be...is null and void. The point being, an AMG Mercedes Benz should not even offer plastic seats. I will even say that AMG should not even exist in this price range. A 300 horse turbo 4 aint that special... Ford has got one...the new Mustang is 310horses and 350 ft lbs. Its just a Ford on a BASE model at that... AMG is supposed to be special, non? That aint special...

Key words here: Porsche and Bentley.

Sorry, but a dramatic reduction in headroom is NOT worth the purchase price. Why ruin the best part of a CUV/SUV?

You said 'we don't know what it's going to look like', but like I said; we do. Same thing at audi/BMW- the german lockstep triplets. And Cadillac has already done the 'every model looks the same' when they hung the same front clip on multiple models decades ago. - - - - - The pics above don't dispute the CLA/S-Coupe fraternal twin-ship, tho. NEVER should have put the bottom feeder CLA nose on a $90+K car too, cheapens the shit out of it. A deal-breaker.

Is there really demand for another V8-powered BOF SUV? I thought those had steady sales, not skyrocketing ones. I also thought it was 2019 not 1995-2008.

Mercedes shares the noses of their cars from the CLA to the S-class; of course we know what it'll look like - a imperceptible tweak of every other mercedes. It's not like MB ever builds any of their concept designs...

Cloth or leather for me. No in between. I like the look of used leather. Cracked leather...one has to treat it so it doesnt get dry but I got to admit, not a very nice trait. Not nice to look at. So yeah, lots of work needed for it not to crack. Maybe the high maintenance for keeping leather durable maybe not be all that its worth, Ill admit. But, worn leather has a certain charm to it that I value...especially high end leather in very high end cars. So...between cloth and leatherette, Id go for...cloth. If I want the real stuff, then I go for the real stuff. And in a Mercedes Benz, for North America, because Mercedes Benz IN North America SHOULD be luxury...then leather it SHOULD be. In Europe, where 300 some odd horsepower and 300 some odd torques kills you at the gas pump, so THAT motor probably not even offered...and if it is..then I doubt it be selling in substantial numbers anyway...if Im buying an A Class for Greece lets say, then it probably have a 1.4 or 1.5 liter 4 banger with 90 horses and 90 torques...or maybe a diesel then I dont think MB TEX is even on the option list... Where am I going with this? Oh yeah...An AMG Mercedes Benz in the States should not even come with faux leather...but lets bash Cadillac...because THAT would be the easy thing to do... PS: Ford takes recycled plastic water bottles and turn that into yarn to make their seats...and its cloth in appearance...Ford calls that Repreve. |I like what Ford is doing.

Dude the Kona is tiny and on the edge of usefulness because of it... I will be waiting to see how a CUV even smaller will work in the USA... I could see it working in Europe... but America?

Plastic seats Plastic seats Plastic seats The 3 series 6 cylinder is also turbocharged. Cadillac has 3 turbo V6es... All of which out power that BMW motor

I read it the other day. It didn't cause a blip because DUH, who didn't already know this? No need to reply or contradict the obvious.

I was sold on the faux leather. MB Tex as Mercedes calls it. I guess all that Vegan demographic with their Smart cars prompted Mercedes Benz to go retro with the 1970s vinyl seat fad.

The Masterpiece is just a facelifted version of the current Mojave, which was sold here a decade ago as the Borrego...still has the same greenhouse I see... had a V8 and BOF... The Mohave is smaller than the Telluride, which is smaller than the new Explorer...(new Explorer is Durango sized).

China.

Ah....sunny days up ahead. EVs are gonna be profitable by 2025. ICE cars are gonna be dominant still in 2030. EVs are going to be selling like mad in 10-15 years from now. Many manufacturers are gonna stop with new ICE development sometime in 2025 or so... Car manufacturing world wide is at a slow down currently, but manufacturers are going bat shyte crazy throwing all of their R&D money on EVs and EV platforms when even Tesla is hitting a slowdown right about now... All kinds of merger talks and partnerships between different manufacturers because...sunny days up ahead. Ah those sunny sunny days. And somehow, with all these contradictory story lines, this tune seems quite fitting if you ask me. Sittin' stoned alone in my backyard Askin' myself "Why should I work so hard?" Sittin' dreamin' 'bout the days to come Half-undressed, just soakin' up the sun Sittin' here, I hope I don't get fried Two years ago, you know, I almost died And yet, there's nothin' better for your soul Than lyin' in the sun and listenin' to rock 'n roll Sunny days Oh, sunny, sunny, sunny days Ain't nothin' better in the world, you know Than lyin' in the sun with your radio

As I was saying. Individually, these car industry cuts are a drop in the economic bucket... but they keep piling up and piling up and while the numbers for say Honda in Swindon may only be about 3,500 direct jobs, it is probably going to end up being closer to 75,000 jobs in the UK just related to Honda's closure.

I think this vehicle is too small for 500k a year. If it were 3 series sized, then maybe.

After owning an Escape and now an MKC, again, you'd be surprised how different they are. Lincolns have adaptable/customizable suspensions, the MKC has a wider track front and rear than an Escape, all double pane glass and thicker door seals to isolate outside noises, the only thing inside that represents a Ford is the window and light switch-gear.

500 000 units annually combined. 250 000 units for each manufacturer. On top of all the other EVs BMW and Mercedes Benz want to sell... LOFTY goals. Who to believe? The manufacturers and their CEOs going all in because they believe all the hooplah surrounding EVs...(the hubris of a perfect world and governments forcing EVs upon the people) or other contrary reports that the ICE vehicle is going nowhere anytime soon despite possible bans from governments forcing EVs unto people... Its agonizing for me just thinking about what the future holds in the next 5-10 years and what kind of car should I be buying...yes I know I got a looong way to go for that and regardless what I buy, EV or ICE, it wont affect my after-purchase life because for the short term, ICE or EV will be backed by the manufacturer, government for electricity or big oil for gasoline for that car's life span... Imagine what CEOs are going through as the decisions they make NOW will affect the future survival of their respective companies... THIS is quite the ONLY time I agree with CEOs getting paid the millions they get paid...for REAL future altering decisions they make... Like DFELT always says...quite interesting times we are currently living and about to experience.

Some of her stuff is quite good....

it's not for them anyway.... my first thought was...

Aviator came first. Navigator came first. Nautilus came first. This is going to be out before the new Escape.

Clever plate...I've thought of getting 'NO CUBE'. A lot of people wouldn't get understand it, though.

https://www.gmc.com.mx/pickups/sierra-regular-4x4

The American arm is doing great on the Jeep and Ram part. The Dodge and Chrysler part...well...lets be honest...they are on borrowed time as it were. Because of the lack of attention and R&D money that the "F" part of FCA is doing to them... Maserati and Alfa Romeo still have some cache. In Europe and in North America. Its just that the FCA leaders are not tapping into that cache properly. Maybe its reliability issues or product or both that are hindering success, but I think Alfa and Maserati could still be salvaged and be worth something and BE brands that many would want to own. If both brands die off though, I wouldnt be shedding any tears. If Renault and Nissan merge for an eventual FCA merger....YIKES!!! Too many brands!!! Even with this scenario...too many brands that just dont do anything and would be encroaching each other... Come to think of it, Renault-Nissan really does NOT need FCA... Especially the way you described it... Nissan does not need Jeep as Nissan could dig deep into their very own heritage and do rough and tough SUVs. Not too long ago their very own XTERRA was impressive let alone what they had with their Pathfinder several decades ago... Their former XTRAIL was a great off roader too. So they got offroading know-how... Family haulin' CUVs/SUVs? Id say their Pathfinder and Rogue do a great job in that area. Qashqai too maybe? No better, but no worse than everybody else Id say... Renault has it alright with small cars in Europe. Nissan sells alright in the US. Maybe a better focus on quality is all it takes to be a leader in both markets? Now that Ghosn is gone, because I think HE was the one to phoque up the quality, well that could be fixed in a jiffy... Mitsubishi? Well...better focused vehicles for the US market and that too is an easy fix. AWD for offroading or sports cars is a Mitsubishi thing...couple that with Nissan and its sport car division (or offroading)and Renault with their F1 racing program and I dont really see how Mitsubishi cant be fixed easily? Infiniti... whatever. Does Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi really need FCA that whatever Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is lacking that they cant fix by themselves? What? Renault is nostalgic about Chrysler that they want Chrysler in their lives again? For Jeep? They dont need Jeep. Mitsu bishi too is nostalgic about Chrysler? Lee Iacocca is loooong gone. They got Nissan and Mitsubishi that could be a good competitor to Jeep if they played their cards right... FCA needs help. Let them die... Jeep and Ram could survive together, on their own Jeep could go on the reverse trend introducing a sedan if they need one and they could call it the Eagle...and it be a cool way to celebrate their own past when Chrysler owned AMC and Jeep and the first ever crossover was the Eagle... It be a pity for Dodge and Chrysler, but hey... Fiat, Alfa, Maserati...well...good riddance...

• Oil supplies were expected to be down, but today the report was inventories rose by 2.8 million barrels last week. The 25% increase in crude this year ($45 > $60) is after a 45% collapse since Oct '18 ($76-$42). • dave- you were adamant that the Dow 30 at 21,5xx was evidence of an imminent recession, but it since rebounded to 25,6xx. Seems like a it was a false flag.

Spotted @Robert Hall in Columbus today. He's nutz.

It's taking longer than I thought to get here, but yes. I expected it by the fall of 2018. There are plenty of indicators that something is brewing, but unemployment remains low for now without an increase in real wages, which is a good thing economically. Eventually, it's just a cycle and it will come time for a recession to hit. Either way, it won't be as bad as the last one we were in.

Yes, I do! I know @Drew Dowdell and I have both seen things in the financial / investing markets that raise concern for another recession that is long overdue.

It's not ICE that's uncompetitive tho.

I think it has a great looking profile. Even though we know it's not RWD, it looks like it could be.

Not likely

Somebody get ocnblu to read this. This might calm him down.