riviera74

So is the LS3 engine being used right now? If so, which cars? If not, how soon will it be on the road in a GM car?

As for your Intrigue question, the price is great given the mileage. Just Buy it.

While the LFX 3.6L DI-VVT V6 sounds fantastic, a V8 derivative should be simple to do. A better question is why GM should actually do that given their very good existing Vortec V8 line. In other words, does Cadillac need a spiritual successor to the Northstar V8, or is it merely to keep up with MB, BMW, Lexus et. al.?

But then the buyer would be stuck w/ an ordinary compact. The Prius gives one status and bragging rights....I've certainly gotten an earful over the years from Prius-owner friends and coworkers..a Corolla just says that one is a cheapskate or can't afford better, a Prius says one is smart and green..at least that is the perception in society at large. Yes, that perception exists. It also proves that a fool and his $$$ are soon and easily parted. Status and bragging rights do nothing for your personal bottom line. A planetary eCVT is way simpler than any traditional torque-converter automatic transmission. Please explain what a planetary eCVT is and a conventional chain-driven CVT is.

Is the asbestos hype overdone? Yes. Then again, how many lawsuits exist against asbestos clients are pending now? As for the original post, Pep Boys is not going to patch a tire that they will never sell. It is unfortunate, but their business model does not include that service.

Ideally, CAFE would be abolished entirely. But it is true that CAFE can be dealt with in creative ways. BMW pays CAFE fines all the time for years because they drank fuel. Cadillac should not be concerned with fuel economy; GM should push that to Chevrolet instead. Thanks to volume, Chevy should take the CAFE hit and spare Cadillac (and spare the Corvette naturally).

The SRX isn't quite the RX350. At least not in terms of sales, at least not yet. But it is making a lot of inroads. The biggest problem with the SRX isn't that its FWD. Its that it is about 300~400 lbs heavier than it ought to be. This lead to acceleration that is sufficiently lethargic that even the soccer moms felt it. Ditching the 3.0 for the 3.6 helped. This car really needs the LF3 (3.0 Bi-turbo) more than any other right now. I agree about the weight issue. Most cars could stand to lose 500 lbs. easily. The TT3L V6 should be the upgraded optional engine.

...and honestly, I believe a good part of the great asbestos panic is lawyer-created paranoia. My grandfather was awash in asbestos all his professional life as an electrician in the shipyards. He helped build the USS New Jersey. Lived to be 96 or 97. The doctors on his deathbed even admitted he still had asbestos in his lungs, which was making it hard for him to breathe in his reduced state of health. Mesothelioma is no joke. While it is a good thing that your grandfather lived to be nearly 100, most people in that kind of environment have their lives cut short.

Sounds like they are hiding behind an excuse to me. Trial attorneys have never destroyed an entire industry (other than asbestos).

I could see Ford ending Lincoln, especially if they refuse to provide Lincoln with models worth buying (e.g. Ford Australia cars as Lincolns). Why is Cadillac still around? Simple: Is GM supposed to be just Chevrolet/Buick/GMC? At least Cadillac has an identity separate and distinct from Chevy and Buick. Lincoln has not had such an identity in at least 30-40 years. Lincoln should not aspire to be Acura or Volvo since neither one has a good reason to survive either.

Wow, they really think that. They would rather have a Charger than a Caprice? Why is that? How soon will you test drive the Caprice?

Yes, hybrids cost more, but they also cost a lot more to make and sell than its compact car equivalent. Toyota has NEVER discounted its Prius in the past decade, not even once. Why not save the $7500-$10000 and by a Corolla or Matrix? Limited supplies mean no discounts on the vehicle at all, especially on hybrids. I personally am not a fan of compacts, but you still get a better return with a conventional compact than with a hybrid. Besides, hybrids have to go back to the dealer for repairs and maintenance. Conventional cars do not.

A planetary eCVT is way simpler than any traditional torque-converter automatic transmission. Two questions then: Why is Nissan the only one selling cars with a CVT? And why would anyone want a CVT of any kind in the first place?

Basing the ERX (nee SRX) on the XTS platform will bring back only lost sales . I know it was unique, but the first-generation SRX did not sell . The current one sells very well because that is what the market wants. As for your URX, I would leave it on GM's next truck platform since that is the most profitable.

I Really Like this. One question: where do the SRX and Escalade fit in ?

Nobody said Mercedes-Benz's alphanumeric system actually made sense. Do I agree with Cadillac's decision to ditch names for alphanumerics? Not really. Then again, words do have different connotations around the world, even assuming the same language.

Just remember where Cadillac was in 1998 . . . . . and look at it now. Cadillac is at least very relevant if not thriving, unlike Lincoln. The current SRX is an acknowledgment to realities of the marketplace: no one buys X3s and X5s, they want RX350/RX400h clones and GM correctly followed the market. The SRX went from 7th in sales to #2 behind the RX series from Lexus: that is HUGE. The ATS is arriving, the CTS is doing well and is filling out properly (perhaps a little underpriced), and the Escalade still works and sells at a time when luxury BOF SUVs seem to be on their way out. The XTS ought to be a NG Lucerne, period. As for a flagship, Cadillac need only look at the Equus and Genesis for inspiration (and what to work on now). They can raise the bar to XJ/7-series/S-class levels soon enough.

I would make a couple of changes. DItch the ETS since that is by definition a Buick LaCrosse. I also question the need for a T3L V6 engine. Why can't that engine be a T3.6L V6? One last thing: a 7.2L V12? Why not do what BMW and Mercedes already do and have a 6L V12 instead? I otherwise like the lineup a lot, except for the fact that you are ditching the Escalade name. That one should probably be retained.

deanh8, interiors matter. Nobody in their right mind would want a cheap interior in their $45-80K Vette. As for steering wheels, I will defer to those who own a Vette, particularly on race day.

Big interior improvements? Did you ever get into the last gen LaCrosse and compare it to this one? The new LaX actually has a decent interior compared to the last one. Could it stand to be better? Probably. But BIG interior improvements, I think not.

GM tried building cheap. Try 1975-2005, especially in small cars and very cheap interiors. It did not work. No one will tolerate cheap crap anymore, even at $14K. (Of course, most of those buyers should buy an off-lease car that is 1-3 years old instead.) As for China overbuilding and trying to cheapen their way to conquest: +1 and QFT.

You did. Enclave may get a smaller 6cyl, but there is a smaller vehicle for Buick that get a 4cyl (the upcoming Encore).

Fixed it for you.

Maybe we will see better in MY 2014 or 2015. Right now, GM is in a form of survival mode.

A Park Avenue aimed at Lexus and Acura 20 years ago? . That would make no sense now with the recently departed Lucerne. Now at least the current LaCrosse can safely (and correctly) be cross-shopped with an ES350 and a TL, maybe an RL.