riviera74

Trolling some people is what GM does from time to time. 

Remember the 1960 Corvair?  They essentially trolled Ralph Nader by continuing production after his book was published until 1970. 

The new Hummer, like the ICE version before that, is meant to troll environmentalists who only want public transportation ONLY (and at best want only FIAT 500 and Mini Coopers on the road)!  As for its off-road capabilities, they are probably very good for those who are willing to buy it.

I will admit that there are advantages to having an EV right now.  I just want EVs to ditch many of the 1.0 compromises that make it difficult for normal drivers to dump an ICE vehicle for an EV one.  Perhaps at the end of the decade an EV will actually be so superior to an ICE vehicle, that those who want an ICE vehicle (but can actually afford an EV) will be little more than hobbyists.  Think vinyl records after CDs came out.

One day I might actually buy an EV.  It might be 2030 or so, but it is in the realm of possibility.  NOT all of us are early adopters of such advanced technology.

Dealers have state governments in their employ to maintain their positions in the car market.  Everyone with money have their own lobbies to protect and defend their interests.

I wonder if anyone will buy the Mach E over the V8 Mustangs in the same sales numbers that Ford is used to selling Mustangs.  I am still not sure if the Mach E will be as successful.

In this rush to electrify just about every auto out there, has anyone considered that the demand for an electric auto is rather small and may not meet projections for at least a decade?

On 9/8/2022 at 8:47 PM, evee said:

any thoughts regarding iphone 14?

Unless you need a 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max feature, you don't need to buy one.  If you have an iPhone 11 or later, no need to upgrade.  If you own an earlier ones, I would consider refurbished 12 or 13 models.

8 hours ago, David said:

Very interesting, seems the Porsche IPO is going forward in 4 weeks and VW and Porsche both expect the large cash infusion to help them pass Tesla in becoming the top EV auto companies in the world.

Volkswagen and Porsche Take a Huge Risk With a Big Bet - TheStreet

A Porsche IPO?  Why do they need this?

Apparently, there are nearly 2000 Buick dealerships in the USA, with only about 13 that are standalone Buick-only dealers.  Culling the herd when Buick only sells fewer cars in six months than China does in three months (during 2022!) is the only way to address the lack of sales leading to such poor profits at the dealership level.  Cadillac had to cull the herd and they were successful.  Buick could have a dealership count of less than half of their current total and it would probably work out nicely.  GM does not have the market share it held in the 1960s or the 1970s or the 1980s or even the 1990s.  Using the EV car thing might be a convenient excuse to cut the fat and lose the tiny non-productive ones, but it should work.  Ideally, the under-performing dealers would have been shuttered back in 2008-10, since Buick does not need them anymore, and has not needed them in 20 years.

China is Buick's present and future.  Buick USA dealers need to get with the program or get out.

I had no idea that Buick was trying to ape the Honda Accord Crosstour / Acura ZDX.  The wheelbase is longer than a current Encore and a little shorter than a current Envision.  Apparently GM has forgotten that NOBODY wants a hatchback disguised as a crossover.  The interior is rather good though.

This may be the only way to save Chrysler from complete irrelevance.  A LOT of people will want an EV in within the next five years or so.  The fact that the V8 is being replaced by a TTV6 AND the Charger/Challenger/300? are being discontinued point to a EV future.  I like the Airflow concept.  I am not sure how much of it will make to a production vehicle, but we will see.

Gas prices peaked in early June and have fallen since then.  Unfortunately, many other products have NOT followed suit.  Longer-term relief from inflation cannot come soon enough.

18 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

So just make the high output version.

A hybrid would be a better 3rd option since Ford has the Maverick and F150 hybrids and I assume will do a Ranger hybrid.

Who would actually BUY a hybrid pickup truck, midsize or full size?  I do hope that the Colorado/Canyon see a real sales increase thanks to those changes.  (Is this an MCE or an all-new truck?)

8 hours ago, regfootball said:

did Chevrolet inherit the reins from Pontiac to be the EXCITEMENT!!!! division?

 

 

 

 

yes, I tried to find again the one with all the 'extra vents' lol

Maybe Chevy needs to be the excitement division. given the Camaro and the Corvette.  Sales are strongly biased against cars these days, though.

TBH, I prefer the exterior of the Lyriq over the Celestiq.  If the interior of the Celestiq concept is largely carried into production, Cadillac should have a winner on its hands, EV or not.

The fastback look reminds of hatchbacks from years ago.  No real trunk for a flagship sedan?  Ditch the hatchback for a real trunk. 

The interior looks rather bespoke though.  And as we all should know, interiors actually matter more.

I question whether there will be 2 million new Tesla buyers/drivers in the next ten years, let alone Rivian with just 1 million in 2031.  But we shall see.  The ICE isn't dead yet, despite high (but falling) gas prices.

3 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

This wasn't a light bulb that just went on.  It's a light bulb that has been burning brighter.

I've come to the conclusion that 75% to 80% of doctors are in it for the money.

Only 75-80%?  Why so low?

On 7/1/2022 at 6:18 PM, smk4565 said:

Sure, Genesis has more prestige than Mercedes.  They don't make a single model over $100k.  They make a nice little effort, at least, they went rear drive rather than just badge jobbing a Hyundai and making front drive crossovers like Lincoln does.  But Genesis is basically what Infiniti was 15 years ago, with the G35, M35, Q56, and the FX45 crossover that were all rear drive, performance oriented, nicer than a Nissan ,but not as nice as a German car, but cheaper than a German car.  Infiniti fumbled that strategy, because Nissan as a company has no direction, but basically Genesis is Infiniti of 15 years ago.  

Nissan has not figured out whether Infiniti is premium or luxury.  (I have no idea why Nissan or Infiniti even exist anymore.)  Acura is premium, while Lexus is luxury.  Genesis is discounted luxury, at least compared to the Germans.  That strategy has worked for Lexus ever since the original 1990 LS400.

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

Speaking of sports... I'm quite disappointed in Colorado winning. I mostly just hate their owner as he's the owner of the former Stl Rams, Stan Kroenke. 

I guess you wanted the Bengals to defeat the Rams in the last Super Bowl.

38 minutes ago, David said:

Very cool additional pics on GM's Design Studio Instagram site.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEkrVMu6ku/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

Admittedly, the silver Buick on the right has the front end of a C8 Corvette with the back end of a coupe-like crossover.  The elder model in blue looks so much better.

On 6/17/2022 at 8:20 PM, trinacriabob said:

Their not tapping into the reserves that are available - to a reasonable degree - is part of the complex web to explain the gouging.

It does not help when there is too little refining capacity to process the crude oil into gasoline and diesel etc.  That is the other elephant in the room.

1 hour ago, David said:

Tesla needs to fire the idiot CEO they have who is playing in way too many ponds and get someone to run the company and focus on quality. They have some of the best powertrain, controller and battery tech out there, but the lack of leadership is pathetic.

Who cares about Tesla Robots, Tesla distraction stuff. Tesla under Musk has failed on so many fronts to deliver on so many promises. Yes Tesla deserves all the credit for doing what GM should have done in the late 90's on moving EVs forward, yet Musk is Failing Tesla on leadership and delivering a quality product. This will be their death if they do not nip this in the bud.

15 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Is this all that much different than Bolts catching fire randomly? Should we be shouting on top of a mountain that GM needs new leadership because they've had recalls and Bolts burning houses down? 

Tesla needs Elon Musk like it needs a very bad headache.  If it was a normal company, Musk would have been fired a long time ago.  NOBODY at GM is so egotistical to think that they deserve all the attention Musk gets these days.  Tesla may get bought out or go under precisely because of Elon Musk's bad leadership and/or lack of leadership.

GM, on the other hand, needed real batteries to get the EV1 to be successful.  The battery tech of 1995 is what ultimately broke the product.  Now GM does need to resolve Bolts catching file and burning down houses Right Now.

Current EVs are not as versatile as current ICE cars.  EVs still have not been debugged as thoroughly as ICE vehicles for the most part.  Call me when EVs require no compromises compared to a regular ICE vehicle.  I can wait at least another decade before I buy one.

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

1. HR Director took delivery of her brand new Tesla Model Y on Friday.

2. By Wednesday it was on a flatbed, stone dead, getting trucked back to Tesla for repairs.

Wow, that is poor quality.  I wonder (by comparison) how many ICE vehicles in its class suffer a similar fate (just to compare to this possible Tesla issue).

5 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Had a good quick trip to Syracuse...left yesterday just before noon at got back at 8am this morning.  The concert was great...amazing to see a 79 year old sing and perform for almost 3 hours..his backing band was solid.  The pre- and post-concert traffic was awful--huge crowds on a college campus and narrow streets.. (took 1 1/2 hrs to get from the U of Syracuse Carrier Dome back to where I'd parked the rental car).... about a 6 hr drive home on I-90.   

First time I'd drive a current-gen Equinox--a very pleasant CUV.  Easy to get in and out of, easy to see out of, comfortable (the seats had plenty of adjustment, not-over bolstered, didn't pinch my back).   Easy to use controls.   The pano roof w/ power shade works nicely.  Good on gas I think--made it from Cleveland to Syracuse (about 350 miles) on a little over 1/2 a tank.  (Alas, no CD player or CarPlay but did use Sirius XM to listen to the Beatles channel.   I'd rent another. 

Who's concert did you go to this past weekend?