oldshurst442

Talking about Ford Model Ts and Chevrolet Corvettes regarding high priced, low volume EVs is wrong in my opinion. A Chevrolet Corvette is as far from a comparison to a Ferrari F8 Tributo as a Ford Model T is to a Cadillac of the day as a Chevrolet Bolt is to a...Chevrolet Spark. Why? Simple. A Ford Model T and a Chevrolet Corvette were (and in the case of the Corvette still is) cars (and brands) that were and are INTIALLY conceived to be mass produced with PRICE TAGS to be LOW for the MASSES as their PRIMARY OBJECTIVE. Henry Ford perfected the production line so he could get the cost/unit as low as he could so he could sell his cars as low as possible so the average consumer could buy one. Chevrolet uses a different approach for the Corvette, but the cost engineering behind the Corvette is to keep engineering and production costs on the low, so the Corvette could enjoy a relative low price. Ferrari and Cadillac and even the Chevrolet Bolt that I mentioned before do NOT have that business plan in place. Could anyone guess as to why that is? I dont think we have to discuss as to why that is. I think we all know why... The Chevrolet Bolt does have an asterisk behind to what I just mentioned. The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y fall into the same category as the Chevrolet Bolt. And I will explain that further... The CURRENT EVs that are on sale, do NOT enjoy ANY kind of business plan that reduces cost/unit to be passed on the consumer. There are NO smart/clever engineering choices (like Henry Ford's perfected production line as that clever engineering choice for the Model T as an example) that are implemented. Even at FoMoCo with the Mach E. It seems that the ONLY business plan available as of now is just to offer EVs at a high price and the early adapters pay the full brunt of EV experimental technologies and engineering and just let time go by for the prices to go down... This is where the Model 3 and Y, Ford Mach E and Chevrolet Bolt come in. And then economies of scale might kick in to save the consumer of few bucks here and there. Yes, its true, that solid state batteries will reduce the cost of batteries...but what good will that do for an EV price tag IF there are NO BUSINESS PLANS ALLOWING FOR EVs to be AFFORDABLE for EVERYONE? A MAINSTREAM BUSINESS PLAN and ENGINEERING HAS TO BE INVENTED and IMPLEMENTED like it has for a Model T, for EVs to be TRULY affordable for the average consumer... Straight out, full-on production for a Mach E for instance, will not cut it. There has to be a planned, built-in, thought of production of an affordable EV on the level of a Model T for that to happen. The Tesla Model 3 and Y dont have that. The Ford Mach E dont have that. The Chevrolet Bolt dont have that. The Rivians and Lucid Airs dont have that. The Porsche Taycans and Audi E-Trons dont have that. Mind you, the high end jobs like a Porsche or Audi or Caddy are not where we start thinking about affordable transportation for the masses. Even at Chevrolet for the time being. There is some sort of plan over at GM with the platform sharing thing... Yeah...like an ICE vehicle enjoys. VW will be doing the same thing. And THAT is where EVs WILL be coming affordable. Tesla having the Model 3 and Model Y on the same platform should also help Tesla in keeping their cars affordable. But Tesla might not be interested in that market... Tesla enjoys brand recognition as a top EV maker. People buying Teslas dish out the money. Maybe it be wise for Tesla NOT to delve into the affordable EV market...

Sandy Munro in this video has a lot of interesting views on the future of EVs, batteries (solid state and how they compare to Tesla's batteries and how Tesla's batteries and solid state will change the course of EVs) 40 minute video, but well worth it for a perspective on how the automotive world is on the cusp of a huge change. Just an opinion Munro's is... But its a perspective that one SHOULD DEFINITELY hear and take in...

This clip was in my suggestion box over at youtube I enjoyed it very much

^^^ Clearly the fault of those crotch rocket riders. They just appeared right in front of him. Cut him off. Basterds! Between them and the guard rail, he just about done everything he could to swerve. Anybody try to guess his name tho? Im sittin' on the fence with 2. Moe and Ron.

Id take THE Challenger from the Dodge Brothers catalog hands down. Honestly, at this point, the ONLY one Id buy IS the Challenger between the three. Id probably want the Challenger the way it is even AFTER a new gen is out. Its a classic that even if a new generation is made, Id still want this generation in my stable of cars. But as for the 4 door version, I wished Mopar would have updated the 300 the way they updated the Charger. Then Id want a 300 as well.

The Mustang Mach E does exactly what it should be doing. 1. Its creates a buzz by being called a Mustang. This way its NOT just another crossover SUV that looks like 90% of every single crossover sold. Love or hate the name...true Mustang or not...it gets people talking about it. 2. And it doesnt disappoint. Well...like the video suggests, if you get hung up on names, you will have a hard time living...but if you see this EV like you should be seeing it, its a great vehicle not only as a real first attempt from the ground up EV from Ford, but a great EV PERIOD! And that is comparing it DIRECTLY with the best of the best of EVs: TESLA EVs! What I dont get from GM and FoMoCo How is it that when they want to bring out a great vehicle, engineer it top notch and produce it flawlessly they do (Corvette C8, Ford GT, Ford F150, Cadillac Escalade) but they also CONSTANTLY phone in things and half ass them... Why cant they just ALWAYS DO Corvette C8s and Mustang Mach Es? (not the vehicles themselves, but the QUALITY of work behind these machines)

We (my wife and 2 kids) bike ride often in the summer. But we dont lug our bikes around in our cars to go to trails far from home. There are plenty of mountain trails in and around the island of Montreal, its just that we dont feel like lugging around bicycles to get to the trails. We bike around our home. There are plenty of bike paths and parks with gorgeous scenery of the Saint-Laurence river and Lac Saint Louis (the little body of water that the river flows through and around the south-western tip of Montreal that kinda forms a lake...but not). I mostly bike ride with my kids going to the baseball diamond when I practice their skills doing baseballl/softball drills with them. They with their mom bike when Im at work. Great cardio and great exercise for their legs. I use that as a tool to strengthen their leg, thigh and calf muscles. Both of my kids are not power hitters naturally, but hitting for power DOES start with the legs...

Maybe...EVs OUTSIDE of Teslas, Cadillacs, Audis, Lucid quite possibly Ferraris and Porsches (if they ever decide to get on that train...because they might not have a choice either...but that is for another discussion...) maybe all other EV makers should focus on performance figs that are battery and range and charge times oriented rather than speed? Especially biggly, hugely EV trucks and EV SUVs... I mean, I know Dodge and Chevrolet and Ford in the 1920s and 1930s all had horsepower wars with each other, but Duesenbergs were still kicking their ass. I mean... Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford during those times , were also concentrating on comfort and suspensions and the like... I mean...they tried to offer the creature comfort stuff that Cadillacs and Buicks were known for... I mean, there are other, more critical stuff to an EV's success other than speed performance. Speed is sexy. And THAT is why Teslas sell. But Teslas also got state of the art electric motors, electronics and software. But biggly hugely EV trucks and SUVs need not go that fast...

^^^ Thanx. I re-read my post and the posting style on it sounds...condescending to me. I didnt mean it to be condescending. I wanted the post to come off as a slight debate, while at the same time agreeing with you. Im glad you read it as the way I wanted it to be. Yes...all those luxury brands I mentioned, at least the American ones, co-existed with car companies that wanted to sell higher volumes for the Average Joe. In Europe, the tendency for automobile manufactures was to cater to the rich. One of the Mercedes-Daimler-Benz trio wanted to produce a vehicle for the masses. I forget which one. All three men had their (and Maybach making it 4 men) all had their own company and they all merged together at different times. Very confusing history this company... It was Hitler who had ultimately decided though that Germany needed a people's car. And 'twas Porsche who delivered it for Germany...albeit after the war...as the Bug was made into a Wehrmacht personnel carrier... I do believe Porsche worked at Mercedes in the 1930s... In Italy, Fiat produced cars for the Average Joe. But Alpha Romeo was for the rich. In any case, Europe would never reach the levels of automotive construction and affordability as of that of America in that time. It took Europe up until the 1990s for Average Joe Europeans to afford vehicles the way Americans and Canadians did and continue to do so. I also agree, EVs...for the Average Joe to buy them, and for them to ACTUALLY BECOME mainstream, the prices HAVE to be in the area you mentioned. I do not know if Tesla could ever become a mainstream EV brand, because of what they now have as brand recognition as a top EV brand, or because they wont be enjoying the economies of scale the way General Motors does, but it will take an ICE manufacturer of the likes of GM or VW or Toyota to BE that mainstream EV maker and offer EVs in that lower price bracket as they could offer higher priced EVs with their luxury makes to offset the still expensive batteries and EV tech.

sure. Like Duesenberg, Bentley, Packard, Rolls-Royce, Alfa Romeo, Benz, Cadillac, Buick, Mercedes, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow. (all car companies that were pioneers and at the forefront of automobile making and most of those companies bore the name of their founders and/or engineers) Tesla, Lucid, Rivian all fall inti that category above. These latest, modern companies that happen to produce EVs just fall into that same path that their ICE counterparts did over 100 years ago. Tesla, Lucid, Rivian never once said they'd be producin' EVs for the Average Joe to afford. What IS missing in the EV manufacturing arena IS an EV company like a FoMoCo where the INTIAL business case IS to build for the average Joe. However...how many companies did Ford have to go through to actually achieve this? One of his former companies that he founded actually became a premier luxury company that is still producing luxury vehicles... The 1st Model T was sold in 1908. Duesenberg was founded in 1913. I dont think the Duesenberg brothers cared that much for that part of the market. Ditto for Mr. Rolls and Mr. Royce. Who happened to found their company in 1906. The Dodge Brothers who worked for Henry Ford went on their own way in 1914 wanted to produce cars for the Average Joe. But yeah...Lucid, Tesla, Rivian is for the people who have dough. Lots of it. GMC-HUMMER, Cadillac EVs are for people who have lots of do-re-mi as well. Audi. M-B. But that is a gimme as their ICE counterparts are meant for folks who have money to burn. Chevrolet, VW, Toyota, Ford...those are the manufacturers that are to produce EVs that you and I could afford. But these are not out yet. And how much will these at Chevrolet, VW, Toyota, Ford will cost? Well...we dont know, but the Mustang Mach E from Ford starts at 43 000 and ends at 60 000. So around 52 000 would be the norm I guess. Is that affordable? I dont know...but considering that the F-150 pick-up starts at 30 000 and ends at 75 000 and the Mustang ICE coupe...starts at 23 000 and ends at 53 000, Id say the Mach E's price is right in the middle of Ford's bread and butter model and just above Ford's iconic sports coupe... Not quite in the footsteps of a Model T...but not that far off of a mid 1960s Personal Coupe Thunderbird either...

^^^ Kwebeck more precisely

@balthazar I think weather (salt breeze by an ocean, dry dry climate with an occasional gust of wind containing sand if near a dessert, humid/damp climates and below freezing temps and salt on road surfaces as an icemelter) are the real killer of cars more than time (itself) and wear and tear. Its when servicing and replacing (parts) and issues become more frequent and less worth it to continue to do so is when cars should be thought of to be disposed of. Of course safety has to be factored in. Weather...just accelerates the time part of that equation. I once said in here that Id rather buy new rather than used. I got chastised for it. Well...potholes, salted roads, below freezing weather wreaking havoc on seals (yup...below freezing weather screw up seals as much as hot dry climates...), engines blocks, sensors...because...at least I start with a new canvas...a new clock that starts at zero and the countdown begins when I first drive it. Buying a used car could be a gamble as one does not know how well the previous driver maintained and utilized the car. If one buys a 3 year old car...in a climate that eats up cars, and that used car was not maintained properly, the amount of money saved on depreciation could very well be EASILY spent and BYPASSED on PROPER repairs. Thus saving nothing and possibly be BEHIND. Its a gamble. To which I dont want to play. I make enough money and have enough cash flow as to not have to bat an eyelash for such a gamble. Not worth the risk for me. I was laughed at by another poster telling me to buy an American vehicle. Well, my awesome government wants to prevent such endeavors so my government puts all kinds of regulatory and financial obstacles to deter such behaviour. Unless we are talking about hobby/toy cars, again, not worth the trouble. Then he suggested I buy from British Columbia. Vancouver area and have it shipped to Montreal... Vancouver is rainy. Rain is just as bad for corrosion as is salt on icy roads... He might not believe so....but what could I tell ya... Again...looking for a daily driver and not a toy...not worth the hassle for me. Shipping and the gamble that the car might get damaged from shipping...Vancouver to Montreal is..well...far. Only to buy a car that comes from that far and realize its in bad shape. Not how it looked in the pictures as we all know how honest fellow human beings could be, ESPECIALLY in the car world... All that just to say to you: CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW CAR PURCHASE!!!

I tell you what... Id LOVE to own a beater like that, maybe put bump/crash bars like cop cars got up front and that way, I wouldnt care who would try to cut me off, or run a stop sign, or park close to me at a Walmart parking lot...because even though my TL is 8 going on 9 years old, daily driven in Montreal winter weather, my car still looks good like your Escalade does, (well...your Escalade looks AMAZING and better than my TL even tho your vehicle is even OLDER than mine), and I still fear on denting my car in ANY way in ANY driving situation because of idiots on the road. Yes, like how you said...I take care of my car and still want for it to look as good as it could be. But if I had a beater like that, I wouldnt have ANY anxieties. Besides, asshats on the road would think twice, maybe, in trying anything risky when sharing the road with a beater with bump bars up front like that. And its a plus that I actually like the way that Malibu looks all beat up like that.

I never liked this gen Malibu. Or any of the rest of the A-Body cars that shared this body style. (Buick Century, Olds Cutlass 4 door Salon, Pontiac Bonneville and Lemans 4 door, mind you, the Lemans coupe I liked...) But somehow, in that state, I like.

Im not a Star Trek geek, no. Iv seen some original Star Trek episodes on reruns when I was a kid in the '70s, saw the first two movies in the 80s. Was never a fan of the Picard stuff. The rebooted JJ Abrams movies, imo, were great, but Im not a Star Trek geek. Im more of a Star Wars geek. But as not as geeky enough as to think of my car(s) as Star Wars ships. Interesting geeky idea though. 1. I think of my Acura TL as some sort of a US Airforce stealth fighter though as the TL has all kinds of weird angles and triangular shapes, like a stealth fighter would. Plus mine is the charcoal black colour as well. I think that kind of thinking is geeky enough. 2. my imaginations have run wild on me from time to time and I sometimes do dream of what kind of character Id be in a movie. I geek out that way from time to time. If I was living in the period of the 'ole west, Id be a saloon owner. Id be an excellent pistoleer as I would be practicing shooting every day just in case a drunken outlaw would try to get the upper hand in my saloon, or they would get testy playing poker or defend my family, house and property just in case the railway companies would want to take over my land... In Star Wars, Id join the rebels and be an X-Wing fighter pilot. Back home, Id have a Diner of some sort on a planet that the Empire sucked dry. Id leave my wife run it while Id try to free the Galaxy from the clutches of Darth Vader and beyond... Id bump into Han Solo and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker from time to time, but mostly Id go rogue on my own and cause my own havoc on Stormtroopers and the Empire and First Order.

Not quite... Many corporations, many extremely filthy rich folk... pay really good money, money that middle class and poor folk will make in decades...will never make in a lifetime pay for accounting services...to hide, circumvent and bend tax laws... hence why I said creative accounting... hence why I mention tax havens... The middle class folk, and the poor folk...do not have the monetary resources to pull this off. What the middle class folk and the poor folk do is simply not file or report certain income...and with that method, its quite simple for the IRS to catch on. But with the help of very expensive accountants that know how to circumvent and be creative...well...I do not need to repeat myself. And...when I mean expensive lawyers and accountants, I really mean monies that these rich folk pay for these services that middle class and poor people could only DREAM of having...that is ONLY of the salary paid for services rendered, never you mind the amounts hidden from the feds... OH...let us NOT forget the many open loop holes DELIBERATELY left open by certain party politicians for the extremely rich folk could take advantage of. Yes...the richest of the rich supply the tax money chain with the most monies... OBVIOUSLY as THEY got the MOST phoquing money... I mean...if a rich guy has a million dollar salary per year job and has a mulit-million dollar bonus a particular tax year, OBVIOUSLY he will pay an amount MORE than the poor schlepp that is making just above the poverty line. That is where that article you posted comes from... Let us not pretend that poor folk have an equal amount of cheating when it comes to tax time. Let us not pretend that cheating on taxes is permissible for the poor folk. It aint the poor people that keep their hard earned money in the Cayman Islands, in Swiss Bank accounts or in Cyprus, etc...

I always had it in my mind that Buckwheat and Dr. Feelgood were the same person. Two mythical deadbeats whose story was told differently by the people from their respective Coast. Hip Hoppers in the East and Rock-N-Rollers in the West.

I thought one smoked grass.... Anyway...its best for everyone if "blowin" (wink wink) grass is done privately...

Cool looking building.