oldshurst442

Its simple capitalism. More precisely to say though...its GREED. And because this is happening in the US in 2025, and to be fair it is reciprocated here in Canada, and this phenomenon has been in effect since the 1980s, its CORPORATE GREED since both of our countries have made ourselves servants and lackeys to these corporations. We abide by everything they tell us through their shytty adverts. We have stopped patronizing mom and pop shops etc... And when Trump was tooting tariffs as his election campaign, the democrats warned of such dangers about corporate greed...about how tariffs work (the citizen pays the tariff and not the country as its a fancy word for tax and how corporations will augment the un-tariffed product to be closer in sales price as the tariffed product... But, Harris and her party were all doom sayers. And she has a weird laugh on top of that. And the talk went on to be about how they are eating the dogs and they are eating the cats... Basic education is terrible in the US. And its by design as a certain political party in the US (and Canada to be fair but the tactic is less successful as Canadians are more community oriented) defunds education every time they go into power. Its also by design that in today's world, the two most northern countries in North America choose to glorify ignorance and vilify knowledge and education. To a lesser extent up here in Canada for whatever reason. Canadians in general continue to value enlightenment. Critical thinking skills be shrinking in the US of A. Liittle catchy slogans is what grabs attention though. They are eating the dogs and eating the cats. We did have something similar in Canada though. Trudeau has nice hair was our cat/dog moment 10 or so years ago. But Trudeau won. And if it wasnt for Doge, Musk, tariffs, Epstein, 51st state rethoric, 36 counts of felonies, we too, be having our Maple Maga movement. But...education is a priority up here in Canada still...

Maple Maga has very quickly quieted down. Oh...there is an extreme right movement here too. The diehards are just as die hard as your morons. But not as abundant. Our morons are slightly more educated than yours so the ones that actually do think, saw and thought about what is what and learned the consequences of being willfully ignorant and stupid through the actions of Trump, through the inactions of decent Americans, and learned very quickly that the extreme right movement is just not good. Like I said though, the maple maga movement does exist. And they are just as a lost cause as your maga movement. Problem is though that your maga movement is holding the world hostage. It be OK if it were only their own demise, but they are bringing the whole planet down. At least in the short term. In the long term, the US will be all alone when all of this is over. Whenever that will be. Even its life long partner in Canada has mostly said to move on from the US. Not a good thing for America.

Well, the Trump regime (and American dairy farmers) wants American dairy to enter the Canadian market so he put a big tariff on Canadian dairy and they also want us to eliminate our quotas to allow the American dairy farmers to flood our market with your dairy. I guess that would help your market with dairy prices as that would mean Canadian dairy to be wiped out completely out of existence. Its simple though, stop over producing milk in your US market and then maybe the prices would just stabilize in your market. Because their is an over production of milk from American dairy farmers that they have to destroy millions of gallons of milk... Having production quotas might make prices slightly more expensive, but no where near to what you guys are experiencing now, it does make for a more predictable outcome in how much a dairy farmer will sell, how much he needs to sell, how many workers he needs etc, and will definitely eliminate over supply and price fluctuations due to over supply. Also, a dairy farmer need not hire people to destroy over produced milk. No profit in that to spend money on throwing out your supply... But hey, yet another crappy American ideology that your friendly neighbor to the north has to contend with and deal with. Canada is married to a peaked in high school drop-out, raggedy assed prostitute who lies, steals, cheats and has no respect for itself and is forced to continue to be abused bonded in holy matrimony because America allow in God they trust and God does not allow divorce. Canada is sooooooo ready for divorce and there are many suitors around, but Canada and all her suitors know how much of a jealous psychopath the US is and are trying to navigate through it all without any major consequences to the children (the trade routes that the US begat and forged with the world) The world is afraid that the US will go bat shyte crazy like Glen Close in fatal attraction and Canada will find its pet rabbbit in a stew... Canadians are keeping their ELBOWS UP and avoiding the US. Quite frankly....PHOQUE the US!!!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/lasalle-police-illegal-border-crossing-us-kayak-rcmp-windsor-1.7602298 https://www.ctvnews.ca/windsor/article/lasalle-officer-thwarts-attempted-illegal-entry-into-canada/ A routine property check turned into a surprising discovery early Wednesday morning, according to police. Shortly before 1:00 a.m., a LaSalle police officer checking a commercial property on the 1800 block of Front Road spotted a man at the water’s edge of the Detroit River with two backpacks and a kayak. Investigators say the 51-year-old U.S. citizen was attempting to illegally enter Canada. He was detained and handed over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for further investigation. Police Chief Michael Pearce praised the officer, saying, “This is an outstanding example of how proactive policing can yield positive results. While conducting a simple property check, our officer helped prevent an illegal entry into Canada.” A defector... Reminiscent of former Eastern block folk from the 1980s...

I said the Z06, ZR1 twins will sell out. GM will build as many as the demand needs GM to build. And it will probably be a higher number than any Porsche 911 variant in that category. Firstly, Porsche limits production of those track focused upper trimmed variants. Secondly, like Ferrari, Porsche obliges the owners of would be GT3 RS owners to buy Cayennes and Macans and have a history of past 911 purchases. Only Ferrari gets shat on for that business practice... I dont think Chevrolet and Corvette as a manufacturing team and entity and GM ultimately, are ready to introduce a Corvette SUV as it once was presented a couple of years ago. The Corvette engineering team is too focused on giving us mental performance from the C8 platform. And more to come is rumored. And then there is the 9nth generation. The C8 is already on its 6th year. Its close to the time where Chevrolet is thinking on the next gen Corvette. Whether this next platform will come at year 8 or year 14 of C8 production, the 6th year of any Corvette generation is when Chevrolet starts thinking if another generation of Corvette is going to happen and is talking to General Motors corporate on what budgets are needed to follow. And then the engineering team starts to form to start thinking about what is the the next Corvette going to be like. And no...lifestyle vehicles have NOT replaced anything. The sportscar is still alive and well. For those that have the money to spend on secondary vehicles as toys, these people buy Hummer EVs just as much as Corvette and Porsches. But those that do not have monies to spend, well, they cant afford groceries in this current political climate. But sportscars are still being bought. Lifestyle vehicles...too I guess. I heard that Jeep is also tanking in sales. I dunno if its only the Wagoneer or the regular Jeep, but regular Jeeps have gone insane expensive too. And I do not see Rivians nor Broncos all that much on the roads nor do I see US peoples rave about Rivian and Broncos the way they once did 2 years ago...

I dont think its that. The base Stingray is exactly that Corvette. The Z06, ZR1 and ZR1x are just engineering flexing on what Corvette engineering and racing has to offer at a price point lower than the Corvette's competition. Hence why they went to Nurburgring with their test drivers and engineers driver the cars to show case ANYBODY could drive these cars, relatively safely, relatively aggressive but not so aggressive as to lose control and crash and STILL come out with impressive times at the Nurburgring. Its the every man's sports car persona that they hold on dearly to. I could respect that. And yes, the ZR1 and ZR1x are expensive. But 1969 Corvette ZL1s with aluminium block 427s were higher priced than the highest priced Cadillac of the time. Speed and ultimate engineering comes at a cost. Its not for the average joe. But...American speed is the most democratized in the world. Even at 200 000 plus dollars, The ZR1 twins are still half as expensive as its Porsche and Ferrari competitors. The Corvette has sold all it could. Remember, its a Corvette and not an SUV. Its a car that is 5 going on 6 years old. The Z06, ZR1 twins remain coveted and will sell out. The Stingray now can be bought pennies on the dollar in the used car market like all base Corvettes in the past. That is why it was stupid for all the idiots that bought the Stingray with dealership mark-ups the first 3 years of C8 production... The Corvette is not a dying breed. It still sells more units than its competitors.

Cool car. All C8 variants are cool. I like all variants of the C8 Corvette. But...I am not super enthused by the C8 all that much with the latest variants. Yeah yeah...the Z06 is a mid engine flat plane V8, Ferrari emulating experience. Sure it is a bargain price for what it is. And yeah, the ZR1 and ZR1x are ridiculous in their horsepower and torque numbers and the chassis handles all that power well and puts the performance numbers to prove it while all three variants offer a very luxury GT experience. Great. But Im tired of seeing the GT part of the Corvette always being front and center. The E-Ray to me is where the luxury GT part of the C8 Corvette should be at. The best of both worlds of supercar/hyper car performance and luxury. (Because of the battery weight and the battery performance part). The C8 Stingray is the Stingray. The base Corvette. Where the midlife crisis geezers buy it and pretend that they own the most special breed of cars ever created. And to others that want exotic speed without the exotic price tags of Porsches, Ferraris and the like. Just as it is now. The Z06 should exist as a GT car as it is now, but a more track focused beast that is stripped out and more hardcore version should also exist. The ZR1 should also exist as a GT as it is now. The ZR1x should be called something else as it really is a different car than the ZR1. BUT... I think the C8 Corvette needs ZR1 and Z06 GT luxury delete variations where SIGNIFICANT weight reduction (with or without full on carbon fibre bodies) , ACTIVE aero, and all the GT creature comfort options are all gone from the options list. Sound deadening included. Crappy trunks big enough for golf bags be gone. The Corvette NEEDS to shed off some of the late C3 1970s GT persona and return to being a pure sports car again. The C3 Vette didnt even have a trunk for phoque's sake. Neither the C2. The only reason why the C3 gained a GT persona was because emissions regs and the oil shortage made the Vette's engine choices anemic so it had to sell itself on luxury features. But Im happy as a Corvette fan with the results of the C8 Corvette. And I hear rumours there might be another mad variant of the C8 to come before the platform changes for a 9nth generation.

Mostly by US peoples. Mostly by the most ignorant peoples in the world that go by the moniker "American". And mostly by US peoples that dont really do anything about it. Whether they voted for the regime or didnt vote for the regime and really, by US peoples that didnt vote at all. So everybody on the damned planet has to pay the price for US peoples' ignorance and most importantly, US peoples apathy in politics. On a lighter note, I wonder what Ivanka and Melania think of Katy Perry... (if you know, you know with this comment)

Toronto Transit is starting to use BYD electric buses in 2025. There is a factory in Ontario building them. Thanx for the links. I am intrigued by BYD. I am not opposed to BYD EVs as much as I thought I would be and t has nothing to do with the political climate we are experiencing right now. I didnt think Chinese automanufacturing would be as advanced as it is. BYD is impressive. And I feel like I did a massive arrogant error in thinking that Chinese vehicles would be sooooo inferior to Western automobiles. Part of the mis-information that our Western media and thought processes go, I guess. My daughter is taking an Oriental history class in university this semester. The course is focused on Korea, China and Japan. I am helping her with several essays that she needs to write for the class. Yeah, I am reading her material in detail as if I was taking the course. LOL. I am fathoming a guess that this would be the primary reason as to why I have switched my focus to BYD automobiles lately.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/canada-dream-supersonic-bomber-avro-arrow/index.html

^^^ I havent really read any technical data about the BYD battery system. I was going off on the sensationalist headlines and youtube thumbnails to base my quick opinion of it. I said this and left it on the table because I had a suspicion that there was some sort of catch. Thanx @Drew Dowdell for the info. Ill look more into it. Intriguing BYD is at this moment. Im not trusting of BYD just yet. I will not make the mistake in praising BYD as quickly as I did with Tesla a decade ago. I regret being naive about Tesla. And although the Model S was a huge leap forward and was quite the impressive machine when it debuted, I feel like even though the Model S was thst good, I feel I was duped just the same.

A Canadian tariff story: https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/its-just-surreal-winnipeg-man-brings-dream-car-home-after-tariff-border-battle/#:~:text=A Winnipeg man's tariff nightmare may have all been caused,“I feel just great. It started out as a nightmare experience when the 77 year old man from Winnipeg tried to bring his recently bought 1968 dream car Charger from the US somewheres across the Canada/US border. He paid $98 000 US for it. Only for the Canadian border guards to tell him that his car will cost him an additional $46 000 CDN because of these new tariffs that the US and Canada are flinging at each other. (Lets NOT forget that it was Trump that declared war on Canada first. Canada is just responding to protect themselves from Trump's declaration of economic warfare) (I have to always repeat this as it seems US news outlets and media personalities like to down play it mis and dis informing Americans) (Many Americans ARE aware, but not enough of them in my honest opinion) Through a couple of days of looking at the laws and the tariffs of what those tariffs contain about what years of cars would it affect and when all those details would actually come into effect a happy ending actually did take place. He didnt have to pay the additional $46 000 CDN in tariffs. Details as to why are explained in the article. But it is a warning to ALL involved. Both Americans and Canadians alike. Like Drew has stated: Canadians and Americans have been brothers and sisters since the 1800s. Earlier than that actually. Press secretary Leavitt scolded France last week telling France that if it werent for the US during WW2, France would be talking German. Her ignoring the fact (mis information) that the US was Johnny come lately and in actual fact, it was Canada and Australia that loosened the grip of Germany in the West. (just plain ol' American arrogance as that was always the popular narrative) the D Day was a success LARGELY because of Canadian troops (but the truth is that). But even BEFORE that. The US BECAME a country BECAUSE of France... And the French settlers in what would be Quebec, Vermont and upstate New York after 1776 and 1812... (Just plain ol dis-information to keep Americans dumb. Americans do not realize that France bankrupted herself to stick it to England for America to become its own country away from England. And many King loyalists fled the new American colonies to join NOT the French colonies in Lower Canada, but for the Brits in Upper Canada. The French colonies fought alongside the Americans in 1776.... THAT is how close ties the US and Canada have. But mis information at its best. And plain ole uneducated talk from Trumps administration!

https://www.thewrap.com/the-view-ana-navarro-begs-canada-to-become-51st-state/ The hosts of “The View” may think Donald Trump’s endeavor to make Canada the 51st state is an absurd one, but realizing how Canada’s politics actually lean, Ana Navarro is begging them to just “take one for the team.” “It’s larger than the state of California. So if you imported 40 million Canadians, and made them the 51st state, it would be democratic rule for the next 20 years,” Farah Griffin added. Looking at those numbers, Navarro put out her request to Canadians. “Canada, take one for the team!” she begged. “Please, people, save us!” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is why I refuse to be muzzled on topics of politics. We want to run away from the political climate. We cant. Too many Americans view politics as a nuissance. At best. At worst, its taboo. Too many are uneducated. Too many make decisions that affect the whole damned country in a very negative way. Take the article I just linked above. Is it a phoquing joke to you that we are talking about the phoquing sovereignty of another nation? It is NOT a phoquing joke. And when a political leader threatens another country the way Trump has in regards to Greenland and Denmark and Canada, It is is a LITERAL declaration of war!!! It is a LITERAL act of war!!! It is NOT a joke. And in fact, the way Trump has acted in the face of Canada (and Greenland), it desensitizes the American people and it facilitates any aggression towards Canada or Greenland. And by too many Americans regarding politics as a nuissance or taboo, or basically garbage even in an automotive forum, it renders too many voting Americans stupid and uncapable of actually making the right and necessary decisions to protect themsleves from nefarious individuals. And THAT has made it a phoquing problem for ALL Canadians and Greenlanders... Let alone for the rest of the good natured Americans who are stuck living this nightmare. “Canada, take one for the team!” she begged. “Please, people, save us!” Save you own selves you lazy pieces of shyte!!! Learn to be political. Stay educated, informed and fix your own phoquing problems...and stop making it a problem for us Canadians. And Greenlanders. You think this is a joke? THIS is what Canadians think about the USA now. This was a speech yesterday BEFORE today's talks about it being a good call. It was right after the Signal app message text war/fight information scandal (for phoques sake...become political and get this President out of office!!!), right after Trump's tariffs on Canadian built cars to draw attentiion to tariffs rather than yet another phoquing illegal scandal... THIS is what Trump has has made out of Canada's relationship with the US. THIS is how we Canadians are feeling. And THIS is why I REFUSE to be muzzled. Maybe for you American phoques to wake the phoque up. Too lazy to be political. To stupid to be political. To mis and dis informed that Fox news, and all other media outlets are phoquing LYING to you. Are making a mockery out of you and your democracy. Wake the phoque up and trust me, Ill help you wake the phoque up!!! Too phqouing bad if you have to read this in an automotive forum. You have to read it somewhere. Ill force feed it to you. I did promise I wont be toxic. But how the phoque do you think I feel as an Canadian when an American journalistic personality is MINIMIZING MY phoquing identity as a CANADIAN to help you phoquing fix your shytty phoquing laziness and stupidity!!! Dont undermine MY sovereignty. WAKE THE PHOQUE UP AND FIGHT FOR YOUR OWN GOD DAMNED FREEDOMS BECAUSE YOUR OWN PHOQUING STUPIDITIES ARE THREATENING MY GOD DAMNED FREEDOMS!!!

Yup. If BYD's battery system tech is true with 100% charging in 5 minutes. Pretty much everybody is toast. And it does not matter if the US and Canada tariff the crap out of BYD and Chinese EVs from their respective markets. BYD is already in the process of flooding their EVs all OVER the planet. Including Mexico. And if Trump pisses off Canada even more with tariffs, forget about Canada banning Tesla from the Canadian market in retaliation, Canada might just erase the 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs and will let BYD flood our market too. If GM and FoMoCo Ontario plants close, BYD might be welcomed to use them. China last week or two punished us with 100% tariffs on our porc and other food products that we sell to them. Retaliatory. (where have I heard that word before?) Chinese importers will simply buy porc from other countries hurting our industry... If American tariffs on GM of Canada vehicles and FoMoCo Canada vehicles is still a go, our factories might close, but maybe if we let BYD flood our market, it will hurt GM and FoMoCo THAT much more. And it doesnt matter actually, Trump's economic war with ALL of its allies will doom GM and FoMoCo anyway.

Ive thought about it. And there are literally no luxury sedans (the big ones) in this modern era of the 2020s (and to be more precise to use 2025) that I currently lust for. Nothing from Bentley or Rolls Royce. Nothing from Mercedes or BMW. The Audi A8? I dont like it. I like the medium version of the A8. The A6. Precisely, the RS6 Avant. This. Americans dont do sedans anymore. OK...Cadillac has got the CT5. But it aint a big cruiser sedan. I do like the Black Wing V Series. I dont lust after it anymore. I got over it.

I saw one of these coincidentally today. Not the longwheel base obviously. Its not out yet as I understand this article. The regular one. I do not know what year it was, but it was this current gen. In person, its massive as a vehicle. Imposing. But it looks odd. Not very stately. Awkward and dare I say goofy. The front end looks good on it. But every other angle on it is just...dated. Side angle and especially the back end, looks like a luxury vehicle that would have come out from an Eastern communist block country...20 years ago. I was approaching it from the rear. It was in front of me in the right lane as I was in the left lane and I didnt notice it until I was approximately next to it from this angle. Then the traffic stopped in both lanes and I was next to it side by side. An older gentleman was driving it. In his 70s for sure. If not older. And I was in disgust for the car. The outgoing Town Car of 15 years ago or so was more elegant. Despite it being a car from 1998... Then I realized Lincoln makes no more bigely sedans... Cadillac too, has stopped with the cruiser sedans. At least for North America. I just googled to see what the Chinese CT6 looks like And I now realize that the Asian luxury market prefers their cruiser sedans to have these kinds of proprtions. Its weird to my American car style eyes. But the Caddy looks a LOT better than the Genesis G90. I prefer the previous American CT6. Our own @Robert Hall's gen CT6 is a pretty American styled sedan. But who am I to talk. I drive an American styled for the American market Honda Accord. It too, has these weird Asian style stylings.