oldshurst442

I dont like manual transmissions.

Im more of the cruising type. When I want speed I just mash the peddle.

Right gear at the right time for me is:  P R N D L

Put in in gear and lets go! Just drive.

Where to?

Dont know....just DRIVE. We will know where when we get there!

Sometimes its low and slow:

Sometimes its a tad more vigorous:

It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.

 

Just to say though....I HATE automatic paddle shifters, (The button crap that is on the Fusion...dont let me get started on that....)

Got those on the Acura....NEVER use them!

If one wants to row his own gears....get a DAMN MANUAL transmission....none of this SISSY automatic paddle bullshyte.

It works for Formula F1....we arent Ayrton Senna, Jacques or Gilles Villeuneuve on the circuit....we are on public roads....

A TRUE manual guy SHIFTS his own gears....

Its just like those coffee guys....with their latte bullshyte...

Drink Turkish(Greek) coffee or a real cappuccino...or if you want American....drink it BLACK!

POINT PHOKING FINALE!!!!!!!!!!

As much as I want to celebrate and dance with glee....

(OK...let me show some level of joyous enthusiasm)

But....unfortunately...butterface.

Well...Ill admit...Id take the Camaro out for a spin...umm....maybe not!!!!

The defection to Tesla thus far has been in the $100,000 sedan segment.  This hurts the M5 or CTS-V which are a small % of the overall line, and it hurts cars like the A8 and S-class.   For most automakers, Tesla has yet to make an impact.  Once they get into the $40k segment, they will start to feel it, even more so if Tesla makes a $30,000 car.  Once they hit the mainstream, the establishment is in for a wake up call.  

I really like this post!

Well, anything in this price range....is Tesla territory for me. So....

As it happens, I am doing back to back Tesla choices...

BMW M6 Gran Coupe or M-B CLS 63 AMG are a tad above this price range...but the Model S hits the spot perfectly.

Base price of a Model S 90D is $88 000. Id option it out with all kinds of stuff to hit the $105 000 limit. This is without any tax credits. With tax credits its the P90D.

A white Model S....but since Im buying the $88 000   90D version..I think a black Brabus styled Model S seems just about right. I dont know how much more this costs...whatever. Darth Vader has traded in his 1987 Buick GNX for this one...

But he can no longer say that Cadillac won't follow.

 

I mean I love me some CT6. Like a for 73k you can get a nicely optioned CT6 that spanks a comparable Lexus LS or Audi or base 7 Series. But that's not the point. Cadillac should not be value for money. Okay, it should be. But that kind of value should be one where the company also has customers paying more for it than the competition.

 

The problem is that he talks about quality of revenue, and then I just sign off and think, why aren't they charging more for their best products?! The Cadillacs should be premium priced.

 

But then the legacy issues crop up. I think he was more honest about Cadillac than ever before. 

I think he mentioned the "legacy" stuff twice.

I think he just realized its more of a  tougher uphill battle than he anticipated originally.

I think he saw  Cadiilacs dont command high prices. ATPs  got higher because of the way the options were bundled up NOT because the models themselves have commanded the higher price tag.  People opted to buy base cars rather than the higher trims because there were options that they did not want. JDN unbundled some options and THAT allowed for a higher price tag...

With the same breath, he mentioned that moving metal is not the way to go.

I think he had some problems with the dealer network that still wanted that business model but his solution to stay the course, unbundle some options eventually won many people over.

He mentioned and compared  today's Cadillac somewhat to a start=up company.

I think he is gonna start at the bottom and build confidence to finally get back on top. 

Before S-Class fighters will be offered to fight the war at the high levels, I think he is gonna start at the lower  and mid-levels first. With CUVs and SUVs as well.

Sub-ATS cars and CT5s and CUVs...

However, he also needs to fight the war in the trenches....at the dealership level.

He mentioned that he wants the Cadillac sales guys to tell people "boy are you lucky! Have I got something for you! And are dealership experience..."

Well, he has to IMPROVE that dealership experience.

A stand-alone dealership with a Lincoln style Black Label is a must ASAP with sales people that are PROFESSIONAL and KNOWLEDGEABLE.

I guess they DO need the volume. And the volume that comes from global markets, not just from the US and Canada.

China especially, and China probably being #1 actually.

Makes sense though to focus where the money is.

Market and product.

Grow the market, image and products and portfolio to make money so the halo cars could be made.

Isnt that what Porsche does in essence now?

They (Porsche) realized they needed volume cars to continue to produce the 911 and the 918 and future 918 type cars.

11 new models in 5 years for Cadillac, but the CT8 was not confirmed dead or alive.

But I read in another article that the CT8 will be MOTHBALLED....not dead.

Im guessing core products will be launched to increase sales and presence and when sales and presence is increased, a CT8 will be launched.

JDN said somewhere in the video that Cadillac has time.

JDN is taking his time to build Cadillac right.

I see his logic, and I think I like it.

Yeah, Brampton is more like the state of Punjab...

I dont mind the Punjab part...I do mind the Ontario part though....the English part....

(you know, Im from Quebec...English Canada, French Canada...)

(Oh what the hell am I doing? Im Greek for God's sake!)

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited base + the hard top...and get it as close to this as I can to 38 000.

I know, the Wrangler is a little rough on the edges, especially as a family haulin' SUV, but its the only SUV I like....so...

I originally missed this thread.

Yeah, I read similar ideas on this elsewhere.

Engineers and future city planners are really really serious about this.

Brampton is Canada.

 

We Canucks get snowy.

 

Das forget....?!!  

Well Brampton is NOT  ALL Canada...

Im a Quebecker and I resent that comment. Especially when Toronto is involved. (or close to Toronto)

NO GO ONTARIO!!!!

I vote to separate.

Not safe for work? Is that what NSFW means.

OK...sorry.

Edit it, because my editing time has run out.

For anyone interested Melody Lee Director of brand and reputation strategy at Cadillac has responded on a web site.   

 

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2016/04/cadillac-launches-fashion-retail-lab-for-aspiring-designers/

 

Nice to see Cadillac people speaking out more and showing what their mind set and mission is. I hope to see more of this. 

Yeah...they need more of that too.

To advance, influence and be part of future design trends.

THAT is also part of a luxury experience.

A pair of 3.8 liter turbo V6s as my toy cars

My family cruiser.

3.0 TTV6 Cadillac CT6

My daily driver.

2.7 liter ecoboost V6 Ford Fusion

And a car that I havent chosen before.

Because of the Oldsmobile heart under the hood.

And in supercharged form, is still a force to be reckoned with today

4.0 supercharged V8.Shelby Series 1.

Well...I  agree with you there SMK, about M-B not needing this S-Class 4 door Coupe and I too,  think M-B cars are getting uglier, some exceptions of course.

I did that post:

1. to have fun poking fun at Cadillac.

2. Although I like the new S Class, it does seem a tad bland to me, and since Cadillac aint gonna give me a car to drool over in this price range, it might as well be a Mercedes-Benz S-Class...but sportier and sleeker....something that the Cadillac CT8 would have been...so...Im all for a 4 door Coupe S-Class.

PS: I dont really like the S Class coupe..  

I liked him.

I will miss his designs.

I gnaw ice like some sort of Arctic beaver.

Arctic beaver?

Like...snow bunnies?

Yeah...I like to gnaw on snow bunnies also....especially the Arctic Beaver part...

I say BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

24 hours later when Cadillac announces no CT8, Mercedes picks up the pace, baby!

Poor Cadillac.

No mojo. No ballz.

This is Mercedes to Cadillac:

"And Im running away with it since the late 1970s.."

I could continue where you left off SMK..with trolling GM...

In China..where it is said that Buick survived because of China.

Yet the Chinese did not even get to buy a Riviera.

The only concept GM did was this one and they managed to screw it up:

The irony in this picture is that the Pontiac Aztec would probably not fail in 2016....

Ahead of its time. Its too bad that GM makes bone headed decisions...

Im taking a page right out of EL K's playbook. But... Im using a "professional" AGAINST General Motors to prove a point...

http://www.autoextremist.com/on-the-table1/

Mr. Peter DeLorenzo wrote:
 

Word is that Cadillac is scrapping plans to finally build a true flagship luxury sedan - the CT8 - most likely due to the fact that the SUV/Crossover frenzy shows no signs of waning. The design of the CT8 was said to be based on two of the most stunning concept cars of the last ten years, the Ciel and the Elmiraj. This is a car that Cadillac desperately needed, a statement machine that would go a long way toward projecting a new image for the brand, complementing the already stellar image of the Escalade. Now? So much for "Dare Greatly" and the big talk associated with that advertising campaign. What a bunch of unmitigated bull$h!. -PMD

 

 

 

So much for Dare Greatly indeed...

 Yes it is indeed unmitigated bull$h!!!!!!

 

I used to only use crushed ice. Then, encouraged by a friend, I switched to cubed ice (actually: half moons as they come out of my ice maker).

 

Now, after @ least 1.5 years, I'm back to crushed ice.

 

Gee, the world is a funny place.

So what did you not get out of the half moons that you get out of crushed? Easier to chew?

 

I have family members that have also flipped back n forth between cube or crushed and never understood why. I have been a cube person all my life so I am truly interested as to why a person likes crushed over cubed?

 

Then you get people like myself who doesnt do ice at all. Cubed/crushed/half-moon or otherwise.

I like certain drinks ice cold for sure...but for me, a frosted mug is the way to go.

The only ice I do is this kind of ice:

PS: Thanx Mr. DFELT for the info about the Chrysler 300.

True about the V6/V8 weight thing.

To be honest, I haven't checked out a Chrysler 300 Pentastar with winters to see how it is. And I haven't really tried any modern RWD car with winters in the winter. 

But then again, the Chrysler 300 Pentastar is old news for me. And I do enjoy a nice FWD V6 from time to time.

That is why I chose the Acura TL SH-AWD in 2012. Not for the AWD. But for the 305 naturally aspirated V6 horses under the hood.

The SH-AWD makes it that much more fun in the winter.  It does diddly squat for me in the summer.  It drives just as heavy as a normal FWD car in the summer. But...I don't have a problem with that. The 305 horses when most cars are little put put 4 cylinders in Montreal is aplenty of motorvation.

And I like a midsize heavyish car for cruising purposes more than I do corner carving madness. The TL SH-AWD is more than capable to corner carvbe though. THAT is what I LOVE about this car.  It has many facets to it. It aint a one-trick pony.

Well, the skies became a little darker, maybe we will get that snow afterall, so hold off on your congrats until tomorrow, CCAP!

Yes CCAP.

With a modern RWD car, Im am not about to doubt that a RWD car with winter tires is better than a FWD car with all seasons.

However, I am FINE with a FWD car with all seasons.

A FWD car with winters, and I sure as hell don't need AWD...

So...what is the point in getting a RWD biased AWD car then?

It defeats the purpose of the nature of RWD. Weight and driving characteristics.

So...Ill just forego the RWD/AWD thing all together and find myself an enjoyable FWD car to own for Montreal.

THAT is the logic I hold.

Its a bright phoking sunny day today. The weather guy announced snow for today...

Anyway, I could drive a RWD car in Montreal as a daily.

No problems.

What kind of RWD car are we talking about?

 Certainly not a V8...why?

Todays V8s make too much power, one has to feather even more, the gas peddle as to not over power the tires, and its easy to do with 400 ft-lbs of torque...in snow and ice...heck, its easy to do wit 90 horsepower and 90 ft-lbs of torque...

It gets squirrely fast when even driving in a straight line. Fish tailing seems like fun, not when the roads are narrow, because Montreal is an older city when horse and buggy was still the norm, and its even narrower when snow banks are part of the scenery...so, one has to be carefull not to fishtail and hit the guy in the next lane...and he is oh so close to you.

So...a 300 horsepower V6 will do?

Sure...problem is...its the same problem...300 HP with about the same amount of torques raises the same problems as with V8s...gone are the Ford Crown Vics that had 250 hoprswepower V8s...sure a Mopar LX car or a M-B C Class is better balance, but its still scary to drive this way.

One could buy an anemic 4 cylinder Cadillac ATS or BMW 2-3 Series...what for? Just because its got RWD?

My FWD Impala SS 3.8 liter supercharged V6 was a fun car to drive, even if torque steer was mildl;y present and was FWD...

Same argument put to the test...with FWD in the summer as one wants to defend RWD in the winter...

However, with FWD in the winter with my Impala...no worries about fishtailing...no worries about rocking the car back and forth...back and forth...back and forth...back and forth just to get out of a parking spot.

Winter citizens that drive in the winter, know exactly what it is Im talking about when I say rocking your car back and forth means...

Torque steering in the summer?

Hey...one has to learn how to control that for summer driving, non?

One could argue this all day long...

Like I said, FWD has more grip on its drive wheels...and some people prefer that for winter driving. I know I do.

And since winter is basically 6 months out of the year in Montreal...Id rather FWD.

Granted, global warming is putting a dent on the 6 month thing...

I also drove a 1986 Chevy Celebrity...

No electronics in that...

No problems.

A 1994 Pontiac Grand Am. Other than ABS brakes, drums in the back to boot, I had no problems in the winter.

RWD in winter, you could live with, especially with traction control...well, you need traction control that lets winter wheel spin happen.

I had a 1999 Olds Alero. Traction control sucked in winter, and that is with FWD.

I LOVED traction control in that car when the pavement was dry...not when it was snowy.

RWD in winter with modern cars. Drew once told me that a modern RWD car is more balanced and that plays a MAJOR role as compared to the real nose heavy RWD cars of yore. Ill go as far as agree to that, and lessen my haste for RWD cars in the winter when modern RWD cars are concerned.

But...modern FWD cars are also better balanced, with winter in mind as well.

Now, FWD cars, they plow forward, so they too have to be well driven in winter because if when does not know how to drive properly, a FWD car simply does not turn at all on a turn when snow is present....so...

All to say, that it takes a driver to understand what his car is doing at all times.

HOWEVER, when talking about grip...in snow...

AWD is the better choice.

Then its FWD.

Then its RWD.

Its all about traction.

And when a heck of a lot of weight is on the drive wheels on a FWD car, you got to be an idiot to get stuck.

An AWD car, especially one that senses slippage and cuts power to the wheel that slips and applies power to the others that don't, well...its self explanatory...

RWD...limited slip diff, traction control, well balanced...there is still not enough weight in the back to hunker down and force grip...

Its the nature of the animal...

Like I said, you could find all the positives you like with RWD...reality of FWD making better use of the its drive wheels in snow is just how it is...

Well, would you look at that...

Tesla's top brass realize the severity of delivering the Model 3 on time, they realize the snafus with the Model X, and this is what they had to say about it:

In a release, Tesla has assured that the problems that caused the Model X crossover to be delayed by more than a year will not be repeated when the Model 3 launches. The automaker has so far received more than 300,000 reservations for the Model 3, which was unveiled last Thursday night at Tesla’s California design studio.

Tesla has admitted that one of the root causes for the Model X’s delay was the company’s hubris in including too much new tech for the crossover’s initial launch. The automaker also said that insufficient supplier capability and not having enough internal capability to manufacture the parts in-house contributed to the delays. Just half a dozen out of more than 8,000 unique parts were affected by the delays, but that was enough to slow down the entire production process, according to Tesla.

 

Link to Motor Trend.com where that quote was taken from : http://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-says-issues-delayed-model-x-wont-repeated-model-3/

So...will the deliver or will they fail?

Time will tell...and only then can we talk about it...

For now...they have upwards of 300 000 pre-orders, and counting, to fulfill.

I think Tesla is professional enough to make it happen...

I hope that GM could sell that many Bolts as well because Im a fan of the electric vehicle.

Well here comes a possible curve ball. 

The word is making the rounds that the CT8 is dead. 

 

No word on what could be the change in plan but they could be looking to do a SUV on the Omega now? With the moves of Porsche and Bentley the segments large cars are moving this way and they are wanting to target millennials. 

This is unconfirmed but that is what is coming out as of today. 

I really thing in the next 5-7 years Cadillac will be very different than what we see today. But so goes the market too. 

Well, you beat me to it...

I posted yesterday from Road and Track that Cadillac has high plans for sedans...but today, Road and Track unleashed this doozey of a rumor.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a28725/cadillac-ct8-cancelled/

Yes SMK...

The S Class is a force to be reckoned with.

Now it seems its got that market all to itself for a long long long time.

SUVs be damned....a juggernaut sedan is still king.

Cadillac will lose big time if this is true.

I keep remembering how the British Top Gear crowd went oooooooh ahhhhhhhhh when they showed the Ciel....

The Brits were even impressed by a magestic car with a Cadillac badge on it...