oldshurst442

Balthy... That would be on par with Ford's Mustang in 1964... THAT little figure grew into a hot contested niche for the next 50 years. At its height, 7 or 8 models... EVs....in 2016...well....in about 5 years from now...most every single auto maker will have at least 1 100% EV automobile in their stable.... Most will have an average joe model along with an expensive one. And....there are more car brands today than there was in 1967-1968-1969...at the height of the pony car wars.... Back then, not every car brand wanted to join that war....mid size muscle was enough... Today....ALL brands want to be in the EV scuffle. Genesis CEO has this to say: http://www.caradvice.com.au/449914/genesis-planning-an-electric-vehicle/ Porsche and Audi and M-B think this too... GM also thinks this...The Bolt was launched to compete with the Model 3 for a reason... Nissan too with the Leaf....in fact, the Bolt is to compete against the Leaf AND the Model 3 even though that all three enjoy a different part of the segment... Sounds familiar? A lot like the pony car wars of the mid-60s.... A Barracuda, a Challenger and a Mercury Cougar were a slight step bigger. A Trans Am and a Javelin were quirky on purpose to be different. And the classic formula... With the Japanese trying to spin their own unique twist on it with a Fairlady Z and Celica... I see that with EVs today... If EVs were only a smidgen of the automobile pie....I dont see how could many automakers be wasting billions on a niche that will NOT be sellable....yet Porsche, Rolls, M-B, BMW, Audi, GM, Hyundai, Acura and so forth are wasting billions trying to chase a 1% point in market share.

Yes this is an evolution not a revolution of change. As of now companies are not even making money on the EV cars and little on the Hybrids. A lot of ground needs to be covered to make them more affordable and universally accepted. Too often people who live near salt water think the entire country has the same wants and needs as they do. Nothing could be more different than the life in Iowa and LA. No one may be wrong but they do have different needs and lifestyles and that is why it will take all forms to settle this transformation. Also along the way what ever is discovered can change the direction fast here. Who knows the EV could lose out to a yet undiscovered technology that may be found in the next ten years. Something new can always be just around the corner and you never know it till you discover it. You are reaching here Hyper....deep deep reaching trying to justify your own bias against EVs... "As of now companies are not even making money on the EV cars and little on the Hybrids. A lot of ground needs to be covered to make them more affordable and universally accepted." While this statement may be true....its a general statement... Didnt GM and Chrysler go bankrupt and Ford mortgage the entire company because they were losing money by building petrol powered cars? And....in Tesla's case....too many factors involved on why they lose money....just like in the good ole boy Detroit 3's case on why they lost money.... I dont know Toyota's finances concerning the Prius...but because I know Toyota has the largest war chest of all auto makers, and because I know Toyota does not like to bleed money either....and that is why reluctantly they killed Scion and NOT Prius too, only scaling back Prius a tad suggests to me that Prius is actually a decent business model for them... OK...not as popular...at the moment, for them to expand Prius, but enough loyal fan base to continue on with Prius... Also... 400 000 plus pre-orders of the Model 3 suggest that EVs dont have THAT much work convincing people to buy EVs.. The Chevrolet Volt has also carved a sweet little niche for itself too... As does the Nissan Leaf. So nay to that statement... "Too often people who live near salt water think the entire country has the same wants and needs as they do. Nothing could be more different than the life in Iowa and LA. No one may be wrong but they do have different needs and lifestyles and that is why it will take all forms to settle this transformation." True. Goes both ways though... In Quebec...where I live...EVs make sense...a helluva lot of sense... No one may be wrong...and yes we live differently than Los Angelenos and Iowans and therefore we all have different needs and lifestyles....but...if Los Angelenos and Quebecois are ready for EVs, that does not mean that people INSIDE these types of areas should just accept the dooms day predictions from people OUTSIDE these areas.....you know.... Washington state : 7 million people British Columbia: 4.5 million people California: 40 million people Quebec: 8 million people Ontario: 13.5 million people That is at least 73 million voices that will probably make EVs a very huge success in the next 5-15 years....there are other states and provinces also....but I think 73 million proves a point....not a majority by any means, but enough to at least be a niche???!!! So while it does take all forms to settle a transformation....in at least these 2 regions (1. West Coast- Cali, Wash. and BC and the CDN East Coast of Ont & Que) and any other parts of North America too....this transformation has already begun, and are not scared to change either...time and money are the ONLY restrictions....the oil barrier has already been broken.... "Also along the way what ever is discovered can change the direction fast here. Who knows the EV could lose out to a yet undiscovered technology that may be found in the next ten years. Something new can always be just around the corner and you never know it till you discover it." This statement smells of desperation... Again, while it may ring true...because once again, its a general and vague statement that applies to EVERYTHING technological in ANY given time... The problem here is....in 2016....there is no other technological tour de force that could rival ELECTRICITY... The Chinese and the Greeks of ancient times....they worshiped electricity....Raiden and Zeus.....they were not dumb, they knew what the power of electricity meant....they just did not know how to harness it.... We do.... We learned how to use it to our advantage for quite sometime now. BUT....We are just learning NOW how to keep it long term.... I dont think there is another fuel source as miraculous as electricity out there.. Maybe light...but I think it will take a visit by outer space immigrants to teach us to harness the power of the sun....as we havent got a clue yet to use that to our advantage....we use some of it to our advantage....nuclear fission and fusion....but we do great harm when we are not careful with it...or when we feel like imitating vengeful Ancient Greek Gods with it....

Last night, when I first saw your post, I was too tired to look at all the details. I saw the Lincoln MKX and said to myself: cool crossover thingy, it maybe a pleasant looking Lincoln, but still a crossover thingy. This morning, I was a a tad more focused and Les Habitats 67 caught my eye in the first pic. I said to myself: "boy, Ive seen that before" but the license plate in front of the Lincoln threw me off....in Quebec, the Province does not require license plates up front and upon closer inspection of the license plate I saw that it could be Ontario license plates.... So unto the next pic...Keg's Steakhouse and Bar.....English....License Plate IS from Ontario.... Wait a minute!!!! That building, whether the signage is in English and not French looks awfully familiar....and cobble stone streets!!!! Hey...that IS Habitiat 67 and cobble stone streets could ONLY MEAN Vieux Montréal...Old Montreal to the rest of you.... I LOVE my city Suave... NYC gets all the attention in the East Coast...its the Big Apple. Its the city that never sleeps. If you could make it there you could make it anywhere....Its Wallstreet....its Time Square, Metropolis and Gotham....its the Statue of Liberty... Boston in sports because their sports teams have won many championships in the last decade. Miami.. Will Smith had a diddy a while back about Miami... Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Miami, uh, uh Southbeach, bringin the heat, uh Haha, can y'all feel that Can y'all feel that Jig it out, uh Here I am in the place where I come let go Miami the base and the sunset glow Everyday like a mardi gras, everybody party all day No work all play, okay....... In Canada...Toronto gets all the hype in the East Coast.... Grand Prix week is coming up....that means yet another crazy summer in Montreal gets kicked off...too bad Les Canadiens are not the ones to be 1 win away from the Stanley Cup because in a situation like that....Montreal just becomes more alive..and THAT is a scary thought...but a very very very fun and crazy thought... So....I get very excited when I see my city being shown anywhere, anyway, and anyhow by anybody that wants to showcase her! So...sorry for my over excess show of emotion...

Im wanna talk about the commercial itself... The visuals in this commercial are just plain awesome... The old city in the backround is just stunning. Grand, with a sense of historic presence. Chic and rich also play a visit. With throwbacks to past Porsche glory in one way or other... FANTASTIC! GM brand's could benefoit from this style. From Cadillac...especially Cadillac, to Buick and Chevrolet. Instead, we got an almost same vibe with "Dare Greatly" with Cadillac, only to let that image flounder. Buick's message is that they are not your father's Oldsmobile. And Chevrolet is doing focus group shyte! GM has got a lot to learn...yet ironically, 'twas GM that introduced the world to dream a little dream of grandeur in the 50s with their Motorama shows... PORSHE has got it going on...all Johan and Ellinhaus has to do is just COPY Porsche's handbook of how to sell dreams!!!

SUAVE.... Upon closer inspection of that Lincoln CUV thingy...I REALIZED that it may be MONTREAL in the backround!!!! You sly devil you!!!

If I was into hatches, 3rd/4rth gen F-Bodies and Vettes aside, and knowing I coudnt cruise the vistas in an Oldsmobile anymore, Id go this route myself. PS: The only "Estate" branding I like comes from Chevrolet. 1971 Kingswood Estate

Hey! ILL TAKE IT!!!! WITH OPEN ARMS EVEN!!! ANYTHING other than just another CUV on the agenda! And in "M" flavour no less!!! And let me remind you folk that the 2 Series and the M2 are probably modern BMW's purest form of what made BMW what they are known for...pure driving enjoyment with the whole Ultimate Driving Machine cliches. Hopefully they dont contaminate the DNA with this one...

^^^ That is the irony of it all, aint it? Its a mad mad mad mad world we live in!

This would be a perfect "Deal with it" meme... You said my choice, right? It even has a vuvuzela in it!

I was thinking the same thing. I serious though in this way of thinking. Perhaps you are joking and less cynical than I am. VW wants world domination and now that VW is practically done in the US market for mega volume, maybe they think Skoda could pick up the slack. Or at least Skoda could give it a shot...they cant do worse than the VW name....

Arent all crossovers hideous, Suave? They are in my book anyway!

*SIGH* The writing is on the wall...Sedans are toast. Somewhere in automotive hell...this guy is laughing his ass off... Call me crazy, but Id rather the Eagle over any modern CUV/SUV....it looks better and probably hauls more stuff and hauls offroading ass as well...the reason why someone would by a 4x4 to begin with.... Not for a mm or two worth of snow on the ground preventing us from ordering a latte at Starbucks from their freshly shoveled drive-thru!

You are right Balthy, that politicians don't think through certain things....and yes, whether India or the Netherlands have not planned for it logicallyhell, New York and California too... We all know though, what happens when politicians get that gleam in their eye... Also, most people around the planet are having a change of heart towards pollution and the dirty car... Yeah yeah...I know...coal burning electric plants...yada yada yada... The EV is the golden boy as we speak... No matter what...most people are ready to adapt to the EV, and don't care about the EV adapting to them...and most people have turned a blind eye with every dirty little secret involving electric infrastructure, batteries and everything else concerning EVs, Hybrids and such... Hence my colourful post above...its full of those messages that I posted in this post... The thing is...EVs are the next best thing to hit mankind...and by hook or by crook, the popular vote for EVs is only growing... Between Silicon Valley types that think that they could change the world with autonomous driving, or the green people advocating emissions free electrics...(yeah I know...emissions free and coal burning electric plants...) and they are here to stay. The gasoline powered car's days are numbered. When most politicians around the world are battle yelling for the EV, most sheep will follow. Some sheep (like me) live in an area where its beneficial to my local economy and we as a society are ready for EVs....other sheep don't know what havoc EVs might cuase if petrol powered cars are banned...don't matter, the times, they are a-changin'. PS: What adaptation requirements are there? People charge their EVs from home!!! WHEN range will be as good as petrol powered vehicles, the need for charging stations DECREASE!!!! Plus...charging on the fly roadways are in our reach where we dont even have to stop!!! Its the electric infrastructure that needs to be beefed up...are we as a planet producing enough electricity to support a world wide EV revolution??!!! THAT is the question...

True....about most people not wanting to change....status quo, and only change when they have to....preferably/ How does this tie in with electrics? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/norway-ban-gas-powered-cars_us_57559c81e4b0ed593f14f4f6 From the link: Title: Norway Might Try To Ban Gas-Powered Cars From the article that was written...today: By 2025... New York and California by 2050.... Maybe... By hook or by crook... By want, or by necessity... By force or by will.... The electric car WILL replace the internal combustion one very very soon. We could go round and round in circles trying to undermine the power of the dark side... Lets face it...we all have a little bit of fear and anger in all of us... We will all succumb to the power of the dark side one way or other sometime... Greased Lightning is awaiting its Tesla battery transplant and electric motor... Dont hate the messenger, man! Im only quoting what he is saying... Deep down inside...we all know.... its the EV the one that we want! Ooo,Ooo,Ooo!!!

In the history of oil and gasoline... When was it ever "free" for ANYBODY, ANYWHERE on the PLANET to fill up for home heating or as automobile fuel? A dozen or so of car dealerships in the Montreal area spanning different manufactures from GM to Mercedes Benz(yes even Mercedes) all have had special offers in offering free gas for a year on a purchase of a new car the last couple years, but other than that....when was oil and gasoline offered for free for a good amount of time from a manufacturer or home builder ever? We could say that Tesla Model S owners actually did pay for that in the price of the car....because nothing in life is free. NO SHYTE!!!!! "Nothing in life is free" is such a general statement it aint even funny!!!! Even in death....I should know....I just finished with all that red tape in burying my mom...and although I knew about it before....a just got reacquainted with the fact that death is big business....oh....and I still have to file her taxes next year too for the 2 months she was alive in 2016....so as we were saying... Nothing in life is free.... Tesla still has the electricity bills to pay from the electricity service providers that provide the electricity...because we sure as hell know the electricity service providers arent giving the electricity they produce for free as that production also costs money... Tesla is bleeding money with the infrastructure they are building and with the electricity they are providing....either in battery production form or supercharging form.... So....we whine that Tesla is losing money... and we whine beause Tesla is gonna charge for usage....as it should.... Boy...Tesla could never win with you folk.... PS: To think that a product or service is actually free....no cost or no charge...is naive... Somewhere down the line...somebody is fitting the bill...somehow.... That Model S owners continue recharging without the hassles of pay as you play is PHENOMENAL... It will not last... Another general statement: NOTHING LASTS FOREVER!!! To think otherwise...is also naive....

Heard this song a couple of days ago on the radio. Im addicted to it!!! But, Im torn apart inside. I dont know how to handle it. Part of me thinks it screws up the original. Part of me thinks its a total botch job and does the original no justice. HOWEVER....the other part of me...the party animal side of me, the Greek part of me, the part of me where boys will always be boys no matter what age I am and damn it all to hell if Im a daddy...to a....10 year old girl....and she will grow up one day and hopefully will forgo all what transpires in that video and lyrics...but then again...its human nature...I cant stop her from becoming a woman... Anyhoo...I absolutely LOVE this version of the song: Cant get enough of it!!!! Alternate video: and the original: REO SPEEDWAGON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwtzUvcJIPw Classic rock will NEVER die..but dayum!!!! Too freakin' bad I aint 20 years old anymore so I could rock da clubs with Pitbull blasting on the dance floor with Messin' Around on the speakers and Im surrounded with chicas.... Its a good thing that I lived my 20s to the fullest in the 90s!!! NO REGRETS!!! I LOVE BOTH!!! and I THINK I COULD ACCEPT THAT!!! So....which version do you folk prefer?

Id rather go "down" the "suck" road... As in...RAM AIR... That is as far as I go with a preference with all this "forced induction" talk. I much prefer naturally aspirated myself. However....I dont seem to mind to go from suck to blow on occasion... This being my favorite type of forced induction:

Oh Paula....what has happened to you? I miss ya baby! k-k-k-k-cold hearted oooh ah ah k-k-k-k-cold hearted ssssssssnake!!!!

I dont know how I got from He-Man to Leila K, but I did! Oh...Id like to stay in 1989.

Hey Reg... Instead of giving me a -1...when that post wasnt even directed towards you....

Therefore.... However...you should Because...

Casa 1. I know you are that commercial. God bless you that U are still a proud American. I LOVE Americans such as yourself....Ive told you that MANY times that I RESPECT the shyte out of you!!!! And one reason being that YOU TELL IT HOW YOU SEES IT. You shoot straight! So....what the hell happened to the Americans that I LOVED between the 1940s-1980s and today? This is what Im talking about: Men who mean just what they say The brave men of the Green Beret Silver wings upon their chest These are men, America's best What happened to the pride? Why is it gone? 2. I understand why the compact car for Cadillac... I just dont feel that segment is worthy for Cadillac to be in.... I have pride for Cadillac. And I KNOW that this aint the 1950s anymore and I understand that gasoline prices and displacement taxes are high in many parts of the world where Cadillac needs to compete in and sell...and I also understand that many countries dont have football field wide roads for huge American Land Yachts to roam around in...yet I still think this segment cheapens Cadillac Prestige... You dont see Rolls Royce and Bentley compact cars do you? We saw 1 Aston Martin compact....it did not do well, did it? I dont care where that compact car came from... Reality is, Aston Martin DOES sell small cars But Aston Martin's small cars are no where NEAR in the same league as a BMW 3 Series...with the sole exception of a M2 or M4...and that is only in performance measures...in quality and in luxury...the Bimmers leave a lot to be desired as compared to the Aston Martins... And THAT LEAGUE is where I want Cadillac to be in...the Aston Martin league... If Cadillac needs to become more Euro flavoured....I reckon they need to be more of this Euro flavour...rather than chase German econobox compact crap.... I really dont look at gauges and judge them for "quality"... Especially in econobox cars....whether its a Focus or Cruize or BMW 3 Series and ATS.. OOOPS.....sorry....that last two cars are supposed to be "entry level luxury".... God, I HATE THIS SEGMENT MORE THAN I DO CUVs!!! Partly because I KNOW how pathetic this segment is and how its just a marketers bullshyte way of selling dreams to idiot poseurs that probably dont have 2 cents to rub together because they buy everything on credit and everything is on lease and NOTHING belongs to them while owning their sole to the banks while trying to tell someone that they are somebody....with lies and deceit...with fake Michael Korrs watches that are made in sweat shops and entry level econobox luxury!!! True luxury costs money!!! ANY Chevrolet should NEVER cost more than ANY Cadillac....with the SOLE exception maybe...MAYBE...the Corvette....MAYBE the Corvette....even then...Cadillac cars should cost MORE!!! Im on YOUR side Casa with this and with Cadillac...I just choose to argue it differently than you....from a different angle...

M3, ATS-V, C63 AMG... Yeah....HUUUUUGE difference when talking about compact luxury personal coupes/sedans....be Maybe U should have said that...as THAT is the ONLY way I could accept U not giving a shyte what your passengers say when they ride in your M3/ATS-V/C63 AMG... Because THOSE versions are all about THE driver.... The more plebeian versions....well, they are designed to haul...people..."in luxury"....in "ENTRY LEVEL LUXURY".... Thanx for acknowledging where I was getting at when I quoted you with my rants afterwards...even though it took CCAP to get the gist of things and while U decided to quote him and ignore me.... Ill take that anyway U present it....Victory is all mine! U know....clown suit and all....

PSS: Ive said this before... It aint this car that led the Cadillac resurgence in the late 1990s... It really is this car And its NOT looking back!!!