Suaviloquent

Managed properly, the dealerships could just be the trojan to enter the hostile Michigan market while really still maintaining full vertical integration. But now what is weird is how the other states that permit the direct sales will react.

Well, anything to send the economy into turbulence is going to affect other automakers as well. And not to point out an automaker as glutton - but FCA is much worse position. The losses in South America - it affects every automaker. The losses in some Asian markets. I think GM sells even less vehicles in Japan than Ford. Indonesia - fine, but hey, you win some, you lose some. Remember the money wasted by GM on Europe and Citroen? I think you guys are now becoming analytical think tanks trying to turn over every stone. Are we supposed to be desensitized about car company bailouts? or any bailout? Well, it's going into the tax payer pokcetbook. I'm neutral on the issue. But I don't like for example how Bombardier needs to be given the teet so often. Ever look at the revenue to debt of G7 nations? Yeah. I don't like where the house of cards will fall, when it fall or if it even can. But being worried for Ford's profitability is the last thing anyone has been for the better part of the last decade. They paid down their debt before. They'll pay it down again. If the don't - well there's a lot more loser automakers out there, more vulnerable to swings in the economic cycle that'll default first. For example - no one has even yet to know the full damage of the VW scandal. It'll probably require the flash sale of a couple of group brands to settle the diesel fumes.

I can see get getting rid of the Dart... It probably would have been better as a Chrysler to begin with.. but the 200 is little bit of a head scratcher. And for some reason their sales of the 200 were good in the last couple months, and then they recently tanked, especially for the 4th quarter? I'm sure it was mentioned before, but why?

I wonder if the new Frontier is going to be like the Titan in being full-sized because it'll be that 1/4 step needed to classify as one. But then again, I'm pretty sure no one has seen what the regular Titan will be size wize. Daimler makes a lot of commercial vehicles. As a Mercedes branded one, yeah they get some kind of preferential treatment in terms of why people turn a blind side to all the brand diluting fleet vehicles that their commercial footprint really is. I expect the interior - probably the loaded selling point of this truck to resemble a last gen sparsely equipped C-Class in terms of fully-loaded materials quality. In other words, the only trucks that have truly stand-out, luxury class interiors that are not plastering of wood and leather jobs are those trucks that don't have pick-up beds.

Well, yeah, Ford borrows. A lot. Their debt is serviceable though. Actually, when you think about it, the bail-outs were loans at one point in time too. They were really like junk bonds that had the option of being convertible. The benefit of that was one - the debt burden is reduced or gone completely, and two, if the shares appreciated in market value - the government might get something out of it. Except the share repurchase programs started when the stock was below par value - so that's where the government lost out. Someone should do the math - heck I should. It's all there for everyone to see. It's another research topic. Like the Tesla situation. Yup. Someone do the research. Do the math. get the yield to maturities and stuffs. Calculate the capital losses. Do it!!! Until then, a lot of heated debate...with no resolution because guys have certain affinities that they just can't get rid of.

Yeah, sometimes I think about Alberta Oil (being up here)... and I realize it's staving off the inevitable. Inevitably, Canada might be left flat-footed, deep into oil sands without much investment into renewables. But anyways, the tie in to plug-in CT6. It's probably going to spank the 7 Series Plug-In. I expect the plug-in to get 35 miles range and full range with gas above 450 miles, and like 95 mpg-e on flowing electrons. Now, given how Lexus is actually going to make the LC, which is better looking that the LF-LC... so kinda hoping Caddy one-ups the El Miraj. Will the V8 trim bring some more concept looky bits to the CT6? I noticed how I love the grille with the fewer slats on the CT6 trims that are Luxury and Premium Luxury more than the Platinum one. Actually the Platinum grille looks just weird from head-on? Not weird, but busy... and it's got like organic lines in the slats while the rest of the car is hard creases, angles and lines. I dunno. AutoShow will seal the deal. And then sure-enough, imagining a black mesh grille and boom the car instantly looks like the El Miraj. Why wouldn't a mesh grille be offered? Alright, another mod I would do. First get the Fleetwood badge. Then change the grille. And then source a V-Series Caddy Crest that is smaller. Instant betterfication. Also, what happened to the burl wood trim, the one that was on the pre-production models? You know that one that no one likes? I happen to like the reddish-tinted burl wood trim the most. And how come on the configuration...you can't spec the car to have wood trim on both the large piece of trim and the smaller accent trim? It's either matte/piano, wood/matte, wood/piano, wood/carbon, carbon/carbon or carbon/piano. But no wood/wood. Would'ya wood up the interior with some more wood, would'ya?

Yeeseeeh, I was alluding to the dig against BMW for the same reason - buyers in this class are irrational sometimes. But alas, having an excellent interior in this size and class is a basic care factor. You expect it no matter what. Or you should. What you don't expect is compact sport sedan beating handling. And that is the true selling point of the CT6. "Look at us. We can make a car handle better than our own ATS, and we can make it the size of the S-Class" ^^^^^ That my good sirs is what Cadillac I think is going for. We make more happen out of less, and of the less we use, it's the best. I can't believe people think I'm making digs against the car. No sirreee - i've been playing it up the whole time, but talking at the core strategic level. Okay, I do apologize in one respect - I realize I was bit abrupt and not exactly explaining the mishmash, but here in the explanation I'm getting at now. But Cadillac has to convince the buyer that this is worth while, and worth pursuing. Many people get out of the sport sedan for the very reasons they want a luxury barge. Okay, the CT6 can do that too. But if it's only driven like that for some, where's the value in better handling - unless of course, efficiency will be killer, and other qualitative and quantitative.... dadada dada... Now why would I talk up the Continental? Okay, then why are everyday people - who really are unfamiliar with both brands - the average joe putting two and two together. Because that is the key marketing riddle Cadillac has to solve. Do it, and they are bound for greatness. Like I said before, I would get the CT6 because to me, the mission of the car, as presented above (what I think atleast) is what makes the car incredible.

It actually looks like something you would expect to build off the Kappa platform. It's intriguing. I think the front end on its own, replace the headlight elements with production ready projectors and you have nice front-end for a small sedan.

Yeah, the largest MB dealership in Canada (I believe) has two lots. One in front has all the top end cars easily visible. But then you cut across from the adjacent parking lot of the Canadian Tire - and you see how the floor space of the dealer is like a hangar... and all the way back, through the other side is all the commercial vans, and the opposite of that wall is a horizontal line of perpendicular spots that is hidden from the main street overlooking the property. They go to great lengths to hide the fact that those things are sold there. Ever heard of Orion buses? A Daimler Company, now defunct. But yeah, the same company that powered mass-transit in Toronto also makes Mercedes cars, the anti-thesis of cheap wheels. Of course buyers do not know, and if someone told them, they would not care. Loyalty. That...damn.

It's going to be a Mercedes competitor to the GMC Denali Canyon with DuraMax. Interesting. Actually Daimler, the company's parent owns a lot of fleet vehicle companies, such as mass-transit solution providers... So them having another vehicle for commercial use, notably a truck isn't out of the realm of something I would expect.

Well, I'm thrilled to say that I don't like the Escalade Concept very much, I am pleased it did not come to fruition because the recent all-new Escalade looks FAR better - it commands such appeal, such "Escalence". Escalence is like excellence but with Escalade mixed in.

Waaiiiit.. What??? LMFAO... "The CT6 is just an flagship-sized sports sedan competing against the boat-like flagships. The only selling point is the excellent light-weighting and market penetration pricing model." "I expect the Conti to be more comfortable, I expect its rear seat to have a better execution of amenities and I expect the Lincoln dealer service to be nicer. But damn the Continental knows what it's about - the car exudes wealth and luxury." ridiculous without actually experiencing both cars. I won't make a comment outside of that.. and I've been avoiding a back and forth with U because of some of your over the top BS.. but this had to be brought up. Actually the selling point is the excellent chassis...like every mag has said. And the great value. All of which has been iterated in the media publications. The rest is subjective. Even Motortrend said it. The Cadillac car just can't wear a roundel as good as a 7 Series. (Which speaks volumes about buying decisions rather than product itself). And then the rest if of course, expectation. Expectation can't be ridiculous. And I do think it will be reasonable to expect the Continental to have a ride closer to the Mercedes Magic body control - like on a magic carpet like ride than the CT6 in their respective "comfort modes." But I'm okay with spewing out comments that are bs to you, and you alone, because certainly I have not said for the umpteenth time that I would get the CT6 above all else.

They've hinted at around $45,000. That's about what I would expect to start. Acura's RLX starts there. The XTS starts there. One of the former is crap. The other was good when it came out, and is now going away within a few years. A black label would top out at $70,000 maybe. But again, I think the market for such a large sedan is smaller here anyways than the bigger fish in China. And I expect the Continental to have a much smaller break-even point or as I shall say higher contribution margin ratio. So they won't need oodles of sales to recoup their investment. And the car is compelling. But of course the only time we could see Mercedes and Cadillac guys to agree is when they both think alike. I'll say it. Both the CT6 and Continental surprised me. Not so much as to which is better, but more as just how they both approach the same problem so differently. At the autoshow I'll have my mind fully set. Ideally, I would actually get both.

The other problem with debt to equity, is that there is so many ways to calculate it. It's just a lousy metric to gauge what matters most to a business. Exactly. I coudn't have said it better myself. For an activity-based company with mostly sequential manufacturing processes - look to asset turnover and liquidity in the competitive set. Which I believe Ford is exceptional. I would judge NOPAT as also very significant, and corporate bond ratings...

Does no one know why exactly Ford has debt? Well, paying down the 2006 loan was the priority, and only in the last few years has Ford been able to get back at looking at its liabilities aside from automotive debt. People look at debt as though it's bane of existence. But actually there's a few advantages. First - if your credit risk is very low, then leverage can help increase return to shareholders. Two. Interest expense is tax deductible. Which leads to increased profits which can be used to pay off the debt. Ford could have whisked those problems away - if they had wanted to. But I can reconcile not shifting the burden over to someone else. Anyways, the old GM company inherited none of the liabilities of the new Gm company. Which would be $173 billion dollars in 2008 money. Probably more than $180 billion in 2016 dollars. Anyways, look, the deals been done, and I am glad that the competition is alive to this day. But if it's been company that really has had to struggle to remain profitable - $h! Ford divested so many brands, lost a lot of potential premium brands - I'd still surprised at the turnaround that they are profitable and continually delivering above average returns. Now why is the Ford and GM stock trading lower these days? It's because the analysts and investors desperately want both companies to be bullish, but in honesty, the companies are producing sales and profits. For it to plateau for a few years is hardly a bad sign. We're due to have a market correction by now anyways. And also interest expense is incurred whether or not you actually pay down the debt. So the profits you see are the real deal. No gimmicks and no tom foolery.

Guy.. look at the majority.. and when I say majority I mean 95% of the reviews.. the CT6's looks are anything but considered to be "underwhelming." The only think I can give anyone who was underwhelmed is that for some crazy reason.. they walked into the situation believing that a production ElMiraj was gonna be on display as the new CT6. Furthermore the visual similarities of the CT6 to the CTS are real.. and would certainly have made even the most enthusiastic Cadillac lover stand up and say.. "Well I've kinda seen that before." But this isn't about just the enthusiasts. Its about the actual BUYERS. The sales situation of the CTS has little to do with looks versus the COMPETITION... It has to do with what U said.. a turn to CUVs. Not to mention lack of variants versus the previous models. I continue to be blown away when certain individuals act as if the Continental stealing from Bentley.. then Audi.. + Kia and Ford's own Taurus is suddenly the epitome of automotive beauty. Personally.. I find it to be coring as $h!. The Continental is probably going to outsell the CT6, and I bet it's targeted more towards the Chinese buyer. The difference is that in the dystopian automotive world of China, due to lack of local assembly capacity... the Continental will be exported from Flat Rock to China and since it is an import, it'll be quite bit more expensive there than here. I like that. You can have American luxury, as long as it's from America. And the people of the oreint will pay that price, because the car looks pretty damn good too. Look, I like the XTS, and the Continental will blow that thing out of the water. I'd still buy the CT6 over the Conti. But I'll readily admit, I expect the Conti to be more comfortable, I expect its rear seat to have a better execution of amenities and I expect the Lincoln dealer service to be nicer. But damn the Continental knows what it's about - the car exudes wealth and luxury. I love the styling of the car. Way more than I thought I would. And as per Drew, I'm certainly going to compare the car to the CT6. And I like the interior refinements more. The CT6 is just an flagship-sized sports sedan competing against the boat-like flagships. The only selling point is the excellent light-weighting and market penetration pricing model. Everything else is to the flagship buyer preferences. I bet people will buy the CT6 more just because it is a big car, not because it drives like a smaller car. In the minds of the unconvinced - you can spend more and get nicer interiors. You can spend more and gets V8 right now. And then you can turn over to the subsidized leases and realize it's not that much more to get the spendy badge. And those are all valid reasons to not give a damn about the CT6, because all of the above statements are true at some level. And yet I can give constructive criticism, not get brand-washed, and still consider the CT6 the best car I would want right now.

I just don't see the value in the car. Their buyer has to be particularly picky about missing out on RWD, option for a V8, and not just from other automakers, rather across the pond at the Chevy dealer there's a mighty more exclusive coupe convertible than this ever will be. It's not exactly a beautiful car either.

The Trax is a terrible vehicle - I'd just get a Sonic and pocket the rest as fuel money. The Encore however is wonderful, with the CX-3 as the best in segment in style and interior quality.

Debt to equity needs to be put into context. It uses the book value of equity, not its market value.... And two a company that is leveraged gets much better return on equity. Also, part of the interest is tax deductible. And, NOPAT looks at earnings better because it adds back interest, because what interest really is, is income that is attributable to lenders, while the rest is to shareholders. Anyways, Ford is fine. They took some risks by being ready for the downturn. Wouldn't we like more companies to do that? Their trade receivables are immense as well.

Actually I see not problem with the car being FWD based. Put in the GKN system AWD and the vehicle is ready to smoke tires. The difference with the GKN system is that it can be tuned to run the rear axles at all times, while the clutch packs decided whether to transfer any power to the rear. That means on power turn-in response should be spectacular. I wan the XT3 to look athletic though. The XT5 can look thick and blockish.

I think the consumer wins more by not going to the Platinum model. Because I think the car looks better as a sleeper, and I hate the grille treatment of the Platinum. Like seriously - if you wanted a luxo version of the 94-96 Impala SS. A technologically advanced, ultra luxury version of that... This is my favorite interior. It looks techy, and I think a techy approach fits the car way better.

It's a poor fate for the Dart. But I feel the 200 at least is a nice car. It's product cycle has just rapidly decayed in the market, and it just is add odds with the company is all about. The problem with Chrysler, is that's there's still a lot of stigma against the brand's reliability and overall reputation. And then to have an Italian parent which is one of the smallest car companies in the world - it's just sad. I shook my head when I saw him being given MT's auto exec of the year twice in a row. Because the cash inflows all came from its most oldest products, it had no clear strategy to stump the competition, and quite frankly, you know things are going wrong when you have to stop development of arguably important product, and still delay the launch of its best seller replacements.

Buick needed something like this, but not something this old. GM is using up valuable resources to bring to market a vehicle which I think has a dubious business case. Why couldn't they have instead shelved that plan and gotten the Envision here sooner? Okay, maybe the timelines were set in stone, and it cost barely anything to bring the model stateside. I do not understand why some publications think this is an excellent vehicle if you're looking for exclusivity. It's just mind boggling to me how this vehicle can ever be played up. It's a nice car after everything set aside, but it's competition is either even older or defunct or it's actually really got the perception of real exclusivity, such as the A3 Cabrio or the TT Cabrio. And they're much more expensive. In that price range - there's not way I'm going to settle for a 1.6T. I'd rather get a V8 from the two domestic pony cars or get a Miata. There's other brands in the GM product line that do need variants, but not the soon to be outgoing Verano.

Actually considering the difference between the lower trims vs Platinum, the black perforated look surrounding material of the screen looks like an artifact from the lowest trim. Look as the base CT6 interior and all the larger wood trim piece becomes some soft material instead. So the material matches more, and the interior looks better matched. It doesn't belong in the top trim, and it looks cheap. But again, we can live with it because of the car's price, but how much would it have cost Cadillac to fix that one error in the top trim? Or how much could we just pay to get rid of the eyesore in (aside from steering wheel as well) an otherwise well done interior?

Very well done, and I think the vehicle should do amazing for the entire industry as it proves that extreme light-weighting can be done without the use of CF. Also, I love how in the darker paint colors, it's almost impossible to notice that it looks like there's no cut-line for the hood. However - the non Platinum interior looks far different from the Base, Luxury and Premium luxury. As expected though. The realistic selling price of the his vehicle will be around the $65,000 range. + or - $5,000 perhaps. And there is a whole lot less premium trim in those interiors. I took a look at what that might look like in the configurator. The exterior looks exactly the same, but the interior looks about what I think belongs in the size class below this vehicle in their respective middle trims, not top of the line interiors. On the exterior side, there's actually less chrome trim too, and the grille isn't as jarring with chrome. That makes the car look like a sleeper, like stealth wealth. And I love stealth wealth, so extra browine points for Cadillac there. My only other gripe is the ugly steering wheel caused by "Christ! what is it with the giant Cadillac badge" on the front and the steering wheel. But I can live with that, given the first thing I would do is a proper badge job to get smaller badges and get a Fleetwood badge to replace the "CT6". Simple mods that will make a huge difference. The Cadillac badge on the V models is smaller and looks so much better because it is centered vertically and horizontally on the grille. I was also hoping for more trim choices as just metal only, and metal drilled speaker holes like everyone else is doing. And aside from the interior combinations that use only wood trim - the ones with the carbon weave with bronze accents look weird to me. I mean it's just a lot of sharp contrast and bizarre shapes. But it's nice that its available to those who want it.