balthazar
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Everything posted by balthazar
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"meant to be" is immaterial; it SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Lost opportunity.- 65 replies
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- 2019 g-class
- detroit
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A 12/2016 article I just read stated a plug-in was due for Sept '17, that must've been delayed, no?
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That's a shame; mercedes should build their concepts- they're far more intriguing than the white bread they do make. That concept would draw all sorts of attention & sales to the brand, even at exorbitant prices. Opportunity lost.
- 65 replies
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- 2019 g-class
- detroit
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Why is the Niro not reported by insideEVs.com? 27.2K would be #1 on the list of EVs / PHEVs in the U.S.
- 20 replies
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- december 2017
- kia
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WAIT- this is the 2019 G?? WTF happened to the concept G, the plasticy looking thing? Why doesn't Daimler ever produce any of their concepts? I guess the hideously low sales don't warrant a full redesign. Could had this: Instead you get a VW SUV from the '80s; you're welcome! : And I can see the exposed gaskets FROM HERE. Anybody still think there weren't corners cut? Daimler must have an 80% margin on this.
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It's mostly the exposed gaskets, but the screws didn't help. But calling them 'classic' is like calling WalMart uni-fit plastic hubcaps 'classic'.
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Had the woodstove going all day yesterday, furnace got to sleep in til sometime in the early AM hours. Was 78-80 in the living room. Works well enough to heat the whole house, tho the extremities get cool- maybe low 60s. Nothing beats radiant heat. Today it's 17 or therebouts with a stiff wind, that's a tougher hill for the stove to climb. I'd run it anyway cause I'm home but the back porch is empty of wood and I'm not trekking back to the woodpiles with the wheelbarrow in this weather.
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Obviously it's a beat-up a bit (body below the headlights is overhanging the bumper), but I think it looks fine in general. I like it better than the 'horseshoe' Ram grille on some of the current trucks. Ram has a solid track record over the last 10 years of really cohesive designs (just not in all trims). I would have voted to keep/evolve the crosshair grille, but I would have also voted to keep it a "Dodge" Ram.
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I assume most mercedes buyers came out of an Oldsmobile. Wait- that doesn't make any sense either. Yes: US market pick-up buyers want domestic brands. They are the best in their field. Remember when the op-eds floated on how the Tundra was going to do to the pick-up segment that the camry did to family transport pods? Never happened. Tundra- even after all the boom years for pickups, sold 10K units last month. It's worse than Dodge before it went 'big rig' in '94. But pick-up owners do not switch to SUVs, they just don't. I'd never buy a Tahoe/Suburban. - - - - - Mercedes flagship is the 40-yr old G-wagon- it has the highest MSRP. What a shame it's been ignored for so long- will be interesting to see how many corners Daimler cuts with the new one.
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Are you saying this happens or doesn't (trading up within brand)?
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A snapshot for you. My local Mercedes dealer has 20 GLS in stock, starting at $77K. Average price is $84K. My local Cadillac dealer has 7 Escalade in stock, starting at 85K. Average price is $91K. 17 of the 20 GLS's referred to above are priced below the Escalade cheapest price. GLS is the 'value buy' between these two.
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I meant in general between the model lines. Tho the CT6 is stickering much higher, there was no need to start at $56K. I expect it's base will rise sharply. Which motor did the CT6 drop for '18 and did it effect pricing in anyway?
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December 2017: Toyota Motor North America
balthazar replied to William Maley's topic in Sales Figure Ticker
In it's defense (if you can call it that), it was still being driven (note the trailer hitch scrape on the pavement). But of course the buyers came back, tomoco paid them 150% of (undamaged) market value for their vehicle!
- 13 replies
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- december 2017
- lexus
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Not quite sure how the pricing settled where it did as you state. Not that it's not permissible, just not intentionally desirable.
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I would have no interest in an XTS, but I certainly would a CT6. So despite the same brand and price overlap (at the CT6 low end), only one of them would be a consideration for me.
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However, Cadillac does have a VEHICLE to rival or exceed the Germans sedan of similar price. Much more important. My local dealer's current inventory : CT6 averages $68K, Esc averages $89K. That's a 20% price difference, not 33%. But allow me to query: CLA starts @ $32K, or aout 20% of the c-class MSRP of $40K. Why isn't it exceeding the next sedan up the line in volume, instead of being only 1/3rd of that volume?
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Not too bad in central NJ, blowing a lot, maybe 3" so far. Hate winter now, snow can go F itself.
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Looking forward to Cadillac's realignment of it's sedans. Most brands need to do this. I have no issue with the XTS as it is, it sells well, but in the grand scheme of things I'd prefer it to be 'rolled into' another and cut it to 3. Add half the XTS volume to the CT6 and it's at what volume- 19K units? Suddenly that's blown past the A6. But Cadillac should not chase volume at the expense of other factors, and volume is not the prime criteria to judge product.
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I strongly suspect we'll see some sort of 'consolidated' proposal in the near future that seeks to merge the sedan with the SUV. There are FAR too many models in the auto industry for long term sustainability. Models AND platforms are going to have to die- the price of profitability keeps going up.
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Can I give a 'Jeer' to the whole 'upvote/downvote' universe? Or would that be a defacto downvote?
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Not buying which- the CT6 or the S-class? CT6 is averaging 900/mnth- that's pretty good for a new segment player that's not seen much in the way of advertising.
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I've no doubt the CT6 is comparison-shopped with other top-shelf lux sedans, irrespective of their specific MSRPs. Just like the S-class gets cross-shopped with the $14K cheaper 7-series & A8.
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Point of correction was : S-class being down 16% is certainly not "on fire". SL creeps along, continually outdated for decades. How, nobody knows.
- 6 replies
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- december 2017
- mercedes-benz
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