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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    Anyone going to be surprised to see Model Y pre-ordering opened up in short order? Like before the end of 2017?
  2. balthazar
    I can't help to [dream] this may come out with a much different badge on the tail.
  3. balthazar
    '73 Aerovette was the first, I believe. EDIT :: '67 XP-880 Astro II was mid-engined, was said to be eyed for the Corvette. - - - - - Anyone wonder if this mid-engined machine WON'T come out as a 'Corvette'?
  4. balthazar
    480,000 / 63000 = 13% Let's see where it goes from here.
  5. balthazar
    Corvette, within it's segment, is high volume.
  6. balthazar
    Not in the '60s. '62 is nice & flat but no angled 'break' toward the front. '64 has a soft curve toward the front (not creased) & a prominent windsplit. Also note how much smaller the factory scoop is. Like Cubie noted; the auction hood has considerable taper rear-to-front.
  7. balthazar
    Nothing's showing up via my searches. 'Plymouth' is 8 letters, 'Dodge' is 5; I count 6 'letters' here. Base hood is VERY flat & non-contoured- highly uncommon. Dodge never wrote 'Polara' on the hood, plus the one above has a windsplit which the auction hood does not. I wonder if the whole thing is a fiberglas replacement that did away with some of the details like a windsplit.
  8. balthazar
    I own dozens of the 2nd one, and 1 of the 3rd one (also used numerous times). The 1st one appears to be a dollar bin 'spreader clamp' of sorts- don't think I would ever have a use for that one.
  9. balthazar
    I briefly looked at MoPars- that was my first thought, but it doesn't match up- scoop is both wider & longer than any I saw '63-65.
  10. balthazar
    Holy crap: in June audi managed to find a whole 301 buyers for the A8, and the July number is down to 270! They have 13 models and SIX sell under 300 units each per month. That's got to be unequaled on a total monthly volume of almost 19K.
  11. balthazar
    It doesn't make any sense to "push" the s-class as the 'top' when the G starts almost $30K higher. MB is putting SUVs above their sedans and have been for some time. I can't find 'embodiment' on their website, and I doubt most consumers have any idea of the theory. No; I think you're right : MB needs to push the GLS HARD, take it way upmarket, tack $50K onto the base and jack it up above the hoary old S-class, where more & more consumers expect it to be. SUVs and CUVs are the future and the s-class is sinking fast. Time to switch tactics and GO WHERE THE SALES ARE!
  12. balthazar
    MtM in cars, down 20%!
  13. balthazar
    36K was the 2014 global number, according to this source.
  14. balthazar
    Don't fall for it. Cadillac is a luxury brand- massive, multi-million vehicle sales is not the brand's mission. I suspect they're going to keep doing what they've largely been doing; building competitive luxury product, at ever-increasing ATPs, and raking in a few billion in profits per year. A nice gig.
  15. balthazar
    I'm not so sure about that. GLS is bigger, taller, blingier, has a much bigger star emblem in the grille... I bet all those people who assume SUVs are a step up from the corresponding sedan probably think the GLS is above the s-class, which is rather bland & pretty much dated styling-wise, plus they are usually black which makes people think of livery cars. PLUS... MB prices the ancient hoary old g-wagon HIGHER than the S-class, reinforcing your theory that SUVs may be perceived as higher up than sedans. Look at Cadillac- there is no sedan equivalent of the E, it has the highest MSRP in the catalog, and people know it's (currently) the top model. That probably extends to many consumers. Good work!!
  16. balthazar
    So people think the $67K GLS is a more premium product than the $95K S-class? Interesting...
  17. balthazar
    Feeling lazy- someone ID this hood for me. Looks factory in how it's faired in, but certainly could be custom. There's holes for 6 individual letters across the front.
  18. balthazar
    ANother context: Tesla sold 46K vehicles last year and didn't make a dime of profit, yet it's that close to Daimler selling 3 million vehicles making a decent profit. To channel SMK : 'There might not be a Daimler / Mercedes in another 10 years, after Tesla puts them out of business.'
  19. balthazar
    I dunno- Maser sold a record 36,500 units in 2014, which was a 600% increase over 2 years earlier. I think it's 'known'.
  20. balthazar
    Just in the last week, I'd seen the Model 3 reservation numbers at either "500K" or "180K", so I don't know what's accurate anymore. I doubt half have been cancelled- I would believe 15% from the initial placement... but now that hard numbers are out there WRT $, I expect it to edge up from that some. I think it's realistic to guess 25%. Still not bad at all if indeed the total surpassed 500K- Tesla could use a break WRT production ramp-up. Frankly, they could probably use a break of 25% off of 180K. I can tell you this IMO tho- a company that takes a brand new model and goes from a previous production of 50K to a theoretical 500K the next year.... I would want no part of a vehicle produced that first year. So how does the reservation thing work- if you have a 'ticket' and your number comes up, do you merely have a choice out of a parking lot of new Model 3s?
  21. balthazar
    This echoes my exact criticism of the Model 3 - people PRIMARILY buy autos based on price. Once the giddy moment of potentially signing for a Model 3 passes, the hard look at features & amenities vs. price is going to wipe a LOT of smiles off a lot of faces : https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2017/7/31/16069960/tesla-model-3-not-luxury-car-options-model-s
  22. balthazar
    Nothing like a widely read article on 'these 2 cars are being killed off' to stir sales. It's not advertising that's GM's / Cadillac's Achillies heel, it's press releases. The old school GM people knew how to hold Corporate / Division interests close to the vest.
  23. balthazar
    Not vs. the Malibu Hybrid.
  24. balthazar
    Amazon only has a virtual warehouse of other's goods - their overhead could not have been anything like Sears with physical stores and manufacturing/deliveries. Tesla is 'Sears' here, not Amazon.
  25. balthazar
    There are 54,000 taxis in Germany and 60% of them are Mercedes. That's 32,000 MB taxis. I don't know what sort of fleet percentage that works out to, but it certainly doesn't sound admirable. - - - - - Saw another interesting stat- German EV market share in 2016 was one-tenth of one percent. German is WAY behind the US in EV penetration! I've consistently stated that EV sales potential are being TREMENDOUSLY overrated, no matter what the vehicle is, and that it will take decades to achieve meaningful market penetration. Jeep, Maserati, Buick or Mercedes, it doesn't matter. Tesla sold 46K last year, that's a record, but it's still only a drop in the bucket. EV sales will rise, I've acknowledged that, but it will take YEARS. That's my take in a nutshell. Most people seem to think EVs will be at 50% of vehicles sold in like 5 years. I actually agree with you RE Maserati- that type/brand of car is supposed to be about a visceral, growling V8, not a faint electric hum & a whiff of sulfur. Going all EV not only would likely KILL sales via acceptance in the market, but via acceptance to Maserati's customer base. It's suicidal. Jeep has the room for a few EV models, but I hope they don't make a stupid announcement "we're going all EV in 5 years!". Every marketer working for an OEM seems to have some sort of brain fever.
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