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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    You are incorrect IMO, sir. Starting @ $62K means most on lot will likely be solidly over $70K, maybe $75K. Even if one gets $7500 off, you are still back to $63-68K (before taxes & fees). "Very large group" and "the masses" are still 2 different groups of consumers here. Porsche only moved 6200 Boxster/Caymans in 2016- not exactly ingrained with the 'masses'.
  2. balthazar
    The last 10 years went from 0 to 0.9. Gaining .9 every decade would put sales at about 3-4% by 2040; did someone misplace a decimal point?
  3. balthazar
    RE : "Projected Sales of EV's moving Forward"… As EV sales are too low to even chart a trend, I wonder what objective information they used to 'predict' a rise to 30% of the market?
  4. balthazar
    ^ wait. 'Less than the Panemera' (that starts at $78K) is not even an implication that it'll be priced "for the masses". In fact, the 'most affordable' Porsche starts @ $46K… which still is not 'priced for the masses'… and I will lay down money the production Mission E will be closer to $78K than $46K- meaning it'll start over $62K.
  5. balthazar
    Its an interesting design- I like the octa-eye headlights and the Cadillac-esque 'tear' down from them. The car also looks incredibly smooth… are these CGI pics?
  6. balthazar
    Well the 5-series sure ain't gettin' any toes naked.
  7. balthazar
    Jeep "is supposed to be" about 'total off-road capability', but I don't see them capitalizing on that with the Compass & Renegade, which absolutely aren't. Orrrrr : maybe a brand can be more than a singular directive (like uber-lux sedans / cheaply-built cargo boxes under the same badge). It's the nature of the industry, I am surprised you are oblivious to it. [[ Hey- how come you don't bash the Jaguar f-pace, which starts only $1500 higher than the XT5, for "not going head-to-head with the Germans"?? Does that put the f-pace into your 'Group A' by default? Or in this example, is price no longer a factor?]] The 75% soccer mom buyers of SUVs from BMW, et al, don't have any earthly idea what sort of platform is under there; they're not bought for performance or handling or road manners or anything beyond the badge & creature comforts. I GUARANTEE you if BMW suddenly changed the X5 to FWD/AWD (AWD: the VAST majority of ALL these mentioned are- "it's a growth segment!"), sales wouldn't fall any faster than they have been over the last 2 years. Cadillac does not conform to your definition of it, and never will. The brand is luxury, it is performance, it is many other things, not necessarily everyone of them at the same time. Just like the E300 can't outrun a Camry V6 to 60. The performance aspect is not necessarily just a screaming 0-60 -these cars aren't put into competition-, but it means general excellent performance. Cadillac is sorry if you got the impression that meant drag racing; they're sending a card.
  8. balthazar
    Doesn't matter what the X3/5 are priced at, this isn't a BMW. So many internet armchair jockeys have wailed & knashed their teeth that Cadillac is "copying" (lol) the other brands..., that "Cadillac should be Cadillac" with no Earthly idea whatsoever what that may mean- but when Cadillac steps outside the tight, arbitrarily-defined ranges by the critics, suddenly the Cadillac "doesn't compete". Bullshit. This is the product Cadillac has built & priced it where it is. Where does it rank on your always critical sales chart? Cadillac does NOT want to compete in every segment, and they are NOT looking to challenge the mainstream luxury brands in volume. Write that on a piece of tape, stick it to your screen, read it once in a while; it'll help your comprehension.
  9. balthazar
    • Cadillac pricing is a growth segment- rising far quicker than at BMW (where sales were down 10% last year). • Cadillac CT6 price range : $55K - $90K. • Cadillac XT5 is crushing the X5 in sales. You love sales metrics. Dec 2016 ~ X5 : 6245 XT5 : 7436 X5 down 13% last year (some conquest sales to the XT5)?
  10. balthazar
    There's a LOT more to the luxury segment that sub-compact CUVs and sedans. Wrong- Cadillac should NOT gun for every segment, every niche. XT4, XT5, XT7 and Escalade, done. BMW X3 is only 6" shorter than the XT5- the XT4 will be in the X3 segment, there's zero need for something yet again smaller.
  11. balthazar
    All that cash coming out of the state transportation fund? That's like $4K/car.
  12. balthazar
    They don't "need" to be in every segment, that's a fallacy. It's about defining the brand, not buttering toast. For example- where's the $30K Porsche (could use the VW 2.0T)? Answer- though it would sell in potential huge numbers, that's not where Porsche had decided to go. They are a lower volume brand that has defined themselves. A Spark-based Cadillac CUV?? Dear God- who's asking? 'Because they can' is not a marketing principal (see above). And Cadillac is not a mass market brand- hopefully those calling the shots going forward know that. One of the things within that should be a definition of size range. A car below the ATS in size would be an utter disaster, the least of reasons being it would primarily split that Cadillac segment (ATS/subATS) further.
  13. balthazar
    No one is going to buy a 'stelvio', however, so -no doubt you'll agree- it's a 'failure'. Here's again to hoping Cadillac bypasses the foolishness of any CUV below the XT4.
  14. balthazar
    I dunno, some of the recent recalls are for some horrific potential byproducts of new technology/ manufacturing lapses. But they are, by far, the norm; yes. Now if technology could erase some of the detrimental compromises instilled under 'new technology'… that would truly be celebratory.
  15. balthazar
    One could certain argue those are not universal; not everything is better done.
  16. balthazar
    Pretty positive Cadillac is not looking to "match" MB/BMW. And 'compact coupe CUVs' are largely a waste of development dollars- look at X4/X6 sales vs X3/X5. Cadillac would be wise to STOP at any CUV smaller than the XT4, and don't for a second think about any 'squashed sedan CUVs.
  17. balthazar
    Technology in automobiles has basically made them all MUCH heavier, tho.
  18. balthazar
    Moltie, I believe you & ocnblu are only 5 yrs apart in age.
  19. balthazar
    Randomly (OK: not) looking at 1949 Ford models. There were 2 series: • Ford Six/Eight, • Ford Custom Six/Eight Maybe you'd call that "4", they were coded differently but production wasn't broken out between, say; Ford Six and Ford Eight. Of course in this period, it's very simple: 1 wheelbase, and either an I-6 or V8, and the same sheet metal. Here's the interesting part ~ Custom Six 4-dr sedan Custom Six 2-dr sedan Custom Six 2-dr club coupe Custom Six 2-dr convertible Custom Six 2-dr station wagon
  20. balthazar
    The pundits seem to feel that eventually… EVERYTHING will be a turbo 4 hybrid with AWD. You know, in like 75 years.
  21. balthazar
    Just gonna weigh in on the C63 exhaust- it sounds wretched. Broken, raspy, tinny, just awful. It sounds more like its running poorly than a performance model. ATS-V, for a factory car, is decent- and much smoother. The c63 driver-controlled exhaust is a neat gimmick tho (Dodge/Plymouth had that like 50 years ago).
  22. balthazar
    IMO width is more significant than length.
  23. balthazar
    210.5-in overall is finally getting up to where a top Cadillac sedan should be. And google says it's 76.7-in wide… I hope that's body width and not mirror width. Get these foundational dimensions right and build from there.
  24. balthazar
    from 2009.
  25. balthazar
    There certainly is more to FCA of value than just Jeep. SEAT's highest volume line is the Ibiza: it sold 160K in 2015. Skoda's highest volume line is the Octavia: it sold 436K in 2016. Ram sold 544K units in 2016 in the U.S. only. And without a doubt the profit margins on the Ram are many times over that of the ibiza or Octavia. Cash cows are always appealing in a business case.
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