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?

^ 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.

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?

Well the 5-series sure ain't gettin' any toes naked.

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.

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.

• 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)?

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.

All that cash coming out of the state transportation fund? That's like $4K/car.

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.

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.

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.

One could certain argue those are not universal; not everything is better done.

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.

Technology in automobiles has basically made them all MUCH heavier, tho.

Moltie, I believe you & ocnblu are only 5 yrs apart in age.

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

The pundits seem to feel that eventually… EVERYTHING will be a turbo 4 hybrid with AWD. You know, in like 75 years.

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).

IMO width is more significant than length.

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.

from 2009.

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.

Was talking to a friend of mine. He just sold his 2011 VW TDI back to VW. Here's the deal he was offered : • either keep his car and get 2 debit cards; 1 for $5K to go toward car repairs, the other $5K for personal use/whatever. So 'keep your car and here's 10 grand hush money'. • He chose to sell his car back, VG condition, only 46K miles. He bought it new for $24K, VW gave him a check for $21.7K. 'Here's hush money 2.0'. Says he loved his VW, wife has a VW A6 but it's a bit too large for her, so he might buy a new VW A4 and trade the 6.

Alternators are an early '60s thing. Actually, Chrysler patented it, first began offering them on taxis in '50, putting them on passenger cars beginning in '60. Spec-wise, the COE idles at 400, but the generator doesn't produce feedback voltage until around 900 RPM, so at idle, the truck is running off the battery. That, output limitations, and increasing electrical demand made the switchover to alts a necessity. I'll take some pics today of my generator- going out to work on it in a bit. - - - - - Here's a few pics inside the gennie : This is the inside of the rear cover. The brushes are at 10:00 & 4:00. In disassembling, one of those 2 coiled tensions springs broke, but I was able to find replacements at a local generator/alternator shop. This is the armature. The post at the top rides in the bushing pocket in the above pic. That black band below the post is the commutator, or where the brushes ride and do their magical electrical… magic. Except they're supposed to be clean copper, with recessed grooves vertically (you can see the radial lines on the top of that cylinder). It did take a few hours of my buddy working on it, now it's nice & clean, & so is the lower section that spins twixt the magnets.