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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    Tesla Model S has handily proven that 'top end luxury buyers' don't put 'having a V8' as criteria for their purchases; what was that article showing how the Model S has outsold the S-class in the U.S.? Frankly, I am fairly certain most top end buyers have neither much of an idea nor place much importance on cylinder count. It's not like a BMW 7-series owner leans over to new acquaintenances and brags "I've got eight cylinders, how many does your car have?" It's like a Range Rover owner taking his new SUV off-road; it just doesn't happen.
  2. balthazar
    These 'tug o wars' always go the same way- one loses traction and it's all over. Very beginning of the video shows what looks like a slice of a front pumpkin and the '4x4' logo on the tailgate of the Ram, not that that proves anything (replacement tailgate, added letters, non-functional, not engaged), but all that aside, which would you rather own?
  3. balthazar
    Plowing totals for Balthy : Sat: 17 hrs, Sun: 10. Had about 26" around me. This weekend's plow vehicle : '01 Ford F-250 SD, RC/LB. 161K miles. Has very slow brake fluid leak, took 2 bottles over what felt like a million brake applications. Otherwise, besides the fact there was no radio antenna so it only got 1 station, functionally it was a decent push mobile. Had a nice balance of throttle/ coasting/ shifting WRT back-n-forth plowing motions.
  4. balthazar
    Moltie, you're a Jeep guy- how are they in general?
  5. balthazar
    At some point, after recalling 50 million vehicles for assembly & design deficiencies in a decade's time -some grotesquely glaring- the adjective 'reliable' becomes gravely inappropriate.
  6. balthazar
    Well…. there was some mild questioning of the Camaro name upon introduction and Chevrolet stated it meant 'pal, buddy, comrade' in French. Some said their French dictionaries lacked that definition/word, and in answer Chevrolet produced an old French dictionary with that term, just as they claimed it was. Obviously words come into & out of use, including inclusion in dictionaries, so who's to say it was 'made up'?
  7. balthazar
    Still juggling this issue up in the air & not making much progress.
  8. balthazar
    Wait; in 2016, an automaker has to do a "better job communicating" a naming scheme which starts off with a meaningless letter, then is followed sometimes by another letter, then by a pair of meaningless numbers? This mindless product naming approach is ubiquitous at this point; communicate what?? And oh; how cute- infiniti believes it has a heritage worthy of paying homage to!
  9. balthazar
    Saw one sitting next to a same-year Equinox and the Torrent was a grand more. Guess it was the GXP package/rims- who knew there was a GXP Torrent??
  10. balthazar
    Cmicasa- I agree w/ your lineup, but the ATS need to stay at the very bottom… so any 'CT2' needs to slot above it (CT4). Also agree with 'at least 1 wagon & 1 coupe… but more would be nice. I would love to see, right now, the ATS coupe & a CTS coupe together in the catalog. Also, you mentioned "at least 6 SUVs but your list shows 4, and IMO that's perfect.
  11. balthazar
    But BMW/MB's alphanumerics SUCK. Not to mention, both brands just reshuffled their 'systems'. Everyone loves to trot out the tired 'Cadillac is only following' when all the other regularly-pointed to lux brands just follow each other. It's called playing the segment.
  12. balthazar
    First off, again with the laser focus on starting price? Do you have any figures on how many $40K plus cars sell for base price? Is it even 5%, regardless of brand? It's a non-issue, meaningless. ​Cadillac is already there (your metric: starting price of $33K). No 'need to go' ; already there… and has been there for what- 3 years? Mercedes "had" to go to the high $20s - pffft; how embarassing & desperate-appearing. Class 6/7 trucks aren't passenger vehicles, they're commercial. Sprinters are retail sales, and a bunch are passenger buses, which is why they get grouped with the cars & SUVs.
  13. balthazar
    Who is all this BMW shadowing supposed to appeal to, that's going to sign for a Cadillac? These folks want a misshapen & bloated 4-dr hatchback, they can march over to BMW for their fat dozen sedans and kindergarten naming schemes. Again: Cadillac does not "Need" to answer all 43 models at BMW. Well, they are trying to compete w/ the big 3 (Audi, BMW, MB) so it's natural they are going to try and match them at some level...maybe not in lock step, but be competitive in the major niches... They ARE competing, but Cadillac's 'upper hand' is that they DON'T have to offer 43 models; they can pick & chose. Far too often, people think "competing" means matching every tiny, worthless, niche model that others do. That's not 'competing', it's shadowing. I'm arguing elsewhere, right now, with a guy who thinks the 3-series is "much larger" than the ATS, when they are virtually identical in size. These sort of folk will never be happy with even what they suggest Cadillac should do, because first & foremost they will NEVER be Cadillac customers (the badge is wrong). It's a colossal waste of time & money to pursue these people, with these fringe, niche models even the other brands' customers don't buy (IE: the 1-series, or the R8, for example). There HAS to be a strong, long-term vision for the core models, above ALL else.
  14. balthazar
    Who is all this BMW shadowing supposed to appeal to, that's going to sign for a Cadillac? These folks want a misshapen & bloated 4-dr hatchback, they can march over to BMW for their fat dozen sedans and kindergarten naming schemes. Again: Cadillac does not "Need" to answer all 43 models at BMW.
  15. balthazar
    That's certainly no reason to do it. MB is unable to develop a 2nd brand (or they squander existing ones, aka: Freightliner), therefore they have to plug everything under a single emblem. Not Cadillac's game plan.
  16. balthazar
    Please don't joke about that, Moltie. It's an abomination of an idea.
  17. balthazar
    I read this line of conversation here and on other boards, and I truly believe that simply because Cadillac is moving to a kindergarten-esque naming sequence of "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8," --you know; like 5 year old learning to count without their fingers-- I truly believe that people suggesting full 'numeric' Cadillac lineups are merely doing so because THEY LIKE TO COUNT and THEY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IF SAID COUNTING DOESN"T START AT 1. There is no size gap between the ATS & CTS, and there is no size gap below the ATS that 'needs' filling. Cadillac is not a full-line brand and should not be trying to move in that direction by any means. Cadillac can NOT put their 2-drs on even numbers and their 4-doors on odds (or whathaveyou) because that is a blatant copy of BMW's dumbass system! People :: stop counting from 1, stop counting with your fingers, stop ignore that fact that Cadillac is not positioning themselves to match everything BMW & MB do as full-line manufacturers. Stop wishing for cheap Cadillac hatchbacks or cargo vans or 68 models reaching up to $289,995.
  18. balthazar
    The utter lunacy of this reported move is that the CLA & ATS are already the same identical size AND there is no 'size gap' between the ATS & CTS…. so for the billion dollar program to (AGAIN) replace the entry level Cadillac sedan with yet another, then elbow all other models above it up in size AGAIN….. I have no words other than stupidstupidstupidstupidstupid.
  19. balthazar
    smk- are you an accountant by trade?
  20. balthazar
    My sister has one on lease; not great room considering it's a wagon, but will check them out this week.
  21. balthazar
    Between federal holidays, sick days and vacation time, most corporate employees have far more time off than I do. My wife works for a major financial: she gets the 10 fed days, 10 sick days & 5 weeks vacation. That's NINE weeks ( realize that's absolutely on the high end). Unfortunately, there are days I have to take off due to weather & the work planned for that day. If I can 'catch up' by working New Years day or President's Day, I'm all for it. Especially since I have zero paid days off. But I appreciate being able to make that call myself.
  22. balthazar
    Anyone have any reliability / cost feedback on volvos?? I know nothing here...
  23. balthazar
    So are you saying that on days when the banks, postal, schools, pretty much all gov employees have off that you would not like to be off also on that day? Other than gas, hotel, grocery and restaurants why not have everyone off spending time with family? Well, I'm my own boss, but that said; I work on plenty of holidays, at my choice. Other than a handful of the holidays, they aren't really 'family time' days by nature, anyway. Columbus Day- pffft! In fact, working on holidays insures a lot better commute. Just seems to me we have a pretty good list of holidays as it is, and I still prefer if private companies made their own call.
  24. balthazar
    The catalyst is not singular, but the point in time these numerous events took place is the same; the early '80s. Roger Smith took away Divisional autonomy & Cadillac was largely left rudderless, which spawned some of the singular examples mentioned above. Loss of autonomy: '81-82, loss of Divisional engineering: '82, Cadillac diesels : '78, V8-6-4 : '81, Cimarron: '82, HT4100: '82, downsized Devilles: '85. Too much misdirection for image & position to bear at once. Cadillac did pretty well with the early 90s STS- that's a solid equivalent to the CTS and laid the foundation for it. And they tried with the Cimarron, which was very favorably reviewed when new, that's another building block… but they didn't push hard enough there and the performance was not where it needed to be (period BMW competition was stone slow then). GM was still smarting from 'badge engineering shaming' in this period, and in hindsight the Cimarron's rep became totally negative, whereas the STS is the opposite. Point being, Cadillac has been working toward the 'Euro' angle for a long time… but if they had retained their autonomy & proprietary engineering, I believe they would have been farther along, much quicker.
  25. balthazar
    "Making" businesses close? If state entities, that's fine. Non-state entities can make their own calls.
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