balthazar
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Everything posted by balthazar
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ATS is exactly on par within it's segment WRT interior room. It's within a quarter inch of the A3 on total legroom. However, CLA has a 3" shorter wheelbase than the ATS but nine inches LESS total legroom- for some reason there's nary a complaint about that. CLA & ATS are both 182" overall. And mercedes cheaped out by going FWD in order to 'increase interior space'. Interior space has nothing to do with ATS sales volume.
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I read elsewhere that $9B out of (whatever it currently is) that audi is 'spending' is going into plant refurbishing, not product, plus audi has a lot more models than Cadillac does- so their $15B is spread thinner. Didn't I also read that Cadillac's suspension currently adjusts itself like once every second? How many innings in this pissing match are we going to willingly sit thru??
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balthazar replied to William Maley's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)"This should have already been available 10 or 15 years ago! Too little, too late!"
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Thank you, kind sirs.
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)Panamera is distinctly dowdy in appearance, it cannot get past the 'limo builder' look of an obviously stretched 911. In other words; it's a terrible adaptation- the tiny front & rear clips of a sports car tacked onto a fat sedan body. It has no fluidity. A LaCrosse looks more cohesive and frankly, more upscale. Panamera is not remotely a stylistic comparison. Avenir is galaxies above the Panamera. CLS is a very sleek design- that should have been the s-class all along but the roofline gives 3" less headroom front & rear than the S, and that's crucial for livery service. I'm reading comments attributed to GM folk that the Avenir is NOT intended for production, which is borderline criminal, of course. We'll see. But the production changes are of some concern. Avenir is wearing 21" rims - that's not going to happen. The concept LaCrosse GL wore 20s but largest you can get on the current car are 18s. The way the Avenir sits is a huge piece of it's visual impact- if a production car only gets 18s, a lot of wind is going to slip out of its sails. I'm not expecting to see this built at 85% of the concept.
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)I can see that as a business case, tho undoubtedly it's a very temporary situation. I don't see nissan gaining any share here; trucks in general are expensive enough & sell in such large numbers because the work truck segment is not that cash strapped, IMO. Also, IMO you'd see a tangible return all along the life on that 10-15K with a Ram 2500. EDIT :: Looked into this. The '15 nissan Pro-X CC starts at $40.2K. You can get a Ram 2500 CC SLT starting at $41.9K. Diesel I6 is an $8200 option, but we don't yet kno where nissan is going to tag the V8 diesel… so there looks like potentially, maybe a $5K savings… or none, yet you still get a half-ton truck vs. a 3/4-tonner (with a MUCH higher towing capacity : 11000 vs 18000). No contest; nissan falls short yet again.
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)Of course the Ram has a light-duty diesel (V6), tho it's power number are obviously lower with the lower CI. 240 HP / 420 TRQ / 9200 lbs towing is still pretty good. If I needed more, I'd rather get a Ram 2500 diesel, 800 TRQ than a Titan, then I could tow 18000 and have the chassis/components engineered specifically for it. I don't think I'd be comfortable hauling HD-loads with a 1/2-ton truck frame underneath, no matter how nissan 'certifies' it. I mean; its Nissan, after all.
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a "few" were about european cars??
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)I like everything back to the C-pillar. The front fascia & lighting details are VERY nice, but a shorter rear overhang than the front is not something I would gravitate toward. I see a number of other details I would have refined differently, tho overall on the exterior I'd give it a 8.5/10. Hope to hell Buick slots something in this tier for production.
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Well, I wasn't holding my breath- I saw the way the current one was going vs. prior. Not making much sense IMO other than catering to what's faddish. Which I understand from a business standpoint, but still... The LaCrosse is a very 'thick' car; this move will only accentuate that in a less positive manner.
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- Buick Week
- Encore
- Enclave
- Verano
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Hopefully they'll be a considerable bit less generic than the A3. The A7 has a very inelegant look to it. I like the idea of a hatch in general, but it's half-baked here. With the rear seats up, the amount of space inside above the belt line is nonexistent, yet it dictated the entire profile of the car. Just as efficient to engineer a full rear seat back fold down inside a sedan 3-box. Sometimes I think the fad WRT CUVs is getting taken too far. I hope the next LaCrosse gains MORE decklid rather than less.
- 43 replies
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- Buick Week
- Encore
- Enclave
- Verano
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balthazar replied to William Maley's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)Looks pretty nice & has some different, nice touches (center console). Sits real well body-wheels wise. Anyone have an idea what's going on with the hinged nose emblem? Lincoln has one negative they can use to their advantage- relative obscurity. It gives the division the potential to 'come out of nowhere' without having to fight much of an established negative image. They're making small noises like they are aware of this...
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- Detroit Auto Show
- Leak
- 2016
- Lincoln
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)Toyoyo has a lot of consumer-image baggage problems, ESP in the Tacoma line. With a fresh contender from Chevy & GMC, (is the Ranger still en route?) toyota has a steep hill to climb.
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)I had been picturing the Casada with a Buick waterfall grille, but I see it's not to be. I like the basic vehicle and the fact it's a tonneau-covered convert, but it need a LOT more Buick DNA to blend in with the rest of the portfolio, IMO. This looks…. hurried.
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I'm sure a new CTS coupe would again garner around a 30% portion of total production; the same basic shell with the new front clip would be fantastic. That car is a modern design milestone in a lot of people's book.
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- Cadillac
- CTS
- Cadillac CTS
- Sales
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The haters will trumpet this, yet ignore when mercedes cuts $13,000 off S-class stickers (MSRP vs. actual transaction price).
- 28 replies
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- Cadillac
- CTS
- Cadillac CTS
- Sales
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How could 'Mercedes' possibly justify calling the "Mercedes Sprinter" a different brand?? Problem is, they sort of backed themselves into a corner; eager to trade on the good will coattails of the 'MB' name, they took a tin box Freightliner, rebadged it, and now they CAN'T omit it from sales totals or shared slips on the dealer lot. It's a thorn to the sides of the image-hucksters @ MBUSA.
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I'm still stuck on the reputed cost of these. They are unlikely to become remotely commonplace inside of 20 years.
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- Ford
- CEO
- Mark Fields
- Driverless Cars
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balthazar replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)IMO, stylistically this is getting Edsel-ugly. The huge swath of black plastic mesh just looks like someone went to the hardware store when their grille got busted out, and subbed in fireplace screening. It's my #1 cheapest-looking nose of 2015. Agree with the above also- those swooshes under the head lights are completely disharmonious. Many armchair critics are going to say 'at 467 HP, might as well stay in the garage'.
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