balthazar

I would not call the Groove 'inspired', per say.

That's the same scenario with the LaCrosse & the XTS; not at all similar.

To address BMW by itself; I agree that doing a straight extrapolation of this data to other models or brands is NOT factual... with such a staggeringly high percentage, there is no question SOME percentage of 3-series buyers believe their car is FWD too (maybe some percentage of 5-series buyers). There is nothing physically apparent between the 1-series & 3-series that telegraphs which wheels drive (as opposed -say- to a comparison of a mini & a 3-series, where even the most non-enthusiast would take a perceptual pause). Do some 3- and 5- buyers think their car is FWD? Of course some do. I would bet you money some 7- buyers think their car is FWD, too. How many is open to wild guesswork until someone does a comprehensive survey (Guaranteed BMW is not setting aside money to poll this... or if they are, the results will never see the light of day). In that BMW's marketing has spent at least the last 30 years continually pushing the 'machine-oriented, corner-carving, tech-enhanced superiority' of BMWs in general, and that this is not a survey of consumers at large but of BMW owners of said car.... IMO, SOME degree of this ignorance can absolutely be attributed to consumers of other models/brands. How much, for which cars has not been surveyed. I am not taking face value acceptance this is true in general because the article breezily stated such, but because of human nature and general observation. BTW : >>"corporately sponsored survey"<< usually is used when it's suspected/claimed that the Corp involvment is influencing the results in a favorable manner. If that was true in this instance, the true results might be that 95% of 1-series buyers believe their cars are FWD. In other words, even tho Corp-sponsored, the results here were massively unfavorable to the image BMW pushes. My siting the survey is only to illustrate that singular factors such as which wheels drive are NOT the prime directors for a HUGE swath of the car buying public. It's the same as saying 'the CTS is too long to compete with the 3-series', like all buyers primarily shop via overall length in rigid 6" class segments. The factor is just not that significant or tangible in real life. For a huge quantity, the same is the case for drive wheels. Not everyone obviously, but a LOT. Enthusiasts focus on specs because that's how we 'compete' vicariously with vehicles. Car buying for 99% of the public (my guess) is far more complex than 'I'll buy whichever car has a power glove box.' It's my observation that drive wheels is NOT in the top 10% of factors overall. If it were, I would look at mercedes & BMW absolutely refusing to build FWD models as support of that (esp in light of their marketing perception)... but that's not the case.

2007 Lincoln MKR :

Here you go (and note I had the percentage too low) : >>"...for the large majority of new car buyers it would appear that it doesn’t matter which wheels are doing the driving..."<<

'01 Ford Forty-Nine ::

That's why Malibus Impalas & LaCrosses don't sell for those numbers. What many fail to realize is that the vast bulk of luxury buyers don't give a flying F what wheels drive or that a $90K mercedes shares the same platform with a $45K one. Again I must remind you, 75% of 1-series BMW OWNERS believe their car is FWD. The idea that these unseen things are prime factors in the purchase of a luxury car is just laughable. mercedees are purchased because the buyers believe it'll impress their neighbors; THAT'S a prime factor, not if the 'platform' is shared with another car or not. The vast majority of buyers don't know & don't care about technical details or have any idea what a 'platform' even is. Enthusiasts are a tiny percentage of luxury car buyers, the rest want flash & gimmicks & bragging rights & a badge. In other words, no appreciable percentage of XTS consumers are going to believe an XTS has anything to do with a Malibu (despite sharing a few unseen stampings) because everything they can see & touch bears no similarity whatsoever... as opposed to the 75% of 1-series BMW OWNERS that believe their car is FWD (which it ISN'T, and they supposedly should be able to tell this by just driving this self-proclaimed 'superior driving experience' vehicle down their own driveway). Who has the larger problem to overcome?? • • • Ironically, all those gimmicky electronics in the s-class are likely to INDUCE sleepiness in the driver, since he has so little left to do for himself. Self-closing doors is aspirational 'technology' ?? These are not auto enthusiasts who crave RWD handling & horsepower, but 'all you can eat' & Lazy-Boys.

s-class continues to get more & more mediocre each generation. There's truly nothing there dynamically / stylistically to justify the huge cost disadvantage, and the $15 grand dealers have to knock off the tag to move them is pretty illustrative of this.

Did Buick REALLY need that many bolts to hold the front bumper on??

It's SO haphazard & themeless.

ANSWER :: Buick was a partner in the firm Buick & Sherwood Manufacturing Co of Detroit, makers of 'sanitary specialties'. Of the numerous bathroom fixtures they designed, perhaps the most lasting innovation was his process for for toilets, sinks & tubs. Rather unrelated to automobiles. Hudson, Olds & mlaker were on the right track here. The Division of GM that also made decidedly non-automotive related products AND which calls to mind Buick's earlier career is the Flint Faience & Tile Company, started in 1921. FF&TC, a created & wholy-owned GM division, manufactured numerous fine, designed tiles for decorative display. How this came about was the efficiency of keeping AC Spark Plug's enameling kilns running 24-hours, as the cool-down & heat-up process not only took time & energy, such cycling greatly diminished the longevity of the kilns. GM was cranking out ever-increasing quantites of enameled spark plugs, and this offshoot was a way to maximize return. FF&TC lasted through an expansion/move of AC Spark Plug (the 2 Divisions were in physically adjacent plants to each other), until demand for plugs necessitated round the clock production, and FF&TC was shut down in 1931.

>>"...don't use the same design language..."<< This obviously implies that hyundai has no 'direction' and is groping around for same.

Well, Z; the question did mention Buick.... DD; hmmm......... Answer tomorrow evening (late EST; working an hour away on a PITA job).

Cubitar ~ >>"Remember, I'm not an FWD fan, so it's natural I would think that... I thought it would be more like 65/35... "<< Time to update your database. >>"And why do you always mispell 'Mercedes'??"<< I do? I didn't notice.

Not sure why you'd think that; LaCrosse FWD is 58/42 in weight distribution, or only 4 percentage numbers off a RWD mercedeees C300 (54/46). It's not like the XTS is going to be 70/30.

^ Dunno; many say hyundai is doing everything right, maybe they're also right in slotting a FWD car above RWD ones. Or maybe hyundai realizes most consumers don't care/know which wheels are driving.

XTS is 111.7"; I think we can safely round that off to 112. Other azera specs have tenths of an inch, wonder if '112' is rounded off. More significant by far; the article calls this the "flagship". Is hyundai reshuffling the genesis & equss sedans below this one?

+1; I liked the previous grille work much better. Wonder if ANYONE is open to a daring step in design in this segment ??

2010 Fiat Mio : Lot's of development sketches here.

Film made in 1948. I have no idea what the 2nd vehicle is; new to me :

Persu streamliner, 1923 :

In that Frigidaire put millions of A/C units in 50+ years of GM vehicles, that's pretty 'direct'.

Sweet lil coupe. I still have to laugh when the impetus is so driving that they have to state "only Banshee coupe in the world", completely elbowing the Banshee convertible right out the window.

Wait- using the e-class platform under a car starting $41 thousand dollars HIGHer? OHNOZ!!! L-A-M-E !!

So sweet, and look; power f**king grilles !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxYHK9lfNAo