balthazar

>>"Oldsmobile done right could have replaced Saturn, Saab, Buick and Pontiac. They could have had Chevy, Olds, Caddy a 1,2,3 hierarchy. Oh well."<< A fantasy- never would've come close to working. >>"The goal for the Malibu should be 30,000 a month minimum. They have home field advantage, "<< The 'home field advantage' in the U.S. is being a foreign brand. >>"But the Outlook sales are bad because Saturn is geared to younger people, or people that want small, import style cars. Those types of buyers don't want an 8 seat SUV that gets 17 mpg."<< A LOT of brands that 'shouldn't' be selling hulking SUVs do: porsche (sports), audi & bmw (euro drivers), toyota ('green' economical), the image stretch that porsche & BMW executed to greenlight theirs is a far longer reach than Saturn doing so. >>"3,000 a month is a joke, the Camry sells over 40,000 a month. "<< I guess the camry's mind-numbing acceptance rate makes EVERYTHING ELSE look like a joke, right?

Once I was making blazing eye contact with this chick at the market, but it turned out she worked there in the produce section and she didn't like the way I squeezed her melons.

Awful, terrible... no words. Peace to your heart & your soul, S, and your family's.

My buddy's brother runs a hydraulic shop where they sell a lot of plows. My buddy told me the shop just got a notice from toyota NOT to install any plows on tundras or the warranty will be voided. Bro is pissed, he'll have to return like 25 toyo-spec plow packages to the manufacturer. Don't know what will happen with those trucks that already have them mounted... Apparently there are frame engineering issues under load that toyo doesn't want to be bothered with fixing or warrantying, but I have not seen the bulletin. Anyone else heard of this?? Oh... what a feeling.... of letdown.... again.

>>"There's already several Smarts here in the Nashua, NH area. One owned by a real estate angent with a vinyl "WRAP" of their logo on the entire car."<< ^^ Fleet sale!

I was following one a few days ago- I really like how Cadillac made the rear running lights blade-thin and tapering to a point, without the cheap-ass, electronic-catalog look of a bare strip of LEDs. What a dynamic set of wheels- commands your eye like nothing else new that comes to mind. This car is going to do fantastically well. Good fortune to your ownership experience, makfu.

>>"I can buy a replica of the Shelby Cobra for $30k and 9/10 folks can't tell the difference. I cannot buy a replica of this and even if I could, no one would have any idea what it was."<< From a 1st-person perspective, I agree completely, but I was speaking from a market POV. I do however think a great many observers would say your Banshee was either a Corvette or one of those 'GT sports cars', and they'd be sure.

I agree with you, Carguy: I've always liked the Solstice over the Sky and if mazda can built the exact same design for 18 years with nearly no whimpering from the enthusiast crowd, the Solstice -a far more engaging design- should be able to do an easy 8 years with minor tweaks stylisitically.

I have specifically noted that toyota's radio spots over the last 6 months at least have been concentrated on 'the deal' with little to no product information, so this phenomenon predates the 3rd quarter economic downturn. With toyo in this case, I suspect the erosion of the quality gap has spurred a more cash-centric approach, as there was little else tangible to offer anyway.

It's not a term based from or used in this country- so why would a people not exposed to something thusly be 'low-IQ idiots' for... not being exposed to it ??? Do you know my real name & how to pronounce it?

>>"yup - it is all about brand image. BMW has it, Cadillac doesn't. "<< 10 years ago this would be very true, but not so much anymore. Cadillac has moved a lot farther on people's radar than BMW in the same timeframe. Then again, image is often in the eye of the beholder.

enzl= >>"As usual, the lack of imagination here is astounding. Just because YOU can't see the use doesn't make the car USELESS. "<< I missed where anyone here said the car was "USELESS", tho I did catch mentions of 'dangerous', 'impractical' and 'not much more economical that what's already available'. Or didn't YOU see those comments? >>"They want to sell 30k or so, to city dwellers, where parking and innercity commutes are concerns, not locking horns with a Semi on the Interstate..."<< Yeah- there are no buses, airport limos or careening Crown Vic & sienna taxis in the city. And if you think people -maybe who didn't have a car before because they're cavalier & continental city dwellers- are somehow going to self-restrict their freedom by NOT going out onto the highway with their new wheels, you're delusional. >>"They'll sell everyone they import..."<< Yeah- the 2-seat market is mongo huge. >>"...when GM shows the patience and intestinal fortitude that MB has shown for the smart 4 2 (Fiero, ahem)(Electric cars, ahem), then I'll be impressed."<< Will you really? Why can I almost read your post condemming those who might support a GM program that lost millions (billions?) annually for like 10 years, because they are so greatly unwashed & so astoundingly unimaginative?

>>"Only one survives today."<< Completely untrue- V-8 convertible still exists in fine shape. Don't know how someone can claim that the only other example of his car, a fairly famous concept, is gone when that's so easy to check. In fact, it's been the hardtop that's been scarce for years- the convert (which frankly I can take or leave, while the coupe is delicious) has been readily trackable and featured in more than one publication in recent years. Bortz did own it, tho I believe it went up for sale, too. Unless it somehow got destroyed in the last 12 months. >>"is that the one delorean built off the vette platform? "<< 6 variants built under the XP-833 code- 4 roller cars and the last 2- runners. SP-2 : used a custom frame. SP-3 : (non-running) used a modified Corvette frame. SP-4 : used a modified Avanti frame. SP-5 : the coupe, used a lot of 'bin' parts, exact frame unknown (by me). SP-6 : the convert, had a custom frame that resembled a downsized A-Body frame. The whole 'vette frame' thing seems to dog the Banshee unduely- all 6 of these cars were majorly cobbled together and experimental in many different ways. >>"It saddens me that OMG CAROL SHELBEES FIRST CAR sold for more than this likely will."<< I can see it- the first Shelby Cobra kick-started one of the most brutal production sports car runs of all time, the Banshee kick-started... nothing. Not to say it shouldn't have made it or that it's not beautiful, but it's clearly not in the same league of collectibility at all- it has no lineage.

Well... {heavy sigh}... if it can't be unique sheetmetal, at least the owner can point to the tiny little VIN sequence, provided the light is just right, mind you...

>>"Well obviously a BMW isn't for everyone"<< Right!- so "beating" a BMW only creates a car 'beyond a BMW' if you get me- something even more at odds with the desires of those consumers who don't want a BMW. Let's let Cadillac continue in the direction they have since 2002- they earned those 60,000+ sales in the segment whereas 10 years ago Cadillac's segment sales were 0. 'Beat BMW' is not selling the CTS, building a great entry-level Cadillac that runs on the strengths Cadillac is known for, is. >>"Cadillac keeps claiming they are going for BMW type handling"<< It's not a claim.

>>"the Fortwo is 500 pounds lighter than any other subcompact, putting its occupants at a potentially significant disadvantage in a collision."<< The only situation where this would NOT be a significant disadvantage is if you ran into another smart. And at the puny sales rates that can be reliably expected, that's not likely. Chevy alone sells more Silverados in a year than smart has sold in what; 10 years worldwide? This is a deathtrap- expect to see a website with accident scene pics of smart cars soon after.

>>"Chances are the BTS having a lower base price won't win any buyers,"<< Lot more to evaluate that just price. Offering merely a different interior, exterior and driving dynamic very well should. Offering a better experience in even just some of those, will. >>"BMW's image is so strong, that alone is enough to get buyers that are on the fence. BMW says "performance" and "I've made it" or whatever tagline of success you want to use."<< Also still means 'prick' and 'a$$hole driver' to a lot of people, perhaps the huge volume that does NOT automatically buy BMW, even tho they read gushing magazine reviews EVERY SINGLE MONTH on the newstand. Why, ask yourself, doesn't BMW command 80% of each segment they offer a car in instead of a minority percentage? How possibly could acura, lexus, mercedes, jaguar, Cadillac, audi and a handful of others sell ANY cars at all? Who are these consumers picking these brands over BMW, and why? Perhaps... just perhaps, their criteria for purchasing a luxury sedan are not the same as yours, hmmm? Perhaps they take one look at a BMW interior and turn right around and walk out the door. I'm sure the reasons are many. >>"People will drive the 3-series and the BTS, (or C350, Is350, whatever) and they'll probably buy the one that drives best and looks best and conveys the image they want to convey."<< Right- different strokes for different folks. Some will indeed buy the Cadillac- just as they did the CTS when before there was no model in this segment. (Catera?- please!) >>"Cadillac still means "old person's car" to a lot of people. "<< Not to those who've driven a CTS, it doesn't. Those that are blind loyalists or refuse to even check out a CTS have invalid biases- they're not dealing with reality. Should Cadillac spend time & money to court the intentionally irrational? With you, at least it doesn't cost us here anything besides small slivers of sanity & a few minutes typing; no money at stake.

So, CMG, no entity that buys multiple units (fleet) drives their cars on the road? Just hoarding them in a locked warehouse somewhere??

>>"...BMW/M-B faithful won't buy a BTS because it is $500-1000 less"<< If they are brand "faithful", they are not going to switch no matter what the competition offers. '600 hp, 50 MPG, 1.0 Gs but no roundel? No thanks!' I am positive that a scary amount of BMW & M-B buyers are customers primarily for the badge, not for 0.3 sec less time to 100 MPH. Take a look at BMW drivers and you'll see the full spectrum, not just the Aryian, exposed-knuckle driving-gloved fashion model BMW would like you to think are their sole consumers. Cadillac DOES NOT need to steal the other brand faithfuls, only those who are NOT blind loyalists and shop the full segment, which is a FAR FAR larger segment than merely the blind loyalists.

>>"Well 1960's is back again,"<< Apparently so is the '80s; dig the monochromatic paint scheme + matching wheels. Blorf. Huge 1980's convertible Rabbit folded top on deep-6-figure car- can I puke & LOL at the exact same time?

^^ +1. Awful with a Dodge hood.

In 1914, Pierre du Pont purchased 2000 shares of GM common stock as a personal investment. At the time, there were 165,000 shares on the market. This represented a 1% stake in the company. By the tail end of 1917, DuPont as a corporation purchased $25M of GM stock on the open market. I do not have handy how much the corporation of GM in 1916 may or may not have added to their available shares, nor otherwise to what degree their outstanding shares totaled in this period, but at the beginning of 1918, DuPont's investment in GM only equated to 23.8% of the Corp. GM was FAR from 'essentially a division of DuPont' at the point in time they utilized the advantages of Delaware's corporation laws. du Pont, the man, was actively involved with GM for some years, including being president from '20-23, and DuPont the corporation was also involved as a financial supporter and stock owner, but GM was no one's puppet (well... let's say: Durant aside, shalll we?).

>>"Too bad it's neither generic nor a jellybean. "<< Too bad it so completely is. How very sad for you. >>"I was just thinking about how this might perform in a front-end collision. I can see where it might force the fender to "ride" the A pillar, forcing the fender up, out , and away from the door, reducing the chances of jamming the door shut."<< I did think about that. I'm no crash safety engineer, but I don't see that. There's enough tumblehome in any car that the tip of the fender is not likely to compromise the door opening nearly as much as the entire vertical trailing edge of the fender; the tip, regardless of where it ends, should deform outside of the upper door as opposed to against it, but predicting what happens in all crash circumstances is only 2 notches below predicting the Pick 6. The traditional ending point should also 'ride the A-pillar', no? >>"The beltline could have been raised to allow these safety features to work at optimum performance."<< The 'beltline' is the bottom of the side glass, which is stylistically independant of front crash requirements and the top edge of the front fenders.

>>"Camina is evocative of El Camino but different.."<< YAK !! >>"TailG8 "<< F'ing yes! Actually surprised not to see 'Safari' in here. I like 'Transport' too; either one would suit me fine, but I'm still smiling over TailG8.

I always tells my mother "nothing" when she asks me what I want, which causes her some degree of angst. Tee-hee. This year I finally had a definite answer for her: Beer. She laughed and said 'I'm not going to buy you beer, that's like buying someone a quart of milk for x-mas.' I tried to explain the gulf of difference between milk & beer, and mentioned how many people give hard liquor for the holidays, but for some reason she flat doesn't see it. Gonna be a blue, dry X-mas.... Maybe I should ask for another 2 pound hunk of Schickhaus liverwurst like she got me when I was a kid. I have pretty low-tech wants, eh? Gonna order a custom-built aluminum radiator for my Buick- very exciting (and expensive). That'll undoubtedly be the highlight here.