pow

Cool. From the video, you can see who they're targeting with this truck. If full-size trucks are all about work and trailering, mid-size trucks are about accommodating active lifestyles where having a truck bed would come in handy. Given its less intimidating size, I can see this being a midsize SUV alternative.

Alfa 159 was about the same size and weight as Dart and was offered with a 3.2 V6...

If they did this it would be the first non premium compact sedan to offer a V6 sense the Chevy Cavalier Z24! This could be the makings for an interesting 3.2L 270HP AWD Dart RT!!

There was Jetta VR6 too.

Sprinter belongs to Merc's commercial vans division, which does not compete against luxury passenger car brands. In addition to commercial vans, Daimler also has Mercedes commercial truck and bus divisions, with vehicles like the Actros, Unimog, and Citaro.

In some markets, Mercedes does sell the Viano, a smaller passenger van, alongside their luxury passenger cars. It's quite popular in some Asian markets like China. The closest GM equivalent to the Viano would be the GL8, though that's branded as Buick instead of Cadillac.

^ Right. I don't recall reading incessant ranting by audi A5 owners that their engine is sourced from a $16K VW. I assume they have access to Google, too.

Correction Balthy, even the A8 uses the 2.0L Turbo engine from VW.

For GM it is badge engineering, but for VW group is called innovation in usage of synergy of brands for the purpose of proliferation of efficient low cost manufacturing to improve shareholders' values.

If I were a GM shareholder right now, I'd be furious at this boondoggle.

Excuses for mediocrity. The price would be acceptable if its performance were at least befitting of a $76K car. TT RS may be based on a Golf, but at least it hangs on with a Cayman.

Instead, we're looking at 8 seconds to 60 mph, and less range (35 miles) and lower MPG (82 MPGe in EV mode; 35 MPG in hybrid mode) than a Volt. They didn't even bother to bother to upgrade the charger. It's still 3.3 kW; even lowly plug-ins like Focus Electric and LEAF have 6.6 kW chargers. Plug-in hybrids with slow chargers make public charging (usually $2/hour) pointless because it makes more financial sense to run on gasoline.

I just don't see the point of ELR at that price. If it's efficiency you're after, ELR is the least efficient of any plug-in car. If it's performance and style you're after, there are so many choices that accelerate to 60 in half the time: e.g., CTS-V Coupe and Corvette Stingray. If you want performance and efficiency, there's Model S. If you want lots of range and good efficiency, a diesel will do better: ELR averages 82 MPGe over 35 miles, but then that drops to 44 MPGe after 100 miles, and 39 MPGe after 200 miles.

Do you believe anyone is going to look at an ELR and believe that? Remember, 80% of bmw 1-series buyers thought the car they BOUGHT was FWD.

Anyone who knows how to use Google will find out it's a $75K Volt.

Hard to believe GM product planners didn't foresee the universally negative reactions to the car at this price.

It's not going to be $75K other than on paper.

Same scenario with the Damiler s-class; on paper it starts at $92K, but with an average of $15K in options, it still sells for $85K on average! Between dealer & OEM incentives/deals, MB is knocking $15-20 grand off the price. The ELR is not $80K; MSRP - Fed credit is $68K. Deals will knock that down a bit.

C'mon you guys, you know how car pricing goes, or should by now. Cars seldom EVER sell at sticker. I never saw such tunnel vision on an MSRP before.

Ratchet back on the hyperbole.

New S-classes are going for $10K above sticker around here. But you're right, as the vehicle ages, discounts become commonplace.

I would imagine so. Mercedes never really discounted the S-class, even in it's 7th model year of the previous generation, the manufacturer incentives were pretty low. Dealers may discount, but dealers discount every car. This ELR won't sell, it is nearing Porsche 911 money and it ain't gonna perform like a 911.

Well, of course you are incorrect here. Average transaction price is $85K for a car that commonly stickers for solidly over $100K. Doesn't matter where the money off is sourced from. Look it up.

And the BMW 6-series coupe goes for Porsche 911 money, doesn't perform like it, yet (some) folk still buy that. ELR & 911 aren't going to be cross-shopped.

This is not mercedes/bmw, where every car is pushed & whored to sell 100,000 units annually. Cadillac is not gunning for mainstream, mass-production, every-5th-car-on-the-road commonality.

Yeah, but the 6-series isn't based on a Cruze.

It's not going to be $75K other than on paper.

Same scenario with the Damiler s-class; on paper it starts at $92K, but with an average of $15K in options, it still sells for $85K on average! Between dealer & OEM incentives/deals, MB is knocking $15-20 grand off the price. The ELR is not $80K; MSRP - Fed credit is $68K. Deals will knock that down a bit.

C'mon you guys, you know how car pricing goes, or should by now. Cars seldom EVER sell at sticker. I never saw such tunnel vision on an MSRP before.

Ratchet back on the hyperbole.

New S-classes are going for $10K above sticker around here. But you're right, as the vehicle ages, discounts become commonplace.

She asked questions that the public wants to know. Highlighting the fact that diesel is more expensive at the pump is a valid concern, as well as how diesel faces a perception problem in the US and represents only a small portion of overall vehicle sales.

It was a mild-hybrid priced like a full-hybrid that got worse MPG than a competitor's non-hybrid.

Sorry to be undiplomatic, but LOL.

It's more than double the price of the Volt. It's $4,925 more than a base Model S, which starts at $71,070 including destination.

On paper, the Hybrid is a no-brainer if you're shopping for an Accord EX and up. The hybrid pays for itself pretty much immediately.

The $3,635 premium ($28,270 for an EX-L, $31,905 for an EX-L Hybrid) over a 72-month 1.49% interest loan amounts to $52.80 per month.

If you drive 1,250 miles per month, the standard car costs $166.66 per month in fuel (assuming 30 MPG, $4/gal), while the hybrid costs $106.38 per month in fuel (assuming 47 MPG, $4/gal). Overall, the hybrid saves $7.48 per month.

Once the loan is paid off, you save even more. And chances are, come resale time, the hybrid will be worth more than the gasoline-only car. Hybrids also have longer maintenance intervals and use up brake pads less frequently, and in CA emissions states, hybrid components are covered for 10 years, 150,000 miles.

Threads like these remind me why I rarely post here.

Anyhow, my folks have had their Model S for two months and 3,000 miles now, and they're loving every minute of it.

It's the best car I've ever driven, period.

I hate to burst bubbles, but people who use the word efficiency in regards to electric cars crack me up.

Efficiency on electric auto's is a joke when you look at the full picture of how much green house gas is created for the battery packs, the amount of pollution created for the battery and electric motor systems. I would have to find it, but a few years back when the Prius first came out, someone did a review on what the estimated amount of green house gas created for a standard compact gas car compared to the Prius car. To produce the Prius you created 10yrs worth of green house gas compared to producing an eco compact and running it for 10 years and with the battery changes needed at 100,000 miles or sooner depending on where the auto ran, you produced additional large amounts of green house gas compared to the compact auto.

Electric Auto's are not the Efficient Auto marketing tends to portray, it is all a lie.

Now just being clean in a dense city, yes they make perfect sense to have golf carts in the big cities for cleaner living by city folk.

I've read the reports, spoken with experts, and came to the opposite conclusion. I could go into the details, but to be honest, I don't want to waste my time with you.

I just read the 328d is rated at 32/45 mpg, I'd rather have that for less money than an electric car with low range. But that being said there are fools out there, and people in California or big cities that will buy it just because it is electric and says BMW on it.

So what you're saying is you value a lower MSRP over efficiency. That's fine. But why not get a 328i instead, which is even cheaper than 328d?

I'd rather get a Silverado LT over a Sienna Limited, but I'd rather get a Challenger SXT over the Silverado LT. But actually, I'd rather get a Volt over the Challenger SXT, though I would rather get a used E350 4Matic wagon over the Volt. And, after more thought, I would rather have the new Fiesta ST over a used E350 4Matic wagon, though in truth, I would probably get a 1978 635CSi over the Fiesta.

Those are my personal preferences, but in no way are those vehicles actual competitors. The i3 is a hatchback designed principally for urban environments, while a 3-series is a sports sedan designed principally for motorways and country lanes. As such, an i3 buyer likely values different attributes (e.g., an airy, upright interior) from a 3-series buyer (e.g., a low-slung, cockpit-like interior).

SWEET. I think it looks great. Interior looks super airy and the whole thing seems uber-futuristic. I like how the taillights have no cutline.

But, yes, I can see how it's a polarizing vehicle.

While I'm not a fan of CR and don't value their opinions or autos much due to my perception that they are biased, I don't think there is any question that their glowing review of the new Impala will be big for GM and for sales of the car.

Agreed. Impala wasn't on my radar, as it's not really my sort of thing and I find some aspects of the interior ugly, but after CR's test results were released, I saw the car in new light. It does seem like an attractive package. GM sure has come a long way with Epsilon II; it seems like they ironed out all the kinks with this latest (and final) variant. I'd like to see one with the engine from Cruze Diesel.

The infrastructure just isn't there, unless you don't mind filling up next to taxi cabs and buses.

Tons of new and interesting Buicks. Saw the facelifted LaCrosse (definitely an improvement), all sorts of Regals (some of them modified, including a de-chromed GS with BBS wheels), Park Avenues, Excelle GTs, and new GL8s. Yup, I'm in China.

GL8 is actually quite nice. It has the most luxurious minivan interior I've been in, though not as practical as Odyssey or Sienna. Seats don't fold into a cargo well. In many ways, it's more like Quest.

I felt the same way about the Dart 1.4T 6MT I drove. Would not accelerate below 2,500 RPM.

Woohoo, a Passat 1.8T. It's like it's 2002 again. Same horsepower, too.

FR-S is a nice start. How about a larger inexpensive RWD sports sedan?

I wouldn't mind a previous-gen Lexus IS with less equipment, a Scion badge, revised suspension, and a manual transmission for under $30K.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing. It appears Volt owners, on average, drive ten miles in extended-range mode after the battery is depleted. If Volt's EV range can be increased by 10 miles, then its fleet average MPGe would improve significantly, as Volt is efficient as an EV but quite inefficient as a hybrid (37 MPG according to both the EPA and July 2013 user stats).

At 16.5-kWh (rumored to be 17-kWh for MY 2014), the battery definitely has the capacity to propel Volt for 50+ miles. However, GM has programmed in a large buffer to ensure adequate performance in extended-range mode; Volt's generator produces a maximum 55 kW of power, while its motor can put out 111 kW. IMO, there should be a driver-selectable mode that allows the user to bypass extended-range mode for another 10 miles, with the understanding there will be reduced performance later. This mode would be useful when the driver knows the trip destination is within 10 miles and can charge upon arrival.

The user interface could be similar to the C-MAX Energi's alert when its accelerator is floored in EV mode. As the EV range approaches zero, a note could show up on the display asking: "Switch to battery reserve? Press OK." If the driver does not select OK, then the vehicle switches over to extended-range operation. Alternatively, the car could recognize destinations like home and work and maximize EV miles-driven accordingly.

Been seeing a Tesla or two lately, and this morning I spotted a Fisker Karma out for a cruise. Really a striking car in person, too bad about their situation.

In the first quarter of 2013, it was the best-selling car in its price range (i.e., base MSRP of over $60,000) outselling S-Class and 7-series, as well as all of Jaguar, Audi A8, A7, A6, A5, etc. Now that it's July, we'll soon know if that continues for the second quarter. Their stock is certainly doing well.

edit: I'm talking about Tesla, not Fisker. Two very different situations.

lol ok