smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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Mercedez Benz News Maybach to Build SUV in Alabama
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Mercedes-Benz
I am glad they confirmed what we all knew would happen with a Maybach GLS. Building in the US with export to China is interesting with the current tariff situation and trade war but maybe Mercedes predicts those won’t be a factor post 2020... or maybe there is so much profit margin that they don’t care.- 33 replies
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Fall 2020 seems a long way off. But 7 seat Crossover Coupe could be the new hot thing.
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I think Kia should make a new K-1,000,000 and claim it a million times better than any thing else. Maybe Ford can bring back the Five Hundred as the 500. Maybe 1,000 newton meters isn’t enough anymore? They had that engine for 15 years, it is dinosaur albeit a powerful one. All AMG’s will be hybrids post 2020, don’t need 12 cylinders anymore for better or for worse.
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Hyundai News:2020 Hyundai Sonata Gets a New Platform
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Hyundai
No they aren’t, I said the 2020 Sonata is probably the best vehicle under $35k and it might even be the best vehicle under $40k. -
Hyundai News:2020 Hyundai Sonata Gets a New Platform
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Hyundai
The Sonata might be the best car under $40k. They haven’t even officially shown it yet. -
Hyundai News:2020 Hyundai Sonata Gets a New Platform
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Hyundai
A-class will need options and hit $40k. Maybe a $40k A220 is better than the Sonata. Need to see the Sonata in person and see what the engines and specs are and the pricing but Sonata will probably be the best product under $35k. -
Hyundai News:2020 Hyundai Sonata Gets a New Platform
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Hyundai
Probably the best automotive product under $35k when it comes out. -
Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
100% agree! -
Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
But E-class, A6 and 5-series probably sell for $68k average too. Which is why I don’t see the CT6 as a sales success. And GM must not either if they are planning on killing just after a few years on market. Now if they were selling CT6’s for more money and profit per unit than Escaldes and only selling 10k a year then who cares if it has massive profit. The CT6 could be losing money though, it is a platform that only one car is on, TT V6 and V8 not in any other car. And sedans usually need incentives to sell now. And yet they can lease cars cheaper than Cadillac because the cars don’t depreciate as quickly. Likewise with BMW and Audi. Wasn’t that the big complaint of Cadillac dealers that the ATS sold so poorly because they can’t match 3-Series lease deals? -
Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
But it isn't expensive, the 2019 CT6 starts at $50,495 and $86,280 for a Platinum AWD TT V6. Other base prices: Audi A6: $58,900 E300: $53,500 530i: $53,400 There is no S6 yet since this is a new model year, but you can run an E63 or M5 over $130,000. And a the caveat is the A6 is V6 powered, I imagine they will bring a cheaper 4-cylinder to undercut BMW on price. I just did the configurator on an S560 4 Matic, you can add $55,650 in options that is a whole CT6, just in options. -
Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
But the CT6 is priced like an A6, 5-series or E-class. In fact a 2019 A6 starts $8,000 higher than a CT6. So run that comparison of CT6 vs those other 3, then run that out globally, where those cars do way better than they do in the USA. Audi sold 153,000 A6 in China alone last year. -
Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
I agree with the majority of your post. However they did the Allante in the late 80s to go up market and it failed. The dynamic duo of STS-V and XLR-V meant to go after the E-class and SL fell flat in a hurry. Cadillac has tried to go up market but they botched it every time. The image is definitely a problem and needs rebuilt I agree. But Cadillac has screwed up product at the bottom end and the top end, so I don't think it is so simple as just start at the top and work down. These guys can't get a small crossover right yet you want them to go after Bentley and Rolls, or even an S-class or Aston Martin or something. -
Industry News: GKN introduces an EV 2 Speed Transmission
smk4565 replied to G. David Felt's topic in Industry News
100% of the people want 2,581 lb-ft of torque, or at least they should.- 5 replies
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Seems redundant and to do it as a new entrant into a shrinking segment to boot.
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That 5 year plan shows 1 3-row F segment and 1 3-row E segment. So if there is a 3rd it has to be D segment 3 row, a la a 3 row front drive Cherokee. Which is all fine I just wonder how they manage all these Jeeps without overlap, they want a vehicle below Renegade , you are looking at potentially 10 Jeep SUVs. How sustainable is that?
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Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
The 2019 A8 is quite nice, but it sells like crap here, because people don't want big sedans, and the S-class is still the best big sedan there is. A8 sells in China though, Audi as a brand sold 620,000 cars in China last year, Audi has global volume that Cadillac doesn't so they can keep these low sellers around. But Cadillac would be better off with an Omega platform SUV than an Omega platform sedan. I personally likes sedans, but the car buying public does not. -
I don't get how you make three 3-row Jeeps. A 3-row Grand Cherokee is your Grand Wagoneer, why would you make both?
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Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
That X7 is pretty nice though, they'll sell those. It has 5 zone climate control, a suede headliner, and 3rd row sunroof. -
Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
You don't really have 30 variations, you have 4 main option packs and a couple stand alone options. And no one buys the CT6 with any engine is the problem. I would be in favor of no 4-cylinder CT6, I'd do turbo V6 and turbo V8 there. Assuming the car even sticks around. But this goes for every Cadillac. An XT4 should have an interior upgrade/luxury package, tech package, sport package, and a cold weather packages with stuff like AWD and panoramic roof as stand alone options. Cadillac isn't Ford with Titanium, or GMC with Denali, the base Cadillac should be the Denali or Titaniium, thus no need to name it. -
Jeep needs a unibody SUV starting around 30k with 3 rows. You have Palisade, Tulluride, Atlas, Ascent, Highlander, Pilot, Traverse, Enclave, Explorer, Pathfinder all in that segment, I don't know if I forgot anyone there are so many, I just named ten 3-row SUVs. Jeep who are the SUV people somehow are missing, so that is a must be in segment. A luxury 3 row whether it be based on a Grand Cherokee or some other platform would be in that higher end, like Tahoe, Aviator, XT6 sort of money I'd think. If Jeep thinks they can go up into Range Rover money they are delusional.
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I don't get why they need to have three 3-row SUVs. I think a Wagoneer priced in the 30s to compete with Highlander, Pilot and Traverse and a luxury Grand Wagoneer 3- row in the $50k range makes a lot of sense. They can cover a mainstream and an upscale with that strategy, much like how they have Cherokee and Grand Cherokee 2-row SUVs.
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Cadillac News: Cadillac XT6 Gets $53,690 Starting Price
smk4565 replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Cadillac
I know it is dealer driven, but I think the only brands missing were Cadillac and Mini, and Smart, which hardly even counts. And there are plenty of GM dealers in Pittsburgh that supported all the other stuff. Cadillac should come up with an interior, and offer an interior upgrade package with better leather, headliner, wood, etc whatever they want to do. Then you have a cold weather package, a technology/driver assistance package and a sports package with the beefed up suspension, brakes, styling tweaks, etc. That is 4 packages and you offer those on every engine choice. You can probably stand alone option upgraded stereo or panoramic roof. I am not a fan of trim levels because if you only care about luxury and don't want a sports package or big engine, you should be able to get a 4 cylinder CTS with all the luxury and tech. Similarly if you want the standard interior and the bigger engine, you shouldn't have to buy lane keeping assist and heated arm rests just because it is on the premium lux package. Although with a V-series car I would throw most of that stuff in because of the low volume, you don't want 100 configurations to deal with.