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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    This is what I mean, if FCA didn't have a weak V6, then the V6 would be faster than the current Hemi and still get the gas mileage. The Grand Cherokee is a compromised vehicle because the engines in it are from 2010. A nice change would be to put that new 300 hp turbo 4 in the GC, and the Alfa Romeo V6 as the optional engine. The Alfa V6 would spank the Hemi in power and get better fuel economy.
  2. smk4565
    Worldwide Audi outsells Jeep. And the cheapest Audis are Grand Cherokee price. Jeep is a successful brand no doubt, they have the styling, they have the loyal fan base, they have brand image, they have a lot going for them. They are by far FCA's best brand. But Jeep is saddled with FCA's sub-par powertrains and poor reliability. If Jeep was owned by GM they outsell Buick, GMC and Cadillac combined and be more profitable than they are now.
  3. smk4565
    The real problem is FCA has a torqueless V6 that came out in 2011 model year and hasn't seen any meaningful gains in power or fuel economy. Maybe they should update that, so buyers don't have to look to a 5.7 liter engine that gets 14 mpg city and still only gets the Grand Cherokee from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. The GLE with the 3 liter turbo does 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. The Audi Q5 2.0 does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, Audi Q7 3.0T does it in 5.5 seconds and it is bigger than a GC and gets better gas mileage. The Hemi GC is slow by comparison, because the Hemi engine is even more dated than the Pentastar V6.
  4. smk4565
    Agreed and very good point. The GL is more than capable for actual off roading, and 95% of the people buying this thing aren't going to drive on a gravel driveway, let alone do actual off roading. And I doubt a Lexus RX can make it though an off road course like a GLS can.
  5. smk4565
    Let's lose 600,000 jobs and raise the price of a mid-level Camry or Malibu to $40k in the interest of "national security." These tariffs are a horrible idea, and I am glad these auto companies are banding together to put their lobbying power behind something good for a change.
  6. smk4565
    The GLS is a full size SUV and has more 3rd row room than the Escalade. They have 7 SUVs if you count the 2 coupes and a GLB and electric SUV coming in 2019. That is 9 freaking SUVs, I think they have the market covered.
  7. smk4565
    Everyone wants an S-class, just not everyone can afford an S-class.
  8. smk4565
    It is the Best when it is easy to clean, super durable, doesn't crack, doesn't wear out, etc. MB-Tex is durable. Although I have the Nappa Leather upgrade in my car and it is also a good material. And maybe some people don't care, you give the consumer a choice of MB Tex or pay extra for leather.
  9. smk4565
    The American market is the biggest in North America, but in the world it isn't. China and the EU are larger car markets than the United States. Audi sales 2 million cars a year, only 200,000 of those are in the USA. Even GM sells about 4 million cars a year in China and 3 million in the USA. So if you start these global trade wars, every car maker gets hurt, prices rise everywhere, and the consumer gets stuck with the higher prices.
  10. smk4565
    They could move Silverado production to the USA, but that is 250,000 trucks, they would have to retool a factory which costs a lot, and then kill off whatever was being made in that factory. Look at how it takes 4-5 years of development just to bring a new version of an existing model to market, getting one of these cars companies to build a whole new factory and relocate is like a decade endeavor.
  11. smk4565
    Bugatti should build a 250 mph SUV for sure. Mercedes will let them have that one, they have a real race car team to do their performance bragging and a whole line of cars to worry about. A Bentley Bentayga Speed makes sense, because someone will pay for it, so one billionaire can brag to the other billionaire that their Bentayga is a the sports model. I think Bentley could do a Mulsanne based SUV for $400k also. Then you really go after the elites, because someone out there wants to look down upon lowly Bentayga drivers. Plus, Mercedes did trademark GLS73, so an 800 hp GLS could be on the way, Bentley has to do something.
  12. smk4565
    When you have the Buick Envision and Cadillac XT4 with a turbo 4, you have to give Chevy something less, so here you go, 2.5 liter. We also don't know what this vehicle weighs, so hard to say whether or not the 2.5 will be slow, although my guess is this thing will have craptastic performance with the base engine, and they'll want too much money for the V6.
  13. smk4565
    The 2.5 liter is the new 3800 V6, it is the solution to every cars and SUV powertrain need and will be on sale in 2025.
  14. smk4565
    Chevy Silverado quad cab, 25% tariff, Dodge Ram 25% tariff, Buick Encore, Chevy Traxx, Chevy Sonic, Chevy Spark 25% tariff. Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger/Dodge Challenger 25% tariff. None of those are made in the USA. I bet adding $10,000 to the price of the Silverado and Ram will be good for sales. Dealership sells less, they lay off workers. Mercedes C-class, BMW X5, Mercedes GLE: 0% tariff. Honda Accord/Pilot/Ridgeline, Acura TLX, Toyota Camry/Highlander/Sienna no tariff. All those are made in the USA. This tariff garbage only screws the consumer, and will drop auto sales which in turns screws all auto companies. This isn't like 1960 when Americans made cars in America, Japanese made cars in Japan, etc. And if you export tax those BMW and Mercedes going to China, and China taxes them coming in because of a trade war and they sell less in China, then BMW and Mercedes lay off workers in South Carolina and Alabama. Lets kill some more jobs.
  15. smk4565
    To me it seems like all the recent Chevrolets have an Asian look to them, the Equinox from the back looks lie a South Korean car, this looks like it could come from Nissan or Mazda. It isn't bad looking, but it is just fort of forgettable right off the bat, the floating roof D-pillar is as played out as 4-door coupes. Same engines as the Acadia already has so nothing really of excitement there. I also see a lot of this in the new Blazer grille and front end:
  16. smk4565
    It looks good and has nice powertrain options, I think it is priced well too. The interior is clean and modern but I think there are better interiors in this segment too.
  17. smk4565
    I first said they should use the 2.0T with electrification to get under the 2 liter gas tax level. You said they should use the 2.7 liter, to which I said is pointless because you can use the 3.0TT which is taxed the same as a 2.7. With the new GLS I wouldn’t be surprised to see the newly updated turbo 4 gonin there for China, but they might not care if the 3 liter sells well.
  18. smk4565
    Luxury comes at a price but the GLS has a 2.998 liter engine or whatever it is to keep the displacement tax under the 3 liter level, which I think is 9% vs 20% tax on the Escalade. And Cadillac isn’t really in a position to sell at a price premium over a Mercedes or Audi which the Chinese love.
  19. smk4565
    Displacement tax still hits that, 7.5% tax on 1.6 to 2.0 liter engines, as high as 20% on 4 liter engines. The 2.7T would get hit with the same tax as the Cadillac 3 liter TT V6, might as well use that then.
  20. smk4565
    They should build a Wagoneer 7 seat SUV to compete with the Pilot/Traverse/Explorer, and a Grand Wagoneer to compete with the Escalade and Navigator and an Ultimate Wagoneer priced at $150,000 with Wrangler off road capability and Maserati level interior with a twin turbo V6, and offer a Ultimate Wagoneer Hellcat for $200,000 and an Ultimate Wagoneer Enzo with a Ferrari V12 for $350,000. The demand is so high for SUVs all 3 will sell out.
  21. smk4565
    Maybe they could bring back Mariner. Then you have a land, air and sea approach with Navigator, Aviator, and Mariner.
  22. smk4565
    I think it will continue in China because of the Displacement Tax. I imagine one day they will just jack up the displacement taxes sky high combined with their EV mandate to rid the country of ICE cars. Agreed. Get ready to laugh but they should probably put the 2.0T in the Escalade and sell it there. Preferably with some electric boost.
  23. smk4565
    Well I did say base V6. Brits, French, Austrian, Swiss, and Scandinavians seem to buy German cars too. Cadillac and Lexus never could crack the code to beat the E-class in Europe, and with the heavy taxi use it should be easy to have more status and image. But the truth is the E-class is a much better car than the Lexus GS ever was, or the CTS/STS ever were, likewise for the Infiniti M35/Q70, and that is why the E-class is still the #1 selling mid-size luxury car and those other cars are dead or about to be cancelled.
  24. smk4565
    And yet the E-class still has more status or brand appeal than a CT6. They have had E-class taxis for 40 years and that hasn’t hurt Mercedes image one bit. The huge volume keeps the dollars rolling in to support Daimler’s massive R&D budget. Agreed, I could see the CT6 being Cadillac’s Dodge Charger/Challenger. You advertise the high trim V8 model but in reality 80-90% of the sales are the base V6 with little equipment.
  25. smk4565
    So you want a car that is 10 inches longer than a CT6 at like $75k? They are going to run into the same product overlap problem they now with sedans. They would have to go to $100k to clear the CT6 V8.
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