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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    The SLC43 is $61,000, so I think they can get in that range with the inline six. The SLC is too small, and it isn't really a pure sports car, it is more like a comfort cruiser convertible, but it isn't that comfortable. The C-class convertible fills that role better. They are for sure dropping SLC, so that does make room for a mini AMG GT.
  2. smk4565
    Agree. If AMG does an entry level sports car I would expect a $55k base price like the 718/Cayman. That could use the forthcoming 2 liter turbo with rumored 330 hp as a base engine and the 430 hp inline six as the range topper at like $70k. This would be a 2 seat hardtop I imagine. An E-class buyer isn’t going buy a 2 seat sports car unless it is a second car, So really just the C43 and C63 sit in that price point and most of those are sedans and even the coupe has a back seat and isn’t a pure sports car. I think AMG would get the sales off top end Camaro/Mustang, POW end Corvette, Porsche 718, Nissan GT-R owners that got priced out with the increases, the 57 people that bought an Alfa 4C, etc. And let’s face it, most car companies are fleeing sports cars and coupes altogether, so AMG may not have a lot of competition left in 2022 if this car arrives then.
  3. smk4565
    Agreed. And when the new GLS and new X7 hit the market in the fall or winter they’ll have $10k off Escalades for all.
  4. smk4565
    Good points, there could be enough demand and volume for it. And from a cost standpoint, AMG is designing the chassis for the next SL, they can share that with generation 2 of the GT, and use a version for a Porsche 718 competitor. That helps economies of scale, and they have all the powertrain stuff already done, so it wouldn’t cost that much they do this car.
  5. smk4565
    I bet a bi-turbo V6 would fit in a Metris or Sprinter, and the high performance van sector is rather under served. I could see a Hellcat Promaster rival entering the space as well. I don't know if they really need a Boxster/Cayman fighter, that is a pretty small segment, you have the new Supra/Z4 but those will be cheaper, the Corvette is in that mid-price sports car market too, and Jaguar F-type, but there isn't a ton of volume in the $50-80k sports car segment.
  6. smk4565
    Gotta build there to sell there. Audi sold around 600,000 cars there last year.
  7. smk4565
    Also interesting is a 2007 S5550 had 382 hp, 391 lb-ft. Today the S560 has 463 hp and 516 lb-ft. While Lexus Has at 415/442. They are falling behind although the gap was worse in 2016 they still had that torqueless V8 in the LS460
  8. smk4565
    354 hp and 415 hp is a whole lot of yawn for a full size sedan. They need more power.
  9. smk4565
    Because Jaguar-Land Rover are one company with one dealer channel. Right now Land Rover has 6 SUVs and Jaguar has 3, that is 9 SUVs in one dealership and this will be the 10th. Cadillac is a stand alone dealer and luxury car line and luxury truck line of GM.
  10. smk4565
    In all fairness to them, Jaguar was supposed to be a sedan and sports car line, while Land Rover built the SUVs, but people want sporty, performance oriented crossovers now, and Land Rover still has that off road vibe, even with the Velar and Evoque and some attempts to change that. They for sure now need a 3 row crossover, with the SVR trim or whatever they have decided their performance model to be.
  11. smk4565
    Not a fan of the new look, sort of has a Chrysler 200 vibe to the headlights, I think when the Gen 5 Camaro came out it looked good, and has gone down hill since with these refreshes. I think you could drop the V6 in time, and maybe that is why they went with the 1LE on the turbo 4. They could probably come out with a higher boosted four, the Mustang dropped it's V6 so it is possible. If you want a track car though, less weight in the 4 makes sense for a 1LE and cheaper cost.
  12. smk4565
    The Infiniti QX60 is the size of an Enclave for XT5 money, since it has more space does that make it good? Or is it a glorified Pathfinder? And I compared the XT5 to mid-size SUVs, which include MDX, MKX, GLE, X5, Q7, Cayenne, Levante, XC90, Range Rover Velar, Discover, the hopelessly dated Lexus GX, Lexus RX, etc. The MKX is the only one in the group cheaper than XT5. As I said before I am not opposed to Cadillac having an entry level SUV, gobble up volume, I think it better for Cadillac to get a sale than Buick or GMC, you make more margin on a Cadillac. My issue is lack of upscale product outside of the Escalade. Cadillac should be getting CT6 money for a mid-size SUV.
  13. smk4565
    I thought they were removing the name "Buick" off the back of cars? I am glad to see more EV's though, and hope it doesn't look like a clown car like an i3. If companies want electric cars to sell they need to look good.
  14. smk4565
    Can't have too many crossovers it seems. One day Jaguar will be an SUV only brand, to compliment Land Rover that is an SUV only brand.
  15. smk4565
    I am not really a fan of any SUV, but the XT5 I believe is the 2nd cheapest mid-size luxury crossover, only behind the MKX, so it isn't really a good volume if you are just a price leader. It is volume, but the Lexus RX I don't like either, it is a lousy product that sells just because it was one of the first and has repeat buyers. But it is important to get in to segments early, so they made the right moves 20 years ago.
  16. smk4565
    Well I am a fan of sales chart performance.
  17. smk4565
    But how fast will an XT4 or XT5 V-Series be with a transverse mounted engine and the platform they ride on? The Alfa Romeo Stelvio does the Nürburgring in 7:51, that is 8 seconds faster than an gen 2 CTS-V. There is no official time for a current CTS-V. But how can Cadillac get an XT4 or XT5 near CTS-V level performance? That is the new standard.
  18. smk4565
    So Cadillac has no A4/A5, 3/4-series or C-class competitor? Interesting strategy to go with. Really the ATS should add 1 inch of wheelbase to eek out a little more interior room to and upgrade the interior big time to morph into CT4, if the price goes up $3k who cares, and then drop the CT6's 4.2 liter V8 in there for the CT4-V. I actually think that would open space for Cadillac to do a CT3 that is a hot hatch, if you took the Cruze hatch and put the XT4's 2.0T engine in there standard, then offer a boosted up 300 hp v-sport, I think you would have something different, and it may not be the biggest seller here, but it would have appeal in China or Europe. Coming in 2023, they have to wait to see what everyone else does first.
  19. smk4565
    One more generation of the V12 in the Maybach S650 gets them to about 2027, if it goes that far, I could see it being gone after 2024 due to all the environmental stuff. But post 2025 how many V12s will be left anyway? Maybe the Phantom or top end Ferrari, which are like $400,000+ cars. Mercedes can replace the V12 with electric or hybrid power, and have more power, more refinement, more technology, etc. The V12 served its purpose since 1991, they are going to get 30+ years out of it, but new technology comes along.
  20. smk4565
    Johan has confirmed a CLA/A3 competior. I don’t complain about the ATS’s back seat, I doubt may use it as a family sedan or haul 4 adults in it so I don’t think it is that big an issue. I think the ATS low rent interior materials and dashboard design are the problem. I also don’t like the CLA or GLA, early looks at the A-class sedan and GLB seem promising for those that want a small entry lux car, for people that don’t care about HP or Nürburgring times they are a nice choice. I am not opposed to Cadillac having something like the XT5 or XT4, I have said in the past they should have a sub $40k fwd crossover for the masses and at that price point with 250ish hp the drive wheels don’t really matter. What Cadillac needs is an XT6 on a short Omega platform, 5 passenger crossover, and an XT7 long wheel base Omega 3 row crossover, both with a turbo 4,l with some electric boost or hybrid, a 3.0TT v-sport and a V-series with the 4.2 liter V8. XT6 could start at $55k, XT7 at $70k and Escalade can start above that, I would make the base Escalade a twin turbo v-6 hybrid and a V-sport with the 4.2 V8.
  21. smk4565
    Drew came up with the $38,000 for a hypothetical buyer looking for small crossover saying a GLC would be out of their budget so they would buy an XT4 or have to look at an X1 or GLA. And to point 2, Cadillac dropped the price of the SRX back in 2010 to go down market, the CT5 is supposed to be cheaper than CTS, CT4 cheaper than ATS to compete with A3 and CLA. I don't see where this push upmarket is. I just went to the Mercedes website and priced out a GLE63 Coupe, I added tri zone climate control, multi contour seats, heated steering wheel, Bang and Olufsson stereo, soft close doors and the premium 3 package. I left some options on the table and it still came out to $123,180. Same size vehicle as an XT5 and is the middle Mercedes SUV, and yet it can go $20k over the most expensive Escalade. I priced out an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, I added metallic paint, a dual pane sunroof and driver assistance package and it was $86,340. Add Brembo ceramic brakes, carbon fiber steering wheel and racing seats and it goes to $98,440. Escalade Platinum money for an SUV the size of the XT4. Cadillac has a long way to go, and the road is even longer when traveling on Chevy crossover platforms with the corporate V6 pulling the load.
  22. smk4565
    Aren't Buick and GMC around for people that want a crossover at a max price of $38,000? A Cadillac doesn't have to be in everyone's budget. Balthazaar is always saying Cadillac shouldn't chase volume, yet here with are with Cadillac chasing volume under $40k, rather than above it.
  23. smk4565
    The GLA is cheaper, the GLB will be priced like an XT4 if you want a more dead on comparison, and the GLB isn't far away. The GLC has a better interior than the XT5, way more horsepower offered and more technology, better performance and handling, etc. People buying a CLA also don't care about the back seat, those are people that will probably never use it anyway, someone that wants a coupe, but the back seat is there just in case. And the XT5 and XT4 have the same "mediocre front wheel drive" as the CLA, Cadillac just charges you more money for it.
  24. smk4565
    Sounds like the Maybach S-class will continue with the 621 hp V12 it has now, which maybe makes sense for one more generation of S-class to have that huge torque available without needed to rev up an engine or use electric boost. AMG doesn't need the V12 is it huge and heavy, and they already have figured out how to combine electric motors with the 4.0 liter V8, they can get 800 hp with that. Hybrid performance is the future.
  25. smk4565
    For the same price of an XT4 you can get a Highlander V6 that is roomier and more powerful, has a lot of the same equipment. Doesn't mean it is better; for some buyers that value 3 row seating maybe it is. For buyers that want luxury or style over a people mover the XT4 is better. I get that different buyers have different needs and shop price and payment, not with a measuring tape. But I still think Cadillac shouldn't be in the size = luxury game (as they were in the 1980s).
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