smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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The E-class and S-class can do hands free but it makes you touch the wheel every 30 seconds which I think is more of the lawyers protecting themselves. But then it isn’t really “hands free” as Cadillac is so that in that respect advantage Cadillac. But Super Cruise can’t change lanes unassisted and Mercedes can change lanes without touching the wheel. Both are level 2 systems. The Audi A8 is the only production car with a level 3 system, so it actually has the best one on the market but no on buys the A8, so how much do these things move the needle.
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I think they could sell a decent number of pickups and if you don’t need heavy duty hauling and towing, which most people don’t, then a unibody design could give nicer ride and handling. And basically how hard is it to put a bed in the back of an Atlas instead of seats, we aren’t talking huge R&D risk here. They should do it.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA. Last year Buick sold 421,000 Excelle's which is a rebadged Opel Astra, Previously the Excell was a rebadged Daewoo Nubira. The Excelle is 1/3 of Buick's China market sales and starts at $17k. The Envision ($34,000) is their #2 seller followed by the $23,000 Verano. Oh yeah, Mercedes is worried about that that price point. Keep in mind a Mercedes CLA200 starts at $43,000 in Chinese pricing. The E-class starts at $70,000 there and is their #2 seller after the C-class. So I don't think Mercedes cares how many Vauxhall/Opel Astras are sold in Europe or China.
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China is already a bigger market than the USA. Audi, BMW and Mercedes all sell over 550,000 cars a year in China, they have a commanding lead over Cadillac who sold 175,000 cars in China in 2017. Cadillac has about 350,000 global sales, they could support 4 sedans if there is a lot of commonality in them from a production standpoint.
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So does Cadillac need 3 sedans or 4? We know they have CT5 in mid-size and something small in the works. Then we have CT6 and Escala do they need 2 full size sedans when full size sedans are a tough sell? We also don't yet know how they will position them, CT5 could be mid-size car for C-class and 3-series money. Johan said the small car will compete on price with an A3 or 1-series. Where should they price these possible 4 sedans, also considering the track record of Cadillac sedan sales in price points over $60k.
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They should install suicide doors and then cancel the Continental the next year. Seems like a typical Ford product planning sort of thing to do. Maybe this can be the new Lincoln signature, and put suicide doors on every vehicle they make, then it will make their cars different than Fords.
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The 5-series still has the 550i V8, that has 450ish hp. But if the CT6 competes with a 5-series, why is the CTS here? Really the CTS should have the CT6 interior and engine trims, and cost $52k for the 4-banger go to $130k for V-series. Or basically cut 10 inches in length off the CT6 and there is your new 5-series and E-class competitor. Put the Escala above that.
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The last gen E63 switched to AWD with the mid-cycle refresh, it would be a current CTS-V. 2013 and older would spin tire and be slower off the line. Car and Driver said the CTS has a "grim interior" and said "Cadillac's interior designers apparently thought they were working on a Chevrolet." ATS and CTS interiors are no where near Audi or Mercedes. AWD and 10 gears should make this CT6 launch quite fast though. And I don't think Cadillac should sell for less, $130k is about where a CT6 V-sport should be priced.
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There was a good article on CNBC about Cadillac launching 10 new models in the coming years, and one analyst made a good point in that Cadillac shouldn't be trying to outdo Mercedes, but they need to bet targeting younger buyers and minorities. And there is something to be said of that, Cadillac needs products that appeal to people under 40, something for "active lifestyle" people, etc. I have thought a lot that Cadillac needs to be going after people currently driving a Chevy, Chrysler, GMC, Buick, Acura, and Infiniti, VW, Mazda, etc. Trying to conquest the Germans is a tough task, most Lincoln and Lexus sedan buyers or at an age where they are on their last car, so no sense to target them.
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The S-class had radar cruise control like 20 years ago, and the current car can do a lot of semi autonomous driving. And Mercedes isn't cheap, they are building an all new factory for the next S-class which I am sure will continue to be the technological trailblazer it has always been. Screw 40 miles, 300 miles is better: And we are getting close, they have 3 battery factories already under construction so they don't have to buy batteries off someone else and face those Tesla-like supply chain problems.
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Porsche, BMW, Audi and Mercedes all make a car with 4 wheel steering. And I don't know how much benefit it really has, because the really fast track cars tend not to use it, although the GT R does. And Volvo, Tesla, Mercedes, Audi, etc all have a semi-autonomous drive system already. I think what Cadillac is doing with the CT6 V-sport is great, it gets them in the game, but they haven't done anything revolutionary here, all the other guys already have a car like this.
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Every Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Porsche V8 has the turbos inside the hot V. They all do the same thing. No road car has an E turbo, because no one is running a 48 volt system to power it but they are coming. Formula 1 uses them, the Mercedes-AMG Project One has it since it is a F1 engine, that will probably be the first road use.
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Car and Driver clocked the M5 at 0-60 in 2.8 seconds and 10.9 seconds in the quarter mile. The CTS-V was 0-60 in 3.8 seconds with a 12.0 quarter mile in the same test. The M5 is 4288 lbs. I am sure a CT6 V8 will be in the 4500 lb range. Interestingly enough, I read this new 4.2 liter V8 takes up less space and weighs less than the 6.2L supercharged V8. So there goes the pushrod fanboy argument of the LT5 takes up less space and weighs less than a DOHC V8.
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The Toureg is expensive, it is more like a 50% price difference. And my guess is there is a good profit margin on them. You can have both FWD and RWD SUVs, but GM already has Buick and GMC filled with FWD SUVS in the $25-45k segment, you don't really need 3 more Cadillac SUVs between $30-50k. Because I can almost guarantee Cadillac does an SUV below XT4, because XT4 is the size of a GLC or X3.
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I am 6'2" and can sit in the back seat of an E-class convertible, it has a very usable back seat. The C-class convertible rear seat is small, I think I tried sitting in one once and it is tight, more for kids, but at least it is there. It is no worse than the 3rd row in most SUVs which can only fit kids.
