smk4565
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Everything posted by smk4565
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How Mercedes prices the S-class shouldn't really matter as even the A8 and 7-series are priced about $20k under it, unless you take a fully loaded 750i to an S550, but then as soon as you get to an Maybach or S65 Audi and BMW have nothing. If you look at the C-class the plug-in hybrid is cheaper than the V6, and I bet the same thing happens with the E-class. The car companies need to hit a 54 mpg CAFE in 2025, they need people buying the plug-ins to get there. For what it is worth, the S-class plug-in is going to a 13.4 kWh battery pack next year, up from 8.7 kWh, so range will improve to an estimated 30 miles. Mercedes has 10 plug-ins coming, they are spending $8 billion in 2 years on green powertrains. I also hope they sell the inline six S-class with the 48 volt electric system here next year, instead of holding it for Europe only, they could price it around $86,000 and crush whatever sales the A8 and XJ still have.
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I made a post that I don't think went through, so I'll retype it. Originally I said they should drop the 3.6 V6 from all Cadillacs, and go with an all turbo line up, and plug-in hybrids. The 3.0TT V6 CT6 is $66,000, they could easily offer the plug-in hybrid for the same price, I think they could even offer a hybrid turbo 4 for $60,000 and make that the base CT6. I don't think they really need a $54k CT6, just move the price up to $60k+ where it should have been all along. Right now the CT6 is priced at or below a Genesis G90 or Kia K900. If they are going after traditional DTS buyers over age 70, that crowd would prefer a V6 over a turbo 4, they come from an era where a Cadillac always had a V8, they won't want a 4. But I think making a hybrid CT6 for $60k the base car gets the price up closer to where it should be, it also makes the CT6 a bit of a "green" car and they get some points for that.
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I dunno, I think it seems logical for a 335 HP plug-in hybrid turbo 4 to be base model, a 400 HP turbo v6 middle option and turbo v8 high end. In a CT6 you don't need a base 2.0t any more than the ATS needed that 2.5 liter.
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Makes sense if rear drive has a 10% take rate. Plus with this kind of power you need to send it to all 4 wheels to get traction. The good news is the 9-speed transmission and downsized engine should improve fuel economy.
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So you would have them do it exactly the opposite of the competition? Not really, the plug-in hybrid C-class is cheaper than a V6 C-class. The MKZ Hybrid is cheaper than the turbo V6 MKZ. They could make the plug-in hybrid CT6 the base model easily.
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I absolutely get it. Money going into GM doesn't mean the workers get a raise or GM will hire more employees, it means they can pay the executives a bigger bonus and the stock holders a bigger dividend. What if GM decides to build the Silverado in China, and close down the Flint, MI and Fort Wayne, IN factories, lay off 10,000 people all in the name of "increasing share holder value." Small cars are less profitable, they could move Sonic, Cruze and Malibu production to Mexico or Brazil or China to get cheaper labor, and lay off another 10,000 Americans. But the stock price will go up. So who are the major stock holders in GM, average joes? Nope, Mutual Fund companies. There are the top shareholders in GM: United Auto Workers 9.34% Vanguard Group: 5.53% Harris Partners LP: 5.41% State Street Corp: 3.81% Berkshire Hathaway: 3.33% Fidelity Investments: 3.17: Black Rock Fund: 2.83% JP Morgan Investments: 2.71% That group not counting the UAW owns over 26% of GM and the next 12 after them are all investment/mutual fund companies too. Buying a car to support a country is a false premise, unless you are buying a car built in that country with parts from that country, such as the Camry. The Camry (a car I hate) is the most American car that creates the most American jobs of anything on the market today.
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I personally wouldn't buy a made in China car, but where the Envision (or any car) is made for example doesn't really matter to me. The Regal is made in Germany and the C-class is built in Alabama, but I'd rather drive a C-class because I like the car more. I care about the car not the country of origin. I take issue with people saying it is best to buy American, to support American business/workers, when the Toyota Camry has more American made parts than any car on the market and is made in the USA. We should all buy Camrys then if we want to support American jobs and help the American economy. I personally do not pick a car based on where it is made or where the company headquarters is. I'd rather drive what I feel to be the best car in the segment or best product for the price point I am looking for.
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So if GK built 100% of their cars in China, laid off 100,000 UAW workers and Mary Barra got a $20 million bonus and the stockholders get double the dividend, is that good for America too? We supported an American brand in that scenario.
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Hybrids don't sell because they are the most expensive engine option on most cars. If the CT6 hybrid was $59,900 and the turbo V6 was $64,900, and turbo V8 $74,900 the hybrid would sell.
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Porsche News: Revealed: 2017 Porsche Panamera
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Volkswagen
This is the fastest sedan ever around the Nurburgring at 7:38. A very impressive time. Looks better than the old Panamera but still isn't good looking, interior is boring. -
I wish the CT6 had the V8 at launch, I'd be all for them dropping the gas only 2.0T in the CT6, and making the 2.0T plug-in hybrid the base engine, and go to the turbo v6 and v8 from there.
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I am not blaming Americans for poor quality, I happen to think the C-class and GLC have the best made interiors, and best build quality in their respective segments. And if we want to ride the Support America and Buy American train, then buying a car that says "Made in China" on it is not the way to do that.
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I didn't forget the 4.2 V8, but it isn't available right now. My lineup they could do right now. When the 4.2 V8 arrives for sure that goes to CT6, I'd put it in the Escalade and ATS-V also.
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Well to be fair, the GLC is assembled in the USA, so it can't be poorly assembled German junk. I haven't driven a GLC, only a C300, but I had no complaints about it and thought it was pretty nice. The GLC did just win a comparison test over Lincoln, Lexus, and some other forgettable crossover, and it has gotten good reviews overall. GLC might not be for everyone, but it isn't junk or at the bottom of the class.
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I'd like to see... ATS: 2.0T, 3.0 TT V6, 3.6TT V6 CTS: 2.0T, 3.0TT, 3.6 TT (ATS-V 460 hp version), 6.2 sc V8 CT6: 2.0T, 3.0TT V6 That is what I'd do for gas engines, until they have a turbo DOHC V8 then that would go to CT6 and replace the CTS-V 6.2 liter. Of course there would be plug-in hybrids options on all 3 cars with the 2.0T, that would work in the XT5 also. I'd like to see a 3.0TT V6 plug-in on the CT6 and Escalade.
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Mercedes and BMW aren't selling on a value proposition, the GLC has the best interior of any small SUV, both the X3 and GLC have the rear drive handling advantage also. You could compare an Escape or Hyundai Santa Fe and load one of those up and be under $40k and have great value proposition too. Buick is still not a luxury brand in my mind. They are a step above Ford or Hyundai, but not on par with BMW or Mercedes. Cadillac isn't even on par with BMW or Mercedes yet. The XT5 is sized like a GLE, but priced like a GLC. For $40k I bet one could find a well equipped certified M-class and they have a 2 year unlimited mile warranty.
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Jaguar F-Pace is in this price range and has a 340 hp V6.
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I was thinking all Cadillac V6s should have at least 340 lb-ft, but I didn't really state that well. My main point was the ATS and CTS mid-level engine should be the twin turbo V6. If they want to let the CT6 have some seperation they could detune the ATS and CTS 3.0TT's down to 375 hp or so. The 400 hp TT V6 isn't doing Cadillac any good only being offered in one car though.
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You could get a pretty well optioned GLC for $50k, you can't get everything, but you can still get $10k worth of options, if you avoid the $2900 sport package and $1900 air suspension you can get all the driver nannies and interior upgrades without getting too high in price. Oddly enough the GLC300 has a better 0-60 time than the Envision or the 310 hp Cadillac XT5. And it won't depreciate like those two.
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Cadillac's OTHER V6 makes 404 HP & 400 TRQ. Right, that is why I said the 3.0 twin turbo should be the step up engine from the 2.0T. The Turbo V6 has already been criticized for refinement though, so they might have to work on that part of it. The Infiniti Q50 has a 400 hp V6 for under $50k, the ATS should have the 3.0TT for $47,900, throw it in the CTS for $55,000.
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The Cadillac 3.6 V6 is about 60 lb-ft of torque and 3,500 rpm away from where it needs to be. A Cadillac V6 should make 340 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm. Jaguar has 340 and 380 hp V6s that are in the 330-340 lb-ft range, BMW's engine is under rated at 320 or 330 lb-ft, whatever they claim, the Mercedes V6 is 350ish hp and torque, Audi is in that range too now. You want a V6 with mid to high 300s in horsepower and torque now. I'd like to see Cadillac pair that turbo V6 with a hybrid system.
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This makes a lot of sense, and I was saying 3 years ago they should drop the 2.5 liter and make the 2.0T the base engine. Putting more equipment and better powertrain in the car was what they should have done all along. I actually think Cadillac should drop the 3.6 V6 over the next 2 years and make the 3.0 TT as their mid-level engine, even if they have to dial back the power a little bit to 370 hp to improve refinement. The 3.6 V6 is just useless when it comes to torque compared to the German sixes and the Jaguar V6. Cadillac should be striving toward an all turbo lineup by 2018.
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It is not irrelevant as Electric will improve but it is not going to take over the entire industry in all areas. It will still take all variations of energy to meet the needs and desires of customers. While technology will improve we are still decades from infrastructure that will meet the needs to most people. Hell there are still many places with out cell coverage yet today and will not have it in the near future. Not everyone lives in a metro area. I don't think it is unrealistic to think that in 2050 every new car sold will be electric. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen in time. Electricity is more readily available than gas also. And electricity has better performance too. Cost is the obstacle, eventually they will overcome that.
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Rumorpile: Alfa Plans A Larger Sedan :Comments
smk4565 replied to William Maley's topic in Alfa Romeo
If I had a dime for every person that wanted to trade in their E-class or 5-series on a big Alfa Romeo sedan, I'd have ZERO DIMES!!! FCA for sure should spend $1 billion dollars to develop and E-class rival so they can lose money on it. Good plan, get to bankruptcy sooner so this company can close down once and for all and some one else can buy Jeep.- 10 replies
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We know diesels need the urea systems, and some technology to get compliant, so I guess the question is, how much are these car companies doing to get these cars to pass emissions. They probably all cheat to some degree, but gas cars are letting off emissions too, and they have emission control systems that I am sure some lawyer or scientist somewhere could claim is not meeting a standard. It does seem like a witch hunt on diesels, but it will all be irrelevant in a few years. As electric motors and batteries get better, plug in hybrid and EV's will grow, people won't want diesel anyway.
