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smk4565

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Everything posted by smk4565

  1. smk4565
    It looks similar in shape and style from what can be seen, so I assume it will be an evolution of the current car. It does appear to have even less head room or side window glass, that confined feeling interior may return. It looks big to me, when you see it next to the Impala, it doesn't look that much smaller, and the Impala is a big car.
  2. smk4565
    If VW bought Fiat they would be producing about 14 million cars per year, I'd imagine they would have to phase out some brands, Skoda and Seat could surely go away. But you do wonder if it is manageable, or if they will try.
  3. smk4565
    Agreed. If we had gas at $6 a gallon, let alone the $8-9 per gallon they have in Europe, sedans and station wagons with 4 cylinder diesels would take over. $3.80 a gallon is relatively cheap and the car companies market the crossovers. I'll take a sedan any day and take the better handling, I could drive a coupe every day if I wanted, but there wasn't a coupe I liked that I could afford. I did see a Jaguar F-type on the road today, looked absolutely epic and sounded even better. I wouldn't mind driving that every day.
  4. smk4565
    I for one would like to see the Auto Union comeback, the potential of this deal would be huge, but they would have to shudder some brands in the process. VW would gain in markets they are weak though, and the economies of scale could really come to be a big advantage. I see it like this: Fiat does what it does with the compact cars, VW could build a future Up! off the Fiat 500 platform. VW adds the Chrysler minivan and a 300C based RWD sedan to slot above the Passat, Chrysler brand is shut down. VW adds Ram pickups in global markets outside the USA, a small pickup could be sold under Ram name here and VW name abroad. Jeep expands globally since the Cherokee can be built in Fiat/Alfa factories, as could the Renegade. Future Grand Cherokee, Toureg and Cayenne could platform share. Maserati could platform share with Audi, which gets the A8 and A6 on a RWD platform. Quattroporte, A8 and Bentley Continental/Flying Spur would platform share, Ghibli and A6 could also. They could share a lot of engines and transmissions also. Alfa Romeo expands globally as the smaller, more value oriented performance/luxury brand. The Mito and Giulietta would platform share with the Fiat 500/VW Up! and VW Golf. I think Alfa could potentially replace Dodge, but the Charger/Challenger wouldn't fit in with Alfa.
  5. smk4565
    Ferdinand Piech reportedly has a grand plan to make VW the #1 auto manufacturer in the world by buying up Fiat-Chrysler. VW has $24 billion in cash so they have the money to buy controlling interest in FCA, assuming they could get the regulatory approvals. He would then revive the Auto Union name to be the parent company with Fiat, VW, Jeep, Chrysler/Dodge and a luxury group of Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Maserati and Porsche. This would give VW a substantial lead in global sales volume over GM or Toyota. Full Story at link: http://europe.autonews.com/article/20140721/COPY/307259994/a-vw-fca-deal-would-be-risky-reasonable
  6. smk4565
    They still don't have an ATS-V or a CTS-V on this body style. I still think if they want to get noticed in Europe they need something special. Which doesn't have to just be a sports car, it could be a plug in hybrid or something too.
  7. smk4565
    Audi since they introduced the R8 has seen sales rise, Mercedes had the SLR McLaren and SLS AMG, these sort of cars help the brand image which helps luxury car sales. BMW hasn't had a super car, but they did manage to think of every body style possible in the 3 and 5 ranges, If Cadillac goes into Europe with 2 sedans and 1 crossover, it isn't really a lot to get people excited or get on TV shows or written about in magazines. Easy to go overlooked.
  8. smk4565
    They could just make AWD optional on the CTS V-sport, they could make it optional on the CTS-V even. But I supposed they have to justify the XTS's existence some how.
  9. smk4565
    They still make these? I remember when the Fx35 first came out, it seems like 10 years ago, oh wait, it was 12 years ago! And it looks the same! Save for newer headlights, more horsepower and a new nav-system.
  10. smk4565
    I don't get why anyone would buy this over a CTS V-sport? If you want performance you are going to want the CTS, if you don't want performance and like the XTS then 300 hp is probably plenty for that type of buyer. I bet these will be a rare breed.
  11. smk4565
    That is good news, but why put it in a pick up and leave Cadillac with a 6-speed on most cars? I assume this is the Aisin unit and not GM's own?
  12. smk4565
    The commitment isn't there obviously. If they aren't willing to build dealerships, or make diesel engines or hybrids, or do the marketing, etc, then it isn't going to work. They have to go all in or not at all, and I don't think Cadillac/GM really has the money to go all in. Plus Cadillac still has no halo products, no convertibles, there isn't anything dramatic there to catch attention. And yes I know they'll put a Corvette engine in a CTS but that hasn't really made the CTS light up sales charts here, it isn't going to do anything in the land of $9 per gallon.
  13. smk4565
    No guts, no glory.
  14. smk4565
    Seems like this missle launcher came from Russia and Putin, he is a scumbag. Bad luck for Malaysian Airlines, I feel bad for the people that work there and rely on their jobs, because you have to wonder if that airline is going to fold. I know most don't want to get involved with stuff half way around the world when we have plenty of issues here in the USA to fix, but how long do we let Al-Assad kill his own people or Putin supply weapons to terrorists, or Iran or Syria harbor terrorists, etc. I think at some point you have to teach these people a lesson and I don't know if economic sanctions are enough.
  15. smk4565
    The plus side to doing this is they should learn a lot about what European buyers want and what these prospective buyers like or don't like about the cars. Without a solid dealer network and sales and service channel through Europe it is going to be hard to sell cars. Plus European luxury cars are half diesel, the 2.0 turbo is too thirsty compared to 50 mpg A4's and 3-series sold in Europe. Gas prices range from $8-9.20 per gallon in Europe with diesel ranging $7-9 per gallon. With prices like that you have to have high mileage options, Cadillac doesn't have that.
  16. smk4565
    Only $60,000 base price, which isn't bad for that kind of power. Pretty cheap actually.
  17. smk4565
    I look forward to seeing what they come up with. Jaguar has some awesome products, the F-type looks stunning, even the XK which they are discontinuing still looks good. Jaguar looks at a more affordable price point is a good thing. I would think the engines are basically the 2.0T and 3.0 V6 that the XF uses now. Jaguar has direct injection and turbo and superchargers now, so I wonder how much is new, versus just doing an update of what is already there.
  18. smk4565
    They look pretty dopey, clearly trying to mimic Fiat. The multiple color options is cool and should appeal to the young, urban buyer. Overall it still looks pretty ugly. The gas mileage better be awesome, because on the old one it wasn't all that fantastic. The good news here is since it is rear engine and rear drive it should handle exactly like a Porsche 911.
  19. smk4565
    I do think GM has a lot of SUVs, that is why I don't think the GMC brand should exist since they are all Chevy clones. You could give Buick and Cadillac each 3 SUVs (not clones) and Chevy has SUVs and you don't need GMC. I would also argue if it isn't a global brand, they don't need it. But I know GM won't cut GMC. There could be an argument made that Cadillac should just keep 2 SUVs in order to put more R&D dollars into the ATS and CTS, because as long as you have to make Buick and GMC SUVs, they only have so many dollars to spread around. But the SRX is pretty comparable to the RX350 and MKX, and Lincoln and Lexus both saw the need for a smaller crossover. Granted Lincoln has one foot in the grave too and could just be desperate. On the image and buyer preference issues, Audi seems to be the hot brand among younger and newer luxury buyers. But Audi also relies on the A3, A4 and Q5, their bigger cars don't sell. The CLA proves that Mercedes buyers aren't just after a badge, because they aren't buying it, and the E-class has been the best selling Mercedes. If they just wanted a badge, they wouldn't skip over the 2 cheaper models and go for the more expensive one. BMW is pretty strong up and down the lineup in sales, despite them watering down steering feel and driving dynamics. Consumers don't seem to care.
  20. smk4565
    I'd take the Range Rover against anything off road. It has a lot of technology like the terrain recognition and traction and stability control, and the hill decent thing, etc. The Wrangler doesn't have the high tech goodies or the power of a Range Rover. I'd put the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler just behind the Range Rover, and you have to put the G-wagen in there too. I've seen Top Gear (the real version) put the Range Rover through a lot of stuff and it always is impressive. When you look at a Durango, it seems as big as a Tahoe, I wonder how the two compare. Body on frame is sort of old news, so which is the better driver, the Durango or Tahoe, and I am talking on road, because I doubt many Tahoes are going off road.
  21. smk4565
    Some people don't like big cars, my mom thinks my E-class is too large and it is smaller than the new CTS. I'd imagine the sort that buy Mini Cooper, Golf GTI, Jetta, Prius Impreza, etc see the ATS as almost too big. Those cars I mentioned are in the 175-180 inch length area. Spend 10 years in one of those cars and no way would they go to a large mid-size like a CTS. That is where the Audi A3 and BMW 1 or 2 series come in. Urban buyers like small cars. The SRX isn't small either, it is a foot longer than a Mercedes GLK, 8 inches longer than a Lexus NX200, 7 inches longer than a BMW X3. The SRX is just on a dopey platform that doesn't utilize space well. The CTS has gotten big too, at 195.5 inches long, it is just 2 shy of a Chrysler 300. I think Cadillac should have a small, medium, large SUV line up, the SRX is covering 2 segments, it needs to pick small or medium, and then they can release a 3rd SUV. They should use Alpha, but they could make their small and medium crossovers FWD, crossover buyers won't care.
  22. smk4565
    The diesel makes the most sense because the GL has one, as does the Grand Cherokee if you want to call that an Escalade competitor. The diesel could give the Escalade a fuel economy bump that is sorely needs, and for the fleet or limo type Escalade buyers it could be a popular option for operating cost and durability. The twin turbo V6 is a tough call because it basically has the same power as the engine they already have. Unless the fuel economy and refinement are better, then there isn't really a point to offering the TT V6, why have two 420 hp engines. As for a V-sport model they might as well leave that on the shelf, you can't make a body on frame SUV as big as the Escalade handle half decent, so why put 500+ hp in it, it is pointless really. And yes the G63 AMG is body on frame with a big engine, but they sell so few globally, and the G-wagen is like SRX size, maybe smaller, it is only about 186 inches long.
  23. smk4565
    I would pretty much agree with Reg, a lot of people just don't like the Cadillac image. My mom is 60 and mention a Cadillac and the response is "ewww, I hate them, they are for geezers" because she remembers her grandparents getting a new Cadillac every other year, my great grand parents bought over 20 Cadillacs, all land barges of the 60s, 70s and early 80s. They could sell Cadillacs at half price and she still wouldn't consider one just because of the negative image she has formed of them. I think a lot of 20 somethings are probably the same way, they see Audi as cool and hip, and Cadillac as grandpa's car. And Cadillacs are big, some people don't want a mid size car even, they only want small or compact. The SUV line up I would propose is make the SRX smaller on the outside, same on the inside and keep the base price at $35k. It could be FWD because the mindless crossover buyer likes that, Acura, Lincoln and Lexus get sales on FWD crossovers because those Rav4 and CR-V and Ford Escape buyers have to go someplace when they trade up, and they are clueless to why RWD is better. The middle SUV should be on Alpha, more like the CTS in size and price, 3.6 V6 base and twin turbo V6 optional (or whatever engines the CTS has at that time), this would be more in the $50-65k range like an X5 or ML350. Escalade will stay as it is, the Tahoe is already there so it is easy to do. Rumor is they are thinking of a turbo V6 or diesel V6 since the Navigator has a turbo V6 and the Mercedes GL has a diesel. Other than powertrain or trim changes, the Escalade formula works for now. Probably one day body on frame SUVs will die, just as body on frame cars died and body on frame mid-size SUVs died, but for now they are still holding on.
  24. smk4565
    Based on what I can find searching the internet, MB has only 2 SUV platforms. Their military version mad consumer overpriced dino G-Class and the 4 model family GLA, GLK, GL and M-class suv. How is this any different than Cadillac with their 2 SUV platforms? They have their Escalade, Escalade ESV and SRX. I expect a second model off the SRX line but with Buick, Cadillac does not need to have a model in compact, Mid class and Full size. More then enough with what they have. Mercedes does have 2 SUV platforms but they have more than 2 SUVs. The GLA is on the A-class platform, the GLK is built on the C-class platform. The ML and GL share a platform but in different size similar to ATS and CTS on Alpha, and the G-wagen is their 2nd SUV only platform. So 2 of Mercedes SUVs are built on car platforms. I'd like to see Cadillac build an SUV off Alpha, maybe to slot in between the SRX and Escalade and they can help them keep the price of the SRX down to keep it in the entry-lux suv sweet spot.
  25. smk4565
    I imagine there will be a 3rd Cadillac SUV somehow, GM loves SUVs, they can't let Cadillac have only 2 when Mercedes has 5 of them, granted the GLA will probably be a slow seller and the G-wagen is a niche product.
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