smk4565

That is hilarious, I love that. I wonder which group of the 3 is the biggest buyer, I would have said doped up seniors in 2000, but Buick sales are tanking fast, (down another 19% in Feb 08) and GM has cut down on it's geezer-mobiles, people who buy on incentive alone and rental car joints must be running neck and neck. I've gone by 3 different Enterprise lots around here and saw a CTS, there is nothing that GM won't discount and give away.

I think no B-pillar is cool (as are suicide doors like Rolls has or the Imperial concept). But with safety standards, it's hard to do, and I'd take lower weight over no b-pillar. Although I think the Mazda RX-8 doesn't have a B-pillar, that would be cool if the Camaro or GTO (if they make it) do the double door and no pillar thing.

Lexus has a 27 mpg SUV, but it isn't that fast. Lexus is know for quiet and reliable, BMW is known for handling, Mercedes is engineering, all of them have something they do well. My problem with Cadillac is they don't have a clear identity and they don't have any flagship or unique products. The Coupe 60 will have to compete with a better looking and cheaper Mustang, Camaro, new 370Z, etc. What Pontiac really needs is the Alpha platform (as does Cadillac). Personally I think they killed Pontiac's image with years of rebadged Chevys they sold to rental fleets. The Solstice is an amazing looking car, and couldn't turn Pontiac's image, perhaps nothing can.

Edmunds.com has the Escalade (short length) at 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Although I've seen several times at 6.5 to 6.7 seconds, which seems about right for 403 hp and a 6 speed and the weight. Car and Driver tested the Tahoe Hybrid last month, it was 0-60 in 8.2 seconds. The Tahoe gets slower in hybrid form, the Escalade using the same powertrain will become slow as well. The Astra will compete against the Civic, and Mazda3. It's much better than the Ion or Cobalt, but not really a premium car. As far as the Coupe 60 goes, it is just a newer version of the GTO. The Camaro is 1000 times better looking, Chevy has a better image than Pontiac as well, the Camaro would make a Pontiac coupe pointless.

The Camry, Malibu and MKZ are the same size as the CTS also. Most people shop cars in price ranges, size is good to categorize and compare, but if you can't spend over $40k, you can go buy a CTS, can't get a 5-series. A prospective buyer looking to spend $45k could cross shop a CTS DI vs a used 545i/550i.

I didn't forget the Escalade Hybrid, which may get 20 mpg, maybe 19 if it has more weight than the Tahoe to pull, but the Escalade Hybrid doesn't have 758 lb-ft or do 0-60 faster than an XLR. I would love to see the CTS diesel on sale here, hopefully this happens for 09 models, since the Germans have a lot of diesels coming. New M5 is 2010 model, I don't think the CTS-V should be compared to the M5, the CTS-V isn't $83,000, problem is Lutz and GM not only compare it to the M5, but say it's better. The CX-9 was Motor Trend tuck of the year, Car and Driver 5 best truck list also. The interior on the CX-9 is reminds me of a Volvo, it's actually pretty nice. It also has the new 3.7 liter with 275 hp and is about 400 pounds lighter than the Lambdas. The Lambas are good, the Mazda is a tad better. Astra is not a premium car, it has 140 hp and cloth seats. It isn't comparable to the Mini Cooper, VW GLI/R32/Scirocco and Jetta, 1-series (pricey but 0-60 in 4.7 seconds). (i know the mini and jetta start around 150 hp but they offer upgrades) Nothing 3-series sized but the 9-3 and that car is old and not that good. The Odyssey (which is not the top selling minivan) outsold all 3 Lambdas combined last year. Crossovers are selling more because body on frame are selling less. The SUV market is just shifting sales around, SUVs aren't taking market share from cars. $4 a gallon is coming, SUVs are going to be a tough sell.

My car is 3880 pounds, which is rather heavy, but it's still less than a G8/Holden. I do wish the Aurora was not as big and heavy as it is, handling would be much better, although front drive limits it also. I had a 4-cylinder before, I won't buy another, even the turbo ones that make power are uneven. 250 hp from a V8 is rather sad by today's standards, but that engine is still really smooth and never whines or vibrates.

Do you plan on crashing your car after purchasing it? Personally, crash test ratings or how expensive the car is to fix are very low on my priority list. I care about interior, how the car drives, styling, etc. The stuff you use every day. Light, nimble cars stop faster and can avoid accidents better than big, heavy vehicles.

Then why doesn't GM beat the Germans? Why isn't there a midsized Cadillac sedan built on an aluminum frame with a more refined V6 than they have now, a DOHC V8, and a DOHC 550 hp engine and carbon fiber for the V-series. Why isn't there a Cadillac that gets 30 mpg, or 22 mpg even, or an S-class style car. With the biggest auto maker in the world behind them, Cadillac has aging models and rebadges and 1 good car in their lineup. They should do better than that. The G8 and coupe version if they make it should be compared to the Mustang, 350Z, Charger, 300C, Hyundai Genesis. Pontiac's image is no better than Hyundai or Dodge or Ford, that is their competition. Audi just released the Q7 V12 diesel with 758 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and gets 20 mpg (a CTS is 20 mpg and half the cylinders!). I know the Audi will cost a ton, but why can't GM make something like that, or at least diesel V8 products that are powerful, fast and get over 20 mpg. If the Enclave, CTS, Malibu, Acadia, G8 are the best GM can do they are in trouble, those vehicles are not better than a CX-9 or Accord or BMW 3 or 5, G35/G37. The GM products are good, top 3 in their class, but not benchmark products. And to engineer those 5 good products, the let vehicles like the G-body,W-body cars and GMT360s get grossly outdated, and they ignore premium small cars (not even anything like a Golf or Jetta) and they don't make a minivan. I don't want them to make 75 models, but when you have a dozen 200+ inch long SUVs and no minivan and no small premium car something is wrong.

I know the G37 is Japanese, I meant 2 German cars that it was faster than and 2 cars in that price range that were faster, but I didn't state it clearly. The CTS-V might take an M5 in a straight line, but I'd like to see CTS-V lap times on the Nurburgring. The next M5 could have as much as 600-650 hp and they are going to use carbon fiber to keep it to 4000 pounds, a 4300 lb, 550 hp CTS-V can't match that. Take the limiter off the current M5 and it does 205 mph, that is fast. The Audi RS6 has 580 hp, but the Audi is ridiculously heavy as well, and even with all that power, still isn't better than the M5.

Someone said it could run with the Germans, I named 2 in that price range it could run with and 2 it couldn't. The 650i is $72,000, Cadillac isn't even in that league, let alone Pontiac. In a straight line the V8 version could match it, although by the time this hits US shores, the 650i will have another 50 hp and 90 lb-ft of torque. GM will never, ever beat the Germans with pushrods and large heavy cars. Maybe that is why GM is trying to buy engines from BMW.

Yes it would run with the Audi TT and Mercedes CLK350, in a straight line at least, perhaps corners also. G37 coupe and 335i are another story.

This is the same shape as the old Manaro/GTO and the front is identical to the G8/Commodore. There is nothing exciting about this car, it's an old design. The GTO tanked because it looked too bland and there aren't a lot of people that will spend $35,000 on a "damaged brand" Pontiac. This is the same formula they used on a car that bombed (but with 40 less hp), if they bring this to the USA, it will bomb like the GTO did. Why on earth would anyone but this over a less expensive, better looking, more positive imaged Camaro?

I am not a fan of Mercedes, although the new S-class looks good, the C-class and GLK are okay, they are better than the twin eyedrop headlights on the E-class, the E-class has a really old geezer look to it. The GLK hybrid will probably cost between an Enclave and a Tahoe hybrid, and Mercedes has a much better image than Chevy or Buick. People are willing to pay for the Mercedes badge. There are a lot of baby boomers who's kids are gone and are downsizing, and there are the younger professionals with 1-2 kids or none at all, that will buy smaller cars and SUVs. Being environmentally friendly is becoming a big thing for businesses and individuals, it's the trendy thing to do. People will pay for a "green" luxury car or "blue" in the case of Mercedes.

The Mercedes GLK Bluetech hybrid does it in 7.3 seconds and gets 40 mpg US.

I think the Concord/LHS required a nautical license. They were more barge than midsize car.

$63,000 for more torque than a Corvette or XLR-V, 4 years free maintenance and great handling. The S-class is only about 25,000 US sales per year, SMART can offset that and the E55 and CLS55 AMG. The S400 hybrid is said to get 40 mpg, the GL320 beats a Tahoe hybrid in mileage, Mercedes could end up making a lot of fuel efficient cars. Cadillac shouldn't have 4-speeds or pushrods in any product. BMW and Mercedes design cars to be leaders in technology, materials and performance. Cadillac vehicles are designed to utilize existing GM parts, while squeezing every penny of cost out of it so they can price it lower than the import. Their philosophies are different, thus their image is different, and M-B and BMW can charge what they do.

I am only stating that if in 2020 all vehicles truck and car have to average out to 35 mpg CAFE, then GM with half trucks has to make really gas friendly cars to compensate. BMW, Honda, M-B, that have a high percentage of cars can make some cars that get poor mileage. M-B is going to get help on CAFE with the 41 mpg SMART For2. The X5 Efficient Dynamics gets over 10 mpg more than an Aveo. Products like that can compensate for the V8 and V12s without having to raise price to cover a fine. Personally I think a coupe like SUV (infiniti EX or X6) is dumb, but I am sure some people will buy it to be different. BMW will get the $63,000 because it has a wicked engine (0-60 in 5.3 seconds) and because it's a BMW. I wish Cadillac had products like the CLS or XF or S-class and they operated in the $60,000+ range. Cadillac was once the standard of the world, now they are just another player in the entry-lux segment.

I agree with point 4. If Cadillac has a diesel and/or hybrid car on every model, their fuel economy will be good. They should do a DOHC V8 with the same hybrid system the Malibu has, that would get 20 mpg. The Germans seem to be going to diesel and hybrid diesel to get gas thrifty buyers, Cadillac should too. I know CAFE separates cars and trucks now, but I though the 2020 standard was going to put them all together.

For 2009-2015 they will surely use the twin turbo V8. As 2020 approaches that could change. But the new BMW V8 is only 4.4 liter and said to get 19 mpg, that is pretty good mileage for a 410 hp, 450 lb-ft engine. The 5-series is also getting an 8-speed automatic, more aluminum in the chassis to reduce weight, plus a light hybrid system like the Malibu has. They could get the V8 to average 20-21 mpg, just as a Malibu V6 does. Even BMW's V12 which is rather dated at this point gets 15 mpg, that is better than the Escalade. Is GM going to stop making Hummers, Escalades and Suburbans, they all get worse mileage than a 7-series or S550. BMW and Mercedes will never stop making V8s and V12s. They charge a lot now and people pay it. People will always pay a premium for status, image and technology. Once their diesel hybrids roll out over the next few years, and Mercedes has SMART car sales helping their CAFE numbers, both those brans will be fine. 6 cylinder may be the standard in the $30-45,000 entry level cars, but how do you get people to pay $60,000 for a car with the same engine that is in an Accord, Camry or Malibu. Diesel engines will be used in the entry lux class to deliver great fuel economy which will help set the car apart from the family sedans. Example: Audi today showed a TT diesel that gets 43 mpg US, and 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Not the fastest car, but that is near Prius level gas mileage.

The Silverado sales volume is much higher than the 7-series, and M cars. The X3 is rated by the EPA at 20 mpg combined, same as a Malibu V6. BMW isn't great at fuel economy, but they do have diesel and hybrids coming, the 335d goes on sale this summer and averages 28 mpg. Time will tell with their hybrids and whether or not they do the 42 mpg X5 concept. The whole Acura brand averages out to the same mileage the CTS gets. Acura could afford to make a V8 car under CAFE guidelines, especially with how fuel efficient Honda is. My main point is GM is truck and SUV heavy, so to make up for that they have to build only 4 and 6 cylinder cars. The Germans and Honda/Acura are car heavy, so they can make V8s, and even V12 sedans.

I am not assuming the V8 would be standard, I was just reposting the news item. The V6 will no doubt be standard, and V8 optional, just like everyone else does. A V6 doesn't produce torque like a V8, and it doesn't sound like one either. A twin turbo V6 would be nice, but when the 5-series (X6, X5, 7-series too) has a twin-turbo V8 they have a decisive advantage. Cadillac needs a sedan that competes with the mid-level cars, they don't have it. The CTS is entry level, the STS is too big and too cheap, the DTS is a dinosaur, and both will be dead in 2010-2011. A dressed up G8 isn't the answer either.

Honda is currently the most fuel efficient brand (according to EPA 2007). By 2020, they'll have more hybrids or diesels, perhaps a fuel cell. CAFE standards won't be that hard for them to meet, building 20,000 V8s that get 18-19 mpg won't hurt them. BMW, Mercedes, and Honda/Acura don't have 15 mpg pickups and Hummers, so they can make a V8 luxury car. If Acura doesn't do a V8 (or an NSX), CAFE won't be the reason, it will be based on projected sales and development costs.

2007 A4 with the 2.0 turbo. The engine vibrates and is too noisy, at a stoplight you actually feel your seat vibrate. The only thing I like about the car is the all wheel drive system grips well and gives it a very solid feeling, even on slippery country roads, it allows the driver to be aggressive with no worries. However the handling isn't BMW level and the ride is too jarring.

"While the 2009 Acura RL just showed up on the map at the Chicago Auto Show, Best Car is already speculating on the next-generation RL. The magazine says that Acura may be looking to offer a 4.5 liter V8 engine that produces in the excess of 400 horsepower. The next-generation RL is also rumored to have a new rear-wheel-drive architecture. Best Car speculates that the car will arrive in Japan in 2010 and believes it is what Acura needs to go head-to-head with Lexus. Recently reported, Acura is working on a “huge shift” next year that will move the brand closer to tier 1 luxury brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus." (www.egmcartech.com) So if they do that, the RL at least will have the hardware, styling and reputation will be factors in going after Lexus and the Germans. Their 400+ hp V8 will be much better than the 300 hp V6 Cadillac will have for the CTS and future DTS/STS/DTZ (or whatever it is called). Cadillac is slipping, they need way more in their arsenal than what they have.