A Horse With No Name
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Everything posted by A Horse With No Name
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If anything I would put money aimed at Chevrolet into two categories- #1. Giving customers more choices and options with the Trax, as it is at a good financial point for a lot of entry level buyers. I would also increase marketing and dealer training here. Chevrolet needs to do non traditional marketing, as TV advertisements and print advertisements have become largely worthless. #2. Give dealers in depth training and figure out a better way to market Volt. Volt has advantages over the Prius and yet Prius way outsells the Volt. When the price of fuel goes back up, Chevrolet needs to be in a position to take advantage of this. Also with the TDI scandal, Chevrolet is planning on converting people with Cruze diesel which is good as far as it goes. However, the 2019 standards for NOX are much harsher, and I do not feel this is a rational long term strategy for them. Given that a lot of the current crop of TDI customers are urban, wealthier, better educated and more politically liberal than the average car buyer, Volt might be a much better fit. It certainly has better long term prospects. It also plays right into the Bolt, a car that GM has also nailed and that should be a winner for them. If GM can get a lead early in Electric cars.... Tesla still has major financial hurdles to jump. Chevrolet has a huge inherent advantage in its already established dealer network. Hmmm...and If GM could regain the market equity it had in the Riviera name plate from the 1970's, they might be really on to something.
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This really sees entirely rational. At the same time, why fix something that isn't broken? Chevy got the current Impala really, really right. if people really want upscale and RWD, the CTS sells at an attractive enough price point that people could step up easily enough to a CTS and the added prestige of a Cadillac. And the last thing we want to do right now is cannibalize Cadillac sales.
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Agree on the Nismo thing, but that would probably price it out of its viability. At some point something like a GTI or Ecoboost Mustang becomes a competitor, and they are both much more car than a Sentra ever will be.
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Your remark in the other thread about how much fleet Ford had and lot little GM had made a lot of rational sense to me. If anything, it is amazing how ell both the Malibu and Impala are doing given how much everyone's sedans are taking a hit on the sales floor. Also, I tend to take a longer term look at it-GM is doing a lot of things right from a corporate philosophy standpoint IMHO, like continuing to invest heavily in Cadillac and Electric-Hybrid cars. They are kind of the polar opposite of Audi, who is having to cut investment after the TDI scandal. The other thing they are doing right is having a first rate entry level segment of cars that they are selling at the mainstream Chevrolet dealers and not Saturn dealers. By developing buying habits as GM/Chevrolet customers they are setting themselves up well for move up sales as young college graduates or people who are starting life in the military get older or move on to better jobs.
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In all fairness sedans are down across the board. The rational takeaway here is that consumers desires are changing. We had a thread here not that long ago that talked about how people by and large were bypassing sedans for new car purchases. I think people are perhaps putting the cash they might put towards a premium sedan for something like a Jeep Grand Cherokee or the like. Jeep has done an excellent job marketing their products. A POS people are willing to put real money towards. If the name of the car game is putting money to metal....the Benz people seem to be getting it done in this case.
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I would agree with you that Audi has a lot of models that sell in very small numbers. VW has not actually started buying TDI vehicles back yet, but several people have parked their TDI awaiting buy back and bought another ride. The real story here I think is that Audi will not have the image or R and D dollars going forward, and Benz lead will increase dramatically. Audi is already pulling out of LeMans 24 Hour and other motorsport, and VW is cutting their motorsport budget dramatically. Audi is doing very well with SUV's, in part because all three mainstream Euro luxury car makers crush the Asians in terms of SUV's But I would expect Benz to be pulling ahead in the SUV market as well as Audi is able to spend less and less on R and D and development. VW/Audi is nowhere near the bottom/end of the TDI scandal.
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I will give you this-while I do not like them from a subjectively personal standpoint and also think the long term running and parts costs are obscene... Mercedes Benz is really at the top of the luxury car game if I am intellectually honest with myself. They offer more unique options, have a more loyal fan base, have more power, features, etc.... That being said I would still buy a Lexus before I would buy a Benz. It is almost as if there are three separate theirs of Luxury cars. Tier one, ranked in order; Mercedes Benz Audi BMW Lexus Tier two; Cadillac Acura Lincoln and Infinity tied towards the bottom of tier two Tier Three; Volvo Buick Geneisis At the top of tier one would be non traditional premium brands like Porsche, Land Rover, Jag, Lotus, etc. All of them will I think carry higher prestige than perhaps BMW or Audi per se. Above Tier would would be McLaren, Bentley, Rolls, Bugatti, etc. Lexus is really in danger of falling into the second tier I think. as their SUV lineup is really bland and dated. But keep in mind, people buying Lexus vehicles are really real estate agents and dentists that want an ultra reliable vehicle that will bring them some level of prestige. In Toyota's corporate DNA is using the same things over and over again as long as they can and perfecting the manufacturing process. Their target market could care less about the extra power for the most part.
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I would agree with this. While there are a lot of things I do not like about the TLX, I would consider one to replace the Jetta. Perhaps, i really don't have any troubles with a touch screen that size. As I said earlier, the controls and layout of the center stack I thought was a strong point of this car.
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Yeah, there is a lot to be unhappy about if you are looking at the automotive market as a whole and want to buy a car. I am trying to be less negative here at C and G but a lot of my choices make me feel like a groom being pushed into an unhappy marriage. Hyundai and Kia really don't build anything I want, nor does Nissan, Mitsubishi, or a few other people.
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Cars you want to get rid of forever.
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...an Outback is what replaced that Dodge journey in my neighbors driveway. Yes to Outback owners being smug, although my neighbor is a fantastic guy. If I were going to sink a Subaru, it would be a Crosstek-under powered and not that interesting of a vehicle.
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An excellent list. Agree wholeheartedly with the dulling down of BMW remark.
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http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5853717571.html I'm a single 23 yo trying to get rid of the car. It needs just a little work to run but doesn't run now. It's an 86 Chevette. If you can haul it or fix it to drive away it's yours. I will offer a blowjob to get it off my property. Please serious inquiries only. ~ Kelly K Actual wording of advertisement.
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In this edition you will pick 5 cars born without a VIN. Can be anything from a Sand rail powered by an air cooled VW motor to a top fuel dragster. Most kit cars would qualify, as would most brass era cars from the early days of motoring. You could pick something interesting like a vintage group B rally car, or a modern NASCAR stock car. Home built specials, engineering prototypes, factory concept cars, the sky is the limit. MSO from kit car maker is not considered a VIN in this thread. Eyes without a face.....cars without a VIN....what 5 cars will you pick? Factory 5 type 65 coupe, car #1. http://www.factoryfive.com/kits/type-65-coupe/ Car #2, Caterham Lotus 7.
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