Robert Hall

Interesting concept, hideous paint scheme.

Hardly...a $50k+ luxury model platform is not mass market..it's not some transverse engine FWD generic used on $25k rental cars...

The Groove looks more similar than different to the xB...same blocky shape, similar greenhouse, similar fender bulges, etc. Just a pair of odd little boxes.

Who says this is their top sedan. With a coming flag ship and a new larger CTS the XTS is just a volume Luxury sedan like the Lexus ES 350. For the time being, it is the top sedan. Nothing else has been announced. Any other flagship is just a rumor at this time. Isn't the LaCrosse the volume luxury sedan that should be competing w/ the ES? That was the Buick marketing angle a while back IIRC.. Now a proper flagship model in the style of Ciel would be an interesting direction...

humour

Found the red Caddy and the blue Vista Cruiser (w/ the 'For Sale' sign in the windshield) yesterday at Target. Still haven't seen the gold Firebird or blue Holden ute yet.

This was a neat concept.

I don't get it either... I guess they've been brainwashed by 30 years of FWD mediocrity that Detroit embraced.

No, they make the Pullman now, it is basically a limo. They make an armored Pullman also that you have to special order and clear a background check to buy. But it does come with its own air supply, fire extinguishing system and can withstand 5 grenades at once. And y'all can hate on the S-class all you want, the new one will be awesome, just like every previous generation was awesome and with technology and power years ahead of the competition. I am excited to see what they come up with next. Magic Ride Control is going to blow away everything on the market. I'm not amongst the haters..I like the current S-class..it's been my favorite Big Dog luxury sedan since the '80s. LoL..I was thinking Gothic more in the pale skin, dress in black, listen to the Cure style of Gothic...

That Groove looks a lot like the xB.

I wonder when the Navigator will get the family nose...

It brings Prius Excitement!!! to the subcompact segment.

There were a bunch of variations of the Biturbo from the late 80s into the 90s..not sure how many of them made it to the US...Spyder, Shamal, Ghibli II, Karif, 420/425, 228, etc... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati_Biturbo

What I don't like about the 2013 Mustang is they are using the same rounded grille surround on all the models--derived from the '10-12 Shelby piece. The base, GT and Boss 302 should have had their own fascias distinct from the Shelby IMO.

<elitist rant> Exactly...it may have some high tech parts, but at the core it has mainstream FWD appliance underpinings which are innapropriate for a brand w/ premium aspirations. Transverse engine w/ FWD is the very definition of mediocrity, averageness, bland... all that is anthema to premium, luxury, etc. It's enough to compete w/ such weak entry-lux models as the ES and MKS, but such mediocrity isn't enough to compete in the big leagues. It's a weak, predicable effort. Cadillac needs to aim higher... </elitist rant>

Kind of a safe choice...odd that the C-class was in the running, '12 was just a mild MCE and not a redesign. Of the nominees, I've only driven one---the 300--which I liked quite a bit.

Good to hear about the investment at Toledo. I haven't read anything about the plans for the Liberty's platform. I have read that a Fiat platform will be used for the next Compass/Patriot. Maybe they will develop a scaled-down version of the GC platform for the Liberty...

I assume one reason the Epsilon II cars are narrow is that it is a global platform. I don't really care for the tall and narrow design trait of so many cars today, I prefer lower-longer-wider.

The D3/D4 platform was originally based on the Volvo S60/S80 platform (P2) that came out in '99. Debuted w/ the Five Hundred and Montego back in MY '05.

Toilets? Toilet paper? (thinking maybe it was something more of a domestic/household type product)...

Sharp...just the right amount of chrome to complement the black paint.

Not sure why you'd think that; LaCrosse FWD is 58/42 in weight distribution, or only 4 percentage numbers off a RWD mercedes C300 (54/46). It's not like the XTS is going to be 70/30. Remember, I'm not an FWD fan, so it's natural I would think that... I thought it would be more like 65/35... And why do you always mispell 'Mercedes'??

FWD is fine for their appliances, but the Genesis and Equus aim to be better than that...

A 2dr Panamera with a slicker roofline could be interesting...

That's strange. I still think the Genesis and Equus should have been in a separate premium brand to separate them from the FWD models.