Robert Hall

Happy Birthday!

On the first statement I would agree. It goes beyond the price to image also, a German car has the image of more sophistication (the wine, cheese, and opera crowd), a Cadillac is for old people in Florida or gangsters. Point 2 I am not sure of yet. If GM was so serious, why the front drive vehicles with Chevy underpinnings. GM said they were serious on Cadillac in 2003 when the first CTS came out, and it would be followed by a more rear drivers to fight the Germans, and 8 years later the STS, SRX (rwd) and XLR are in the graveyard. So I remain skeptical that Cadillac is for real serious this time. On the 3rd point, I hope you are correct and Cadillac gets back to the Standard of the World. But as I said, I am not convinced yet. The ATS is step one and it is going after a legend so it better be good. RWD is not the panacea it once was. Quite soon every single major luxury player will have a FWD vehicle for sale. So unless you are implying that BMW, Infiniti, and Mercedes "aren't serious" then you cannot apply that term to Cadillac. The difference is BMW and MB will be using FWD only on the cheap entry-level stuff...the good stuff remains RWD.

Saw another article that indicated Ram could get a version of the Iveco Daily (large van) also...that they may have a 3 van strategy w/ the small Doblo, midsize Ducato, large Daily...

GM has the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro, which is a JV w/ Renault (Renault Trafic, Nissan Primestar), and the larger Opel/Vauxhall Movano, also a JV w/ Renault (Renault Master).

The ATS will need good marketing. That will be important to bringing in new customers...

I wonder what they will name Ram's versions of the Doblo and Ducato. From what I've read, Ford is planning to replace the E-series w/ the European Transit as well.

The Lancer is supposed to handle quite well. Too bad it's so ugly and has a nasty interior.

LULZ! That's why there is the saying "Never own a BMW that isn't under warranty!". Ask Nick about his 5-series..... VW's are atrocious with all kinda interior bits falling off. My ex's Passat had a smooth engine that ran well... but the rest of the car fell apart around it. I think the key to happiness w/ BMWs or other German cars is the 3 yr lease. Drive it a few years then get another one. That's what friends of mine do that have BMWs and Benzes. That way you never have to deal w/ expensive out-of-warranty issues.

Saw a blue like this one top down a couple days ago..

Not that I've seen..but I suspect the dimensions for the ATS will be close to the that of the current BMW 3-series or Merc C-class...approx 108 inch wb, 179-180 inch length, 70 inch width...maybe 3300- 3500lbs..

The second one is wild..never seen it before..the roofline and rear quarters remind me of an exaggeration of the '71-73 Mustang fastback body. The taillights appear to be '69 Pontiac Le Mans units maybe...the rear end-on view reminds me of the '71-72 AMC Javelin. Interesting car. I've seen that Volare-based sedan in a magazine before..IIRC, the greenhouse is largely unchanged from the stock Volare. It's one of Peter Monteverdi's Mopar-based models, IIRC. No idea about the SUV. It looks like a wierd mix of the 1st gen Range Rover and the Lada Niva.

Not unlike the Leafs (Leaves?) I see around w/ the huge 'ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE' graphics down the side...

notgoingtohappen.com. I hate being realistic, though a Monte Carlo or Chevelle revival would be great, I just don't see this happening...

There will be more than one wheelbase length for Alpha. Wheelbase is one dimension, but they will need more width and wider track for larger models...

Saw a red '65 Olds Starfire coupe today...sweet. A nice companion for the silver '65 Jetstar I I saw a while back in the same area.

Well, both the Sonata and Regal are midsize mainstream FWD sedans. Same formula. One step above the entry level midsize for their respective companies (Optima and Malibu). Makes sense to compare them. Sonata is a fullsize and not above the Optima, they are very similar in price depending on options. You might as well compare the Regal to a Taurus or Impala. Sonata is a midsize. Azera is the full size. My point was that Hyundai is supposed to be a step above Kia, like Buick is a step above Chevy. The Sonata and Regal are both 4cyl FWD midsize sedans..they are more similar than different.

Nice..low miles, probably would clean up nicely. Odd that the seller is looking to trade for a very rare Pontiac show car..seems implausible. He's probably thinking of a Yamaha Banshee... Ah, I figured there was a more prosaic explanation, but couldn't think of any other vehicles named banshee...

Nice..low miles, probably would clean up nicely. Odd that the seller is looking to trade for a very rare Pontiac show car..seems implausible.

Well, both the Sonata and Regal are midsize mainstream FWD sedans. Same formula. One step above the entry level midsize for their respective companies (Optima and Malibu). Makes sense to compare them.

Interesting..would have thought the 4.0 from the Grand Cherokee would be the same as that of the XJ of the same era.

Sharp..there is a white one '65 Calais coupe I see around occasionally. Looking at the pics, it's in incredible condition..stunning example. Love the two-tone interior.

Doesn't look like a CUV...it's a 5dr hatchback like the Focus or Caliber, that's all. The Forester is a CUV..

I wonder if we will see a Camaro Z-28 in the next year or so, something to target the Mustang Boss 302. That would be cool. The US-spec Spark will probably show up at one of the shows.

Sedans and CUVs are the volume models, the money makers, so I expect lots of those..

My favorite coupes of that era are probably the '77-79 Caprice coupes w/ the neat rear window and the Le Sabre Turbo Coupe..haven't seen one of those in a loooong time.