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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Rumors are swirling that Volkswagen may be cutting most of the Golf lineup from the US market with the next generation of Golf. The standard version of the Golf, e-Golf, Golf SportWagen, and Golf Alltrack would be dropped in the US while the GTI and Golf R continue on. The e-Golf will be replaced by something in the ID lineup. Looking at the sales numbers, it is easy to see why Volkswagen may make this move. Sales of the base Golf in 2018 numbered just 6,642, down 51% from the year prior. GTI and Golf R combined sold more than triple that amount (20,152). The one head-scratcher is the Golf Sportwagon, which sold nearly as many units (14,123) as the GTI (16,684), but if Volkswagen is looking to shed the econo-car image of the Golf and stick with just the hot-hatch image, then dropping the Sportwagen may make sense. As the next generation of Golf hasn't actually been released yet, Volkswagen is declining to comment. View full article
  2. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "VW May Be Cutting Most of Golf Lineup in US"
    Rumors are swirling that Volkswagen may be cutting most of the Golf lineup from the US market with the next generation of Golf. The standard version of the Golf, e-Golf, Golf SportWagen, and Golf Alltrack would be dropped in the US while the GTI and Golf R continue on. The e-Golf will be replaced by something in the ID lineup. Looking at the sales numbers, it is easy to see why Volkswagen may make this move. Sales of the base Golf in 2018 numbered just 6,642, down 51% from the year prior. GTI and Golf R combined sold more than triple that amount (20,152). The one head-scratcher is the Golf Sportwagon, which sold nearly as many units (14,123) as the GTI (16,684), but if Volkswagen is looking to shed the econo-car image of the Golf and stick with just the hot-hatch image, then dropping the Sportwagen may make sense. As the next generation of Golf hasn't actually been released yet, Volkswagen is declining to comment.
  3. Drew Dowdell

    phones

    Drew Dowdell replied to balthazar's topic in The Lounge

    There are often times I feel like I would like to do that, but there are too many things I need to monitor, not just the latest sports ball scores, but things like tenants and web servers, that it's really hard to take a "vacation" without a phone. My phone plan works in 122 different countries without extra charges too.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I think Tesla made 2 big mistakes. 1. getting way overly complicated on the Model X with the doors - It would have sold just as well without them, possibly at a lower price (higher volume), and it wouldn't have been delayed a year. 2. Doing the Model 3 before the Model Y - That was just a very poor reading of the direction of the product mix out there as far as sedans go. Still build a sedan of course, but the Model Y should have been the priority. I do wish Rivian well, but I wonder if they'll be priced too high to make a big impact on the market. If they price their SUV at the same price as the Model X, they'll probably kill Tesla in sales, but I get the impression that they'll be higher priced than that.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Zotye has confirmed earlier speculation that the first vehicle they will offer in the U.S. will be the T600. A refreshed version of the T600 was shown at the Shanghai Auto Show last month. The T600 would come with a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and 6-speed automatic, but other details are not being released until U.S. certification is complete. In China, the T600 starts around $14,000. In January, Zotye announced that it has signed up 19 dealers with 80 more in process. They hope to have 300 dealers in the top 100 markets in the US in time for the expected launch of the T600 in late 2020. Following the T600 would be a full-size crossover and a midsize sedan. View full article
  6. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Zotye Says The T600 Will be Offered in the US"
    Zotye has confirmed earlier speculation that the first vehicle they will offer in the U.S. will be the T600. A refreshed version of the T600 was shown at the Shanghai Auto Show last month. The T600 would come with a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and 6-speed automatic, but other details are not being released until U.S. certification is complete. In China, the T600 starts around $14,000. In January, Zotye announced that it has signed up 19 dealers with 80 more in process. They hope to have 300 dealers in the top 100 markets in the US in time for the expected launch of the T600 in late 2020. Following the T600 would be a full-size crossover and a midsize sedan.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Politics is somewhat necessary when discussion of the rules and regulations of vehicles comes into play, or tariffs, or taxation. I leave a long leash for discussion of the subject because I have the somewhat idealist hope that we can all behave like adults in here, though I am repeatedly proven wrong. So yes, we do allow some discussion of politics in so much as it pertains to cars. Some people here push the limited of that by injecting unneeded political commentary into posts that have nothing to do with the subject at hand.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Fixed that for you. I think that 20 somethings would buy them if they could afford them.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    $25M did seem like a pittance in the grand scheme of things. But I wonder if he's relatively cash poor out of his billions in assets. He'd probably have to sell off stakes in other entities to buy all of the Tesla shares.
  10. Drew Dowdell
  11. Drew Dowdell

    phones

    Drew Dowdell replied to balthazar's topic in The Lounge

    I've had to carry two smart phones with me for 19 years now, back when they were blackberries and palm pilots. These days my work phone isn't that important. I haven't been on call in years.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    They'll just try and stretch a Camaro face over it like they did with the Blazer.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Drove one for a week... I could see out of it just fine. It's actually a very comfortable car to drive once you get into it... it's the getting in and getting out that is an issue. Americans aren't as young as they use to be.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    It really depends on what happens with the Alpha platform. I do wish they'd make the Camaro larger inside. If Alpha can support a car as big as the CTS, they can make the Camaro somewhat bigger. That the Challenger is outselling it really says something. The V6 with the 10-speed is probably a really sweet ride. I drove the V6 + 8-speed convertible and I found it to be plenty fast. The V8 is good, but very few people would be disappointed with the V6.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Tesla is seeking to raise nearly $2.7 billion to add to its sagging balance sheet according to a filling. It would offer 3.5 million shares priced at $243 per share and a $1.6 billion convertible debt. Elon Musk will be buying $25 million in shares and currently owns around a 20 percent stake in the company. Wall Street seemed to find this capital raise promising as it boosted shares 1.5% before the opening bell. Analysts were calculating that Tesla, which burned $1.5 billion in Q1-2019 alone, would not have enough cash to continue working on its Model Y crossover and the new Tesla Semi-truck, and also getting production rolling in China. In the backdrop of a sagging US auto market, Tesla has seen demand for its cars soften dramatically in the US over the past two quarters, though demand for EVs in Europe has increased. View full article
  16. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Tesla Seeks To Raise More Cash"
    Tesla is seeking to raise nearly $2.7 billion to add to its sagging balance sheet according to a filling. It would offer 3.5 million shares priced at $243 per share and a $1.6 billion convertible debt. Elon Musk will be buying $25 million in shares and currently owns around a 20 percent stake in the company. Wall Street seemed to find this capital raise promising as it boosted shares 1.5% before the opening bell. Analysts were calculating that Tesla, which burned $1.5 billion in Q1-2019 alone, would not have enough cash to continue working on its Model Y crossover and the new Tesla Semi-truck, and also getting production rolling in China. In the backdrop of a sagging US auto market, Tesla has seen demand for its cars soften dramatically in the US over the past two quarters, though demand for EVs in Europe has increased.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Ford Cuts V8 Production"
    Ford said that it would be cutting a shift from its Essex Engine Plant in Ontario starting in October. Ford says the move will "better align with consumer demand". The likely cause? Ford F-150 buyers are shifting more of their purchases away from the 5.0 liter V8. F-150 buyers have a choice of 5 engines when selecting a truck, the 2.7-liter Ecoboost, the 3.3-liter V6, the 3.5-liter Ecoboost, and now a 3.0-liter PowerStroke Diesel, all in addition to the 5.0-liter V8, and the customer mix appears to be skewing towards the smaller displacement engines. The cut in shifts will not result in job cuts as those workers will be transitioned to another engine plant to build the 7.3-liter engine due to be installed in the 2020 Ford Super Duties. That transition will happen in November of this year.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Ford said that it would be cutting a shift from its Essex Engine Plant in Ontario starting in October. Ford says the move will "better align with consumer demand". The likely cause? Ford F-150 buyers are shifting more of their purchases away from the 5.0 liter V8. F-150 buyers have a choice of 5 engines when selecting a truck, the 2.7-liter Ecoboost, the 3.3-liter V6, the 3.5-liter Ecoboost, and now a 3.0-liter PowerStroke Diesel, all in addition to the 5.0-liter V8, and the customer mix appears to be skewing towards the smaller displacement engines. The cut in shifts will not result in job cuts as those workers will be transitioned to another engine plant to build the 7.3-liter engine due to be installed in the 2020 Ford Super Duties. That transition will happen in November of this year. View full article
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Overall sales for the whole US market were down 2.3%
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Chevrolet has updated the Camaro for 2020 with some new styling updates and packaging changes. Most notable is the updated front fascia which received much criticism. The new front end appearance comes for the SS model based on the Camaro Shock show vehicle that debuted at the SEMA show last fall. The Bowtie emblem is now higher on the grille, and the bar between the upper and lower grilles is now body color. Also new is a new LT1 model that takes the Camaro LT trim and adds the 455 horsepower LT1 engine. This makes the LT1 trim the most affordable V8 Camaro with a starting price of $34,995 including destination charges. The LT1 will be offered in both hardtop and convertible configurations. Other additions to the LT1 are the vented hood from the SS, black bowtie badges, 20-inch SS style wheels, and an available technology package. Buyers of the V6 will also see a boost as the engine is now mated to the 10-speed automatic from the SS and ZL1. Chevrolet has struggled with sales of the Camaro in recent years, often coming in third place in sales behind the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. The 2020 Camaro with all of these updates will go on sale in Fall 2019. View full article
  21. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Chevy updates the Camaro for 2020"
    Chevrolet has updated the Camaro for 2020 with some new styling updates and packaging changes. Most notable is the updated front fascia which received much criticism. The new front end appearance comes for the SS model based on the Camaro Shock show vehicle that debuted at the SEMA show last fall. The Bowtie emblem is now higher on the grille, and the bar between the upper and lower grilles is now body color. Also new is a new LT1 model that takes the Camaro LT trim and adds the 455 horsepower LT1 engine. This makes the LT1 trim the most affordable V8 Camaro with a starting price of $34,995 including destination charges. The LT1 will be offered in both hardtop and convertible configurations. Other additions to the LT1 are the vented hood from the SS, black bowtie badges, 20-inch SS style wheels, and an available technology package. Buyers of the V6 will also see a boost as the engine is now mated to the 10-speed automatic from the SS and ZL1. Chevrolet has struggled with sales of the Camaro in recent years, often coming in third place in sales behind the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. The 2020 Camaro with all of these updates will go on sale in Fall 2019.
  22. Drew Dowdell

    phones

    Drew Dowdell replied to balthazar's topic in The Lounge

    Wait till you learn to search for car parts from it while you're still under the car.....
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Because they're using that money to try and revive dead Italian brands. Something over a billion dollars spent on the Alfa platform, and what have they got to show for it?!?
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Must be a platform limitation.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    My impression of the Chinese billboard was more that they were criticizing Tesla's customer service and long repair times. Cars of every make break down at some point, but 45 days average repair time is unacceptable no matter what brand it is. They'd be putting the same billboard up in Time Square if it was Camrys that were taking 45 days to fix also.
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