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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Chevy announced the pricing of the upcoming 2024 Traverse, and hold on to your wallets because it just got a lot more expensive to buy a big crossover from the bow tie brand. The 2024 Traverse will start at $39,995 for the base MSRP, an increase of $3,580 over the outgoing 2023 Chevy Traverse LS FWD. What's new for that $3.5k? There is the massive new 17.7-inch infotainment screen, over 10" larger diagonally than the prior units. Plus, there is more power from the 2.5-liter inline-4 with 315 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, a slight increase over the 310 horsepower of the old V6, but a significant boost over the V6's 266 lb-ft of torque. There was a gear dropped as the 9-speed drops to an 8-speed unit, but with the extra torque, we doubt owners will notice. At the top end of the lineup, Chevy has phased out the High Country and Premier trims, instead offering the off-roading Z71 trim and a sport-oriented RS model. A first for the Traverse, the $47,795 Z71 trim isn't just an appearance package and adds actual off-roading capability with a 1-inch increase in ground clearance, a widened track, off-road dampers, all-terrain tires, aluminum skid plate, Terrain Mode control, Hill Descent control, and a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system. The tippy top of the range is the RS, starting at $55,595 and getting practically all of the options from the lower trims, it also sports 22-inch wheels, a firmer sports suspension, blacked-out exterior trim, a flat bottom steering wheel, and standard one-touch folding second row and power-folding thirst row seating. The Traverse has always been one of the largest cargo capacity crossovers available on the market and that continues to be true with a 98 cubic-foot max cargo capacity. If you like the current model better, it will live on for a while as the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Limited. The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse will be built at GM's Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan and will go on sale early this year. View full article
  2. Drew Dowdell
    A lot of this hinges on a lawsuit in front of the Supreme Court right now over fishing rights. A group of fisherman are trying to get the rights of these agencies (FTC, EPA, DOT) to set policy thrown out. It will up end 40+ years of regulations. If the fishermen win, the CARS act goes away entirely, along with so much else.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    The Ioniq 5 is a hatchback no matter what Hyundai got it classified as by the EPA. If the Ioniq 5 is a crossover, then so is the GTI.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I voted "No". We're looking at the Honda Prologue over the Blazer EV for this exact reason. For now, the EValanche seems to be grandfathered in under the old policy.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Buick's large crossover will get the sleek Buick Wildcat concept styling from the show car. The Enclave will sport the same slim "eyes" and large lower grille as seen on the Buick Envista, but scaled up for the Enclave's size. We expect the Enclave to receive the same 328 horsepower / 326 lb-ft of torque 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder found in the recently refreshed Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. While the Enclave has been fully redesigned, it will continue to use an updated version of the existing C1 platform and be roughly the same size as the outgoing model. While the teaser sketches show a more rakish rear glass, the mules that have been spotted retain the more traditionally upright profile we are familiar with. Its a shame, however, as we can see a space in the Buick lineup for a more rakish and svelte Enclave following the concept art. Buick also took the time to tout their growth. Buick sales for 2023 were up 61% with the Encore GX scoring a 92% increase year over year. It was also a great year for Buick's Avenir trim with more than 26% of all retail sales. Envista is bringing fresh customers to the Buick brand, nearly 70% of Envista buyers are new to Buick. Even the Enclave, in its final full year of production of the current model saw sales increase 29%. The 2025 Buick Enclave will be unveiled later this year and likely hit dealerships in the fall of 2024. We expect a significant price increase as the 2024 Traverse jumped over $3,500 for the refreshed model. View full article
  6. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Buick Releases Next-Generation Enclave Teasers"
    Buick's large crossover will get the sleek Buick Wildcat concept styling from the show car. The Enclave will sport the same slim "eyes" and large lower grille as seen on the Buick Envista, but scaled up for the Enclave's size. We expect the Enclave to receive the same 328 horsepower / 326 lb-ft of torque 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder found in the recently refreshed Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. While the Enclave has been fully redesigned, it will continue to use an updated version of the existing C1 platform and be roughly the same size as the outgoing model. While the teaser sketches show a more rakish rear glass, the mules that have been spotted retain the more traditionally upright profile we are familiar with. Its a shame, however, as we can see a space in the Buick lineup for a more rakish and svelte Enclave following the concept art. Buick also took the time to tout their growth. Buick sales for 2023 were up 61% with the Encore GX scoring a 92% increase year over year. It was also a great year for Buick's Avenir trim with more than 26% of all retail sales. Envista is bringing fresh customers to the Buick brand, nearly 70% of Envista buyers are new to Buick. Even the Enclave, in its final full year of production of the current model saw sales increase 29%. The 2025 Buick Enclave will be unveiled later this year and likely hit dealerships in the fall of 2024. We expect a significant price increase as the 2024 Traverse jumped over $3,500 for the refreshed model.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Gives you something to do when you're waiting for an extra long charge I guess.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    A lot of these were part of a program Hertz set up with Uber to provide cars to Uber drivers, that’s why there are 2022s with 85k miles. I think the biggest issue was the repair costs caused by Tesla using gigapress coupled with the depreciation hit from Tesla dropping retail prices.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    I think a 4-door would be more, but if it ends up at $26k, I think that would still be more than fair for an EV. The Renegade starts at $28k.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    I recently rented a Model-3 through Hertz for my visit to my parents for Thanksgiving. I loved the EV aspect of it and charging was easy and convenient. I hated the interface. Hertz sends multiple e-mails prior to your Tesla rental telling you how to operate them..... guess who didn't read them.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    This was only announced yesterday, so you're not seeing any of the 20k destined to be sold off on the site yet. The regional offices haven't had time to react. Also, they still need to acquire ICE vehicles to replace the fleet, so it will depend on how soon they can get those ordered and delivered too. I wonder if the order with Polestar is getting cut also or if this is just Telsa without them saying its just Tesla. 65,000 Polestars is a lot for them.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Ford is all over the place with the lightning but everybody else seems fairly consistent
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Hertz has announced that it will sell off roughly 30%, or 20,000 vehicles, of its EV fleet. The move came after it announced a scale-back from its original goal of electrifying 25% of the rental fleet. Hertz's original goal was to acquire 100,000 Tesla and 65,000 from Polestar over five years. Teslas make up roughly 80% of the Hertz EV fleet. At the time of this writing, there are 631 Teslas for sale on Hertz's website and only 40 EVs from other brands. In a statement, Hertz cited substantially higher than average repair costs "for EVs" with extended wait times for parts availability. Additionally, Hertz reported that manufacturers' new lower retail prices hurt the resale values of the existing fleet, leading to substantial depreciation losses. Hertz is expecting to take a $245 million write-down on the vehicles, or an average loss of $12,250 per vehicle. Unlike other brands, Teslas purchased by Hertz were purchased at the same retail price the general public pays without any volume discount. Our take While many in the anti-EV crowd see this as an indictment against EVs, it is really more of an indictment against Tesla. Tesla's use of the Gigapress, while revolutionary technology, means that even minor collisions can be catastrophic to the vehicle. But this technology is coming to other brands as well. General Motors has purchased a Gigapress manufacturer and Volkswagen is planning on using Gigapress in their future vehicles. Additionally, Tesla does not have a deep reserve of spare parts, leading to long wait times for repairs. Tesla's erratic pricing moves have also made it difficult to accurately predict resale value of their vehicles. For an individual, it is an annoyance but for a corporation that buys 100,000 vehicles, it can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. But Hertz's loss could be your gain. If you have been looking at purchasing an EV but don't want to pay the high prices of a new one, a wave of Tesla Model-3 and Model-Y are about to hit the market. Couple that with a $4,000 tax credit for pre-owned EVs and there will be good deals to be had. Even if you do not buy one of the Teslas from Hertz, this move will likely drop the price of used EVs on the market, so keep your eyes open for a deal. View full article
  14. Drew Dowdell
    More information about "Hertz Selling Off 30% of its EV Fleet because of Tesla"
    Hertz has announced that it will sell off roughly 30%, or 20,000 vehicles, of its EV fleet. The move came after it announced a scale-back from its original goal of electrifying 25% of the rental fleet. Hertz's original goal was to acquire 100,000 Tesla and 65,000 from Polestar over five years. Teslas make up roughly 80% of the Hertz EV fleet. At the time of this writing, there are 631 Teslas for sale on Hertz's website and only 40 EVs from other brands. In a statement, Hertz cited substantially higher than average repair costs "for EVs" with extended wait times for parts availability. Additionally, Hertz reported that manufacturers' new lower retail prices hurt the resale values of the existing fleet, leading to substantial depreciation losses. Hertz is expecting to take a $245 million write-down on the vehicles, or an average loss of $12,250 per vehicle. Unlike other brands, Teslas purchased by Hertz were purchased at the same retail price the general public pays without any volume discount. Our take While many in the anti-EV crowd see this as an indictment against EVs, it is really more of an indictment against Tesla. Tesla's use of the Gigapress, while revolutionary technology, means that even minor collisions can be catastrophic to the vehicle. But this technology is coming to other brands as well. General Motors has purchased a Gigapress manufacturer and Volkswagen is planning on using Gigapress in their future vehicles. Additionally, Tesla does not have a deep reserve of spare parts, leading to long wait times for repairs. Tesla's erratic pricing moves have also made it difficult to accurately predict resale value of their vehicles. For an individual, it is an annoyance but for a corporation that buys 100,000 vehicles, it can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. But Hertz's loss could be your gain. If you have been looking at purchasing an EV but don't want to pay the high prices of a new one, a wave of Tesla Model-3 and Model-Y are about to hit the market. Couple that with a $4,000 tax credit for pre-owned EVs and there will be good deals to be had. Even if you do not buy one of the Teslas from Hertz, this move will likely drop the price of used EVs on the market, so keep your eyes open for a deal.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    The 500 hasn't been on sale in the US for a couple years now, so... yeah.. it's not selling. I think they are bringing it back as an EV though.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    I don't think it will fly as a 2-door, but stretch it to a 4-door and make it about the size of the Renegade or Compass and this will print money and put VinFast on the map.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    .... but I just wanted a volume knob. This crap is going to be all the rage for the next few years, and then it will be as passe as "Hey Mercedes...". Furthermore, I don't use ChatGPT because I have to fact-check it too much. ChatGPT is only as good as the data on the internet. If the internet data is inaccurate, ChatGPT will be inaccurate. How many times have you looked up a store on Google Maps or whatever you use and found the store hours to be inaccurate? Those hours are updated manually... by people... when they get around to it.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Fixed it. But I don't think there is an issue with Ram doing this. People complain about the price of trucks all the time and this is a solution if you really need a pickup but you don't need the latest wiz-bang gadgetry or expensive to work on turbo engines. There is still a market out there for a utilitarian truck at a reasonable price.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    I guess when the whole industry is having to change at once, it should be expected. There's a lot of lag in the building of components too.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Thank as always @bobo Great write up! I add this one to the Jeers list all on its own.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    It’s a bit of a Clickbait headline on Edmunds part. There’s an energy fault and it’s making all the sensors go on the fritz. The same thing happened to my Chrysler when the battery was going bad. New battery and cleared the codes and it was all fine.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    By today’s standards, the 275 is probably bare minimum, but with a manual, its relatively light weight, and tremendously good balance, a base Camaro could be very fun. It just won’t win drag races. but if you’re shopping in the FR-S/BR-Z segment, the base Camaro would be a good competitor that has a back seat you might have a chance of putting someone in
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Yeah, they ran the 2.0T for a few years, 2017 - 2022, it had 275hp instead of the 335 of the V6
  24. Drew Dowdell
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Not in the US they won't when the average new car is older than 10 years. Vehicles simply don't cycle through that quickly and most people are slow to trust a new brand. BYD's current total of dealers in the US: 0
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