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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    There is nothing that says the coupe have to be CT anything. The could be ST6 for a coupe version of the CT6 for example. STx has just as much, if not more heritage than CTx. Not that heritage names mean anything at Cadillac anymore.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    As explained in this article and the Envision ones, it's based on where the car will sell the most copies. They're only planning on selling 60k Envisions here, they sold 174k in China in 2015. The CT6 PHEV will likely be very low volume in the US, larger in China, but still relatively small. Makes sense to only have one production line for such a low volume vehicle. I expect Regal will move out of north America too eventually, but I could see that going back to Germany where they need the volume to fill the factory capacity. The Chinese bought nearly 100k Regals last year.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    You would't buy a Cadillac build by Mercedes in the S-class factory, so I don't know what the big difference is to you....
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I'm 30,000 feet over Little Rock AR at the moment on my way to Dallas with connection to Tulsa.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    The first *GM vehicle to be imported from China will be the Buick Envision. The Volvo S60 Inscription is already here and is imported from China.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Cadillac actually makes huge profits per unit. It's when you throw in the less profitable lower end models from other brand where average per car drops. The reason the Germans make so much money is because they have managed to convince n00bs like you that their taxi cabs are premium. It would be like if Ford shipped the Panther cars to Germany, only sold the top end packages with big motors and marked the price up $15k per unit... but the only way the Benz keeps the lights on is by fleeting the hell out of their bread-and-butter cars in Europe while inflating the prices here. Where GM loses money per unit is on cars like the Volt which is an experiment technologically, but also helps their CAFE, and on the small cars like Adam, Cruze, Sonic, Spark, which are necessary for doing business but have razer thin and sometimes negative margins. I wouldn't be surprised if GM also only made money on the mid-price and higher Malibu. The Regal probably loses them money because of the limited sales in the US while being produced in the US, moving the Regal production back to Europe or over to China would be a smart business move there. Opel/Buick/Holden is the "One GM" plan. They've already found out that the Europeans won't buy Chevys. Euros also demand more premium feels in even their family cars, so it fits in well that Opel and Buick are paired. With nearly 1 million Buick sales in China last year, that gives Opel and Holden a whole bunch of breathing room on design costs. Designers can switch out a badge and grille, and head to the bar for the rest of the afternoon. Don't expect Opel to be losing money much longer, another year or two depending on the Russian economy and no other changes.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    SMK, I wouldn't point out VW/Audi as a positive business case at the moment.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Yeah, I think only the Ram Rebel has the funky new grille
  9. Drew Dowdell
    The move to NYC wasn't about image mostly, it was about getting them out of the RenCen and able to operate in a more independent fashion.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Also, Cheers to Chrysler for having security guards at all of the Pacificas to kick out the competitors. Only way people were getting up onto the Chrysler displays on the first day was with an actual media badge.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    It's a lot easier to make a profit when your domestic government pays the healthcare costs of your domestic employees and has been for 40 years. What Do U mean?? Its probably what I was thinking.. but just need clarity The move to NYC, Johan, Cadillac setting it's own agenda, Cadillac getting first dibs on new tech coming out of corporate.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    GM just got un-handcuffed in early-mid 2015.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Welcome. We've been here a while. Join up!
  14. Drew Dowdell
    guys... it's been nice here lately.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    And Cory, I agree that the Volvo booth is one of the best for refreshments. They're my 'ol reliable for refreshments and the best wifi. Once in a while someone else will do it better, but Volvo is consistently good.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Uh, what? He was repeating comments about the Acadia that he overheard. I don't see any GM bashing or anti-bias in the article at all. I think you need to go back and re-read the piece more carefully..... starting with the title. BTW, Cory has been with CheersandGears since near the beginning and has been our photographer for the Detroit auto show and Chicago auto show a number of times. He attended this year's show with a media credential from my allotment though he did work for another outfit.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Yeah, Buick never really had a coupe like this in the past.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    The advantage the CT6 will have is lower weight, and that's how it will get away with a 4-cylinder. A Continental is going to be near or over 4,000 in FWD form, the heaviest Fusion at 3600lbs is the same weight as the base CT6. With Cadillac running an 8-speed auto, there is a good chance that the 4-cylinder CT6 will end up faster (slightly) in a 0-60 than a V6 FWD Continental. Things we already know: 2015 CTS 2.0T AWD 0-60 = 5.8 seconds. 2010 MKS Ecoboost AWD 0-60 = 5.8 seconds The base CT6 is lighter than the CTS and is RWD rather than AWD so expect it to be slightly faster. A new Continental is almost certainly going to be heavier than the outgoing MKS, so a 305 HP non-turbo V6 will be slower than a MKS Ecoboost. Thus, 4-cylinder CT6 will be faster than V6 FWD Continental. Could that change with new transmission other than the 6-speed on the Lincoln? Maybe, but it's still going to be very close due to weight differences. Not always about a few 1/10ths in acceleration, but also perception. People will be paying ~$60K for an I4 luxury sedan. People already do. 528i.png A6 20.png Lexus IS250.png So you are saying that the I4 CT6 has an advantage over the V6 base conti, even with it's $10K premium price. I made no mention of price, nor has Lincoln for that matter. I simply stated that a 4-cylinder RWD CT6 is likely to be faster to 60 than a V6 FWD Continental and that people already buy $60,000 luxury cars that have 4-cylinder engines, so the CT6 coming with a 4-cylinder isn't going to be a limiting factor. Don't put words in my mouth. Further more, if the 4-cylinder is a big deal to a buyer, the V6 and AWD come into play for just $2k more than the base model. That is pretty much the easiest upgrade decision a person has to make.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Actually, the new Maxima interior is fantastically built, even if some of the ergonomics are weird... it is good looking and well done. Edit: I think even the top end Chrysler 200C does a better job than the RLX on interior material and build quality.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Rear drive is preferred, and as I said in the Cadillac thread, when the sub-ATS car arrives I did say it should have better ride, handling and performance than a CLA. Barring Cadillac putting like a 1.4 liter turbo and 6-speed auto or something stupid in it. The CLA's current competition is the A3, Acura ILX, Volvo S40, maybe Golf GTI and the GLA competes with Q3 and X1. So those are all front drivers. I don't like the CLA, but it has the drivetrain common to the segment. The Continental wants to compete with rear drive Lexus, Cadillacs, Mercedes, Infiniti, Genesis, Kia K900, etc. They are all rear drive. The Acura RLX is the front drive entrant and has miserable sales volume. Can you ever ever ever please consider that something other than your particular pet peeve is the reason for poor sales of a particular vehicle? I tested the RLX four months ago and its interior is atrociously cheap and poorly made. Honda would/should be embarrassed at that interior in an Accord much less the top Acura. It doesn't matter if that car is powered by puppydog smiles and has the best handling in the world, the interior quality is grossly outclassed by everything in the segment including the MKS (which I have no love for either)
  21. Drew Dowdell
    The advantage the CT6 will have is lower weight, and that's how it will get away with a 4-cylinder. A Continental is going to be near or over 4,000 in FWD form, the heaviest Fusion at 3600lbs is the same weight as the base CT6. With Cadillac running an 8-speed auto, there is a good chance that the 4-cylinder CT6 will end up faster (slightly) in a 0-60 than a V6 FWD Continental. Things we already know: 2015 CTS 2.0T AWD 0-60 = 5.8 seconds. 2010 MKS Ecoboost AWD 0-60 = 5.8 seconds The base CT6 is lighter than the CTS and is RWD rather than AWD so expect it to be slightly faster. A new Continental is almost certainly going to be heavier than the outgoing MKS, so a 305 HP non-turbo V6 will be slower than a MKS Ecoboost. Thus, 4-cylinder CT6 will be faster than V6 FWD Continental. Could that change with new transmission other than the 6-speed on the Lincoln? Maybe, but it's still going to be very close due to weight differences. Not always about a few 1/10ths in acceleration, but also perception. People will be paying ~$60K for an I4 luxury sedan. People already do.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Don't be daft... different types of cars. Why should a buyer be asked to pay $60k or whatever the Continental will cost for a chassis and drivetrain inferior to a $30k Mustang? This is why Volvo S80, Lincoln sedans, Acura RLX, don't sell, why DeVille/DTS sales tanked into cancellation of the product. People don't want to spend big bucks for a car with garden variety front drive, 6-speed, transverse engine, etc. If I were going to pay $60k or more for a car, I'd want performance, handling and luxury. Or imagine if Honda was going to make a full size pick up to compete with the F150 and Silverado, and the Honda full size pick up was front wheel drive, with all wheel drive optional, 3.5 V6 and a turbo V6 option. Would the truck buyers used to V8s and rear drive body on frame want a unibody fwd honda full size truck? No, it would get laughed out of the segment. The Continental is sporting one of the most advanced AWD systems available today. It has full torque vectoring and they can even overspeed the rear wheels (make them turn ever so slightly faster than the fronts) to give even more of the RWD feel. It is also is one of the fastest reacting AWD systems out there because all wheels are always at least partially "on". But don't take my word for it. You can read more about it at Automobile Magazine. So how do you get to "inferior power train" via "worlds most advanced AWD system"? Furthermore, if "pure" RWD were so important to sales, the Eqqus would have outsold the A8. It didn't. The CTS would have outsold the XTS. It didn't. The Genesis Sedan would have outsold the XTS. It didn't The Kia K900 would have outsold the XTS. Not even 1/15th of XTS sales. Even MKS out sold the K900 by a lot.... Even the old, nearly put to sleep Volvo S80 beat the K900 by 500 units last year. The point is, in this particular segment, the "how" doesn't matter as much, and certainly no where near the weight you put on the orientation of the engine. If GM added AWD to the Camaro and Ford added AWD to the Mustang, they'd probably see a 50% increase in sales. All the husbands who were told they can't buy a sports car that is RWD would suddenly come out of the woodwork. The drive train simply has to be fit for purpose and there is nothing about the Continental drive train that is holding the car back from its intended purpose.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    You got me there! I thought it had it. Even more impressive that it handles as well as it does without HiPer then.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Completely agree. Once you pass that 250ish area with even more tq it's a recipe for a CAPABLE car but a disappointing car. This actually reminds me.. My buddy with his '12 GTI pulled up to a stop light next to a Focus ST which he had heard the blow-off valve on(assuming it was at least slightly modded). He wanted to race him(assuming he would lose to the much more powerful ST so his expectations were low). When the light turned green he just stood on the "go pedal" and the ST just sat there and lit up his tires. My friend let off fairly quick as it wasn't even a race at that point but the point being.. FWD is very limited when it comes to power to the pavement. Admittedly they should incorporate the AWD system in it.. but even with 300HP my Impala is devoid of any torque steer That's the HiPer strut talking in your Impala I'm sure. There will not be AWD in the Cruze. I'm told it is not possible with the suspension setup they are using.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    Na, I bet the V8TT starts around $90k
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