Everything posted by Drew Dowdell
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If anyone is wondering about the Chinese stock market, in one report today it was mentioned that it is 80% retail buyers...that is.. individual investors not banks and institutions. Think about that for a moment while thinking about the wild fluctuations there this week.
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And premium trimmed Ford cars, trucks and SUV's outsell Buick and GMC combined. Easily.Congrats to BMW. Well deserved. Titanium/Platinum as a trim does not necessarily a premium trim make. On the F150s and Explorer, yes. On the Fusion, Focus, Escape, and Edge etc, the distinction is far far less clear.
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I've been told by the GMC people that the Denali trim alone outsells Lincoln and Acura individually and the entire Land Rover / Jaguar lineup combined.
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If you're a lover of the Verano 2.0T, I may have some bad news for you for 2017..... waiting on verification.
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Flex. It's a shame you missed out on this though.
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If Cadillac can sell an EXT at 90k, then they should sell an EXT at 90k. Why should they leave any money on the table just to satisfy people who still won't buy ANY Cadillac and only buy Euro cars anyway?
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- December 2015
- Buick
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LOL.. gotta wonder if one would see the same gains as they did in the Cruze with the same engine. +44whp in the Encore.. damn nice. Wonder when is the 1.6L supposed to show up in the Buick? 153HP/177lbs moves it along very nice.... but 197HP would be even better I've already been told "don't hold your breath" on the 1.6T in the Encore. The new 1.4T is it for now. I don't need huge gains, but every little bit would help. Edit: Unless you got the Encore ST (which you didn't), you have 138hp, not 153.
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Thanks, I'm looking for a mild tune for the Encore now that I bought it out. I just need one that won't get fried if my partner puts 87 in instead of 91.
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While a Cadillac pickup wouldn't sell outside of North America, a new Escalade EXT would do very well for profits. The only reason it went away is because the Avalanche went away. The reason the Avalanche went away is because they didn't think they'd have the capacity in Arlington TX when the SUV production moved there (and they appear to have been right). Arlington is being expanded, but if that means a return of the Avalanche and EXT is anyone's guess. If I remember correctly..part of the reason why U saw a dip in K2XX sales was because they had to pull back on fleet sales due to capacity issues at the Arlington plant. Makes sense for an expansion.. if and only if the price of gas remains low for a while. Yup. Apparently the goal with the expansion is to double the capacity.
- 61 replies
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- December 2015
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Point is there are other markets.. and essentially how Toyota.. who was in turmoil in China.. has made their nut. GM should exercise the Monroe Doctrine.. put so much product down South, Central America that they want nothing else. OZ??? Pretty much Holden only.. why no Cadillacs??? They Want them. Why no Corvettes or Camaros?? They want them. Costs a lot to re-engineer a car to right-hand drive. Not economically feasible to do that for cars with such low volumes. They'd have to be able to sell the cars in all markets with RHD, and those other markets aren't really all that friendly to big American cars in the first place (Japan, UK, Bahamas)
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While a Cadillac pickup wouldn't sell outside of North America, a new Escalade EXT would do very well for profits. The only reason it went away is because the Avalanche went away. The reason the Avalanche went away is because they didn't think they'd have the capacity in Arlington TX when the SUV production moved there (and they appear to have been right). Arlington is being expanded, but if that means a return of the Avalanche and EXT is anyone's guess.
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- December 2015
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No it does not yet have aftermarket goodies, but it's inevitable. Every other GM turbo has brand name tunes available and an unlocked ECU for private tuners. I bet the performance goodies will blow up once it's in the Cruze and other vehicles. Just one regular family sedan won't have too many aftermarket complained with knocks on their door asking for exhaust or intakes.. But it's inevitable that they will use the 1.5 in a handful of vehicles. If people get lucky it could be the performance SS option in the Sonic. That's help the aftermarket option! A tuner called Trifecta has tunes for every engine of the Malibu from 2008 through 2015 (except for the hybrids). I'm sure they're already trying to get their hands on a new Malibu to be first on the market. They also tune the Sonic and Cruze. Do you have a link to that? The ones I'm finding in google only support the Cadillacs.
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I look forward to the 2016 Cheers and Jeers. Should be a big year for us.
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I"m glad the tree is down. It was taking up too much space in my living room.
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Indeed.... the key is that an HCCI engine cannot run in that mode all the time. It only runs in HCCI mode under light loads... put too much fuel/air mixture into the cylinder and then things don't work right. The big issue GM was having when it was working on it back in the Saturn days was the transition from HCCI to normal spark ignition. The engine worked fine in either mode, but it was the switching of modes that was less than graceful. Even then, I think that Aura would only run in HCCI at stead speed from 35 - 55 mph, but don't quote me on that. Latest computer technology I believe will change the switch over problem. Just like the days of the V8-6-4 engine which was a disaster, it was before it's time of having the electronics, computer smarts to make it work best. Today, I would not be surprised if a V8-6-4 engine would work very well and smooth. Sadly emissions is a viable issue that needs to be addressed and I think HCCI engines with alternative fuels will be a stepping stone much like CNG towards the eventual day of pure EV auto's. I can see a day when a standardized electric cell will work on any auto and you just stop as an EV station and swap cells and continue on your way. GM and Chrysler and Mercedes have been running 8-6-4 V8s since 2004..... they just skip the 6 part because there is very little benefit for a large jump in complexity. Also, in 6 mode, a V8 isn't very well balanced, so they feel harsh. It is with this technology that GM is able to build a 6.3 V8 that equals the fuel economy of Ford's 3.5 Ecoboost.
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The very latest generation of Mazdas have fantastic FANTASTIC interiors. The CX-3 far far exceeds it's class and would put an Audi Q3 to shame. Easily best in class. I sat in the new CX-9 in LA and it is every bit as good as these press photos suggest. Drew, is that nav screen move up and down into the dash? Looks like it could. Reply back from Mazda - The NAV screen does not retract into the dash.
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They used to... and they should never have stopped.
- 61 replies
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- December 2015
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Armchair CEO drives GM back into bankruptcy. Every model GMC sells that has a Denali trim sells at minimum 25% in Denali trim. Denali is pure profit for GM. Customers clearly like the product. Cadillac is getting product... vehicle designs are not an app you can just download in 30 seconds.
- 61 replies
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- December 2015
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Drew Dowdell replied to William Maley's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)Good that they're using the better 1.4T. It should be a good engine for that car and good fuel economy.
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So-so fuel economy..? Really? Motor Trend's "Real MPG" tested it at 30mpg highway and 25 combined. I know it's just your opinion but personally, I think that's damn good. That truck is rated better than my little CUV. Yes, fuel costs more, but it's still a truck that can to real truck things, unlike my Escape. That's why my dad bought a Tacoma. He just didn't need more than that and a half ton would have easily cost probably 10k more for all he wanted.I just built and F150 XLT with just 4wd, extended cab(like his Tacoma- not 4 doors), and he needed a 6ft minimum bed. And it was almost 38k. Either starting with the XL and adding the power locks and $h! or just starting with an XLT Basicslly brought the price up to 38k. His Tacoma, I believe, was 26-27k. And that's the thing.... I want a full size, but my other half is reluctant to drive something that large in the event we need to switch cars. I feel like a mid-size would be too small, but if I went that way would want it fully loaded... not a Denali, but a Duramax Canyon SLT. In that config, it would be about the most towing worthy vehicle of its size.
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Drew Dowdell replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)The new AWD system in this and LaCrosse and XT5 is supposed to be more fuel efficient as well.
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I don't know, I imagine my 3 row SUV filled with kids, party goers, etc. But I imagine more prestige and suits in a luxury sedan and better tipping. Don't count on tipping as an Uber driver, it's rare and Uber the Company discourages it. The commercial insurance will cost you a bunch. If you don't want to get lower end types, you can do Uber Select. The kids won't ping you. Just trust me on this one, I've researched it a lot. On profitability, getting a premium branded, used, 3-row SUV with a bunch of miles is your best bet. If you're just doing this to get yourself into a new luxury car.... just don't do it at all.
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Drew Dowdell replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in North American International Auto Show in Detroit (NAIAS)Remember, this has been out for a year in China and the 8-speed isn't being built there yet. I expect everything in the first two years of this car to be limited to what they are selling in China. The entire move is about capturing market share. I fully expect to see changes to the model when/if production moves here.
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Bet they had to ride it hard to hit a mid eight 0-60, Plus some of the competition is a full sec faster to the same mark...... 8 speed in the 2.0 accounts for some manuf cost difference but it's still a bunch more even setting that aside. By early fall there should be a lot of leftover 2.0's on lots with healthy rebates. Not making the point about class performance, just about what is "adequate" for merging and driving comfortably. IMO, they should have stuck to their guns with the 2.5L in the Malibu and put the 1.5T in the new Cruze Premier trim as an upgrade. But for argument sake, 8.5 sec 0-60 and 16.5 1/4 mile would have been as fast or faster than almost all base-engine midsize or compact cars in 2010. Average was 8.7-9.5 sec. For argument sake, my Encore's 0-60 is 10.5 seconds and Buick can barely build enough of them. It also doesn't tell the whole story. In the Encore, they geared the lower gears with really short ratios, so scooting around the city is spirited, it's only on a long highway on-ramp where you notice any power deficiency. Even though the Buick is slower to 60 than our Honda buy a full second, if you ask Albert which car feels faster, he'll tell you the Buick. I have to admit, I had to go look up the 0-60 times because I thought they were pretty much equal. 0-60 isn't a really useful metric because that's not how you drive. I haven't driven the 1.5T Malibu yet, but if the gearing is set up like the Encore, I'm sure it will feel fine to most drivers. For those who want more, there's the 2.0T.
