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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Audi MLB hosts: A4/A5/Q5 - Sedan/Coupe/Convertible/Crossover in FWD or AWD forms - Everything from 4 cylinders to 8 cylinders available. Audi Q7 and Porsche Macan and Bentley Bentaga- AWD with RWD bias - 6 to 12 cylinders available The old D1/D3 platforms (the distinction being the material of the body panels) A8 - FWD/AWD Phaeton - RWD/AWD
  2. Drew Dowdell
    While their profit has increased for the last several years as well. Gotta suck when that happens. Thanks for saving another down vote for me. For someone who trumps up profits so much when it comes to Ford, it sure is sweet irony that you would down vote the same kind of statement when it is NOT about Ford. Fact is that while volume is down, profits are up for Cadillac. maybe you were downvoted for another reason. ATP's and the price of lettuce in China has what to do with the fact that customers are flocking to CUV's, and Cadillac is behind the development 8-ball there. That's a simple fact. This *huge* step up is replacing the second best selling CUV in the segment.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Lincoln didn't need to show something at LA..... not every manufacturer does a press conference at every show. Infiniti and Honda didn't even do theirs at the show.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Because there are people out there who will buy a sack of cow dung as long as it has a 3 point star on it.... and then they get to Pretendz that it is the best thing ever.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    Says some. Truth is, when 700,000 people roll through NAIAS snapping a gazillion cell phone pics, they will all include one design language for sedan. Nobody, except us ridiculous forum dwellers, cares which was first. Well.. for 2 of their 3 sedans that is. One will still be the current one as far as I know. So that isn't "all". "Some" might say, " this looks like the new MKZ I just saw" when what I (and most of us) thought what they would be going for would have been the other way around. "This looks like the Continental" or "This looks similar to their biggest baddest brother in the stable." I doubt MKS will be on display at NAIAS. cap, do you honestly believe a few weeks matter to the public today, let alone in 5, 10 25 years? How about this, what if they revealed both at the same time? Would that be better for Conti reveal at NAIAS? What about the fact then, that they would have had nothing at LA? Lots to consider. You can’t just assume one plan will be best. During press days? No the MKS probably won't be there.... but when it is open to the public? Sure, it will be there.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    How is this for revolutionary: A platform that is so flexible so as to allow sedans, coupes, CUV's across several size categories, and more importantly, flexible enough to be offered with any vehicle drivetrain combination they would like, exclusively even. And the best part is, minimal development costs. No $20B investment needed here. I have plenty of money in the pot for Lincoln. I advise similar. Urm.... It's not revolutionary. It's called the Chrysler K-Car platform. It's called the VW MQB and MLB platforms. It's called the Toyota K Platform (Camry et al.) Let's not go around thinking that this is the 2015 version of the Ford Model-T.... the concept has been around and in production for 35+ years really? Will any of those listed give you the POTENTIAL OPTION of a FWD or RWD sedan, sold simultaneously through a SINGLE brand? Can? Yes. The MLB platform can. Audi doesn't do it that way for marketing reasons... but yes MLB can do it.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Explain all of the risks involved in rebadging a car as opposed to making their own platforms? I feel like they do the opposite of taking risks. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like the MKC and MKX but that doesn't mean they have taken any serious risks with anything in their lineup. The biggest risk will be the Continental. lol, Classic 'Bong Camaro plug. Risks? Sure. Looking back a few years, there was plenty of risk. Some of which good, some not so. 1. Navigator was a risk, and really started the full sized luxury SUV segment 2. Blackwood was quite the risk 3. LS was a risk, and huge departure from the Town Cars of that day. 4. Original EcoBoost was a Lincoln MKS, very risky too. 5. MKX was somewhat risky. 6. Several design languages (and designers), also a risk. 7. Hybrids 8. 400 hp sedans with sophisticated AWD systems are the latest. 9. Aluminum bodied SUV soon. 10. Did I miss anything? 11. oh yeah, MKT was a huge risk. Anyway, far more risky than what they were doing in 1995, when sales were high and competition was low. And going forward, what they are doing with flexible platforms would hardly be considered risky, but in fact brilliant. So risk is not just throwing an existing V8 into a low volume niche sedan. 3. The LS wasn't a risk, it was a much needed jump and Lincoln threw it away. 4. A 350 hp luxury car isn't a risk, it is almost a requirement. 5. The MKX came out in 2006 - 6 years after the Acura MDX, 9 years after the Lexus RX, and 2 years after the Cadillac SRX. 7. Putting a hybrid in a luxury car is not a risk. 8. 400hp sedan with AWD is not a risk in the luxury segment, that availability is a requirement. 11. MKT was there to replace the outgoing Town Car. Canceling the TC with no direct replacement was the risk.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    How is this for revolutionary: A platform that is so flexible so as to allow sedans, coupes, CUV's across several size categories, and more importantly, flexible enough to be offered with any vehicle drivetrain combination they would like, exclusively even. And the best part is, minimal development costs. No $20B investment needed here. I have plenty of money in the pot for Lincoln. I advise similar. Urm.... It's not revolutionary. It's called the Chrysler K-Car platform. It's called the VW MQB and MLB platforms. It's called the Toyota K Platform (Camry et al.) Let's not go around thinking that this is the 2015 version of the Ford Model-T.... the concept has been around and in production for 35+ years
  9. Drew Dowdell
    Continental first in Detroit MKZ second in NYC I wouldn't go that far.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    Again, you miss (or willfully ignore) the part about ATP.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    False. Globally, Cadillac sales are up 16%. In the US, sales are flat but average transaction prices are up $7,000 per unit over the last 12 months... and that's after a huge jump in the prior 12 months. Escalade transaction prices are up $20k over the previous model. Selling the same number of vehicles but at a $7k increase in price is a really good position to be in.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Quite so! I was rather confused by Lincoln's decision to debut this now before the Continental. It seems like a major tactical mistake.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    First off, the benchmarking would have needed to happen years ago before Alpha was even released.... I can see not benchmarking the 5-gen Camaro because it is built on a full-size sedan platform and there are inherent disadvantages to that, weight being the biggest one.... but the GM team was still able to overcome that disadvantage mostly. I think that GM's extreme weight loss program has caught a number of manufacturers off guard, not just Ford. GM has made weight reduction a major priority across their lineup and their success at it has raised some eyebrows. It started with the ATS and has really hit home with the CT6. Even the Lacrosse got a weight reduction, but without losing its characteristic quietness.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    It's a demand issue not a throughput issue.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    one of the primary reasons the ATS-V got the turbo V6 rather than the V8 is because it allowed the engineers to place the engine lower and move the mass further back in the chassis to improve balance. They weren't gritting their teeth on that one, it was an engineering decision.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Cadillac has done an excellent job in making their vehicles their own when they are shared with other GM products and vice versa. Sharing some under-bits with the Suburban clearly hasn't hurt the Escalade since they can't even build them fast enough. No one will ever mistake a Camaro for an ATS or CTS.... and using the Alpha for Camaro was the best possible solution available to GM. The SRX was one of the best handling FWD based crossovers out there and the new platform the XT5 uses is only going to improve on that. I have no problem with Cadillac using a new Lambda platform replacement as long as it rocks the segment.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Already?!
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Not only that, but this Mazda 2.5T puts out numbers that match any of the standard V6es.... beating more than a few of them in torque. I can't think of any of the N/A V6es in this class that have peak torque over 300 lb-ft.... can you? Off the top of my head they're all in the 260 lb-ft to 280 lb-ft range.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Externally, yes. Internally, no. That is more a reflection of the excellent packaging of the Encore rather than a knock on the X1. I would gather that it will be a Delta. There are new Delta crossovers coming.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    I see Audi in the headlights
  21. Drew Dowdell
    3 - Same size as any other compact in the class, looks better than almost all of the segment... probably the best looker in the class. 6 - It's a Mazda bodied Fusion... it's small compared to the Passat, but it's not smaller than 200 or current Malibu or Regal. CX5 - People buy CR-Vs out of habit. There are better choices out there than Honda... not just Mazda CX9 - The Rogue now has neither a V6 nor a Turbo, but they've really gained on sales. Even the ancient GM 'Nox and Terrain sell very well and mostly in 4-cylinder trim. I don't think the CX9 will be hindered by that. You do have to want a smaller 3-row crossover to want a CX9 though. It is Rogue that will be the primary target here.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    Come on guys, if you want a Catera thread you are welcome to start one in the Cadillac Forum
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Eight Phaetons Per Week?????
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I think it was fairly obvious from the beginning that this was the result of Piech's style of leadership.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    If they can get people to pay $30k for a Cadillac subcompact CUV the size of the Encore, more power to them. the Encore starts at $24k and tops out at around $34k. That leaves some room for a Cadillac to start at $29,995 + destination.
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