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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    There is a new trick with alternators now though, They can vary the load they place on the engine depending on the amount of load being used. I ran into it once when I was in a Buick Lacrosse on a trip. I was using a power inverter to power a laptop, plus we had a number of other chargers and stuff plugged in. There was a noticeable decline in fuel economy. But on the way back, none of that was used except a phone plugged into a USB port. Over the same route, fuel economy was much improved.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Probably because it isn't necessary. The market has spoken... they like the SRX more than the X3 and GLK
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Well cars are much more slippery these days, so one would hope there would be a redistribution of the percentage away from that. However, engines and accessories are much more efficient too, so maybe only the overall fuel burn had changed but the percentages remain the same.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Sure you can. Cadillac does it with the SRX, Infiniti does it with the QXPathfinder and Audi does it with everything. And then of course the Lexus RX. I expect the XT5 to move up in base price a little. This is a luxury segment that really doesn't seem to care about FWD/RWD because they are mostly ordered with AWD.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    You're really trolling all over the map. The car we're discussing is the XT5 which is an SRX replacement. It competes (currently) in the X3/GLK price and size segment. I don't care that it is bigger on the outside than those two, it is the same size inside. ... and more importantly, neither do buyers because the SRX outsells both of those models each month. For a while there it even outsold both of those models combined while maintaining that same price. As for the Escalade, I've driven it. It is fantastic. It is probably the best Cadillac currently made. I've also driven the Range Rover and the MB GL350 diesel. I would pick the Cadillac over those two each and every day of the week and not feel a second of remorse over that decision. The Cadillac is simple better overall. The few I've seen driving around Pittsburgh cause a twinge of jealousy at the driver.... I've never gotten that from the GL.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    Could do a VSport... xts has a VSport
  7. Drew Dowdell
    No, not based on the Equinox. The new Equinox is not out yet and this is a new platform. The Equinox may be based on the Cadillac in the future, but not the way around that you're suggesting. I have no problem with Cadillac getting platforms first and then Chevy gets to pick up a variant on it later.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    I'm sure they make it up in the finance and leasing office.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    I know. I was talking to Michael who runs TrueDelta about these three and that's the pattern he is seeing at the moment.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    It seems like each iteration of the Dart platform gets a bit better. Dart with 1.4T is terrible, Jeep Cherokee does mostly better, and Chrysler 200 seems to be performing satisfactorily.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    That's an unusual price... my area is $10k more than that.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Yes, I love the Encore, tight for me but doable as a daily commuter auto. Still not able to have someone sit behind me unless they are a very small adult or kid, but unlike other CUV's out there, the trax and encore I can actually sit in upright and comfy with head room and it would be fine for a 1-2hr drive. GM has really done an outstanding job with these auto's I am very excited and expect solid sales for the Trax just like the Encore. One thing I will have to say is that I love the dash in the Trax, I actually think it is better than the Encore. That is what I think Buick needs to do, update and improve the Encore dash. It's amazing that you fit in it and say that it would be okay as a commuter for you given your previous comments about other cars. The Trax is shorter in length than a Sonic Sedan!
  13. Drew Dowdell
    Did you sit in the driver's seat? Did you fit? I was noting the other day how our Encore seems to have more legroom than you'd expect from a car this size.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    I still want to try a Cruze diesel. I think they would suit my driving habits. Ideally though, a Verano diesel AWD.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    I think they'll sell just fine right out of the gate. Buick has already been selling every Encore they can build. Trax has no similarly priced competition yet.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    omg, still another year for an MKS replacement? The XTS will be up by then and it's been out less time.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    I have to point out that the Chevy division is a full-line mainstream entity. Like other full-line mainstream entities, coupes have all but been eradicated . Honda has the Accord coupe.. Toyota the Tc and FRS, both which are utter dogs on the market and sell at about 1/3 combined of what the Camaro does monthly. Ford and Dodge are identical in this regard as Chevy. No one really has wagons in the U.S. mainstream, but the rest I will agree with in regards to Buick's line-up. The GMC example is spot on, but the Granite comment remains to be seen. I'm not completely sold on the Renegade, and it is still possible that it, like the Dart, will fail to connect with the buying public. Subaru has wagons... lots of 'em... and they're kicking ass. Mazda has a great hatchback... it's basically turned them around from totally sinking. The manufacturers like to use the excuse that "Americans won't buy wagons or hatchbacks" as a reason to not sell them here. Europe does buy a lot of wagons, but you can't tell me that Opel is selling a huge amount of Astra Wagons there. Both Western Europe and the US are around 13 million vehicles SAAR each year give or take a million. Why take the time to design and build multiple body styles of a model (lets say the Astra/Cascada for example) and then sell all 4 body-styles in one market and only 1 body style in the other market... while throwing up their hands exasperated that Americans don't buy sedans/hatchbacks/convertibles??? We don't because we can't! I'd be in an Regal Sports Tourer AWD in a Frankfurt minute if I could buy one here. The Impreza WRX had a 50% take rate on the hatchback, yet Subaru canceled the WRX hatch. The mind boggles! Toyota sold 24k of the ugly as sin Venza this year... it's essentially a Camry wagon. Honda has moved 12k YTD of the even worse looking Accord Crosstour The Jetta Sport Wagon is now out of production, but they still have sold 15k of them YTD Ford has even managed 18k of the overpriced Flex. All of them piss poor attempts at selling wagons, but close to 70k new mainstream brand, mid-size wagons have found homes this year even before we get to Subaru or Audi or any of the hatchbacks available.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    It's a good direction for GM, but imagine if they'd stop being so conservative with their model line-ups. Chevy has one attainable coupe.... ONE. They have no wagons, two economy hatch backs. Their mid-size is back of the pack... the advertising slogan should be "Hey, at least it's not an Avenger!" Buick has no coupes, No wagons, No hatchbacks, no convertibles... in spite of all of those being available in other markets on the platforms Buick uses. GMC has no off-road vehicle like the Wrangler or heck, even the Grand Cherokee. Jeep is about to school GMC on why the Granite should have been put into production. The Equinox and Terrain re-dos are now officially late even though they are selling okay. Sit in one and "Suddenly it's 2011" Cadillac is on the right track just going too slowly.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    What brings it home is that in the same dealership the Acadia has sold over 64K. GM did that much differentiation in the vehicles to elicit the additional sales selling at an almost identical price point. That's over 110K sold of this platform in the same showroom. Add in the Traverse's 80K.. and WOW But Buick is not GMC....a new SUV will eat into it's sales....... There is a substantial size difference between the Envision and the Enclave. I don't think there will be any cannibalization between these two models. If it will hurt any model right now it will be the Terrain. The Terrain is in the same size class as the Envision and is getting rather dated at this point. I know a refresh is coming, but I think the Envision will be here sooner than the new Terrain. While true, GMC can have a fuller lineup of SUVs....because trucks are what they do. Buick still does cars too, and it might turn into more models needed. If this is what Buick really wants to do, that's fine. Then GMC is going to need some new stuff...... GMC is getting a refresh Terrain. They're getting the Canyon back. The big trucks and SUVs are pretty much brand new. GMC is doing ok. After the Envision, I don't see any further room for Buick crossovers.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    yeah, not at all the same as the BMW concept.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    I think that is a different type of system than what BMW did with the Turbo Steamer.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    It's closed loop
  23. Drew Dowdell
    What about the BMW Turbo-Steamer that boiled water off the exhaust heat to run.... something?
  24. Drew Dowdell
    Ram has my attention lately... their lease deals are amazing right now.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    And 20% - 25% of those Acadias are apparently Denalis (I don't remember the exact number, but no GMC model with a Denali version sells less than that percentage of Denalis) GM states quite clearly that there is a strong like/dislike between the GMC and the Buick cousin. People who like one are rarely amiable to buying the other. Thus, canceling one or the other would be a net loss for GM as those customers would not likely stay in the showroom. What brings it home is that in the same dealership the Acadia has sold over 64K. GM did that much differentiation in the vehicles to elicit the additional sales selling at an almost identical price point. That's over 110K sold of this platform in the same showroom. Add in the Traverse's 80K.. and WOW But Buick is not GMC....a new SUV will eat into it's sales....... There is a substantial size difference between the Envision and the Enclave. I don't think there will be any cannibalization between these two models. If it will hurt any model right now it will be the Terrain. The Terrain is in the same size class as the Envision and is getting rather dated at this point. I know a refresh is coming, but I think the Envision will be here sooner than the new Terrain.
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