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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    Audi has already sold 1.4 million cars this year, in the United States they have only sold like 120,000 this year, Audi could sell zero cars in the USA and turn a profit. The American market isn't that important to Audi, but crucial to Cadillac who has little global presence. Plus the A8 platform is used for Bentley which has crazy markup, so they get to recycle some engineering there. Halo effect does work, and is needed not only to sell more of your lower end cars, but also to expand globally. Cadillac needs the Omega car, but if they botch it and it is one and done product it won't have the desired Halo effect. Whether or not Cadillac can pull off a success here is the question, but I look forward to seeing the debut. Do you know how Audi is able to make a profit on those cars? By "parts-binning" from VW. But I guess it's okay with you when VAG does it.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Two interesting spots on the PA Turnpike yesterday: This one had diplomat plates.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    Almost every Chrysler product I've driven lately has beaten the EPA highway number soundly while I'm at the helm. I've done 2 trips from Pittsburgh to NJ and back (350 miles each way) in a V6 8-Speed Chrysler 300 RWD. Every trip I did 32mpg or better. On the first trip where I kept it exactly at the speed limit the whole time, I did 37mpg.... to be fair, the second half of this trip is mostly downhill. I just completed a similar trip in a 2014 Grand Cherokee, V6 8-speed AWD. My highway average was 27mpg and I was NOT babying it. I did a trip from NC to Baltimore in a RWD V6 8-Speed Durango, again not babying it, and got close to 30mpg. I think Chrysler probably has something up their sleeve.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    The Omega platform is not going to be used on just a single car.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    There is FAR more money to pass thru their greasy fingers by improvements in efficiencies than sliding scales that just penalize non-EV drivers ("& the poor"). But the crank addicts like plenty of slop in their $2.5 trillion revenue stream, plus they're mostly too stupid/proud to figure out how to implement it. Two different issues there. Yes, we need a highway budget. Yes it needs to be paid for in a way that is fair and is quickly responsive to change. "The Poor" can go out and by an old Civic or Cobalt just like everyone else. Yes we need better (central?) planning. Yes we need better oversight.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I like annual tax calculation, but how are we going to execute it flawlessly? Private companies fail, but experience is provided even in failure. Do you think Reids, Feinsteins, Pelosis, Rubios, McConnells, Cruzes have any? If they do, doesn't seem like they learned anything. How much more money should we be shoving into Haliburton's pockets? We know exactly how many gallons of fuel are sold in this country every year because we already charge a tax per gallon on it. So, take the number of gallons we sold nationwide in the prior year and divide the budget by that. It's not perfect (nor does it have to be) but it would mean that the tax is automatically adjusted for both inflation and improvement in fuel economy. The only question mark becomes pure EVs.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Actually, the tax should be recalculated annually. Budget for the existing projects / # of gallons sold. Private industry experience is no panacea either... it's not like companies never fail.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    I wonder if EV range will increase substantially. A regenerator engine upgrade would be nice. At least add DI to it.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    So... BMW buyers are posers..... got it.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    I like all the Rolls
  11. Drew Dowdell
    It's more confusing than that. There is A6, S6, RS6, and A6 S-Line. A6 = CTS S6 = CTS V-Sport RS6 = CTS-V A6 S-Line has no Cadillac equivalent. It is an S6 appearance package with no change in the drivetrain over an A6. It does have a BMW equivalent called M-Sport which is an M appearance package with no change in powertrain over a 535i. What was all that gnashing of teeth over Cadillac watering down their V-series line by introducing V-Sport? At least at Cadillac you still get substantial mechanical upgrades with the package instead of just: and kudos to MB for offering performance upgrades to the AMG-Sport package instead of it just being a bunch of badges and suede headliner.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    Excellent Points SS
  13. Drew Dowdell
    While I'm glad that the testing standards are being updated... I think it is a bit unfair to the automakers to change the rules so quickly.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    Digital Credit Union in case anyone is interested
  15. Drew Dowdell
    Well... no.... sometimes the best thing you can do for a road is give people an alternative to driving on it. A portion of the fuel tax should be used for funding public transportation.
  16. Drew Dowdell
    Digital Credit Union does 1.9% financing for up to 84 months on lease-buyout cars. Anyone can become a member for a $5 fee. A 7 year car loan?!?! And I thought the 6 year loans were sort of long. I can see the 6 year on a new car, as new cars cost a lot and people may keep it for 10 years. But 7 years on a used car seems insane, also at that rate. "Up to" It was just a suggestion from the finance side to make buying out her current car at an affordable monthly payment. And I was actually wrong.... it's 1.49% if you have it auto-draft from a checking account at DCU also. Edit: looking into this more: It's 1.49% for up to 60 month loans, 1.9% for 61 - 72 month loans, 3.49% for 73 - 84 month loans. All of them available for up to 120% of price of vehicle. which is still some of the best financing around. Ocn - What is the buyout on her current lease?
  17. Drew Dowdell
    Diesel Encore and/or Envision please.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    The Pacifica was a great concept hobbled by DCX-Typical execution. Given what FCA is doing with the Grand Cherokee and Durango right now (I'm driving a GC-Limited this week) I think they could finally get the execution part right. And think... they could really rock the crossover world with a Stow-n-go option in a crossover instead of a mini-van.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Which wouldn't be a bad thing really. I would like to see them use that name again.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    A $25k Colorado is going to be much better equipped than a $25k Silverado.... At $30k you'll have a nicely loaded Colorado while you're still in W/T V6 trim in the Silverado. I don't see much overlap here.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    .... it would also be the rear-engine Corvette we've been hearing about for years decades.... if they built it like the Tesla, the entire powertrain would fit in the rear of the car, likely right into the space where the transaxle fits. Fill the drive shaft tunnel and front end with batteries. Corvette C8 Tesla Roadster
  22. Drew Dowdell
    The range of the Tesla Roadster was 100 miles... and that was 7 years ago and based on an old Lotus platform. It can run away from an Audi R8 like it was standing still. The Corvette has room for a lot more battery and a bigger "watermelon", so both range and performance would be even better.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Digital Credit Union does 1.9% financing for up to 84 months on lease-buyout cars. Anyone can become a member for a $5 fee. So that explains why you're so full of it....
  24. Drew Dowdell
    I see SMK's point that it is unfair how the gas guzzler tax is applied... however I disagree with his implementation. I think the gas guzzler tax should be abolished entirely and the gas tax per gallon raised accordingly. That way the tax is charged at the pump instead of at the purchase of the car. If someone buys a new Lambo and sticks it in a garage for the next 30 years as a trophy, why charge a gas guzzler tax when it is in fact going to use less fuel during it's life than a Pruis that gets driven 300k miles before being sent to the crusher? In this (admittedly extreme) case, the Pruis is actually less "green" than the Lambo. No, charge the tax per gallon of fuel actually consumed... but that tax also needs to be raised since it hasn't been adjusted in nearly 25 years.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    I'd like to see them do a full electric, just to show that it can be done.
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