samagon Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Same basic bodyshell, and I assume same engines. Not that there's anything wrong with that. To be honest, I was surprised that GMC was kept alive after GM's bankruptcy when they purged other GM brands. It's never really sold unique vehicles, and doesn't have the brand footprint of Chevrolet. Fleet sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Wow, the new F-150 looks like a concept, very manly look to it. I think that nowadays looking "manly" is what pick-up design is all about. Hence the exaggerated bluff front ends and wheel wells. That said, it seems to work with many buyers since these are consistently the best-selling vehicles in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Same basic bodyshell, and I assume same engines. Not that there's anything wrong with that. To be honest, I was surprised that GMC was kept alive after GM's bankruptcy when they purged other GM brands. It's never really sold unique vehicles, and doesn't have the brand footprint of Chevrolet. Trucks are a huge profit center. Keeping GMC around allows the Buick dealers to have trucks to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTAWACS Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Why the heck would they need to sell trucks? Why not sell chevy trucks?I bet it's some kind of brand/sales cannibalization thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Buick may be popular in China and may be rustling out of the grave in the US, but if the dealers here didn't have trucks to sell they'd be in a world of hurt. GMC is positioned as a more upmarket brand than Chevy, just as Buick is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Looks like the big, RWD Caddy sedan may be returning to showrooms after a nearly 20 year absence. http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/01/2015-cadillac-rwd-flagship-appears-spy-shots.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Looks like the big, RWD Caddy sedan may be returning to showrooms after a nearly 20 year absence. http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/01/2015-cadillac-rwd-flagship-appears-spy-shots.html Isn't the XTS supposed to be Cadillac's competition to the S-Class, 7-Series etc? I suppose they are keen to get it on a rear-drive platform, so this would probably be a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 Branding of structures makes more sense when one is dealing with a commodity product - gas, groceries, motels. At least for some of us, though, cars are not so easily turned into beige commodities. Try too hard to do that and you get this: http://jalopnik.com/the-2014-oldsmobile-cutlass-is-better-than-ever-1550547372 Copied this from the Knapp Chevrolet topic so as not to hijack. Anyway, I had a friend back in the 1980s who always said that Hondas were the Oldsmobiles of the baby boom generation, and that over time they would become larger and more luxurious and boring, to the point where there would someday be a Honda Accord Royale Brougham. I'm sending him the link - he should feel vindicated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 US Alfa Romeo dealers named. Most are in CA, TX and FLA, logically enough. Alfa Romeo's return to North America has been a long time coming, which has given us plenty of time to wonder: Will the now-merged Fiat-Chrysler let Fiat dealers sell Alfas, or will the shapely Italians be available in Maserati dealers? The answer we've been waiting for? Both.Auburn Hills has just released the list of 86 initial dealers that will be authorized to sell the Alfa Romeo 4C(Autoblog senior editor Seyth Miersma is driving one today in San Francisco, incidentally), setting the groundwork for a larger Alfa Romeo lineup to follow. The list includes 82 dealers across 33 states and four more in Canada. Though the vast majority are expanding upmarket from Fiat studios, a few are branching downmarket from Maserati dealers - not a one of them, in case you were wondering, having expanded from aFerrari showroom.The highest concentration of dealers will be found in California, Texas and Florida, but while you might have thought Little Italy would be a prime location, there won't be a single dealer in Manhattan. In Texas we have:FIAT of Austin, dba Alfa Romeo of Austin, Austin, TexasHolt FIAT of Fort Worth, dba Holt Alfa Romeo of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TexasNorthside FIAT, dba Northside Alfa Romeo, Spring, TexasRandall Noe FIAT, dba Randall Noe Alfa Romeo, Tyler, TexasAllen Samuels FIAT, dba Allen Samuels Alfa Romeo, Waco, TexasFIAT of Corpus Christi, dba Alfa Romeo of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TexasHelfman FIAT, dba Helfman Alfa Romeo, Houston, TexasBrown FIAT, dba Brown Alfa Romeo, Laredo, TexasFIAT of McKinney, dba Alfa Romeo of McKinney, McKinney, TexasCavender FIAT, dba Cavender Alfa Romeo, Selma, Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Glad to see Alfa returning to the US market. The 4C looks like a very nice car, but if the estimated sticker of $86K I saw is accurate, that's steep for a four-cylinder car, even one with 240HP and lots of carbon fiber. That price will put it in competition with Caymans and entry-level 911s, and I think Porsche wins that contest. I had an '81 GTV6 for several years. It was a fantastic car, but like most Italian cars of that vintage, it was definitely not a low-maintenance vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Glad to see Alfa returning to the US market. The 4C looks like a very nice car, but if the estimated sticker of $86K I saw is accurate, that's steep for a four-cylinder car, even one with 240HP and lots of carbon fiber. That price will put it in competition with Caymans and entry-level 911s, and I think Porsche wins that contest. I had an '81 GTV6 for several years. It was a fantastic car, but like most Italian cars of that vintage, it was definitely not a low-maintenance vehicle. I think that Alfa is going to be disappointed with their return to America. Their cars are almost always nice looking, but even in Europe they don't have a terribly good quality reputation and here they are starting from scratch. I know this is a "halo car", but they are going to have to backfill with other models to last as a brand. I think the second model is meant to be the Giulia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I think that Alfa is going to be disappointed with their return to America. Their cars are almost always nice looking, but even in Europe they don't have a terribly good quality reputation and here they are starting from scratch. I know this is a "halo car", but they are going to have to backfill with other models to last as a brand. I think the second model is meant to be the Giulia. That's a good-looking sedan. The Alfa website only shows (in addition to the 4C) the 2-door Giulietta and the subcompact MiTo. Agreed about the need for other models in the US. Alfas have historically been known for affordable Italian style and performance, and an $80K+ halo car isn't going to get them much of a US market share by itself. The automobile market is a lot more competitive now than it was thirty years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Maybe they want to move slowly on model introduction given the costs of federalization. I wish them well, but I still think they're going to have a hard time in the US market. Their reputation when they departed in the 1980s was awful. 2015 Hyundai Genesis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) 2015 Hyundai Genesis I really like the looks of the new Genesis - I saw one yesterday in person and it looked great....a lot of car for the money ($38K) at least for the V6 version....the V8 starts playing with other pretty nice cars in the $51K + area which makes it a tougher sell, though still a nice ride Edited June 16, 2014 by HoustonMidtown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Maybe they want to move slowly on model introduction given the costs of federalization. I wish them well, but I still think they're going to have a hard time in the US market. Their reputation when they departed in the 1980s was awful. I think the 4C is the automotive equivalent of a restaurant's soft opening: Put out a product that will be pretty much self limiting to the True Faithful (who know it's an experiment, and who if they had Alfas before, expect them to break in the most interesting ways), perform essentially a beta test of whether the systems will hold up in actual use in the local conditions, and gradually open up to the larger market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 I really like the looks of the new Genesis - I saw one yesterday in person and it looked great....a lot of car for the money ($38K) at least for the V6 version....the V8 starts playing with other pretty nice cars in the $51K + area which makes it a tougher sell, though still a nice ride It's not bad looking, but that said, there's not a lot that sets it apart from a dozen other sedans (Avalon, Mazda 6, etc etc). So many cars have adopted the semi-fastback look with a Hofmeister kink in the c-pillar that the design is becoming almost generic. What's with luxury cars and analog clocks? A strange feature that seems to have become universal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) It's not bad looking, but that said, there's not a lot that sets it apart from a dozen other sedans (Avalon, Mazda 6, etc etc). So many cars have adopted the semi-fastback look with a Hofmeister kink in the c-pillar that the design is becoming almost generic. What's with luxury cars and analog clocks? A strange feature that seems to have become universal. The EU adopted pedestrian safety standards a couple years back that effectively mandated a higher hoodline. The US has its bumper standards. And there is more attention to air flow now as a component of fuel economy, and the need to wrap all that around a passenger cabin of X size, all of which ends up setting the parameters for the overall mass. So in a lot of ways designers are sorta just moving the exterior trim around - notice how there's a lot more variation on instrument panels. But yeah, the universal Hofmeister kink is getting a bit overused - oddly enough, BMW manages to play with it a bit (see the X1, X3, and i3). Personally, I prefer analog gauges and clocks. Their gross level information is more easily assimilated with a peripheral glance (i.e., it's about half past 2 - I don't necessarily need to know that it's 2:29). Edited June 17, 2014 by mollusk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 It's not bad looking, but that said, there's not a lot that sets it apart from a dozen other sedans (Avalon, Mazda 6, etc etc). So many cars have adopted the semi-fastback look with a Hofmeister kink in the c-pillar that the design is becoming almost generic. Isn't that the truth.....the Fusion and new Chrysler 200 have the swoopy look too....I guess it's the "4-door-coupe" craze that Mercedes started with the CLS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I really like the looks of the new Genesis - I saw one yesterday in person and it looked great....a lot of car for the money ($38K) at least for the V6 version....the V8 starts playing with other pretty nice cars in the $51K + area which makes it a tougher sell, though still a nice ride If you don't have to have the absolute newest model, in the past I have occasionally seen brand-new, previous-year top-of-the-line V8 (5.0 R-spec) Genesis sedans discounted to $35-38K. I would expect similar deals to be had with a little patience now that a revised model is coming out. And certified used ones with low mileage (and the transferable 100K-mile warranty) are common in that price range. I'm not sure there's another sedan that can provide more bang for the buck at that price point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Personally, I prefer analog gauges and clocks. Their gross level information is more easily assimilated with a peripheral glance (i.e., it's about half past 2 - I don't necessarily need to know that it's 2:29). +1. I despise digital gauges. In addition to analog gauges being easier to perceive in a steady-state scenario (constant speed or rpm), the same holds true during acceleration/deceleration. The needle sweeping across a gauge face will always be superior to an animated bar graph or LED digits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 +1. I despise digital gauges. In addition to analog gauges being easier to perceive in a steady-state scenario (constant speed or rpm), the same holds true during acceleration/deceleration. The needle sweeping across a gauge face will always be superior to an animated bar graph or LED digits.I like the digital speedometers -- my last car's speedometer went all the way to 210mph (why??)....so the normal operating range from 0-60 was in the first inch or two of movement of the needle - I couldn't tell the difference between 40 or 60 mph.....the dash had the nice option of putting a big mph number in the middle display screen - easy to quickly glance at (similar to head-up displays). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 (edited) What's with luxury cars and analog clocks? A strange feature that seems to have become universal. Analog clocks have been the norm in luxury cars for a long time, except for perhaps a brief time in the 90s and early 00s. Nothing new, really. Edited June 19, 2014 by JLWM8609 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) 2015 Ford Edge Edited June 25, 2014 by HoustonMidtown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) 2015 Ford Edge 2015-ford-edge-sport-4-1.jpg 2015-ford-edge-sport-2-1.jpg 2015-ford-edge-sport-5-1.jpg 2015-ford-edge-sport-13-1.jpg The 50s had tail fins, the 60s had muscle cars, the 70s was the decade of the malaise land barge brougham, the 80s started the FWD-ization (not a word) of today, the 90s brought about the jellybean shape, and the 00s the full size SUV craze. I guess the 2010s will be the decade of the silver or beige crossover? Edited June 25, 2014 by JLWM8609 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 The 50s had tail fins, the 60s had muscle cars, the 70s was the decade of the malaise land barge brougham, the 80s started the FWD-ization (not a word) of today, the 90s brought about the jellybean shape, and the 00s the full size SUV craze. I guess the 2010s will be the decade of the silver or beige crossover? Sounds about right. Any more it seems like the only alternatives on a lot of cars are silver/beige/gray/white/black, with perhaps a red or a blue thrown in for the true bohemians, and your choice of a taupe or gray interior. I get it that it's cheaper to produce a smaller universe of combinations, and that those are the least offensive, and that a Malibu with a Kermit the Frog green interior (as used to exist) would sit on a lot forever these days, but geez.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowerSpotter Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Mexican made sports car!?Meet the Mastretta. Edited June 26, 2014 by TowerSpotter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Mexican made sports car!?Meet the Mastretta. Kind of like a Lotus on steroids !! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Kind of like a Lotus on steroids !! Certainly the featherweight aspect. 900 kg is impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) The 50s had tail fins, the 60s had muscle cars, the 70s was the decade of the malaise land barge brougham, the 80s started the FWD-ization (not a word) of today, the 90s brought about the jellybean shape, and the 00s the full size SUV craze. I guess the 2010s will be the decade of the silver or beige crossover? Close, the 80s was all about the harsh lines and wedges. (See DMC for the classic example). BMW (excluding the M1), and Volvo clearly didn't pay attention to the wedge, but were happy to do the whole harsh lines thing. US auto manufacturers were too busy racing to make the worst cars possible they didn't care what anyone else was doing. Little did they know Chrysler had a winner in the Kcar early in the decade although the cadillac cimarron came a close second. Edited July 1, 2014 by samagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Little did they know Chrysler had a winner in the Kcar early in the decade although the cadillac cimarron came a close second. Ah memories......My mom had a LeBaron (K car) back in the 80s....what a piece of trash....I don't think it made it a year before she got rid of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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