El Kabong

It's kinda funny how my upvote/downvote count jumps around so much depending on who's online. Ah well-better that it jumps around than heads straight down and never stops... :D

If C/D wants to score the comparo that way for those reasons then by all means let them. If the beefs are legit they will be addressed.

Ok... Except that companies like BMW are avoiding F1 like the plague.

Good question. I guess these days we're spoiled by the ability of modern automakers to use tech and manufacturing techniques that let production cars look much like concept cars, certainly way more than in the past. Some may take the opposite side of that and argue that concept cars have themselves become less imaginative. But when I see something like a Zeta Camaro or i8 come to market it still makes the mind boggle. When the Continental Concept debuted everyone raved about the proportions, and how it didn't look like a FWD-based car. That was the big thing, along with the limousine back seat. The bodywork itself was pleasant enough, but painfully derivative. So. Now it looks like we are going to be getting pleasant but derivative bodywork with conventional FWD-based overhangs and a more conventional interior. Which begs the question: what makes this car so special, again?

I was going to say the same thing but I was getting tired of him downvoting me. I think it's a reflex action at this point.On a serious note: this is precisely what any level-headed car guy could see coming a mile away. Ford will not be doing anything serious in the near-lux/luxury game until the D6 platform drops. As it stands this will have trouble keeping up with the Hyundai Equus, never mind Cadillac or the Europeans. It all depends on pricing. As I said, we really can't see much under the camo. If it keeps most of the look of the concept it will easily do better than the Equus and K900. If it matches the XTS's highpoint in sales while having a higher pricepoint, I'd consider that successful for a brand as damaged as Lincoln. I think we're putting too much weight on what is expected of the Continental. It doesn't need to out S-Class the S-Class... it just needs to make a compelling argument as to why the Lincoln brand should continue. I think it has a really good chance of providing that. I'd say both pricing and styling, personally. If this thing gets dumbed-down for production then what was the point of the concept? All the car mags (and more than a few Ford fans) were crowing about how the Continental was the hit of the New York show. Now the spy photos show up and more and more it looks like it was just another mirage. The CT6, whatever you may think of it, is at least an accurate snapshot of where Cadillac currently stands. As for pricing... if the number starts with a five, it's fighting an uphill battle. If it starts with a six it's DOA.

Pro wrestling is to sports what porn is to filmmaking, and for roughly the same reasons.

I was going to say the same thing but I was getting tired of him downvoting me. I think it's a reflex action at this point. On a serious note: this is precisely what any level-headed car guy could see coming a mile away. Ford will not be doing anything serious in the near-lux/luxury game until the D6 platform drops. As it stands this will have trouble keeping up with the Hyundai Equus, never mind Cadillac or the Europeans.

Naw man... I used to be into wrestling way back when but after the whole Chris Benoit thing I just didn't have the heart to watch it anymore.

Nonsense. ...wings is WAY more barrel-chested than Lesnar brah :D Besides, you gotta be able to catch GM before you can hope to wreck GM

It's all about the platforms, and how they use them. IF the new Giulia's chassis is really worthy of being an Alfa, and they also allow the North American brands to use it... then they have a fighting chance on that level. Europeans will snatch up enough "real" Alfas to put Sergio at least a good ways towards his goals. Now they have to do the same thing on a grander scale with Maserati. An SUV is a good start from a sales point of view, if not for brand purity. But I suspect they will have to invest in a chassis roughly equivalent to a long Alpha or even an Omega at some point to make it sustainable. Figure on such a platform underpinning a Quattroporte (LWB), the next Ghibli/sport coupe (SWB) in Europe, and possibly a new Imperial over here.

So Sergo is being crazy optimistic. Investors should be wary of that, I get it. But that in no way diminishes the product success he currently has. You're saying that because he's planning a skyscraper that's too tall we should ignore the solid foundation he's starting out with, and that's just not fair. And no-considering the shape Mopar was in when Cerberus was done with it I WILL celebrate them beating Ford in retail sales, even for one month. After all, Ford was supposedly the golden child for avoiding bankruptcy back in '08, right? Now they're slipping behind Mopar...

If I recall, CNG has some crazy octane rating but lower energy density than gasoline. So she will run, but not for overly long.

Downdrafts when you're 500 feet off the deck suck.

That's all well and good. ...but they just outdid Ford last month in retail sales. Clearly they are resonating with the average buyer in some profound way.

When your competition has to use aluminum just to get down to your current steel vehicle's weight, many emotions bubble up. Desperation is not one of them.

zactly.Kind of a amazing that people will pay over $100K for truck axled SUV. I saw this pop up on my email and I automatically assumed it was SMK our resident Mercedes Fanboi/Cadillac hater. I was wrong.However, like him you seem to be more concerned with the "how" rather than the results. The Escalade provides on of the best combinations of ride and handling in this class. The GL is far too soft and the Navigator is truck like. Hmmph, begin to understand you do! Schtick gets old it does. He can have his opinion and I have mine. Mine just happens to be the right one Congratulations. You have won the Internet for the day. But on a serious note: the Escalade is the target for the sedans to follow as far as market buzz goes. If they can get a an a fraction of that then Cadillac will be a force to be reckoned with.

zactly. Kind of a amazing that people will pay over $100K for truck axled SUV. I saw this pop up on my email and I automatically assumed it was SMK our resident Mercedes Fanboi/Cadillac hater. I was wrong. However, like him you seem to be more concerned with the "how" rather than the results. The Escalade provides on of the best combinations of ride and handling in this class. The GL is far too soft and the Navigator is truck like. Hmmph, begin to understand you do! Schtick gets old it does.

And gas pedals are just rheostats going to servo motors on the throttle bodies, and so are steering wheels mostly, and...

I will say this about a selector knob: you DO need to keep an eye on the thing to ensure you're going to head in the intended direction.

zactly. Kind of a amazing that people will pay over $100K for truck axled SUV. Yes, because everyone knows that the main competitors in the segment (Range Rover, G-Class, LX570) have never used solid axles. You want some cheese for that whine? Yeesh

Drew: the big van market is in flux right now. It's possible that the big V8 bruisers are dying off because they weren't allowed to evolve, or maybe the diesel/Sprinter-type is the better solution globally. If it's a matter of manufacturing capacity limiting them then I get GM just dipping their toe in the segment. Otherwise, ya, they should be a bit more aggressive. Then again, I don't know what sales breakdowns are for the Canyonado either. Now that fleet sales have been deemed to be ok again I think it's worth looking into

Which says a lot.. about the Ford name. It is the quintessential "truck company." I'm never gonna celebrate Ford having to play third fiddle behind a Foreign company.. but when arguing against Wings.. I often find myself hating Ford because of it's idiot Defender #1 If you're going to hate on Ford... hate on it for something they did... like Sync.... not for any of their fanbois. When their fanbois have acted as creepy as some of the ones we've endured over the years you tend to take a certain grim satisfaction in their difficulties :D

Yes-a mature, established nameplate that is now acknowledged by many to be the best large SUV out there. All part of the process.

Next up on Freud's Follies: is a cigar really a cigar? When in doubt, ask mom

Ok. Fair enough. But after enduring endless ranting about GM's large SUVs being helped out by government fleet sales it's funny to see Sergio's motley crew of brands putting more cars in garages than Henry and Son's One Brand Fits All Inc.