Z-06

Actually Q3 is more of an Encore competition.

This is a conjecture - but this is where ex Pontiac and Saturn owners are going. The brand has enough quirkiness for a Saturn and yet is considered discount enough like what Pontiac had become in the near past.

No Kia and Hyundai on his list.

You are a racist. (Close - He is Vietnamese) I have some more to say about the car, but I am going to hold. Those carbon fiber side skirts.....

Fusion is the best Ford in a while. It is the mid-sizer I would get. The balance of poise, design and powertrain are possibly second to none. Yes, some people say Mazda6 is a better car, but Ford has better diversity than the current single engined Mazda6.

My boss stands between me and the car.

I had a feeling and also it was going to be Z06.

XV Crosstek is up also and so are the WRX and BRZ. Despite of selling only ~7,900 units through the year, I am glad that car exists. I like where Subaru is going. Trying to be different, yet mainstream.

So Q5 is an X3/GLK competitor, Q3 is a GLA/X1 competitor. What is Q1? Spark based crossover (if that is made) competitor? Next Ducati motorcycles with jacked up ride height for a crosscycle?

Biggest gain A6 - Most of them were probably Car and Driver readers, since A6 won the crown for being middle of the line luxury car with excelling at nothing.

Yes, I do not disagree. But the namesake existed and it is a very active division within GM.

GM had its performance division till it was disbanded with the 2008 event. Guys like Ron Fellows have constantly provided more than just input in GM's performance vehicles. Callaway will be exclusively designing, testing and racing C7R for GT3. I think these relationships are unique for GM and does not get an obvious need for a separate shop.

Add 4 of Canyons and we have a bumper crop of 10 mini trucks akin Maserati news. Overall, I like where GM is going. Key - the retail sales are up compared to fleets.

Not to my knowledge. William seems to be starting some funny threads here.

Mainstream VW with 13 models could not overcome niche Subaru with 8 models.

LOL. Maserati taking a play from Toyota's playbook. Expansive network of 78 dealers sold at a stratospheric rate of approx. 12 cars each to a mind boggling total of 910.

It should be pretty soon, supposed to be released in late November/early December. BTW, Car and Driver likes it with reservations for the lack of LT1/manual combo.

Going to carbon bodywork IS a big deal and going to dual clutch box IS a big deal. Yes, but given the usage of aluminum frame and doses of CF in the pedestrian Stingray, using more carbon fiber for higher Corvettes is the only logical step forward and so is the dual clutch, which is a possible foregone conclusion.

So other than transmission, carbon fiber usage, and added power through newer block nothing is different than the ZR1 with a modest update in the price. I think this is what General is gunning for the ZR1 anyways.

Honda neds to rethink about what made Acura click. Sporty yet luxurious machines having simple design with capabilities at 9/10 of the full fledged luxury automobiles at 8/10 their price with bulletproof reliability. Add to that fully loaded car with limited options gave a solid value proposition making Acura a cult in the 90s. Stop the distractions like the ZDX, they are not needed as Honda can take volume part.

Okay let us skin the cat a little differently. Porsche Cayenne S with 400hp engine starts at 66,800, while the Porsche Macan Turbo starts at 72,300 with the same hp engine (granted a different layout and has standard the PASM). This is still illogical. Imagine the conversation between a desperate housewife and salesman trying to keep straight face in telling why a smaller car with not too much more in standard equipment actually costs more than a larger car. Porsche's intent with this vehicle is volume to keep it from losing money. And if it wants volume with this vehicle, then going at a lower price and yet keeping a health price delta between the two SUVs will work more economically. It may work in short term, but the strategy is going to hurt Porsche in long term. If smaller with more goodies or something bigger with less goodies with added bonus of having higher profit per unit on the smaller one is the elixir of automotive industry, then the BMW should be charging 74,000 for a decently loaded 335i on par with the 740i and then by keeping slew of greedily charged options bring it to the levels of 750i.

Agreed there. A muscle car, by the strictest definition, is an intermediate sized, performance oriented model, powered by a large V8 engine, at an affordable price. Most of these models were based on "regular" production vehicles. These vehicles are generally not considered muscle cars, even when equipped with large V8s. If there was a high performance version available, it gets the credit, and not the vehicle that it was based on. Examples: Buick GS, Chevrolete Chevelle SS, Dodge Charger R/T, Ford Torino/Cobra, Plymouth GTX, Plymouth Road Runner, Oldsmobile 442, Pontiac GTO

Hmmm...I wonder if they are going to bother with one? The Asian Colorados don't have one, I believe. What?

GM at its perennial best.

But that's exactly the type of choice Porsche can now offer: smaller fully loaded model or larger with less content. More options should bring in more people (in theory at least). More options or cannibalization? People doubt GM's strategy for price overlaps through the breadth and depth of its product lineup, but this is okay because it gives theoretically more options? I'm willing to bet they'll make more money on the high priced Macans (Porsche and other German brand option/packages prices are shocking), so even if in terms of the number of units there is some cannibalization, the profit per unit sold will be bigger. It's clever overlap, not the kind of overlap that had various GM brands offering essentially the same content at roughly identical price points. I am not doubting that it will not make profits on a tarted up Audi Q5 tagged as a Macan. How is that essentially different than the strategy of a Tahoe and Escalade? And vertical overlaps within the same brand is not indifferent than horizontal overlap among different brands of the same manufacturer, so as long they make profits, is it? Again cannibalization will take place in a horizontal overlap also, but it is profit that matters, right?