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Can GM make Cadillac the standard of the world Again?

6098 messages,  Last post on Aug 14, 2009 at 4:43 PM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires

What is this discussion about? Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac XLR, Cadillac STS, Automotive News


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#5912 of 6098
Re: How to do it? [circlew] by steve_ HOST
Apr 08, 2009 (5:14 pm)
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Replying to: circlew (Apr 08, 2009 4:39 pm)

Yeah, the national power grid doesn't warm my heart (software trojans in the grid software anyone?).
 
I guess I'm still favoring the drive-through battery pack replacement setup.
 
When you look at a photo of a block heater install (or a Prius plug-in setup), you see this nice little electric plug tucked away in the grill or behind a flap. But you need a cord to get from the car to the outlet, so you wind up with a 10 to 25' extension cord you have to haul around. That cord is often going to be wet, dirty or frozen. Pickup owners often just put some prongs on their grills and wrap the cord around that in block heater country.
 
Seeing a $40,000 Volt cruising around with a 25' extension cord hanging off the front grill will be entertaining.
#5913 of 6098
Re: How to do it? [steve_] by circlew
Apr 09, 2009 (4:14 am)
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Replying to: steve_ (Apr 08, 2009 5:14 pm)

Yes, I think everyone thinks the plug-in is easier than reality. I see your points. I vote for the drive-through window!
 
Well, I saw a video of a gal who drove away with the gas pump following behind. I guess the 25' electric cable whipping around is a little cleaner!
 

 
Regards,
OW
#5914 of 6098
Re: How to do it? [steve_] by bumpy
Apr 09, 2009 (7:19 am)
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Replying to: steve_ (Apr 08, 2009 4:25 pm)

And there's the little matter of who's paying for the power.
 
It's not a huge deal. A car like the Volt might have as much as 15 kilowatt-hours in the batteries, which works out to maybe a dollar per full recharge. Pop a few quarters in the meter and walk away.
 
(what do you call miles per kilowatt anyway?).
 
Watt-hours per mile is the usual term. The lower the number, the farther you can go on a charge. The Volt is probably in the neighborhood of 250.
#5915 of 6098
I maintain the electric car is temporary...... by nvbanker
Apr 09, 2009 (12:29 pm)
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until the Fuel Cell is perfected, which, no surprise, it looks like Honda has about done. This eliminates the need for plug in parking meters, or employers who will pay to charge their employee's cars (yeah right! Like they pay for their gas now). The Hydrogen Fuel Cell is the answer folks, and until the distribution system for Hydrogen is built - petrol will still rule the day. Hybrids are merely stopgap - enjoy them if you want to, but they are temporary.
#5916 of 6098
that Caddy Volt is one hot lookin' vehicle by morey000
Apr 10, 2009 (8:49 am)
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GM has a well thought out solution to the battery range problem. Put a little generator on board.
 
Plus- the Chevy Volt is pretty good looking and the Caddy version (Converj) is over the top hot. That vehicle will sell- if they can build them.
 
I know plenty of affluent people who drive Prius's, but if there were a luxury, no compromise choice out there- it would sell.
 
now- if GM can actually build them and sell them for a reasonable price, they'll be able to make some cash- 10 years from now after they pay off the development investment.
#5917 of 6098
Re: that Caddy Volt is one hot lookin' vehicle [morey000] by circlew
Apr 10, 2009 (10:33 am)
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Replying to: morey000 (Apr 10, 2009 8:49 am)

 
I know plenty of affluent people who drive Prius's, but if there were a luxury, no compromise choice out there- it would sell.
 
There is. GM is playing catch-up with the Volt. Too late.
 
04/10/2009, 9:21 AM
 
Tesla Roadster goes 241 miles on single charge in European rally
 
Electric vehicles are often criticized for their limited range, but Tesla’s Roadster recently proved that even today’s EV’s have enough juice to cover a significant chunk of miles. In the Rallye Monte Carlo d’Energies Alternatives, Tesla’s Roadster covered 241 miles on a single charge.
 
The annual event –put on by the Automobile Club of Monaco – runs from Valance, France to Monaco, pitting alternative fuel vehicles against one another. The rally covers 241 miles of highways, streets and back roads.
 
The Tesla Roadster was the only electric vehicle to finish the event on a single charge – a Ruf EV and a few Mitsubishi iMiev’s also competed in the event – and its gauge cluster even indicated its batteries still had enough charge for another 38 miles. That would put the Roadster’s overall range at 279 miles – about 59 miles more than Tesla claims on the Roadster’s spec sheet.
 
Speeds for the rally ranged from about 60 mph to 20 mph, with the average checking in at a less-than-thrilling 28 mph. However, the fact that the Roadster covered all 241 miles – with some to spare – is still quite the feat

 
The Sedan is being ordered no (>1,500 on order) and will start production soon.
 
Regards,
OW
#5918 of 6098
Re: that Caddy Volt is one hot lookin' vehicle [circlew] by aldw
Apr 10, 2009 (12:30 pm)
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Replying to: circlew (Apr 10, 2009 10:33 am)

I'd still go for a Volt or a Fisker over a Prius or a Tesla, at the very least the range and performance aspects are well worth the cost.
#5919 of 6098
Re: that Caddy Volt is one hot lookin' vehicle [aldw] by circlew
Apr 10, 2009 (1:31 pm)
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Replying to: aldw (Apr 10, 2009 12:30 pm)

Good Choice if you choose the Fisker on looks alone
 
For me, it's the Tesla all the way.
 

 
The Volt is a sad excuse for a $40K EV IMHO, of course. It's not what I would pit against the int'l auto community of future technology from the U.S.A. , afaic.
 
And the Prius looks like a modified Aztec from my vantage point!
 
Besides, it's in jeopardy!
 
At a media preview of the heavily redesigned 2010 Prius hybrid here, Ed La Rocque, Toyota's national car marketing manager, confirms Toyota has a plan to address Honda's new Insight hybrid, the recent U.S. launch of which has whipped analysts and industry watchers into a frenzy because the Insight's base price ($19,800) undercuts the current Prius by thousands.
 
With those looks and that future, it's CURTAINS!
 
Regards,
OW
#5920 of 6098
Re: How to do it? [nvbanker] by questiongeek
Jul 30, 2009 (10:58 pm)
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Replying to: nvbanker (Apr 08, 2009 9:35 am)

The XLR is not supposed to sell in huge numbers. It's for the rich, like the Ferrari Testarossa is. If it sold in huge numbers, there would be no sense of exclusiveness to it. The XLR supposedly has a Corvette chassis but is no where near as fun to drive as a Corvette, and at the price point they ask $80,000, there are things about the XLR that scream ---> lacking refinement.
 
I found it quite surprising that in your post you claim the STS is not big enough. How big does a car have to be? By the way, the STS replaced the beloved Seville. The DTS replaced the Devilles, Fleetwoods, and Eldorados, the CTS replaced the Cimarron and Catera
#5921 of 6098
Re: [nvbanker] by questiongeek
Jul 30, 2009 (11:24 pm)
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Replying to: nvbanker (Feb 16, 2009 7:07 pm)

Dude.. Bravo! I couldn't have said it better myself! In the 1980s Cadillac caused massive defections from their brand and GM cars in general with the junk they foisted upon the public. Then they had the nerve to turn around and complain that people weren't buying their junk, and refused to pay top dollar for it. LOL! It's laughable. An top brand luxury car whose engine destructs at 20,000 miles is inexcusable no matter how someone trys to explain it. Oh and I just love the "brilliant" V-8-6-4 engine. Jeeez what was GM smoking when they developed heap of an engine
 
I remember in 1988 when my boss told me, "Well the reason I bought a Honda Accord instead of a Cadillac, is because the pieces fit."
 
Cadillac really didn't become decent again till the late 1990's with the exception of the fiasco called the Catera

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