klier

Thanks Siko. The new Escalade is looking hawt

siko

Stuff I missed...



Nissan Urge concept
Nissan’s Urge concept was created at Nissan's studio in La Jolla, Calif., by car designers who are also motorcycle enthusiasts, said Bruce Campbell, vice president of design for Nissan Design America. A key goal of the Urge is to give the driver and passenger the sensation of the road going by, Campbell said. The concept is fitted with a small high-revving engine and rear-wheel drive. An Xbox 360 gaming system is part of the interior.




Hyundai HCD9 Talus
This 2+2 concept previews the future of sports cars from Korean automaker Hyundai. Designed at the Hyundai Design Center in California, Talus is a different kind of sports car "for a person who has grown accustomed to the needs and benefits of an SUV, but desires the emotional gratification of sports car styling and performance," says Joel Piaskowski, chief designer at the Hyundai Design Center (and a featured speaker at this year's AutoWeek Design Forum). Unlike a traditional sporty coupe, Talus' high ground clearance allows it to traverse steep driveways and two-track access roads, channeling power from its 4.6-liter, 340-hp V8 via a six-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels or to an optional four-wheel-drive system. Inside, the rear seats fold flat, and there is a covered storage locker beneath the load floor.




Kia Soul
This concept draws on styling cues first seen in the Mesa SUV concept shown at the 2005 North American International Auto show. Although smaller than the Mesa, the Soul is packaged for maximum interior space. Design features include a wraparound windshield, muscular wheel flares and a sloped roofline. The liftgate includes a drawer for wet or muddy items such as a swimsuit or hiking shoes.




Ferrari FXX
Ferrari has raised the stakes in the billionaire drivers club by building only 20 or so FXX special editions (the Enzo name is gone) that will go to Maranello’s "most dedicated and passionate clients," selected by an in-house committee. That means long-time buyers who lost track of their net worth years ago and who have at least a sliver of competitive driving experience and talent.




Ford Shelby GT500
The latest from Ford and Carroll Shelby promises 475 horses and an equally impressive amount of torque from a supercharged 5.4-liter V-8. The GT500 will be available as both a coupe and a convertible when it hits dealerships this summer.


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Merc1

Interesting artice from the Detroit Show, executives speaking about luxury car sales:

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Some Excerpts:

Deliveries of Bentley cars grew more than 30 percent to a record 8,627 vehicles last year. The British brand's growth was strongest in the United States, where deliveries rose more than half. Its Continental Flying Spur on display in Detroit costs $165,000.

Fiat's other luxury sports car brand, Ferrari, broke above the 5,000-unit sales barrier last year as it tapped developing markets such as China, Asia and eastern Europe. North American sales have doubled since 1998 to more than 1,500 last year despite the cars' stiff sticker prices.

As the number of wealthy households increases, though, the waiting list for eight-cylinder Ferraris runs up to two years while customers have to wait up to a year for a 12-cylinder model. Demand remains so strong that Ferrari doesn't even advertise.

Ferrari, Bentley, Maserati winners in 2005 I guess. Rolls-Royce in the middle and Maybach flops. Really no surprises there to me.

M

siko

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siko

GM Slashes Prices Up to $2,500

At a much-anticipated press conference, GM announced an aggressive, new pricing strategy.

The sticker price of every Chevrolet, Buick and GMC product has been cut, with most Pontiac and some Cadillac models also affected.

“This is a big step for us and arguable the biggest price repositioning in our history,” said Mark LaNeve, GM vice president North America vehicle sales, service and marketing.

The cuts affect cars, trucks and SUVs and vary by model. For example, the MSRP of the Chevrolet Cobalt LS Coupe falls by $1,500 from $14,490 to $12,990. The Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab WT’s price is down $2,500.

Pricing was also announced for the 2007 Tahoe SUV: it will start at $33,990 and rise to $44,015 for a 5.3-liter LTZ trim. That’s about $2,000 lower than the 2006 version.

Despite the headline price cuts, what most people end up spending in reality won’t change. The repricing is an acknowledgement that sales incentives have gotten out of hand and that sticker prices no longer bear much relation to what people actually pay. “Incentives are confusing and they are not stable,” said LaNeve.

But incentives won’t go away completely. “We’ll still run promotions, but the emphasis will not be on them,” LaNeve commented to journalists.

Pointing to studies that show 67 percent of buyers now use the Web to research their car purchase, Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager, said that clearer MSRPs will make it easier for buyers to compare competitive products online. Prices will “hit the sweet spot,” he said, claiming that “America’s number one brand is also America’s number one value.”

GM’s Tuesday press conference was one of Detroit’s most eagerly anticipated. Competitors were nervous about the effect GM’s move could have on their own product lineups. And with GM experiencing financial difficulties, industry observers are anxious about the impact that turmoil at the world’s largest carmaker could have on the industry as a whole, and the many businesses and jobs that it sustains.

LaNeve claimed that the lower prices would actually increase revenue by stimulating more people to consider GM vehicles and “doing a better job of getting our product and value story out.” He also said that the move would have a positive impact on residual values. “We’ve been working on aspects of this program for months [with] leasing and inventory people,” he said.

Industry analysts will be pleased to see GM trying to resolve the incentive dilemma with more transparent pricing, but critics will ask whether simply cutting prices is going to be enough to fix the company’s problems.

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... sounds pretty desperate!?

Tycoon

Can it get uglier?

Yannis

The Escalade is hideous just like the previous model. I would take a Mercedes GL or a Q7 instead anyday.

SDNR

God that thing is gorgeous............(cough cough.....vomit).

siko

LOL... yeah I don't see it being very succesful in the US.

CarGuy

What are u guys talking about look at it its an S class.