Can the New Car Smell Kill You? Yes! - Garage419

Hello.
I really enjoy your shows.. 
I sell GM here in canada. I'm a fleet manager at a GM dealer, in Alberta..  the heart of oil country.  so we don't really care about gas prices. 
but good gas milage cars are always a good idea.  How ever..  Caddy buyers don;t really care about gas prices.  with they were living on a bugget like the rest of us, they wouldn't be buying a caddy.. they would buy an AVEO.. right?
So if I'm going to role in a caddy!!  I want it fast, mean, and big!.. 
   

Are people here really Caddy’s Customers?

I can’t believe the reactions towards a Turboed 4 cylinder in a Caddy. It sounds very smart to me. The segment would appeal to the people who buy that car for the quietness and luxury. People who want a louder, faster car will opted for the bigger engines. Smart = light engine and a lighter car, which = more economy, acceleration and balanced handling. 

What the heck is wrong with that? The key is producing a special version of the turbocharged 4 cylinder for that car. Bit more horsepower and lighter parts would be a good start…why? When people buy a Cadillac they want more, not just what you can get in a Sky for instance. 

Really, if people see a problem with a 270-300hps 4 cylinder in a car, I question the reality they project around them (fuel prices and what it means to be fast and luxurious). The key is, individuals who are not car enthusiast (probably 85% of their market), would never be able to tell the difference from the 300hp V6 model they sell now and a 280hp 4 cylinder. Cadillac keeps those cars tame and silent and geared toward a certain demographic. I can see the demographic grow and move into a younger professional audience. They should wait and see the sales figures of turboed-4 that Hyundai is putting out as their base sports car engine. I am certain that they are going to sell a crap load of that model. 

PS: the above comment is pretty much Cadillac’s main problem…as well…but, the 2008’s changes are extremely better than the past, so keep tweaking!

Cadillac: You tried a 4 banger in the Cimarron debacle.  If you want to steal BMW buyers, benchmark their engines, interiors and styling and focus your development dollars there.  The Cadillac still lacks sorely in these departments with cheap interiors, lackluster powerplants and poor styling right down to the wheels (hint: use M6 wheels as inspiration).  I buy a new ca every two years and a Cadillac has NEVER been on my short list. You can do better, I know you can.

Yes, make a Caddilac with smaller engines. I think GM could take some of it's Opel, and Vaxhaul engines from Europe. Any one who does think that a big engined Caddy is economical is an idiot, if it does last, it chugs gas, and getting engine work on some of them is ridiculous. The northstar 32 valve can not have the starter motor break because you have to take apart half the engine to get to it. It is actually cheaper to get a new engine put in. Caddy needs to make smaller engines and make them have lots of torque. Diesel would work, if i worked at Caddilac id even put on a Bio-Diesel option.

BIG MISTAKE !!!!  if cadillac were to discontinue the northstar  I have got one with 200 k  and still get 33mpg however you can,t ever accuse GM of doing the right thing   they srew up and then wonder why they are loosing loyal customers   I believe it has to do with LUTZ ( the guro of crashlandings)...ka...

Why not make a luxury performance Cadillac "Volt"? Chevy is developing it, and if successful, will eventually spread over to Cadillac sometime in the next decade. The only 4-cylinder-powered Cadillac I see coming is the one that charges the batteries.

a 4 or 6cyl caddy reminds me of the Cadillac Cimmaron. Ya know, the chevy cavalier platform based car, truly a gold plated turd. I think in 1988 most people saw BMW and Benz and said those are old people cars, just like they are saying about Caddy but the CTS-V just posted the fasted time around the Nurburgring's Nordshleife track at under 8 minutes, that is faster than any other production 4 dr. sedan in the world. hmmm, pretty fuddy duddy if you ask me.....

QOD- Cadillac is the perfect platform for electric, quiet, smooth and powerful. 

QOD- Who buys caddy? answer, old people, golfers, sometimes black sports figures or entertainers of some fashion. They don't give a fuck about saving gas. If they're old, rich and black they give less of a fuck. 

Now a question for you, just how many people have suffered anything outside of an unpleasant oder from the new car smell. I think I could count them on 1 hand. Furthermore, unless someone dies from the exposure, (and I doubt it), what is the big deal about sniffing a bit of sun baked adhesive? If doing so bothers you....roll the window down. 

no i dont want a smaller motor in my caddy like u guys were getting at they've neva really did a good job of making those anyway so y bother with one now???  lets leave the smaller high revving motors 2 the Japanese they seem 2 have a lid on that . lol

I could not find the article, but I recall reading that Bob Lutz said they are dropping the 8 cylinder in future Cadillac's. The CTS will get a diesel in Europe (got to put Motori engines that GM now owns part of in their cars). A 4 cylinder Cadillac, no not again. A small 2.5 - 3.0 DI turbo or a 3.0 turbo diesel are good for the regular cars. A twin turbo 3.6 DI for the performance car. But keep in mind the "base" car engines are still quite potent and entertaining.

QOD: Despite environmental and fuel-economy pressures, its obvious (from all the new vehicle launches you report) that the market for performance vehicles is not going to die anytime soon. This being said, maybe the CTS-V may survive (as a performance sedan)...but I seriously think that the traditional V8 couch cruising cadillac image has no more place in this economy. The owners/fans of the standard Caddy formula are more in it for cruising comfort, not for performance...and I dont think that their needs for big smooth V8s are justified anymore, ESPECIALLY since the OEMS need to have more high-mileage cars in their lineup such that they can offset their low-mileage cars and keep their avg fuel economy for their collective lineup up to Govermnent standards. This being said; the V-Series may stay...but for any other caddy, a V6, diesel, or even hybrid would be totally fine, so long as it runs smooth and quiet.

turbo 3.6 would be great, i'll pass on the 4 cyl in the caddy, can't see it in any car they are building now......twin turbo six even better

No thank you on a Caddy with a four banger. How about a Mini with an eight cylinder? 

I agree that that last thing you want in a Dadillac is a high winding motor. I've owned an '05 CTS and I can honestly say that if I wanted a turbo 4 I would have bought something German (read Audi). Adding turbos to the 3.6DFI would be sweet (maybe an option for the CTS-V?) but I think that GM should keep the Caddy on at least 6 cylinders to start and offer Forced induction or more cylinders as a higher trim option on the V cars. The current V8 in the STS-V is a thing of beauty and frankly if I'm picking the V car over the Base model the idea of economical MPG numbers already went out the window. It would be like looking to the 'vette ZR1 over the base model and complaining about fuel econmy...

I don't think a Caddy will sell with a 4 banger but a six might squeeze by.  Their demographic is still the kind of person that equates 4 cylinders to cheap.

now A six cylinder turbo sounds pretty good but that would mean that they would have to make caddys smaller which would be good too.

I think a CTS powered by the turbo 4 from a Sky Redline would be pretty badass...  RWD + 6spd.  I think it would help Cadillac hit the young professional demographic.  I'd rock one of those if the price was right.  Maybe shoot for the WRX/Ralliart price segment.

Funny episode!!
QOD: I agree with Spinelli about that 4 or 6 cylinder turbocharged engines for the caddys. But I 'm from europe so I won't buy a Cadillac anyway.