Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2003 23:46:49 +0200 From: Nel Frikandel <nelfrikandelnopsamail.com> Subject: Re: GM to increase SAAB lineup
On Sun, 13 Apr 2003 14:17:34 -0500, "Walt Kienzle" <wkienzlenopsam.net> wrote: >I too was going to cite the Cimarron as proof that Cadillac lost their >pride, but it actually happened before that, in the late '70s, when Cadillac >took a cheap Chevrolet Nova, put in the largest engine that would fit, added >leather seats, and made it the first generation Seville. Yep, been there, drove it (and have to admit) loved it! My dad bought one in ¥76, when I was 9 years old... It had a 350/5,7L V8, and the base version didn¥t even have leather but some kind of cloth upholstery. I think it was the best selling post WW-II Cadillac in Yurp ever, I remember seeing quite a lot of them, In Holland they inevitably ended up LPG converted and with a TAXI sign on the roof... With the low dollar rate in that time, it could be had for little more than half the price of a a Merc 280SE (w116), which explains part of its success, besides that it was a nice car really. And it actually fit a european parking space... >Since then, the Seville has turned into a somewhat nice luxo-boat, The ¥80 successor was a disaster of bad taste and marketing. It got front wheel drive (though the engine was mounted lengthwise) and came standard with a V8 Diesel!! The rear end looked like a frog that had been stepped on! >You can't blame them because Ford >was doing the same type of thing at their luxury Lincoln division. Don¥t forget the disastrous idea of bringing the European Sierra and Scorpio to the US market, under the brand new band `Merkur`... ROFL! >They don't produce any cars that are >factory designed run on LPG. Not many brands do. Only Volvo so far I think. But most US petrol cars are well suited for after market conversion. I bet that here in Holland 2 out of 3 US cars of over 10 years old you¥ll find is a LPG converted one. >Is the Asconda or Chevallier still available? >I didn't see it as part of the available range on the Vauxhall website. The Ascona name was dicontinued and replaced by the Vectra in the early 90¥s. Vauxhall also carries the Vectra Model. In fact, I think Opel and Vauxhall share all models, I even doubt if they have separate factories. >Cadillac isn't shy about borrowing models from Opel and then screwing up the >design, marketing, or some other aspect of the car. They had the Catera >which was mostly imported from Opel, but they failed to offer it with a >stick shift. True. The Opel/Vauxhall Omega, CadCatera (and even an Aussie brother under Holden badge i guess) are identical, but for badge and trim levels. Makes you wonder, both Opel and Vauxhall Omega have a quite nifty looking estate/station-wagon. Why did Cadillac never take *that* for the US instead of that shameful Escalade. That would be at least in the direction of the Euro/Lux brands they claim to be targetting now. It could compete (Well...attempt to anyway) with the 5 series Touring, 9-5 Estate, V70, E-class and so on. I dunno about the States, but here a Bimmer 3/5 touring or the C/E-class wagon are top of the line, well situated at the golf/course parking lot... >That was corrected with its replacement, the CTS, but dealers >rarely stock the stick shift models. Anyone that wants anything other than >automatic typically has to place a special order and wait. I¥m sorry, I saw the CTS here on a show, and it made me wanna cry. BTW, In a Dutch article on the Cad CTS it says it¥s based on the Epsilon-II platfrom, which will also be the basis of the future top model for Opel, Fiat, the new Lancia Lybra, the coming Alfa-Romeo 166 and Saab 9-5 (To bring this back on the newsgroup topic....) How¥s that for cross-platformism, http://www.autoweek.nl/newsdisp.php?ID=480 Nel PS: You got me started here... :-)
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