| Chrysler 300C: The Stretched Version |
5 Feb |
As automakers go, developing well received models is a chore all by itself. When a model becomes a hit, as has the Chrysler 300C, the result is favorable press coverage, high customer satisfaction ratings, and a halo effect that can extend to the entire product line. Chryslers 300C is a hit, but the German-American automaker isnt stopping there. A stretched version of the car is being developed, one that may find a following amongst enthusiasts, but only if the price is right.
So, why would DaimlerChrysler authorize a stretched version of the 300C? For several reasons including:
The Limo Market Although the 300C is not on the same level as the Lincoln Town Car or Cadillac DTS, the car does compete with the Ford Crown Victoria. Hence, taxi and limousine operators will be drawn to the stretched 300C as the car gives its passengers the room that they need.
The Pursuit Market The Ford Crown Victoria is the most popular police pursuit vehicle followed by the Chevy Impala. Chrysler long ago ceded this market when they quit building larger rear wheel drive automobiles. The stretched 300C could fit in nicely and give the automaker some additional sales to boost market share. Look for a similarly stretched Dodge Charger to also be built once 300C demand has been proven.
The Luxury Market No, the 300C is not a luxury car, but a model coming down the pike 3-4 years from now will be. Yes, the Chrysler Imperial will be returning and it, too, will be a stretched version of the 300C, but even longer and larger than the stretched version of the 300C. Dont think for a moment that DaimlerChrysler will not be measuring demand for its new 300C to determine Imperial demand.
For the record, there are a few things that we know about the bigger 300C: the car will be stretched only by six inches and all of those gains will show up in the rear passenger area. In addition, Chrysler will not be building the stretched 300C, instead an outside supplier will handle the task of taking existing models and reworking them.
Prices for the bigger 300C havent been finalized yet, but they may carry a premium of as much as $5000 over the shorter model. This is a concern, however, as the price may be more than what some livery drivers could justify. Perhaps DaimlerChrysler will eat some of the costs and hold the price down to a $1000 premium. If they dont, the company could be in for a rude awakening and find demand for the stretched 300C to be tepid at best.
Tags: Automaker, Cadillac Dts, Chevy Impala, Chrysler 300c, Chrysler Imperial, Coming Down The Pike, Customer Satisfaction Ratings, Dodge Charger, Drive Automobiles, Favorable Press, Ford Crown Victoria, Halo Effect, High Customer Satisfaction, Limousine Operators, Lincoln Town Car, Luxury Market, Police Pursuit, Pursuit Vehicle, Rear Wheel Drive, Stretched VersionRelated posts
read comments (0)| Cadillac DTS: Reviving Cadillac Classics |
12 Jan |
The 2006 Cadillac DTS is another addition to the Cadillac brand. Cadillac, which is the brand that is very much associated and connected with luxury, is right on the path of reliving and reviving its products from the past. This new vehicle from Cadillac is a large luxury sedan that promises to provide an excellent performance, just like its ancestors did. It holds the styling that is simply and uniquely a Cadillacs. It also boasts of a new interior, a much refined chassis tuning, as well as having the new NorthStar 4.6 liter V8 engine.
Not only sporting a new interior, the exterior holds such changes as well. This vehicle comes with a new front end sheet metal, grille, fascia, and some high intensity xenon headlamps. Added also to the 2006 Cadillac DTS is a new deck lid, a rear quarter, a rear fascia, and the light emitting diode (or LED) tail lamps. It also boasts of vertically shaped headlamps and tail lamps, an egg crate grille, and a dihedral shaped hood. The interior is very much clean and sculpted with a reliving of the past designs and added up with some contemporary refinement details as well. The new additions for the 2006 Cadillac DTS interior include dual firmness seats that have been purposely crafted and designed so as to provide comfort and support. There also are available real burl wood garnish, a lowered and more forward positioned instrument panel, spaciousness, a new analog clock, soft back urethane surfaces for the instrument panel and upper doors, and an integrated center stack design.
As per safety, the 2006 Cadillac DTS holds features that include dual front airbags, front side airbags, curtain side airbags, antilock four wheel disc brakes, a tire pressure monitor, wiper activated headlights, daytime running lights, and an emergency inside trunk release. The comfort and convenience features for this vehicle include the OnStar assistance system, air conditioning with tri-zone automatic controls including controls in the rear, an interior air filter, a power steering, a tilt steering wheel wrapped in leather and holds climate and radio controls, a cruise control, leather upholstery, an eight way power front bucket seats with lumbar adjustment, a center console, cup holders, a trunk pass-through, heated mirrors with turn signals, power windows, power door locks, a remote keyless entry system, a remote engine start, an AM/FM/CD/MP3 player, an analog clock, a tachometer, a trip computer, illuminated front visor mirrors, variable-intermittent wipers, a rear defogger, an automatic day and night rearview mirror, a compass, map lights, automatic headlights, and floor mats.
Customers and Cadillac owners can search for discount Cadillac DTS parts and Cadillac auto parts from Auto Parts Discounts secured online store that is available 24 hours a day. The Cadillac parts in Auto Parts Discounts wide collection are absolutely the lowest prices and made from premium quality materials.
Tags: 2006 Cadillac Dts, Analog Clock, Assistance System, Burl Wood, Cadillac Dts, Convenience Features, Curtain Side, Daytime Running Lights, Deck Lid, Disc Brakes, Egg Crate, High Intensity, New Additions, Rear Fascia, Rear Quarter, Stack Design, Tail Lamps, Upper Doors, Wheel Disc Brakes, Xenon HeadlampsRelated posts
| 2006 Buick Lucerne: Return of the V8 |
18 Nov |
The venerable Buick Park Avenue is no more, having been replaced by the all new Buick Lucerne, a down market version of the Cadillac DTS. With a 275-hp Northstar V8 engine, the Lucerne becomes the first Buick car in nearly ten years to arrive equipped with a V8. The entire Buick line up is in the process of being overhauled, so lets take a look at this makes newest flagship and see how it plays a part in GMs overall strategy.
If you are a fan of the Buick brand you have witnessed your fair share of changes over the past five years. Gone are the Park Avenue, LeSabre, Century, and Regal, and in its place are the Rendezvous, the Rainier, LaCrosse, Terrazza, and the Lucerne. All the changes are the result of General Motors broad realignment strategy in the wake of retiring the Oldsmobile brand, lifting Saturn into the fold, and setting strategy to compete against the nonstop onslaught of foreign brands including Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, and Infiniti.
One look at the Buick and you will notice a strong resemblance to the Cadillac DTS. The Buicks oval grille sets it apart from the Cadillacs firm nose, but a cursory examination of the body lines tells you that these cars are in fact twins. In the past, Buicks were essentially stripped down versions of Cadillacs, while Oldsmobile and Pontiac were more luxurious or sportier versions of Chevrolet models. Clearly, GM is repositioning Buick to have a more distinct near luxury look without stepping on Cadillacs toes, while giving the Buick division a much needed replacement for the aging Park Avenue.
For the car shopper, the Lucerne is value priced, arriving at in showrooms at just under 27K. With a standard 3.8 V6, the automaker can claim decent fuel mileage of 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. In these days of hyped up gas prices, favorable fuel economy is a keen marketing tool, but expect many buyers to opt for the ultra powerful Northstar V8 instead. Why? Because, if they want to purchase a Buick, they likely will want the power to go along with the luxury. It remains to be seen how well the V6 operates in a car that is 203 inches long and weighing in at nearly two tons.
Standard equipment for the Lucerne includes the following: power windows, door locks, and mirrors; side curtain air bags for the front seat; theft deterrent system; OnStar; keyless entry; and more.
The optional equipment list is expansive and can easily drive the starting price of the top of the line CSX to over 35K. For that price you receive heated power seats with lumbar support; a memory package that adjusts the seats, mirrors, radio, and climate control to each drivers specifications; sport leather steering wheel with built in controls; and more.
A fully loaded Lucerne is still several thousand dollars less than the DTS, making the Lucerne a value leader in the luxury car category. Still, Buick has its work cut out for it as competition from foreign brands including Acura, BMW, and Lexus continue to hammer away at GMs near luxury division. Fortunately, quality levels for all Buicks remain very high so combining that level of success with a strong price may help the Lucerne compete admirably.
Tags: 2006 Buick Lucerne, Automaker, Buick Car, Buick Lucerne, Buick Park Avenue, Cadillac Dts, Cadillacs, Car Shopper, Chevrolet Models, Cursory Examination, Fuel Economy, Fuel Mileage, Hyped Up, Marketing Tool, Mpg City, Northstar V8, Overall Strategy, Repositioning, Terrazza, Toyota LexusRelated posts
