[Shotimes] (OT) CTS-V in Detroit Free Press

[Ron Nottingham]

Ron Porter wrote on 4/16/03 5:17 pm:

>Don, your "pro-American" 
>bias is understandable, but 
>be realistic.
>
>I have driven the new DeVille 
>DHS. The interior is 
>comparable to a Cavalier, it's 
>pitiful. The STS/SLS is 
>superior in quality. If you are 
>gonna play in the high $$$ 
>segment, do it right. Yes, the 
>LS1-LS6 motor is a triumph 
>of Detroit prowess, but this 
>segment won't accept a 
>Chevy motor in a car that is 
>to compete with the class 
>standards. What Detroit 
>doesn't seem to understand 
>is that to be a success in this 
>market, you have to be 
>BETTER than what is 
>available. I'm sure that the 
>CTS-V will cost $60k+. For 
>that kind of money, I'll buy 
>the $70K M5 without a 
>second thought.
>
>Not that I like the Honda 
>Element better than the 
>Aztec, but they have 
>outfitted the Honda with an 
>interior that is better suited 
>to the intended use, ie 
>rubber mats and other 
>fittings for hard use.
>
>When you are appealing to 
>the top-end buyer, the little 
>things matter. Using  Chevy 
>engine.....whether it runs as 
>well as an import or 
>not.....won't get it. To me, 
>Cadillac is appealing to a 
>move-up customer from an 
>American car, and won't 
>sway the guys looking at the 
>M5.
>
>There is an element of 
>quality that the BMW and 
>MB have that American mfrs 
>have not yet approached. If 
>you have spent time in a 
>BMW or MB you will 
>understand......and the 
>market has proven this.
>
>BTW, the new M5 in the new 
>bodystyle is reported to 
>have 500 HP.
>
>And I don't want to hear that 
>there is better bang-for-
>the-buck with American cars. 
>They have said that they 
>are trying to compete with 
>the other mfrs head-to-
>head.........cost is not a factor 
>in this market.
>
>And no, the fact that I think 
>that the CTS is as ugly as the 
>Aztec has nothing to do with 
>it. FWIW, if my company 
>does as well as I hope it will 
>over the next few years, a 
>high-dollar sedan could be in 
>my future, and the CTS will 
>not be a consideration.

FWIW, BMW's have a much better overall feel and quality interior than anything Detroit can muster.  Considering my wife's 89 325i was BMW's "economy"/entry level car, it is MUCH better than the SHO, and comes very close to the 92-94 750iL's we have been looking at as a replacement for her (we are expecting a third child and need more room, and NASA's Spec E30 series looks mighty cool!)

Ron N. - Dalton, GA
90 SHO
89 325i
and more BMW's than Fords in my future