AD #3572 – BMW Revives Clown Shoe Design; Cadillac Names Escalade EV; Ford Will No Longer Be ‘All Things to All People’

May 22nd, 2023 at 11:59am

Audio-only version:
Listen to “AD #3572 – BMW Revives Clown Shoe Design; Cadillac Names Escalade EV; Ford Will No Longer Be ‘All Things to All People’” on Spreaker.

Follow us on social media:

Instagram Twitter Facebook

Runtime: 9:01

0:00 Farley Says Ford Will No Longer Be ‘All Things to All People’
1:32 Toyota Tops Supplier Relations Survey
2:30 U.S. & Australia Reach Critical Minerals Deal
3:05 Lake Superior Region Could Become Nickel Hub
4:22 BMW Revives Clown Shoe Design
5:21 Lexus Teases New Small Crossover
5:53 Bridgestone Reveals New EV Tire
6:44 Fiat Highlights New Design Direction
7:32 Cadillac Names Escalade EV, Escalade IQ

Visit our sponsors to thank them for their support of Autoline Daily: Bridgestone, Intrepid Control Systems, and Schaeffler.

»Subscribe to Podcast |

5661 rss-logo-png-image-68050 stitcher-icon youtube-logo-icon-65475

Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com

33 Comments to “AD #3572 – BMW Revives Clown Shoe Design; Cadillac Names Escalade EV; Ford Will No Longer Be ‘All Things to All People’”

  1. Wine Geek Says:

    What does “We will not be all things to all people” even mean? Henry Ford must be rolling over in his grave!

  2. Kit Gerhart Says:

    Lexus doesn’t need another crossover. They need a new, better IS, and they need to revive the wagon/hatch like they had with the first generation IS. No lift kit and body cladding needed.

  3. Kit Gerhart Says:

    1 It means that Ford is now Trucks Are Us.

  4. Mike Shipley Says:

    I LOVE the BMW! Won’t be able to afford it but hope they build it. Big fan of Shooting brakes.

  5. Jim Haines Says:

    Ford begins the end

  6. MJB Says:

    “Clown Shoe” :) I hadn’t heard that before, but yep, that about sums it up. I must say that this refreshed version does look more appealing than the original.

    On the number of Lexus SUV’s, you’re right, Sean. They’ve got too many. They’re heading down the same road as Mercedes with its 99 models. Do car companies have nothing better to do than needlessly add cars to their lineups? They need to take a page from Costco. They stay lean and mean by offering only one or two brands of each item they carry. Having something for everyone leads to bloat.

  7. Drew Says:

    @1 – It means Ford is admitting it is no longer relevant to 90% of the market. It is a self-inflicted and lethal wound of poor quality, running away from competition, and an abysmal investment history (PAG, Argo, Rivian).

  8. Kit Gerhart Says:

    6 All of those models, but gaping holes in everyone’s lineup. No car height wagons. Even Volvo did the lift kit treatment to the V60, except for the $70K+ performance version.

    Now, the only non-specialty car left from the former big three is the Malibu, which will probably soon be gone. I haven’t heard of plans for a replacement.

    The only two doors are the handful of sports cars, and a few expensive two doors from luxury/premium brands like BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. The 1960s were the golden age of car choice in the U.S., both for body styles, and for color choice.

  9. Andy Says:

    I love the old clown shoe and would love to see an updated version!!

  10. Lambo2015 Says:

    Ford, like the auto industry in general is becoming bland as white bread. No longer “all things to all people”, they will become “nothing to no-one”!

    The BMW give me 1967 Jaguar XK-E vibes.

    So how much longer before all other countries start whining about Australia getting credit under the IRA and we make exceptions for everyone? Eventually watering it down to provide no incentive to make batteries locally. This will make the IRA just another cash cow with empty promises of stimulating national growth.

  11. ChuckGrenci Says:

    I didn’t much care for the ‘clown shoe’, and not real fond of the new one either. I’ve seen a few in the wild but don’t think the new one will sell either.

    Cadillac, and I’m a fan of their vehicles, never seems to disappoint when naming them. Even when they announce a uniform nomiclature, they deviate from uniformity (to a fault).

  12. Kit Gerhart Says:

    I’ve seen one or two of the handful of hardtop Solstices made. Those are probably more rare than the BMW.

  13. merv Says:

    my love for BMW’s has faded the past decade or two

  14. Joseph C Says:

    hats off to Cadillac for retaining actual names instead of the stupid alphanumeric stuff the others are doing. Escalade IQ I can live with!

  15. Kit Gerhart Says:

    Coupe de Ville was a good name.

  16. MERKUR DRIVER Says:

    12) 1,266 Solstice coupes made. They are a very rare site. They looked pretty good. I liked it better than the convertible.

  17. Ziggy Says:

    Sean,
    What makes a tire an EV tire? Is there something about it that precludes it from being used on an ICE vehicle? Or is this just more marketing bs from yet another one of your sponsors? Inquiring minds want to know….

  18. Drew Says:

    12&16… I prefer the Saturn Sky. But the Miata was a better vehicle in every aspect.

  19. Kit Gerhart Says:

    17 Tesla uses special foam lined tires that are supposed to reduce road noise. I don’t know if other EVs use special tires.

  20. Kit Gerhart Says:

    18 I remember Solstice/Sky having no storage space at all. That kept me from buying one when they were new.

  21. Joe G Says:

    Does Farley’s comment mean they will drop some ICE vehicles to introduce more EVs? Right now Ford has one of the most robust and interesting lineups of vehicles that indeed can appeal to just about any taste and need. Kill off the profitable ICE vehicles to produce money loosing EVs. Sounds like a sound business decision to me!
    The IRA is a joke. Lets run up the deficit (and increase inflation) paying everyone our tax dollars to build and buy EVs. I say let the market decide. Now the government is in the auto industry.

  22. Warwick DUNDAS Says:

    10 Australia has had a free trade agreement with USA for 20 years and is a significant trading partner. The latest agreement makes it more attractive for US mining companies to invest in mining operations in Australia for rare earths, so vital for EVs. This has significant geopolitical benefits for both companies by reducing reliance on Chinese sourced battery raw materials.

  23. Kit Gerhart Says:

    21 “Right now Ford has one of the most robust and interesting lineups of vehicles that indeed can appeal to just about any taste and need.

    Are you serious? Ford dropped all of their cars, except Mustang. They have pickup trucks and SUVs/CUVs, and nothing else. That does not appeal to just about any taste and need. Focus, especially the ST was a great, and affordable sporty, but utilitarian car. Gone. Fusion was a competitive, and attractive sedan. Gone. Fiesta ST was a great driving car that I almost traded my Mini Cooper on. Gone. Ford will make money selling their trucks, for now, but for how long?

  24. wmb Says:

    Using the Hummer SUV as the building blocks for this IQ, are a safe bet, it’s the interior appointments and exterior styling that will make this a home run! Yet, with the ICE Escalade V selling for $150K and the Celestiq bench pressing $300K+, I’m afraid that this IQ and IQL maybe looking at a base price between $175-200K! I mean if Lucid can ask $200K for their Air Dream Edition, why can’t Cadillac do the same?

  25. wmb Says:

    So, let me get this right, the Z4 concept Touring Coupe (which might not Ever make production ) gets the pretty BMW face, while iX and the 4 and 7 Series has to live with ‘concept car’ like face for the life of their production run?! Makes perfect since! SMH!

  26. Lambo2015 Says:

    23 You beat me to it. I was thinking the same thing. I get that its difficult to make money on sedans anymore but Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia seem to be able to do it. Ford offers nothing to compete in that arena. Ford has S,M L SUV and trucks with the Mustang and Mach-E.

  27. Ukendoit Says:

    17, I was waiting for Sean to tell us, but ended up looking it up. The link shows 7 ways EV tires differ, but one reason is “Tires for electric vehicles carry a heavier load and have to withstand high instant torque, leading to higher tire wear, so we need tires with stronger constructions and more robust rubber compounds. Greater mass and increased inertia means longer braking distance, so we place a special emphasis on optimal grip.”

  28. Kit Gerhart Says:

    Looking at the Tire Rack site, and searching tires for an M-B EQS, most of the tires listed were not EV specific, and most that were had “noise reduction technology.”

    Here is what Tire Rack had to say, in general, about tires for EVs.

    https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-tires-for-my-electric-vehicle?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyLGjBhDKARIsAFRNgW_lOZY2xer_eUG4MyE7sLdQ4eK5_2RhStYM_7jgSsGYc3K8X8rWgwMaAtEEEALw_wcB&ef_id=Cj0KCQjwyLGjBhDKARIsAFRNgW_lOZY2xer_eUG4MyE7sLdQ4eK5_2RhStYM_7jgSsGYc3K8X8rWgwMaAtEEEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3756!3!451476532508!!!g!!&gclsrc=aw.ds&&affiliate=HM5

  29. Lambo2015 Says:

    Not to poo poo on EVs but just read a story from the Washinton Post about plastic recycling. Which most everyone agrees that recycling is the right thing to do right? But in a fairly new plant in the UK with modern filters they found that 13% of micro plastics are introduced into the water and air during the recycling process. So like so many other things they find out down the road that what we thought was a good idea ends up being actually worse for us in the end. So although we may find ways to recycle EV batteries will it actually be a good thing?
    I dont think anyone can truly answer that as it seems battery chemistry is still in development and although we may create some problems initially they might also be resolved before EVs garner 50% of sales. The whole point being that often times when we think we are doing something to help the environment we often times create a bigger problem. Like Asian carp, Or plastic bags over paper.

  30. MERKUR DRIVER Says:

    23) I am with you on this. Other than the Mustang, Ford has nothing of much interest to me. Just trucks and SUVs. Even the interest in the mustang is waning. For the segment though, a few of Ford’s trucks/suvs seem to be interesting to consumers of those vehicles. Vehicles like the Bronco, F150, F250/350 and Maverick appear to be interesting to consumers and they have zero trouble selling them. The Escape/Edge/ecosport don’t seem to be stand-outs in the segments.

    If I was the ecosport, I would be worried about what Farley stated. I don’t think that vehicle is going to make the cut.

  31. Ukendoit Says:

    Re: EV tires, both Kit’s link and my link agreed on most points, such as low rolling resistance yet better grip, performance, noise reduction, and more expensive. One difference is my article said EV tires are designed to last longer, though the Tirerack article said that it’s relative, since the instant torque and higher weight of an EV wears them quicker even though they are designed to last longer.
    Overall, it sounds like they are just better, but more expensive tires that on an ICE vehicle would last longer. If that is the case, wouldn’t it be better for ICE vehicles to use these EV tires as replacements if you plan on keeping the vehicle a long time and can afford the “better tires”?

  32. Kit Gerhart Says:

    31 EV tire life would depend a lot on how often you use that “instant torque.” The tread life ratings of many of the EV tires I saw on the Tire Rack site were around 500, similar to a lot of regular “touring” tires.

  33. MJB Says:

    12, 16 I’ve seen plenty of Solstices here in the Metro Detroit area (no surprises there – we probably account for three fourths of the ones sold). But I’ve also seen a decent number of its sister car, the Saturn Sky – which btw I prefer style-wise to the Solstice.