One of my favorite aspects of doing the Behind the Wheel blog is reading the comments of readers. Admit it, as you are reading some of my blogs you are thinking to yourself, " LeBeau is whacked! He doesn't know what he's talking about." So when you send me your thoughts, I read them, and think, "well, why not let others know what YOU are thinking. With that in mind, here are some of your comments from recent blogs.
In response to my blog about Hyundai announcing plans to introduce a luxury car next year that I estimated will be priced between $45,000 and $55,000, Dennis wrote: "Hyundai will NOT price this car between $45k-$55k but will price it starting at $30k and max out around $38k. Trust me, the U.S. is not ready to buy a $45k Hyundai and they will not be going near your estimate."
While Robert wrote, "the thought they might bring a luxury brand here should put a touch of fear certainly into Lexus, probably Infiniti as well."
My reaction? Dennis, you are right that my estimate for the BH pricing was too high. Hyundai will realize the value of cutting into the sales of competitors with a lower priced entry-level luxury model. But Robert, I doubt Hyundai is putting fear in Lexus and Infiniti. I suspect Hyundai will steal some business from the other entry-level luxury models. But all of them, Lexus, Acura, Infiniti have strong recognition and brand loyalty. It will take some time for Hyundai to really make noise in that segment.
On my blog regarding hybrids and fuel economy, Mark wrote, "Please help dispel the GM myth. GM is a company that shows off the Volt to get attention, then tells the world they have no batteries to make it work. B.S. They may not have what they believe is the optimal battery yet, but there are batteries that will work."
Mark, I've talked with many engineers both inside and outside of General Motors about this search for batteries that provide the performance GM wants. Are there batteries that could provide the performance GM wants? Yes. But here is the key: they are not yet at the cost, size, and technological readiness to be used on a mass market basis. It does GM no good to say, "Here is an electric car, but don't mind that the battery will cost you an arm and leg and take up your entire trunk." There are many start-ups working to come up with a battery that fits the needs of GM and the other automakers. When they solve that riddle, who knows?
Finally, William corrected my incorrect grammar, "The conjunction it's is a replacement for it is. Your improper use displays a lack of education. Please re-read your 4th grade grammar text for clarification."
Thank you William, you are right. My fourth grade teacher Mrs. Funk would not be surprised. Somewhere out there I suspect she is laughing and saying to herself, "He never did fully grasp grammar."
Questions? Comments? BehindTheWheel@cnbc.com
