As usual, the Comment section is as, or more, interesting than the article. Indeed, I’ve taken to reading only articles in the NYT that have a Comment section.
15
Some people have a thing about "German engineering." I went on a trip to the Northwest with an engineer friend of mine who buys nothing but BMWs and Benzs, currently including two of MB's SUVs made in Alabama. We tried to reserve the new Benz 4WD SUV, but all that was left was a Caddy XT5. He didn't say much about it, but I thought it was better riding and an overall better car than any Benz I have been in.
Speaking of "German engineering," if you compare cars for reliability and cost of ownership, American cars generally do better than European cars, though not as well as most Asian brands (Japanese cars still lead the way in that department).
9
I could not nor would I want to tell you all the tales of me at age 16 with an older sister who had a brand new 1964 Cadillac El Dorado convertible that she let me take on dates! At the time I had a 55 Chevy that I drove to school but for special dates it was her Cadillac.
So while it may be thought of as an old persons car, I don’t recall ever getting turned down for a date while she let me take that car on Friday or Saturday nights.
Interestingly she sold the Cadillac and bought a 67 Black Corvette. She still drives sports cars but I will never forget all the fun I had in her Cadillac!
12
Cadillac needs to make a 3/4 scale replica(reinterpretation) of my first car- a 1962 Coupe De Ville- two doors, no post, wrap around windshield, lots of glass, subtle upper fins, lower side fins, a real trunk and hood- a classic design. Manufacture the body from carbon fiber or ultra lightweight materials- choice of high performance internal combustion or electric drivetrain, simple electronics, airbags as needed, lowered suspension and roof line, "classic" Cadillac colors, high standard of build quality, four leather bucket seats, LED lights, etc. Heck, even offer it as a station wagon. Perhaps it could have a "tattoo scanner" for unlocking the doors...
Part of the problem with many of today's cars are that they are all too similar-looking/painted the same dull colors (this from the former driver of a white Prius). With an approach like this, you are providing a radically different appeal. People with good design sense and the necessary resources would embrace this concept, I believe.
4
Well, I don't know where the air bag is on the Cadillac he is driving, but most cars have an airbag in the steering wheel. If so, the hands go at 4 and 8, and have so for decades. Otherwise, when the airbag goes off, your hand will hit you in your face, break your nose, your glasses and your arm.
There are a whole lot of people buying trendy cars. Despite the VW/Audi/Porsche illegalities, people still buy them. Is Tesla going to survive? While the trials and tribulations of Cadillac are interesting, climate change makes this entire debate, including the battery electric SUV a matter or rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Now is the time to stop buying carbon dioxide or toxic battery emitters and start walking, cycling and taking the bus. Your grand children will thank you, sooner or later.
4
Gimmicks won’t save Cadillac. Fancy tech and an electric platform make a car “nicer” but it’s not what sells them. I have an 18 year old Porsche with little tech and I will take it over any Cadillac any day of the week. Why? Timeless styling, and amazing driving dynamics. Why are people still seeking 1964 Vettes? Same reason. BMW is arguably behind MB and Lexus in their tech, but they’re not having too many problems selling more cars than Cadillac.
Cadillac needs to start over and develop a small cohesive line up of cars much as BMW and Mercedes had a few decades back: 3, 5 and 7 series (throw in a single truck and maybe a sporty 2 seater). Make them timeless in design (stop with the sci-fi jagged edge nonsense), fun to drive (no more bathtubs with wheels), superb fit and finish (encourage custom ordering like BMW, Porsche, and MB instead of pushing the stuff on the lot), and reliable. Then look long and hard at the interior ergonomics (there’s a lot to learn from the Japanese and Europeans here - and NO the dash doesn’t have to look like it should be on the space shuttle).
You want to set yourself apart? Start with the dealer experience. Throw in free full maintenance for 4 years. Lastly, make sure you’re tech is comparable - no need to out-Mercedes MB.
It’s doable but I really wonder whether they really know how.
9
"Cadillac rose to prominence a century ago as the pinnacle in General Motors’ “ladder of brands” — the ultimate destination as car owners prospered and moved up from Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Buick to demonstrate their success in life."
It was Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac. You left out Pontiac.
13
Cadillac needs so much more than a “we are going to electric and compete with Tesla!” No, you aren’t. You need a short and medium term strategy. Shame on you Cadillac for promoting a washed out GM insider from the days when GM was at its absolute worst. How can this work?
It can’t work and it won’t. Did you also talk about their confusing and nonsensical naming of their cars? And how they are going to take that a step further by naming their cars by their individual torque numbers in NEWTON METERS...? How about a complete lack of a consistent design language across the brand?
Cadillac, your most successful car is a tarted up Suburban with underpinnings from the 1970’s. What a joke. Plus, why would you care to market to baby boomers? Sorry boomers but your time has passed. This brand is for Gen X and Millennials, and younger. If you’re marketing to a segment that is mostly buying their last car ever, if at all, again you’re failing as a brand. Harsh? Maybe. True? Yes.
This brand needs to be disengaged from the GM machine as much as possible.. it needs fresh eyes and fresh blood..
10
My father was a the secretary of his blue collar labor union in the 1970s. He stopped buying American-made cars when the left-rear passenger door of his brand new Oldsmobile fell off in our driveway the day he brought it home. He bought Honda products after that.
Poor quality engineering and terrible quality control are what’s ruining the American car market. Inept design doesn’t help, either. No one but themselves to blame. No sympathy from this foreign brand buyer.
11
I bought my first new car in 1977, a brand new maroon colour Buick Skylark. As I was drove from the dealer lot to my home, I ran into a rain storm. The windshield started leaking soaking me waist down completely. As I turned around and headed back to the dealer, the storm ended and the sun broke through.
To my dismay and utter shock the dealer refused to believe there was leakage, let alone fix the leakage and honor the warranty. My letters to GM Corporate offices went unanswered and I was left with no option but to use a duct tape seal to prevent leakage.
I drove that car for less than two years and that was the first and the last domestic car I ever drove in the last 42 years.
19
Our first deviation from Chevy, my mom's sky blue Skylark, leaked at the top of the of the windshield on the passenger side from day one. The disappointment in that car was famous in the family's annals. We eventually began buying Audis.
8
I'm old enough to remember when the Cadillac turned out to be a car propped up by a Chevy motor and skeleton and got about 7 miles a gallon. Please go away, Cadillac.
9
There was a time...this isn’t it...and take Lincoln with your!
2
Wait! In the 1990's, young people started seeking out the hot cars Cadillac was marketing. All seemed to be solved.
Now they're all geezers again? Well why not? Millennials have been robbed by the student loan system and drive Kias and rent hovels. The boomers have all the loot and, despite their insistence that 70 is the new 20, are in fact really, really old. Just the right age to buy a nice new Caddy. Just throw in a Hoveround, and it'll be a done deal.
3
GM lost their customers one customer at a time. Years ago my father and then I, bought GM cars exclusively. Then around the 1970s GM shifted from the most reliable of brands to garbage. It took some time for their collapse as people tend to keep cars longer than they keep most everyday things. Each time they bought a new car, and saw what a disaster it was, another customer was lost.
For me it was when my Buick Skylark was on it’s 3rd alternator in 36,000 miles. I simply asked if somehow GM could send someone to the dealership who could figure out my problem. GM’s corporate response..:Your warranty is over at 36,000 miles!!
That was it. I went out and bought a Toyota Cressida that lasted 300,000 miles. I’ve had 6 or 7 Toyota’s over the years and I’ve been happy with the cars, and the company when a problem arose.
GM played their customers for suckers. Well, those suckers aren’t suckers anymore and GM is not regarded as reliable in its cars or in its customer service.
As I said, they lost us one customer at a time over the years!
9
Cadillacs are ugly. Its badge is ugly and ostentatious. It announces that the driver is wearing 20 pounds of gold necklace chains, bracelets, cufflinks and shoe buckles. That is, Cadillacs are gauche not sophisticated.
All that new electronic stuff--super cruise--and it will show up in Chevys within a year or two and in all other cars within five years.
6
I took my first drivers license test dad's 1977 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - a land yacht that stood for every excess I hated in my teens. Since then my life has been a series of solid Japanese and German cars. If Cadillac is going to rebuild a brand the designers must be allowed to start from the ground up like the Corvette team to have a chance at success; if they are forced to rebadge a Buick or Chevy platform while adding a few gadgets like SuperCruise they are doomed to another failure.
8
No one thinks putting more people on the job to shorten the described development times might help? I hoped all the GM plodders had retired by now. I lived in silicon valley when some software companies worked around the clock.
3
It’s a miracle that Cadillac has lasted as long as it has, considering its brand identity and changes in the marketplace and the economy. How many other brands that were important in Cadillac’s heyday, which was more than half a century ago, are still around today, and not as zombie brands? GM can still stick some big Cadillac badges on a Surburban and charge a lot more for it as an Escalade.
IMHO, GM’s opportunity for Cadillac may be as a plush, comfortable self-driving car for the growing population of folks who are old enough to remember the brand but too old to drive.
3
I own four Benzes and buy a new one every year or so. Never would I consider a Cadillac. Why? Quality is nowhere near Mercedes. Dealer experience? It’s a joke. Walking into Benz showroom is a pleasant relaxing experience. Not so for any GM product. Not only that, I am not alone in saying that some of us have very long memories and back twenty years ago, vowed never to buy “American” again. Remember the Cimarron? (Sp?) Cadillac is always one spasm away from brand suicide. No thanks.
8
Really, Cadillac? Your selling points are going to be cars I plug in and ones that drive themselves? THAT is the strategy? Word to the wise: sell your remaining shares in the brand NOW.
8
There are no Cadillac shares, it’s part of GM.
1
So many of these comments amuse and bewilder me at the same time.
I’m mid 50s and paid no attention to Cadillacs until about 5 years ago, at a Boston Car Show. The CTS was beautiful! A friend in our group, 20 years younger and car enthusiast, sat behind the wheel of a CTV and got a look of joy on his face. He loved it!
Just last week a guy I work with and I passed a CT6, he stopped to lecture me about it’s beauty and performance— a friend of his bought one.
He’s 30.
6
Ever since Cadillac introduced the CTS, I have admired the styling of the brand. Some of the newest Cadillacs have stunning body styling, fit and finish. These are some beautiful cars.
When it was time for my wife to trade in her Acura, I encouraged her to test drive a Cadillac. Unfortunately, numerous mechanics who I know urged me to avoid them. Dependability is poor and they are very difficult cars to work on. What a shame.
4
I'm a "Dr's car" Buick baby boomer and never aspired to Cadillac. But I think the GM Cadillac story is emblematic of what the U.S. car industry often failed to do in the luxury segment: provide advanced styling and technology with reliability.
If you follow Consumer Reports reliability ratings for Cadillac, they are consistently below average or poor. Reliability is something that Europe and Japan have excelled in. And why, as Americans, would we want to pay luxury prices for cars that are in the shop a lot (Jaguar excepted).
I don't think technology is the answer because that's a leap frog reality: innovative today; old hat tomorrow.
I'm not sure what the answer is for GM or for Cadillac. I fear Caddys will never have that singular luxury cache in American minds again. China, with a quarter of the world's population? Now that might be a place to start although with the tariff wars, that might never get off the ground.
3
Wait, Cadillac is trying to find its identity? It's brand identity is: biggest ultra-luxury vehicles. Full stop. Its Escalade is the category killer. If it simply rolled out a sedan convertible on the Escalade frame, it would be right back on top. Athletes and entertainers - and wealthy consumers with kids - would be all over it. Funnest, coolest vehicles on the road. Would cut right across demographics - age, race, urban/suburban.
I've watched GM bungled this for years now and simply don't understand why it keeps trying to be a European sports car. Tech and performance should be a given - they won't sell cars to young consumers...
3
I learned how to drive on a 1980 Cadillac Coupe De Ville belonging to an uncle. It was a veritable boat, but a luxurious one. A second uncle had one, as well (my dad was an Olds 98 man). I waited until I was in my mid-40's to lease a Cadillac 4 years ago, an ATS-4 Coupe. Admittedly, my history with the brand made me see it as an older man's car, but there was something about the history and past glamour of the brand, as well as its past associations with success, that kept my interest, so I took the plunge when I could afford it and was "mature" enough. I was deeply disappointed by the many technical and reliability issues the car had. I'd love to see Cadillac come back as a premier American luxury brand with broad appeal, but if my experience is at all typical, they have a long way to go. I hope they don't run out of time before they do get there.
4
I would suggest an advertising campaign where people of all ages discuss the term 'Cadillac' and how they use it and what it means: the best of something - in all aspects of life...
Then cut to the new Cadillac line declaring its the best of its kind...
And then make sure it is!
GM can hire me for the new advertising campaign!
2
Well! I ain't a manager nor do I play one on TV, but if I wanted to shake-up a stale and obsolete car series, hiring a person who has been with the company since the stone age probably ain't what I'd do. Who do they sell to these days? Senior citizens and pimps? Do pimps even buy them any more? One thing about senior citizens, we ain't getting any younger.
8
Good looking cars these days; ugly SUVs. I suggest GM save its money and move on.
3
This article reminds me of what I heard someone say during my years in the shoe industry. As the hearse and casket drove by a man was heard to say "there goes another Florsheim Shoe customer"
6
Escalades are dreamy! Yes, it’s annoying that the Suburban and Denali are extrapolated, so to speak, BUT it is superficial to compare...dive into the interior world of the Escalade....it is delicious, enveloping lux on wheels... sorry! Ride is quiet, buttery and mostly comparable.
It’s just knee-jerk to denigrate American-made cars and by now old Skool-reflex thinking. And Cadillac, an American car, I suppose has its “haters”! But jeez so does the incomparable Barbra Streisand.
It’s history of design & comfort & lux you can criticize, but like Philip Dick showed reality is perspective; AND from where I sit in my Caddy, I don’t agree yours! And to say it’s market is over 65, ha!
7
Cadillac sounds as though it needs some Trump tariffs.... oh wait.. Cadillac has a big market in CHINA
2
"Cadillac, the Mercedes of luxury cars." -- Stephen Colbert
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.” - GM Mission Statement
7
@JjPathetic; truly, pathetic. The man, should be dismissed, if for nothing else, then for making this statement and thinking this way at all.
7
The only thing uglier than a Cadillac sedan is a Chrysler 300. Until and unless they improve their styling and quality Cadillac's sales will continue to deteriorate.
4
I drove the CT-6 a few years ago, but ended up buying a 3-year old MB S550 for less than half the $135K original sticker price (which would have bought me a new Caddy). The Cad drives just like the Chevy Impala, which can be had loaded for $35,000 and sells for under $10K a few years later. The interior is not much better than the Chevy, and frankly all of the technology seems gimmicky. At that price point I’ll take a Toyota; the Tacoma holds its value quite well.
The problem Cadillac has is that it’s a duded-up Chevy. GM needs to separate the platforms and create something different from the ground up; something with a level of refinement. Bottom line is all of these luxury cars depreciate like used mattresses, but even more so with Cad.
7
I thought of Cadillac. But I see these stodgy total gray haired white old male dude driving this machine or dude who does not know really how to drive, it turns me off. Cadillac should look lean not bulky. Peppy and lots of oomph with manual transmission. I have no problem with premium fuel. GM has the technology. It has focused on wrong consumers.
4
This is bad, mmmkay? ICE (internal combustion engines) aren’t going away anytime soon.
Bloat, bloat bloat. Why do Americans love bloat? These cars need to be sent the way of the dinosaur and that's that.
7
Carillac's demise started in the 70s with the gas crisis and fuel economy standards. The division's response? Detuned engines and the Cimarron, a car based on a Chevrolet that was so bad it could have killed Cadillac all by itself. In the mid-80s the idea was to attack Mercedes with Allante, a car designed to compete with the venerable two seat SL. It featured Italian design with a body flown to Detroit from Italy (yes, they flew this thing in a 747 cargo plane), an engine from the stone age, and among other design misfires, a dashboard that made KIT from Knight Rider look tame. Along the way Cadillac's build quality continued to deteriorate just when Lexus was building cars that forced the Germans to clean up their plants. Finally, Cadillac discovered trucks with Escalade, and other than a design concept, "Art and Design" , they kept designing cars nobody under 70 wanted. The overall result was a division that performed like the 70s engines that disabled cylinders for better mileage. Moving the division's HQ to the car crazy land of SoHo is the final proof that the company deserves to go the way of Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer. RIP
8
For the first few years I thought my Caddy was the finest car I ever owned. Then the engine blew up (head gasket failure) at 86k miles. Turns out this is extremely common with that generation of Northstar aluminum engines. Now I'm about to turn 200k in my Acura and it's running as good as when it rolled off the assembly line. I'd like to buy a Detroit product but can't/won't.
8
I wouldnt own one because I still remember in 1981 they rushed the 4 6 8 cylinder to market before it was ready. GM has a history of doing this and I just dont trust them People paid top dollar for those cars in good faith and were left with big bills. Dont even get me started on the Cimarron. And they wonder why they are in a death spiral?
7
There have been no true Cadillacs to lust over since 1963-64. That's two, if not three, buying generations ago. Face it: it's over.
5
Full disclosure: I love my 2018 CT6 with Super Cruise, which I purchased before GM stated they were terminating production of the model, and which replaced a Jaguar XJR. I originally wanted the CT6-V with the large V8 but was told that it would not be offered in all-wheel drive (AWD), a deal-breaker in snowy Colorado. Then GM decides to build the CT6-V and make it available ONLY in AWD! So now they lost $20,000 or so in incremental revenue from me and leave a loyal customer (2 previous Cadillac SUVs) irritated with them. Hello Audi or Porsche (or Genesis, if they build an SUV)!
4
"None have the infrared camera to ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road and can’t give in to the temptation to gaze at their phones or anything else."
I hope there is a fail safe for this. Look at the scenery over there, DOH!
2
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.” “That’s just one of these unfortunate prioritization dilemmas,” - Steve Carlisle
These two throw-away comments from the head of Cadillac, Steve Carlisle, foretell Cadillac's final failure if the present management course is continued. His comment, "Had we thought of it...." should be grounds for transferring this man to another position and installing someone whose job is "to think of it"! Pray tell us, Mr. Carlisle, what indeed was "prioritized"; the man's comment that what has occurred is "...just one of these unfortunate prioritization dilemmas." is prima-facie evidence that this man is in the wrong job, perhaps not for the man himself but, clearly, it's the "wrong job" as far as Cadillac's future is concerned.
9
Tesla gets credit for pioneering mass produced plug in cars, for sure. But a standard of luxury???
No way. I think they are ugly and flimsy looking - they remind me of Saturns. But, they are technologically very important.
3
Look closely at the photograph of Mr. Carlisle in the CT6. He looks as though he is crammed into the cockpit. His forehead looks to be inches from the sun visor and, therefore, dangerously close to the windshield, and his head appears to be skimming the roof. Is space really that tight? $78,000? Seriously?
10
The style of Cadillac, like many cars on the road these days, stresses a kind of sci-fi, robotic, aggressive, sharp-angled, look with slanted headlights, and straight edged cuts in the body to project power, speed, modernity.
But the cars have no distinctiveness the way a 1970 Coupe DeVille or Eldorado did. If you took the insignia off the front grille who in the general public would be able to guess the identity of the vehicle?The Caddy now is like a retiree who just had plastic surgery and a hair transplant and is eager to date young women because he "looks young."
In its struggle for buyers, Cadillac shed all its distinctiveness and became just another cyborg on wheels.
6
When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s my grandfather always had an Eldorado. It was always the ultimate car. Then in the 70s Mercedes and BMW became the epitome of luxury. Caddies looked like boats by comparison; big, bulky and ugly. While today’s Cadillacs have improved, they’re still miles behind in styling. But they’re no bargain. I don’t understand why anyone buys something so devoid of aesthetic appeal. They might have good mechanics and be roomy and comfortable., but until Cadillac produces something that looks as smart and refined as a Mercedes or Tesla, they’ll never catch up.
5
Styling is key and unfortunately the deciders don’t see that.... too bad
3
They're going to have to make a car as good looking as Tesla, and that's not so easy.
3
In the 1980s a Cadillac salesman was not trained in how to sell the car to someone under 65.
With 40% of buyers over 65, is Super Cruise something they would be interested in.
It was claimed it cost GM only $1,000 more to build a Cadillac over a Chevrolet, yet they could charge double for the vehicle.
Each generation rejects the norms of the last. Baby boomers rejected the land yacht Cadillac for the sleek German luxury cars in the 1980.
Then GenXers and Millennials rejected the sleek, stylish German super cars for CUBS: Cute Ugly Boxes.
2
If you want a big, comfortable, reliable, luxurious sedan with good resale value and don't mind the grandpa associations, buy a Toyota Avalon. You can pick up a loaded model for $35,000.
10
@Frank Knarf
Agreed!
The Toyota Avalon is like a perfected Cadillac.
3
Cadillac is surely a doomed brand. While they were building 'Eldorado biarritzs' and 'Sedan DeVille D' Elegances', tacky showboats of lesser GM models, Merc was building 190Es and BMW was making evolutionary improvements to the 320 after building on the legacy of the 2002.
Cadillac has no racing pedigree, no rally pedigree, and you can't convince any car enthusiast that they know how to engineer for performance and handling like the German (or Italian) marques. Though, admittedly, big improvements were made under the last Chief from Audi. The materials are 'cheapish', the build quality suspect, and the owners have traditionally been happy with comfort cruising from Palm Springs to Vegas. None of those folks are aspiring to pick up an M3...
The fact that the horrible 'Escalade' was one of their most successful models says it all.
7
@GR There's a lot to criticize regarding Cadillac's interior and exterior styling, as well as Cadillac's terrible marketing and inability to convince anyone that they are cool, but to say that they can't convince car enthusiast's that they know how to engineer a performance car like the German's is completely false. Ask a car enthusiast or auto journalist how the CTS and ATS compared to the German's in terms of capability and their views are very favorable.
4
As a Gen-Xer, my love of cars began in the 80's and early 90's when the only people making cars that anyone actually aspired to own were the Europeans making quality sports cars and sedans. The American auto industry lost an entire generation during this period where we fled to cheap but dependable Japanese imports (if we just wanted a car to get from A to B) and higher-priced European imports (if we cared about image and build quality).
Of course, this also meant that the generations after grew up with their parents driving imports, so that's what they now naturally gravitate towards by default. This has resulted in a series of lost generations for American automakers that they probably will never recover from without some sort of godly intervention.
As for GM... The Cadillac of today is viewed as a car solely for AARP members. Buick is in a similar position in the US with only the Chinese mystically still interested in them. And no self-respecting 20 or 30 something would drive a Chevrolet rather than a Honda or Toyota, which appeal to younger drivers who grew up on Japanese pop culture. Even the Corvette has a reputation for being a car for old men in their 60's and 70's wearing jeans shorts and white ankle socks.
Cadillac isn't coming back. Chevrolet isn't coming back. GM will end up selling trucks and big SUVs in the US and Buicks in China. The fire burning GM's foundation has been smoldering unabated since the 80's. That isn't going to change.
8
I bought a 2013 Cadillac ATS. It won the 2013 Car of the Year award. I test drove a BMW 328i first. The Cadillac ATS had better performance in cornering, maneuverability. They seemed equal in power, speed. I also think they are equally nice looking. I hope Cadillac continues to exist and thrive. Because competition is good for us consumers.
4
Question is, is GM ready to relocate Cadillac to California, and invest in a 10-20 year turnaround, during which they’ll lose money trying out new styling, new technology, and impressive customer service?
The reality is Detroit and the American Midwest are no longer as relevant to the world zeitgeist as they once were. American innovation and leadership have moved irrevocably to the coasts, mostly the West Coast.
For all his faults, Elon Musk has been the only true industry innovator in the US in some time. He could not have done this based in the Midwest.
This sadly is also a tale of the American regions... and how the parochialism and narrow boosterism of its “heartland” have come to sabotage itself.
Move Cadillac to California and give it free reign to innovate and invest for the long haul. That is its only hope.
7
After owning many luxury car brands, I now always return to Lexus, the car never has problems, it's customer service is beyond comparison and I feel like a truly valued customer, something American car brands just don't get, nor deliver.
4
Marketing-wise, "Super Cruise" sounds old. It has a 1960s vibe. Maybe they were going for retro-cool, but if so, they missed it.
4
@Patrick Super Cruise is a term used for modern fighter jets that can fly above Mach 1 without afterburners or huge fuel consumption.
1
Cadillac will never regain it's former glory because GM continues to be run by bean counters and continually puts out unreliable vehicles that fall apart quickly, and have zero quality.
Why would I buy an God-awful ugly Cadillac that will lose 50% of it's value in a year and will be plagued with quality and reliability issues when I can buy an Audi/BMW/MB/Lexus that have none of those issues, including the precipitous drop in resale value??
4
The American car companies made so many missteps; this isn’t the forum to cover them all. I will say as a middle-aged America that grew up in America - living with the absolute junk they began to produce (whilst they expected people to just keep buying) was and still is completely insulting.
My father, a retired engineer in the aerospace industry - whom eventually ended up in management - was very much a ‘buy American’ kind of guy who worked on his own vehicles. As years went on, the complaints uttered whilst under the hood became more frequent; cheap construction, bracing instead of proper engineering, things literally held together with duct tape, etc, etc. The last vehicle he bought was a Honda SUV - which provided nothing to complain about and nothing much to work on.
Before I went vehicle shopping the last time around I thought American vehicles were somewhat at parity with ‘imports’, based on external appearances and pronouncements by portions of the ‘car press’. Hardly. True, external fit and finish seems good, motor performance and handling seems good, but internal fit and finish are abominable. In the realm of high-end/higher end SUVs, the amount of rough/cheap plastic, cheap carpet, other poor quality materials and odorous adhesives is astonishing.
Non-luxury imports provide better quality for less, and ‘luxury’ imports provide much better quality for around the same price. It seems the American car companies still expect people to ‘just buy it’.
7
Start making long ones with big fins, giant trunk, and all wheel drive. I would sign up for one of those.
5
@Pete
Please..also a push button transmission!!! And a radio with a dim green light and knobs and a red indicator bar to set on the channel I like...
A steering wheel 3 feet across with a silver horn ring, a toe operated dimmer switch, and an ash tray....with a push in lighter!!!!
Vent windows!!!! Doors that weigh a hundred pounds and are 6 feet long!!!
A bench seat that sits three in the front....with glittery threads in the upholstery....
Power windows and AC is ok too....
A stationary wire antenna, a spare in a funny looking attachment to the rear trunk, fender skirts...white wall tires and a springy curb feeler!!!!
Real keys, locks on all the doors and on the trunk in which you could put six bodies and still have room for clubs and tennis rackets....
I wanna go back!!!! Make it bronzy brown or two-tone blues, with a landau vinyl roof.....
And please put 4000 pounds of chrome on it, and four huge round headlights with bezels....
And only allow pleasant nice things to be heard from the radio....no talk radio, no vitriol. Just pleasant music....
Please don't wake me yet...I'm dreaming of a better time before things got so out of hand.....
3
@Ignatz, Add a ashtray!!!!
*ride is incomparable
Tesla and other electrics are not becoming the standard of luxury automobiles. This will only occur when range is dramatically increased and charging becomes far more rapid and available. I think electrics are great for local use, but I have zero interest in doing any cross country, long distance travel in one. I will stick with my conventionally powered BMW 750 for now.
People rave about the German cars but they can be expensive nightmares too. On a lot of Audi cars, you have to remove the entire nose of the car to do the timing belt. The service departments love that! They are some of the fasted depreciating cars made. The Cadillac SUV's have been reasonably successful. I wish Cadillac the best of luck.
9
They oughtta try building an Eldorado Convertible, or a Sedan de Ville.
5
If Cadillac wants to reinvent itself, it needs to fire the designers who have spent the past two decades trying to pass glorified oversized vacuum cleaners off as automobiles. Headlights have always been the eyes of a car - the window into its soul. For years, Cadillacs have had no headlights - and thus no soul. Instead, they've had thin wisps of illuminated plastic on a jagged, blocky, drag-increasing front end. Seriously. Look at the bottom of any Hoover or Eureka and then look at any recent XTS or CTS. It's the same thing.
In the new Continental, Lincoln has shown it's possible to build an aerodynamic sedan without sacrificing style. Axe the current designers, build an automobile that you wouldn't be ashamed to arrive in, and you'll save Mr. Leland's storied brand.
5
My wife and I are Cadillac's dream demographic - 30s and successful. She had a ATS, I had a previous generation CTS. Their replacements, or lack thereof, are hugely disappointing. We moved on to Cadillac's competitors. You see, Cadillac was on their way back into relevance. Then Mary Barra and her bean counters arrived and pulled the plug on all the programs that made the brand "cool", and relevant. Although those particular models were not the strong sellers, they demanded attention and brought traffic into their showrooms. Perfect example is Dodge. They produce over the top, slow moving "Hellcats" and "Demons", but they are marque, cool flagships that rise the tide and lift all boats. Same narrative with BMW and their i8, Acura and their NSX, Lexus with their LC, ETC ETC.
Under Mary's leadership, GM brands COMPLETELY missed the cross over trend and were caught with their pants down. While Cadillac had one single crossover, and a bad one at that, BMW had SIX and Mercedes FIVE. Even Lincoln had three, and are currently overtaking Cadillac for domestic luxury. And Cadillac's new crossovers are just minor upgrades built from cheaper GM siblings. Its the Cimarron experience all over again, GM will never learn.
10
My wife and I are Cadillac's dream demographic - 30s and successful. She had a ATS, I had a previous generation CTS. Their replacements, or lack thereof, are hugely disappointing. We moved on to Cadillac's competitors. You see, Cadillac was on their way back into relevance. Then Mary Barra and her bean counters arrived and pulled the plug on all the programs that made the brand "cool", and relevant. Although those particular models were not the strong sellers, they demanded attention and brought traffic into their showrooms. Perfect example is Dodge. They produce over the top, slow moving "Hellcats" and "Demons", but they are marque, cool flagships that rise the tide and lift all boats. Same narrative with BMW and their i8, Acura and their NSX, Lexus with their LC, ETC ETC.
Under Mary's leadership, GM brands COMPLETELY missed the cross over trend and were caught with their pants down. While Cadillac had one single crossover, and a bad one at that, BMW had SIX and Mercedes FIVE. Even Lincoln had three, and are currently overtaking Cadillac for domestic luxury. And Cadillac's new crossovers are just minor upgrades built from cheaper GM siblings. Its the Cimarron experience all over again, GM will never learn.
1
I think what GM is up against is group-think -- the Paris Hilton/Kardashian Effect -- or for people of a certain age the Zsa Zsa Gabor Effect: famous because they're famous. The affluent buy Mercedes and BMWs because everyone with deeper pockets buys Mercedes and BMWs, and they need to make a statement as such because it is accepted wisdom. But if you look at the choices in a completely detached way, not caring a hoot what the neighbors think or what brand is on your jeans or on the hood or grille of your car, for me the top of the line Cadillacs these last few years have been far more stylish, snazzy and elegant than the two German brands. And they're just as good quality.
I'd seriously consider getting a new one to replace my older model. And I'd take the new 2020 Corvette over a Porsche, Jaguar, BMW or Audi any day of the week, too.
8
I loved the old 50s 60s 70s Cadillacs.., utterly amazing, dynamic styling, nothing like them before or since. Today cars are so dull and you can’t tell them apart.
3
Personally, I think Lincoln with exterior design as of now is spot on. Not my type of vehicle, but they now stand out among the remaining blobs.
For Cadillac, the future is not what it used to be. I don't think there is anything "wrong" with Cadillacs.They are very nice cars, but just not the first choice of most luxury car buyers and unlikely to be in the future.
4
Cadillac was mostly an illusion of luxury. After five years or 100,000 miles they were a poor man's car in downtrodden neighborhoods. Real quality and luxury retains its value.
I worked in Detroit in the early 90s with a '83 BMW320i, the lowest priced of that brand. Often i would meet mild road rage on the highway.
There was only one BMW dealer back then and they had a wall of names of owners whose car reached 200,000 miles and more. No cadillac dealer could do this. Mine was nearing 300,000. Cadillac's slogan "Standard to the world" was an advertising message at best.
3
Always sad to watch an American icon go. Just a thought: would Mr. Trump consider driving one?
@Eric Soderlund Would Mr. Trump consider driving, period?
1
After reading the article, I went to Cadillac's website and looked over the lineup. I wasn't impressed!
First thing I would recommend is to fire everyone that was involved in the design process for the 2019's and 2020 Cadillac's.
Nothing stands out!
Everything was very generic - as if I was looking at a Buick or Chevrolet!
2
Cadillac’s were cool back in the day, my grandmother drove one. Now they keep wanting to copy somebody else...whether Bavarian or Asian cars and now Tesla.
They are like the 70 year old man trying to be hip by wearing trendy street wear and gaudy sneakers, who was neither the designer nor innovator in those modern trends.
What exactly is a Cadillac anymore? But an olds...mobile. But it does work. Lexus caters to a similar crowd, so pick your market and be good at it.
1
@Will Your analogy made me think of the pictures I saw of Larry King with his young family all decked out in Ed Hardy clothes.
Change the name. It's that simple. The name Cadillac is associated with a era gone by generation. Sounds like they are moving in the right direction with design, technology and new styling. As long as these new stylish models remain "Cadillac" the high-end purchasers of today's car market won't bring themselves to buy a car that they so much associate with their parents and grandparents.
2
Driving a GM car is like driving a bathtub full of water. Every now and then I get stuck with one at a car rental counter, and when I take a corner and feel like the car is going to roll over I am reminded why I do not own one.
Even assuming that Cadillacs do better than the average GM car on handling (and I have ridden in one that handled quite nicely, so clearly they can build them well), the brand cannot escape the reputation of rest of the GM product line.
As well, Cadillacs are just plain ugly. I will not buy a car for its styling, but I will rule one out on that basis.
I wish GM all the best in trying to solve this problem.
4
The car business is a simple business: Just build good and reliable cars that look good inside and out. Simple but not easy.
3
Apparently there has been no real corporate will to manufacture a truly fine automobile. It would cost them and they were not willing to pay for quality components and engineering. Their competitors are drowning them because they offer higher quality products. Over the years, when G.M. stopped Cadillac's proprietary engine manufacturing and began "streamlining" the production process over the whole G.M. product range the distinctiveness of a Cadillac got lost. So can Cadillac overcome its "blah" appearance and lack of quality in comparison to Audi or Genesis? I have my doubts because corporate will seems to be unable to commit to and maintain the commitment needed to build a truly fine car.
4
Most people are searching for the lesson in Cadillac’s demise. Was it arrogance, greedy unions, corporates getting soft in the middle, the loss of passionate car guys, or single minded focus on profit? The answer incorporates all of these things, but the root mechanism was bureaucracy. No worries, however. I’m sure centralized administration of healthcare will not develop any of these features.
1
@ mark:
All of the things cited contributed to the near demise of GM. However, arrogance was by far the biggest factor. The coup de grace was exercised by Roger Smith in the 1980s. He epitomized the bureaucrats of GM, who knew what we should buy, whether we wanted it or not. Mercedes-Benz almost went down the same route, but was saved by slightly better marketing sense, by a more informed customer base, and by the West German government.
Obama was able to save some of GM, but much of it was beyond repair. I suspect they will soldier on for some time selling down-market crossovers and a few fancy SUVs. Too bad. I am now an old man, and grew up in a family with GM connections. However, the only GM car that I would’ve considered buying was the Cadillac ATS, and they killed that.
3
You mean the luxury SUV market for rappers and people that like to flaunt their status isn’t sustainable??? Oh boo hoo. How about another bailout from Uncle Sam so you can keep the Escalade train on track.
3
@Hmmm---The Escalade is Cadillac's most profitable vehicle. The Arlington, Tx plant where they're assembled has been running on overtime for a number of years. GM's profit all comes from luxury SUV's and pickup trucks.
6
Cadillac has screamed ‘old fogey,’ pimp, and ‘more money than brains’ since I was in high school.... and that was half a century ago. Today it shouts the same messages, only louder. I’d just as soon swap my new M2, 25 year old M3 and Mini Cooper S — each with a manual trans. — for a ‘Caddy’ as I would vote for a Republican, i.e., never in a million light years.
2
It’s obvious. “Cadillac” = “Methuselah.” Kill the name and find a new one.
2
I find it fascinating that you can get a Cadillac with 550 hp. For comparison, the Peterbilt 579 equipped with its largest engine clocks in at 600 hp. That's a heck of a tractor.
1
“What d'you think? I've never ridden in a Cadillac before? Believe me, I've ridden in a Cadillac hundreds of times. Thousands!”
GM would do itself, its shareholders, and its reputation a favor if it simply shut down this sad little anachronism called a Cadillac .
It’s beyond redemption brand cache-wise, engineering-wise, quality-wise, styling-wise, and price-wise... uh, everything-wise. Put it to bed.
2
Cadillac, the car of choice for your friend’s showoff rich uncle. Wouldn’t take one for free.
@Di - Here, a friend's rich uncle is driving a Lamborghini or a Ferrari. Only some poor Uber driver has a Cadillac.
1
People in the middle of the country may buy Detroit, but on the coasts is Germany, Japan and Korea.
2
I didn’t know Cadillac was still making cars. Next you’ll tell me is that Sears is still in business.
3
For me, every time I see a Cadillac I cannot get over how ugly they are now, no subtly in the design, just brutal corners and sharp edges, in your face design trying to hard to be upper class. where a S class or A8 has a sleeker design that asks you come see what is in side.
3
You have to be a truly patriotic American to buy an American luxury car these days. God bless you and thank you for your sacrifice.
6
American car makers produced so much absolute garbage for so many years they lost me forever. I'm 69 and have never bought a new American made car. Why on earth would I gamble $78,000 on one now? I just bought a Subaru Forester, which has the "eyesight" package. It does everything I could want except full autonomous driving and the use of battery power instead of gas. It cost $30,000. Good luck Cadillac.
1
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.”
And there, in a nutshell, is not only Cadillac's problem, but GMs.
7
The HQ move to NYC was in a word silly, pushed through by the top of the division recruited from Audi, Cadillac then strained dealer relations, planning an imposition of a store makeover, moved to alpha numeric model names... ( more waste ), ignored and embarrassed by the Escalade.
Meanwhile the ATS sedan got a long wheelbase variant for China- (should have been worldwide)- tried to reposition the various other sedans here and flubbed it.
The crossover model range is OK, women are the primary drivers of those- they would be smart to do something radical today, engineer them with great rear 3/4 visibility for the driver. Yes there are back-up cameras. One Big reason Jag XJ sedans till 2004 were popular with women drivers? Great visibility for the driver. Yes, rollover standards made extra sheetmetal the quick and easy way to achieve that, if one wants to stand out in the crowd, engineer your way in a useful manner.
The world is evolving away from big fancy cars. The future will be dominated by smaller electric vehicles, bikes and scooters. If I were working at Cadillac, to reboot the brand I'd pitch a line of smaller electric cars called Caddys -- small, affordable, simple, comfortable and electric. Reboot the brand, but go the other way.
1
Speaking as a 3 time Cadillac lessee (2011,2014 and 2017) the vehicles are very nice, handle well and have decent but not exceptional quality. I agree with previous comments about sacrificing generations of buyers with shoddy product aimed at maximizing profit. I avoided the brand for many years for that reason. One of the factors that strongly influences brand loyalty is a good relationship with the dealership. I must admit that the service and feeling of being a valued customer is no different than that I receive from the Chevrolet dealership where I purchased another vehicle. That is not what I expect from a company that wants to regain the title of "The Standard of the World." I recommend that Cadillac and GM do two things. Price the vehicles very attractively as Lexus did when they first entered the Luxury market to attract a loyal base. Secondly, kill your customers with kindness and attention to prove that they are really valued. The slowly evolving downturn in auto sales will test Cadillacs mettle for sure.
5
Here's a winning innovation: cut the $78,000 sticker price in half.
2
My husband and I owned a Pontiac (which we still own to the embarrassment of of daughters) and an Oldsmobile but when we could afford a "nice "car we bought a Mercedes ( Which we eventually gave to our daughter after her college graduation ) and than a Volvo. Loved all these cars but hands down the best customer service was from the Mercedes dealership. As much as my husband would of loved to bought American again he has grown to love our foreign cars.
GM has gone through tough times. On the other hand GM can make great cars. The Corvette is an example. The mistake I see them making is that they have no patience. They want immediate profit and sales. When you look at successful brands it is clear that they did not get there overnight. Consider the seventies for BMW and Audi. At that point they were niche players and they did not make a ton of money. Same with Toyota and Honda in the seventies and eighties. Consider the Chevy Cruze/Volt. Not a lot of profit and sales so they were killed. It would have been far wiser to continue to perfect the model and drive production costs down and quality up. After five or six years if the price is right and the quality is right they would sell. The same with Cadillac. If this new navigation system is so great and they can put it in a decent car and have some patience.....drive the production cost down with experience and improve the quality it will sell. The key is to take a long view and not expect anything to be a hit overnight.
4
I believe the Cadillac brand can absolutely stage a comeback but, as the article notes, the product needs to change first. The technology, especially going electric, is critical. But it's the design that still alienates the urban crowd. The historical shape and bulk do not reflect the realities of what luxury car buyers want: a stand-out design with smaller models for city driving -- not outdated sedans suited for the 'burbs. Combine new design, new tech, and a new audience strategy and they can (hopefully) establish market share. The made-in-America luxury car brand choices leave Gen X and Millennial consumers with few alternatives because who among them feels as if Cadillac, Buick, or Lincoln speaks to their values and needs? Only Tesla succeeds here today. I wish Cadillac the best of luck and hope one of their future models will appeal to me.
1
I keep on hearing about GM quality is as good as other (i.e. Japanese and Europeans). To convince all your lost customers, just issue a head to toe warranties for 100,000 miles + free maintenance with loaner. No question asked and see how everybody comes back to you. People with money hate it when the cars breakdown, wait for it to be repaired, and then ripped by dealer.
13
@Om Prakash Now that’s the best idea to save GM and FCA I’ve seen in all of these comments. I’d ditch my Toyota and Honda loyalty for a GM vehicle with a guarantee like that.
I believe Chrysler was giving lifetime warranties for a brief period during the financial crisis.
Cadillac does make some very good vehicles. However, they are always 2-3 years late to market and when they finally do appear, Cadillac charges just as much as the other luxury car makers. Problem being, the other's (German's, etc.) have moved the bar and they are working on their next models while Cadillac attempts to make a splash in an already crowded pool.
4
After owning several luxury brand automobiles, I finally learned that the car does not make the man. I think that many others have learned this same lesson. I think that most people today just want a reasonably priced nice looking car that will run well with infrequent and reasonably priced maintenance costs. Also, something that will be dependable and last. Cadillac doesn’t seem to be going in that direction.
7
What’s wrong with emulating German engineering? I’ve test driven Cadillac’s and have compared them to German cars like BNW and Audi. There really is no comparison. Cadillac interiors are cluttered and feel dated. The ride is similar to that of a small boat. German cars are cleanly designed and ride like they are attached to the road. I keep trying to buy American - it would be my preference - but the American car experience just does not compete. (And don’t get me started about American ownership of Saab, Volvo and Jaguar. Saab is dead, and spun off Volvo and Jaguar are thriving under new management. Those could have been American brands)
6
I’m a child of the sixties and when I hear Cadillac I think of a living room on wheels.
5
I don't think its too late for Cadillac. they have to stop trying to be different and stick to the basics: Big, Solid, Clean, Suave.
1
Caddy's other problem was the decision by the entire American Automotive sector to not compete in the Sedan and Coupe fields. After their 20 year quality holiday they were unable to match the German and Japanese products so they went into making vans and trucks, pretty much abandoning the car segment. They felt that was a safe haven. It doesn't take a genius to see that the Japanese and German's would take the profits from those automobiles and say, "Hey, we can make vans and trucks too." The failure to compete leads to an inability to compete.
3
@JackFrederick
light trucks have tariff protection of 25% I believe
4
There is no mystery here.
Cadillac is a dated, make that outdated, brand that simply does not compete well with other luxury car brands, and has not competed well for decades.
Cadillac trades on their brand name and it's nostalgic presence with older Americans who remember when it was a thing to say you owned a Cadillac.
Time for GM to pull the plug on the brand, as it did back in the 2008 recession with other marginal brands.
1
There is no good technological reason for most people to spend more than $35K - $50K on a car. In fact, given that car ownership and operation now averages about $9K/yr it makes sense to look for alternatives. After all, 80% of Americans only have 11% of the country's net worth.
2
The car industry amazes me, specifically the number of companies that exist even after 2 decades of consolidation. The auto industry his tiny profits (18 to 20% gross profits) and requires a huge amount of capital (build factories). The current companies only make sense at a huge scale (they need to sell a lot of cars with a $2000 profit to be sustainable).
Today, nearly all cars have a high baseline level of quality. The difference between Japan, Korea, and American-produced cars are relatively small. Since companies can't distinguish themselves on quality anymore, brand identity is critical.
However, few care about the brand car when Uber picks them up. Brand identity won't matter when transportation as a service becomes the dominant model. Most people won't own cars anymore, they will subscribe to a service that dispatches autonomous cars to their location on demand.
The next wave of disruption is going to tear up many of the existing brands and companies. Ferrari may survive since it is a niche product, Tesla is positioned for the change, and everyone else is trying to keep up.
Harley Davidson is having to confront a similar problem. Their solution is to do something radical; create electric motorcycles. Only time will tell if they can pull it off. It's hugely risky, but the brand is dying, so may as well give it a shot. Their first electrics will be on the road soon.
Always a bit shocking to me the giant companies miss the market trends. Remember Kodak?
3
Auto driving is extremely alarming and adding the reputation now of experiencing fatalities recently only adds to the concern. Autonomous designers have not learned real road conditions yet and that autonomous driving vehicles are best suited for dedicated roadways.Hands off driving only entices the further use of devices which are distracting and inherently deadly in that manner.As described in the article ,road work ,especially on interstates,which hopefully we will soon notice an abundance of is extremely dangerous for the workers and the drivers. There are many fatalities with cars and large commercial trucks in road work areas. Rear ending crashes are often more devastating and because the autonomous system may or may not recognize obstructions the following large trucks and cars may not in the same time frame. Autonomous vehicles do not take into account the other drivers activities which surround you . Are others distracted ,speeding ? most drivers are speeding and distracted.One wouldn't notice until one spends time 24/7 in a vehicle for many years as I have.
1
Born in '48, growing up, if you owned a Cadillac, you had arrived. It was without question the top brand. Neither Mercedes nor BMW (Car & Driver, David E Davis, 08/68) had arrived and the Japanese followed them into the US market. The Caddy brand recognition was based on style, performance, luxury and reliability. In '68 the first of the Clean Air Regulations went into affect and it was as though someone had thrown a switch in the US auto industry. GM been to take the value out of the brand and by the mid '70's were producing junk. They took the money and in my eyes killed the brand. In the late 90's the attempt was made to bring the line back, with some success, but by then the Geman's and Japanese dominated the field once commanded by Cadillac. In the early '00's I needed a new car and went to a Cadillac dealer for a test drive. I got in the car for the drive, looked out over the hood at the once proud symbol and I could not look at it. Caddy's were out for me. I was so angry at them I would not buy one. I bought a Toyota. To say that they fell from on high would be an understatement. The demise of the US automotive sector was engineered at the top, Cadillac being the prime example, and the people with money made money. Production line workers were blamed. Easy targets and those without those good jobs were willing to chip in and blame Unions. You simply cannot make this stuff up!
7
As Sochiro Honda said "the US passes new emissions requirements; GM hires 100 lawyers, Honda hires 100 engineers!"
17
In my 60 years I have never seen a say five year old Cadillac going down the road that turned my head in the slightest.
Whatever appeal a brand new Cadillac has on the showroom floor seems to always fade mighty quickly in the first few years. By comparison, I have seen 20 year old Jaguars and older for all the problems they have mechanically make me swoon with lust.
3
Still going to be junk: no choice of type of engine the owner wants in the future (how PC and green!) and a guidance system that requires the driver to basically stare straight ahead at all times (that's gonna go over really well when the driver looks to the right to talk with a passenger, or to the left when looking at a passing car).
Where are their heads?
2
The seeds of GM's decline were planted long ago, and I saw that firsthand as an automotive editor in the early '80s. At a GM new-car preview, you'd have a bunch of PR folks clustering around to tend to the writers. At a Japanese preview, you'd have engineers awaiting our feedback and furiously taking notes. I'd bought two GM cars in the preceding years. None since then.
7
I'm actually seriously considering a CT6 with Super Cruise but Cadillac has made it so hard to even buy this car. On Cadillac dealer websites, you cannot even filter by Super Cruise in order to find cars with this option. So Cadillac spent all this time and effort developing a flagship technology, barely markets it, and doesn't even make it searchable on their dealer websites. I have test driven one and honestly it does not feel like an $80k car. If you sit in a comparable Porsche or BMW and then compare to a CT6 at similar price, the Cadillac is obviously lower quality. In fact, a Volvo or Audi at $40k will still have a nicer interior. The chassis is great but the drivetrain also cannot compete with the German competitors. If you pull the shift lever on a Porsche or BMW, you get an instant gearchange. With the Cadillac, there is a delay followed by a jerk. I will say that the Super Cruise is incredibly impressive... But it's attached to an $80k car that doesn't feel much nicer than an entry level German car or a Lexus.
4
How about pushing EVs like Tesla is doing? Cadillacs are expensive enough that there should be more profit in a Caddy EV than a Bolt.
@Vote with your pocketbook They made a Cadillac version of the Chevy Volt for a while (The Caddy EVR I think?), it looked pretty cool. It's a shame they discontinued it a few years back.
General Motors has been duping customers for years and now have to pay the piper. Starting in the 1970's, the Caddys started to resemble Chevys and Buicks, albeit with different badging.
This in turn lead people of means to acquire German built automobiles, which are truly distinctive, and really perform. Nature abhors a vacuum.
2
@Tony, these days they can't even get the badging right. The fun ones are the pick-ups with GMC grills and Chevy bow-ties on the fenders. Feh.
1
Cadillacs now look like any other car. I would not buy one. The roofs are too low, the windows too small, the interior too small. The point of buying a Cadillac is total comfort and the look of a Cadillac. Mercedes has maintained their look, so has Bentley.
2
The Cadillac brand simply is not Aspirational. Young buyers do not aspire to own a Cadillac, but they do for a cool looking crossover Audi or BMW. The brand is irrelevant with buyers who want "cool". Cadillac just isn't. It's that simple.
And, when you get in a Cadillac and then an import (take your pick...) the quality simply isn't there. They can claim that new technology will win new buyers over, but i would challenge any prospective buyer to look at the S Class or a Q7 and judge for themselves. It's not apples to apples, rather, Apples to kumquats. Most of the GM line is plastic, poorly laid out ergonomics and just bland overall.
Further, once you start looking at the sticker of a Cadillac versus a Mercedes for example, there's no question which brand wins. Cadillac is Mercedes/Audi/Lexus money and those are the brands consumers want to tout and wear as a badge. Cadillac is far too late to this party and despite its attempts to continue to get its edge back, the brand will likely be obsolete in a matter of years. It's a sad story, but also a case study in what not to do when you have a brand on top. GM got lazy and will pay the ultimate price.
2
A pleasant news/advertisement for Cadillac.
The Times used to identify ads as such.
GMC! Wow. They still are unable to paint a vehicle properly; they peel like oranges.
1
A common thought here is that Cadillac needs to shed the baggage from its history. I don't see much wrong with the crisp, angular styling they introduced in the CTS back in 2004 or so. Automated driving is going to turn out to be a flawed idea and Cadillac can't do too much better than the latest Subaru. It seems to me that, if you want to produce and market a world class luxury car, you don't make another Buick. You must continue to outdo the Germans (BMW etc), the Japanese (Honda, Lexus), the Koreans (Genesis). I suggest a halo car in the Cadillac line: hand assembled like the AMG line of Mercedes, or even more so like the Aston Martin. Truly top quality. Get a good number of A-list people to own and rave about it. Sell a few, and then sell a lot of wanna-be lesser models that price about $80K but have the family look about them.
2
Even though I'm over 65, I think of Cadillac as an old person's car and I wouldn't want one. Whenever I see a really ugly car on the road, it's usually a Cadillac. Even a senior citizen doesn't want to drive ugly! Make a beautiful car and maybe buyers will want one.
7
The trouble with car engineering today is that they all look similar. I have a hard time identifying one from another. They are all egg-shaped making me think that they use the same CAD software to design them. And, they are increasingly automated. Gone is the feeling of shifting into gear while revving on an upslope and shifting down around the curve so you're an extension of the machine. That was the allure of driving in the height of the automotive era. One car stood out. It was big, it was powerful, it was mushy around the corners, and it was a statement. Nothing else looked or drove like a Caddilacacacacac. It was Americana. Now, there are only cars.
There was a time when there were utility vehicles - the standard Fords and Chevy's - and there were the sexy vehicles - T-birds, Mustangs, Porches and Jaguars. But even the utility vehicles had style and were distinguishable from one another. Then there was the Caddy. Quintessentially American. When the Germans hit the market, they hit the upper-middle ground with quality engineering and suddenly everyone had to emulate what they were doing. But they weren't sexy. They all looked similar. And everyone followed instead of standing out.
To think that electric is going to do the trick is pretty lame. Design for the eyes and the money will follow.
1
Kind of a parable of modern America - once the only game in town, now facing competition and hating it.
2
Bill Clinton pushed international free trade agreements saying American workers could compete with anybody in the world. Turns out he was wrong.
2
Obama was a fool to bail out Cadillac and General Motors. What a waste. $60 billion would have paid off a lot of student loans, but instead was flushed down the drain by this relic.
1
@Rick Sure kept a lot of people working through the present day though; didn't it, hmmmmm?
2
Yawn. Such a repetitive and dull story. GM is a dinosaur, will never recover its glory days.
3
Young people may laugh at the generation that still drive a Cadillac but the people who are in their 70s and 80s now, were in their 30s and 40s when some of the most striking Cadillacs were new. There was nothing stodgy about buying a car with The looks of a Cadillac... in fact it was more adventurous than a lot of the boring, pill box designs being stamped out all over the world today. Here's an interesting video about the "67 Eldorado that was a sensation in its day:https://youtu.be/6a_fyPXpE3U
1
Cadillac needs to upgrade their quality dramatically. Then, they need to follow the example of the Lincoln and do everything perfectly. I drove a Cadillac XT4 and thought it was pure junk. Then I leased a 2019 LIncoln MKC. The vehicle is practically perfect. Quality is excellent, engineering is excellent and all the automated features are excellent.
Cadillac and GM have built junk for years and now it's blowing up in their faces. Rather than moving their headquarters, they ought to build the Cadillacs like a Rolex watch. My Rolex performs flawlessly and needs simple maintenance. Every eight years I send it into the factory, they disassemble it, clean the parts, lubricate it, regulate it and polish the case and it's in brand new condition.
A Lincoln will last 200,000 to 300,000 miles if it's properly maintained. In fact there are plenty of Lincoln Town Car livery vehicles on the streets of New York running like a Swiss Watch, with just simple maintenance.
Cadillac should look to itself and to paraphrase Bill Clinton's famous election slogan which won him two terms to the White House, "It's the Quality Stupid!"
Cadiallac's prices are to the moon, yet they don't give much value. Even if a part is covered under warranty the wasted time is annoying.
3
If they want to be a luxury brand then they have to step up service offerings at the dealerships. They are also making a huge mistake by offering the Blackwing (550 HP) option of the CT6 to only 500 customers (it sold out in 3 hours or close to that) They could easily sell at least 2000 to 3000 of those
Ironically, people will be saying "It's the Cadillac of..."
long after there are no more Cadillacs.
When historians look back and label the later part of the 20th century as the era of waste, they will highlighting the gas-guzzling automobiles that GM produced.
1
It’s like when people say “on steroids” to identify a superior version of something, when, in fact, being on steroids is toxic.
2
I bought my wife a beautiful CTS with all the bells and whistles and that is all it was...beautiful. One of the worst cars I have ever purchased. It was noisy and did not perform well at all. My wife was disappointed as well which surprised me. The value of that car tanked very quickly. We gave it up after three years at a considerable loss but I was happy it was gone.
3
I'm in the target demographic and I would not consider a Cadillac for all the reasons listed here. It would be SO much smarter for GM to really focus on the Bolt and the Volt. The Bolt is actually a very cool vehicle - my sister owns one - but GM won't even advertise it. The showrooms are reluctant to pull one out to show. That is the future and they have a pretty good start. They waste it at their peril.
5
Marketing only all electric cars is a mistake. Neither the technology nor infrastructure exists to allow for uninterrupted long distance travel. As someone in the over-60 age group that might consider a Caddie, that would be a deal breaker. RIP, Cadillac. My parents liked your more traditional offerings but I find them without a philosophy or practicality.
3
@Adk They still don't know what millions of useless giant batteries will be done with . Supposed they aren't recyclable. As usual a problem is there waiting.
@Alan Einstoss They'll send them to - where else? - Nevada.
1
Cadillac is trapped in the same reducing spiral that Harley Davidson finds itself mired in. Their core demographic of buyers are aging out, their reputations were made firm generations ago and their products are late to the tech/innovation/modern design party.
In what was once a blessing but must now seem a curse, specific cultures of consumers have grown around both companies. Those cultures have a stranglehold on how the public perceives the brands – an extremely deep marketing hole to dig oneself out of (even if the new products are great.) Both Caddy and HD have overplayed their hand by relying on reputations made during their halcyon days, allowing periods of slipshod quality and by ceasing to dare along the way.
1
The bottom line is, not only too little too late, but who today, in their right mind, would spend $78,000 on a Cadillac?
6
I worked for a Cadillac dealership right out of high school and always loved driving the new Cadillacs around the lot imagining someday I’d own one.
As I read through this article, and realize that I’m 30yrs older from my days as a 18yr old, I have many choices to choose from when buying a luxury sedan or any higher priced vehicle. Knowing this, Cadillac is no longer on my radar. After reading this NYT piece I feel they’re about a decade behind the curve of what other car manufacturers are producing in the 70k-80k range, I wish them luck.
3
Detroit is littered with advertising agencies, market research companies and trend forecasters, all thriving because of the auto industry. And they never seem to get a good reading of the pulse of the consumer, present and future. All the high-priced MBAs have simply been unable to revive this now-lethargic brand. Better to market this to the 65+ driving segment with appropriate age-related gadgets and conveniences with a "Drive Till You Die" marketing campaign.
2
In the series finale of Entourage on HBO they drove a concept Cadillac. GM should have produced that one. GM blew it with Cadillac when the started putting better seats and leather trim on Chevy bodies.
3
Why can't a brand just have a moment (or decades in this case) in the sun and assume that moment is finite? Perhaps one day no one will use Netflix, Amazon or BMW either.
3
a brand as storied as cadillac can never hope to distance itself from its roots in american lore. the brand should dig into the best of what it once represented - the cool swagger of achievement - but update it to the aesthetics of the people who will be buying cars in 5-10-15 years. Suburban, multi-ethnic, poly-employed people will be contending with the challenges of environmental degradation, ubiquitous technology, and ever evolving identity politics. Achievement & swagger will look like knowing who you are through all the chaos to come.
Show me the kids from HBO's 'euphoria' driving an electric caddy hands-free out of LA, New York, Miami to more sustainable but still cool second homes.
1
Never thought we would buy an American Car.
Test drove a Tesla. The technology is light years ahead of other brands. No car compares. Could not be happier.
As for Cadillac...look at the MSRP, and have a good laugh. Sure you can haggle 20-30% off. But I have better things to do. My time is more valuable. At Tesla there is no haggling. Tesla is the future.
8
The problem with GM is Wall Street(as most US manufacturing). Short term profits vs long term investment. Things are not built to last and profit above all. Quality and value will always sell.
5
Cadillac has built some good cars in recent years (CTS V for instance). They made a lot of money in the 2000s with the Escalade. It's not like they're waking up from some 1970s stupor, as this article suggests.
One big problem is the "art and science" styling, which always verged on ugly and was distinctly masculine. Today's evolution of that styling is just plain ugly. The interiors are busy and cheap looking. But the big problem I see is the dealers, who really do seem stuck in the past. If only they could have moved the dealers to SoHo they might have had a chance.
It's a weird marketplace. Audi is a dominant sport/lux brand now, but let's not forget their near-death in N America during the Audi 5000 (100) unintended acceleration scare (which really was "fake news"). Audi came back with passion and superb engineering. Alfa Romeo was gone for years, and is now back in N Am with cars that "deserve" to be loved more than they are, sales wise. I was passed today by a Maserati crossover. I guess that brand is back in form.
So, it's not like brands can't come back from the near dead. But I sense desperation at Cadillac.
3
It's clear what their fundamental problem is, or at least it's clear to everyone but GM's management, they can't respond to the market in a timely manner, their development cycles are way to long. If Supercruise is their defining feature right now why haven't they put it in all of their models, "we should have prioritized things differently" isn't an answer, the answer is that you work nights and get it into everything now.
Why won't they have their first EV for three more years. GM was the leader in EVs, they came out with the Volt in 2011, a year before the Tesla Model S, and they came out with the Bolt in 2015, a year and a half before the Tesla Model 3. Then nothing. The Germans never had a Volt or a Bolt but they've started shipping their first BEVs this year, not three years from now.
I bought a Chevy Volt in 2016, my first GM product since 1980, it's a great car but now it's time for a BEV so I bought a Tesla Model 3 AWD with the FSD option, $56K which is a Cadillac price. They had the chance to sell me a Cadillac, if they had a Model 3 competitor this year I certainly would have considered it because I've been so happy with the Chevy Volt, but there is no Cadillac this year. Because they are so slow to develop new products my guess is that when they finally do come out with an EV in three years it might be competitive with the 2019 Model 3 but it's won't come close to matching whatever Tesla is selling in 2022.
3
@Josh Rosen
GMs development efforts in EVs has been long and impressive, but their will to actually build products capitalizing on this investment has been tepid at best and self-sabotaging at worst. As much as I admired the Volt I always thought that tech made more sense for Cadillac, given the pricing of the finished product. A slightly bigger, more stylish version of the Volt, sold as a Cadillac for 50-60k, would have perhaps made sense.
2
@Josh Rosen Cadillac had an EV from 2013 to 2016: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_ELR
@Duncan that was the Cadillac ELR....
The larger problem for the entire industry is cars cost too darn much. The days of an affordable car and payment are long gone. Color me naive however I never anyone in real life making a $600-$800 monthly car payment smiling like in the commercials.
My car is mine free and clear-it pays me every month:)
2
New Cadillacs look like bored Darth Vaders. There's ino reminiscence of the old models that gave the brand huge fame. A new CTS just looks like the fat child of a big Escalade. Who wants that? New Caddys should look slimmer, agile, and powerful. They should be transformed into cars other brands want to imitate, not the other way around. The idea of putting powerful engines was a great one (like when they decided on having a Corvette engine in the CTS), and it should continue. But, the most powerful idea should be on design: it should appeal to the eye. it need to become a car everybody wants, not just the car bouncers and chauffeurs dream of. Diamond style cuts to the body don't do the trick. European designers have done it for the last 10 years, and it is not working. If just Cadillac designers look at the Ferrari Lusso (https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/2018-ferrari-gtc4lusso-t-much-more-than-station-wagon), there is a great appealing design idea: totally opposed to what the Detroit brand is producing. So, Cadillac, say good bye to diamond-shaped edges and to aggressive viper (rattle snake) facade, bring something appealing to the eye, not just to the angry, aggressive like men who want to show off. It is true, customers want to show off but they also want to be loved, be smiled at. Many of us like James Bond: he is gentle, strong, has good sense of humor, and dresses well. Cadys have chosen other way: to appeal to dark, aggressive mobsters. it won't take brand far
1
As a kid growing up in the fifties, my father and all my uncles had their fav. GM vehicles, including pickups. Pop was a Chevy man, uncle Joe, a Pontiac guy, Tommy, Olds. Syl the odd man out - Fords only. When it came to my term and my brothers, we were all Chevys - until I got tired of paying the repairman, or doing the tuneups myself. Haven't bought a Chevy - or any GM - since 1979. Or even looked at them. They are so ugly. First, migrated to Fords. For last 15 years, only Japanese - all made in U.S.of A!
2
Duesenburg automakers is a name that created the line “it’s a Duesey” for something that was the best. So Cadillac was not alone, though quality Cadillac cars lasted 50 years more than Duesenburgs, which went out of business in the late 1930s.
1
@edthefed
Also, no mention of Pierce-Arrow and, (the best of the best), Packard.
2
@ Duncan
Pierce Arrow, in my opinion, was truly the “best of the best.” No disrespect to Packard, another truly great marque, but in its time P-A carried a greater cachet than any other vehicle. FDR rode to his first inauguration in one of them.Their devotion to quality throughout the depression led to their corporate demise. The exact opposite of GM, whose abandonment of quality in the interest of short-term profits guaranteed its ruin.
@Realist
Pierce-Arrow had great cachet no doubt, but they weren't the engineering company that Packard was.
Don't forget it was Packard that took blueprints from Rolls Royce and built a version of the mighty Merlin aircraft engine. When they couldn't find a US supplier for British fasteners they made them in-house. Packard Merlins powered the P-51 Mustang.
Keep my Caddies down on the Ranch.
SuperCruise. Funny. Welcome to 2017.
1
I'm really amazed by all the hipsters who are just too cool to even think about a Cadillac. As cool as they are, they have no problem expressing their prejudiced attitudes against Cadillac drivers. "Just a bunch of old wealthy white folks with white shoes and white belts driving to the country club." So enjoy your BMW on your way to the tattoo parlor hipster.
4
Wanting a BMW, I ended up buying an ATS-V two years ago. I love buying American cars when they are good enough; but I've never owned a Cad. W/ my purchase, Cadillac treated me to their racing school in Nevada- which was beyond incredible. BTW - I was the ONLY female in the class with 16 other male students and 14 male instructors. (Woaw, I learned women don't buy this car!) They taught us how to race the car, handle the car and use all the features. They really invest in their buyers & their ongoing customer service is beyond incredible.
,
I LOVE everything about this car. I would never trade it for a cliche BMW. BTW -- I am a feminine woman ... who loves fast, powerful cars & my ATS-V is the most gorgeous, high performance, immaculately built car I have ever driven. My husband has the equivalent car in a Mercedes and yet, I still love the ATS-V so much more.
I have found most women do not know of this car, but it stops traffic, turns heads & gets a conversation w/ most men who see it. (That's not why I bought it however -- I didn't even know this would be a dynamic in owning this car -- I just truly fell in love with it!) The only troublesome part of this car is, men - while nice - usually ask me "if I am driving my husband's car for the day?' or 'whose car did I borrow?' or "your husband has good taste!' or "woaw who treated u to that?" It is so sexist.
I bought the car & I know how to drive that bada$$ car! Why do people assume this car wasn't purchased by a woman?
11
@MJF
Thanks MJF. It is just so much easier for other to replay old tapes and stereotypes than to actually get to know what Cadillac produces.
I too own both a Cadillac and a Mercedes. I love things about both of them - but they are different cars aimed different purposes.
BTW - I had the same problem as you when I bought my Trans Am in 2000. I then found a club that was organized by an woman and had a lot of fun. (After 17 faithful and fun years the Trans Am was allowed to leave for the Merc).
1
@MJF "Why do people assume this car wasn't purchased by a woman"?
Well, I will remind you of the first paragraph of your comment where you went to driving school in a class that was about 95% men and you stated, "Woaw, I learned women do not buy this car!"
Asked and answered.
3
It's interesting to me that this article has generated more dumb responses than even most political articles do. Talking about cars, and Cadillacs in general seems to have brought out the least thoughtful readers. My own dumb comment? My Lexus 430 is 18 years old and still a great car.
1
I owned a 2002 De Ville and liked it enough to drive it 15 years. It was the most comfortable car I have ever driven, be it in town or on the highway. Part of that comfort was due to the weight, but part was based on solid engineering, I doubt if anyone is duplicating that level of comfort today.
Another problem is Caddy apparently got scared of the foreign model names so they moved from reputable (and recognizable) names like De Ville and Seville to the queer mix of letters and numbers. What is a CT6? Don't know and it's too much trouble to care. Killing product recognization was, IMO, a really stupid ting to do.
7
@Ken - I doubt if anyone is duplicating that level of comfort today.
It isn't in the CT6, it isn't that kind of car, but you will find it in the S-class at Mercedes and 7 (really ugly now) series at BMW. But at over $100,000 prices.
I have an 2004 DeVille DTS and agree. These were the last best Cadillacs in the tradition of what a sedan should be. Quiet, comfortable, roomy, luggage space, and passengers being able to actually see out the windows.
2
Much of Cadillac's reputation was established by delivering over the top styling with two other qualities: class and dependability. They were classy, because they were good enough for the wealthy and successful to buy and they were simply exciting to own - because of their styling.
Along the way... Cadillac lost its way and so have the sensibilities of the public changed. But perhaps a return to the basics would be worth a trip. Cadillac has the technology, the quality is world class but the styling is really weak. Bring back Bill Mitchell or Harley Earl and lets see some provocative styling again! Lets have fun!
They were replaced by bean counters from the New York headquarters. Moving Cadillac headquarters to NYC was equally dumb.
Electric Caddies have a place in the future. 550-horsepower V8s DO NOT (they don't have a place in the here-and-now, either).
3
You left Pontiac out of the GM "ladder". Boohoo, my favorite hood ornament.
4
I question the ranking of 6 in US sales. Every list I look at has them at the bottom ahead of Infiniti, Mitsubishi and Lincoln.
Cadillac was an excellent car. This was not because of gimmicks but because of superb and luxurious engineering. I hope they can do this with electric vehicles. I don’t think, however, that they have ten years to do so.
1
The problem with Cadillac is that under the veneer are Genuine GM Parts. Once past the first owner you are fighting the exact same planned obsolesce the Malibu buyer has to contend with. Cadillac patches over this with generous warranty for the first buyer but the secondhand value reflects the experience of ownership after 60,000 miles
3
Part of the problem is that they're just so darn ugly. The oversize grille, the overly elaborate crest. Cadillacs make the Edsel or AMC Pacer look stylish!
2
@Johnny Panic
Over sized grills?
Others bemoaning the good old days of Cadillac - well Cadillac, except for some in the 90's, have always had over sized grills. It wasn't a Cadillac without one!
If you want to see over sized ugly grills check out the new BMW 7 and X7 cars. They are the new Edsels! Any Lexus, Audi, and now Hyundais have grotesque over sized grills
The crest has been simplified so that even modern Americans can cope with it, or so I thought. The Cadillac crest has actual historical significance.
If you don't like something it is ugly.
1
@Johnny Panic
The Pacer was stylish!
And the planning and engineering were advanced for the time... It would have had a rotary engine if GM (who AMC had contracted with to supply the engine) had not killed the deal.
Innovation and styling of that kind are lacking today.
Not the other way around.
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.” Famous last words?
2
Once the "baby boomers" leave the scene Cadillac will be history.
3
@Etienne...along with Harley-Davidson.
3
@Carl LaFong
If Only!!!
2
No one, And I mean no one in my neighborhood, which is made up of military contractors, SES government employees and retired Navy personnel, drive Cadillacs. And these are the people who can afford them. Try RAM and F-150 pickups, Toyota SUVs, and BMWs and Audis.
4
They replaced the great 2006 SRX with a plastic Honda Civic. Horrible and expensive.
1
Maybe if they weren’t so awkward/ugly? Just a guess.
@Matthew- Boomers or Cadillacs?
1
Cadillac will slowly disappear with the Boomers.
2
Do people still buy new cars??
2
Personally I just don’t consider cars made by a company that covered up and never really took responsibility for ignition fires that killed people.
2
About 30 years ago GM and Ford decided that they would have a "world car" meeting the needs of all users. Ford and GM had their own designers and tech people in Europe making cars the Europeans liked. Then came the world cars! They looked and felt like cars seen in the USA and the Europeans hated them. Sales of GM and Ford cars fell through the floor. GM and Ford have effectively left the European market to the Europeans, Japanese and Koreans.
GM tried to sell Cafillacs in Europe but they were ugly slow and not economical. They did not sell. Much the same as the GM car Chevy heritage high roof (HHR) - a joke car designed by Homer Simpson.
2
It's not necessarily sedan vs. SUV; it's junky sedan vs. SUV. I can't be the only one who doesn't like going to a nice restaurant or theater in a truck.
3
As a Mercedes, Audi, Toyota owner I’m not very optimistic regarding GM’s plans for Cadillac. Their problems go back to the Roger Days when GM was asleep at the wheel and had their collective lunch stolen by Asians and Germans. And Roger got millions in Parting gifts. .Now the dominator is Tesla. Cadillac’s style is dated and playing catch up is never a good position. There is nothing Cadillac could do to even get me into their showroom. I don’t think I’m alone?
3
If you removed the badging from a new Cadillac, could most people tell it was a Cadillac? In the old days, you sure could.
2
The chickens have come home to roost. I am 55 years old. During my formative years in the seventies, Cadillac (as well as GM) littered the marketplace with absolute garbage. Unreliable and ugly. While the Germans were building cars that handled great and looked good to boot. So now that GM has lost an entire generation of buyers, it would be wishful thinking that they can ever get back to where they once were.
182
@Chris from PA
You’ve addressed the root of the problem. I’m in my twenties, and I’ve never even considered an American car - the build quality of the Americans, especially GM and FCA products, are woefully outclassed by even the Koreans, to say nothing of the Germans and Japanese. Cadillac wanted to become what BMW once was - purveyors of cars with excellent dynamics which were well-rounded, and only seemed to get the chassis right while marrying it to a horrid interior and anonymous styling. GM and the Americans haven’t been at the forefront of innovation in cars since the mid 50s, and by the 80s were making absolute crap. FCA, Ford and GM have no one to blame but themselves for essentially phoning it in in the luxury market for the past few decades. A Mercedes S-Class is worth its high cost of entry not because of the three-pointed star, but because of its build quality and driving dynamics, and the implicit guarantee that, well maintained, it can be passed down to one’s progeny, like my current ’88 560SL. American cars haven’t had that level of build quality, refinement, and elegance for a very long time. Cadillac needs to actually make an effort - develop its own platforms, interior components, and separate out its dealer network (you don’t see BMW and MINI sharing the same space, even though they’re both part of the BMW Group), and wait about throaty years until they’ve erased their former transgressions in the minds of the buying public.
24
@Chris from PA
Chris - I'm 55 too. Let's be honest, though. Look back at the 70s and early 80s Mercedes and BMWs and they were pretty ugly. Other than the two seat roadster, Mercedes looked like the European taxis they were. Built like a tank - but not exactly attractive. And BMWs were no better. Cadillac fell out of favor when they took a Chevy Nova and called it a Cimmaron. And it went downhill from there. Yes, they had a rocket of an engine in the Northstar, but their design studio must have had blinders on. Meanwhile, Mercedes and BMW did a great job of moving from dowdy to attractive. There's one line that explains Cadillac's dilemma and it appears at the end of the article - "Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner." So typical of Cadillac's thinking.
17
@Farhan
Chris , you make some valid points. But I'd be careful about painting all "American" made cars with the same brush. Those Korean cars you reference are built here, as is every BMW SUV in the world. No to mention Toyotas and Hondas. So it's not "American" cars that are bad (although everyone's build quality is much better than it was). You can't even say American designers don't get it because both Honda and Hyundai have relocated design studios to the US and Hyundai is just killing it from a design standpoint (when you factor in affordability). It's GM. And FCA. And, to be fair, Ford which threw in the towel with passenger cars altogether. Not a geographic thing. A corporate philosophy.
11
Look at the age of the GM leader driving in the picture!
That tells you why the brand is for older folks.
Hire some hot young designer and a savvy young CEO!
Otherwise Cadillac will continue to die out.
3
Counterpoint: Cadillac's transformation has been remarkable due to its superb engineers. The recent ATS, CTS, and CT6 aimed directly at the BMW 3, 5, and 7 series incorporate rear wheel drive with 4-wheel drive application, and modern in-line 4, V-6, and V-8 engines complete with turbocharging, double overhead camshafts, variable valve timing, and direct fuel injection. The recent ATS V-series and CTS V-series are inspirational, matching M series performance, a consensus among car enthusiasts. Unfortunately, buyers are too entrenched in SUVs. Luxury buyers who may not be up to date with Cadillac's advances cautiously stay with BMW and Mercedes. GM perpetually undermines Cadillac with its myopic bottom line focus. Note the shocking plans to prematurely discontinue the CT6, a true flagship Cadillac developed after years of deliberate efforts, just as the world class Blackwing V-8 is introduced. Now is the time to bring back a simple line of cars that draws on Cadillac's heritage. A full size Fleetwood sedan, a mid size Seville sedan, and a mid size Eldorado coupe would burnish Cadillac prestige with standard 3.0 twin turbo V-6 and optional Blackwing V-8 serving as transition engines and swan songs in the inevitable paradigm shift to electric. If GM is not up to the task of understanding what Cadillac needs, perhaps some wealthy, patriotic American should consider purchasing Cadillac and being a proper custodian to this storied brand that deserves a place in America's future.
7
@Emre Noteroglu . I tried to find an ATS-V, an absolutely amazing car. They were very thinly scattered, each dealer thought they had gold, and for 15k less, I bought an AMG Benz with similar performance numbers and a vastly better build quality. Had there been some selection and a more reasonable price instead of "it's a halo car and you'll pay" I'd have bought. The CTS VSport (not V) should have been all over lots, but when I looked for those, the closest one was 300 miles away. Meanwhile, the white shoe and belt dealer body orders cars for their 75 yo cohorts for dealer stock. Caddy has the last 3 year rinse and repeat customer base, and like Harley, when they die out, there's going to be a problem....
2
Two words: Buy Tesla.
5
@AF I live in Vegas. Two words: Why bother?
Too many failed attempts at becoming "relevant". Pull the plug. Once again American mis-management will hit the working class while taking millions in bonus money for an utter failure to read markets correctly. And it costs how much to get an MBA??
3
Have you seen the TV ads for the new Cadillac? Kudos to GM for targeting the premier audience of our day -- the OG crowd.
It seems no audience is more passionate about their desire than those trying to appropriate gangsta style.
I'm not saying this is the right audience for Cadillac per se -- just that *if* it works, they could hit a jackpot for once.
Although a better (or at least complementary) strategy might be just giving several Cadillacs to OG celebrities.
2
I only buy Toyota products and have never been disappointed.
7
Too late, and Carlisle beautifully sums it up, "Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner. " That is why Cadillac is doomed and GM too, without a partner. GM no longer thinks of things "sooner" than the competition. It used to; a long time ago Cadillac introduced self-starters before anyone else. Just after WWII Cadillac introduced the high compression V-8 engine - ahead of anyone else. Tail fins?- 1948 years ahead of anyone else - Packard never, Chrysler years later. Sadly, GM no longer has the ability to anticipate the market - GM is simply over as an organization and once the large SUV/pickup truck market dies in the US, as it will, the company will either die or be absorbed into a better competitor.
2
This article unfairly chastises Cads in the technical matters. The fact that people are massively buying German cars simply has to do with the perceived fanciness of those cars and current trend / status, and the perceived oldness and antiquity of the Cads. It will come to pass. Perhaps.
2
After a very expensive year in a BMW just prior to 100k miles, I took a good look at Lexus before accidentally discovering that the Cadillac CTS handles better than the BMW or the Japanese luxury performance vehicles. And with its ridiculously fast depreciation, an off-lease Cadillac is downright cheap relative to its competitors. I ended up tamping down my discomfort with the Caddy image and buying a CPO CTS all-wheel drive. It has been a true joy to drive, but the edutainment tech is clunky (not that UI is a lot better on any car, really), and I had to replace some bad struts far too early. Undoubtedly, it's not as good an ownership experience as one would have with a Japanese model, but it's far better than with BMW, and the surprisingly good driving dynamics will keep me in it as long as I don't get a collection of other mechanical issues.
For years now I have been saying that Cadillac's big problem is that the sedans are ugly to look at. To me, all else pales to insignificance if the look is wrong. Why would you buy one if its styling is unattractive?
Styling can be staid and boring, like BMW or Mercedes, but people still buy them because they are supposedly a good car. Currently that's debatable for those two marques.
Cadillac's greatest recent success was the Escalade. This entire article doesn't even mention it. Why not? It has been a winner, yet it flies under the radar. Too flashy for some, maybe?
59
@Anthony Taylor
What is an Escalade, other than a re-badged GMC Denali, which is itself a badge-engineered Chevy Tahoe?
It isn't that Escalade is too flashy, it's that there's no reason for it to exist other than as a way for status-seekers to spend too much money for an (already overpriced) Tahoe.
24
@Anthony Taylor
Anthony, the Escalade is and has been a re-badged Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban, which at its core is a repurposed full-sized pickup truck. The product has sold well for a decade, as gasoline remains cheap. However, that is a story of merely “treading water”, and holding segment market share. In the meantime, other, non-domestic manufacturers have been rolling out next-generation vehicles both electric and combustion. Cadillac’s task is to latch onto that group that is pulling away, and to convince buyers that they are at least equal in value. The Escalade successes will have little to no bearing on their ability to meet that challenge going forward.
9
@Anthony Taylor I was also shocked that the Escalade wasn't mentioned, it had a moment in the mid-00's, but is now definitely irrelevant. A lot were also leased/rental fleet fare (basically any used one that was nearing 100K miles,) so that lower class people got their hands on them used. Which tarnishes their brand since there's no exclusivity.
Personally, if you have the money for an Escalade, why not get a G-class from Benz instead? There is no social upside to owning a Cadillac like there is German brands.
4
GM Used to use Cadillac as its brand for introducing innovations, whether technical or body style--that was back in the 40s and 50s. They coasted through the 60s and into the 70s because the competition (Ford & Chrysler) was weak and then BMW others moved out a head, attracting younger customers, while Caddy built cars that were either big and chunky or obvious Chevy clones. One thing they have going for them is that Tesla is in trouble and BMW has lost some luster. Still, a lot of their competition is really more upper middle brow than true luxury: Audi, Lexus, etc. and the status of those brands has gone up and down over time. Caddy needs really distinctive cars that are step ahead of the rest of GM's dwindling range and the less distinguished near luxury makes.
If they start to make big sedans with bench seats so that my girl can slide over and snuggle up next to me I think about a Cadillac. But I don't think that's gonna happen.
2
The gimmicky electronics, the dumbed-down way they're sold & the lack of human-factors engineering like toggle switches on German cars makes them lemons before their time.
2
Cadillac = Standard GM parts (even frames at times) with glossier interiors and a bit more polish.
But it’s still a Chevy deep down, and has been for ages.
Once people got how cars were made in America, all hope of true luxury was gone. A repackaged car (or parts) that come in other baselines for the every man will NEVER be luxury. GM hasn’t a hope, even a small one, of bringing Cadillac back.
Even this interview is more than sad. Auto assist comes in so many variations and types. A car that needs the driver to watch the road still has a driving person behind the wheel. This is a distinction to them? A luxury? Something to be proud of? Seriously?
Who does their research?!
The pathetic part: it’s NOT failsafe. The “luxury” will do more than fade: it will become a late night TV joke punchline - when the first fatality due to this inevitably error prone, fragile technology occurs. End of your Cadillac luxury. Hello White Elephant liability!
Like I asked: who does their research? Did anyone think this through?
This article, and a bit of careful thought about it, will be yet another nail in the Cadillac coffin. And it was supposed to help...
2
I would love to really consider a GM car. It breaks my heart that it has not been a possibility for years. And now, they're almost completely out of the car market, with a few exceptions such as the Corvette this Caddy, a Buick, and not much more. The designs have been subpar for decades now and the company is really about SUVs and trucks. Why anyone would buy a GM sedan is beyond me. It's said, but true. The American auto industry is not competitive in the shrinking sedan market.
1
The writer of this article barely scratched the surface when it comes to the CT6. There is so much more to this story.
There is a class action lawsuit regarding the faulty 8-speed transmissions they used up until the 2019 model year. No mention of that here.
The writer also never addressed the fact that the 2019 CT6-V's are still being held back from being released due to an "emission certification issue", according to GM. People have been waiting for their vehicles for months with little to no communication from Cadillac. When (or if) they are finally released, the owners will have bought a year-old vehicle and will no doubt pay full price for it. Do you think they will be fairly compensated for that? Probably not.
If you are interested, check out the Cadillac CT6 Forum on cadillacforums.com. You'll get much more information than appears in this article and it isn't pretty.
I previously owned a 2017 CT6, so I know first hand what I am talking about. I posted my displeasure with that vehicle on the Cadillac Forum. While the CT6 is an attractive vehicle, the transmission issues were a nightmare.
I finally unloaded it this past January when the class action suit was announced to try to get the most money out of it for a trade (had less that 5K miles on it) and bought an Audi A7.
After previously owning five Cadillacs, I finally know how a true luxury car should perform. I'm never going back to Cadillac or GM.
There's the real story.
8
Trying to do a makeover of the internal combustion engined powered Cadillac is ill-timed, given the switch to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Every competing luxury brand that was mentioned in the article has released a BEV and the floodgates for electric cars will open in 2020. It's not just climate change and regulatory pressures. It's that BEVs are better cars. What's GM got to show? The goofy looking Chevy Bolt? Wake up GM, before it's too late.
1
I tried to buy a Cadillac but the plastic looking interior handles with sparkling glitter was very Las Vegas of yesteryear.
5
"General Motors has tried for more than two decades to restore Cadillac’s standing at the top of the automotive world, with little sustained success. In 2015 it moved Cadillac’s headquarters to the SoHo district of Manhattan, aiming to immerse those shaping the brand in the kind of upscale urban setting that is a prime target for high-end products."
So immersion in the city with lowest rate of car ownership didn't work? Shocker!
Go electric, Cadillac. V8s are so last century.
2
The coolest caddies were circa 1970 (think "Priscilla Queen of the Desert") It's been downhill since then.
I have a Chevy Bolt. It is a great car. GM really needs to go full electric with Caddys NOW. Market an electric SUV for the people who find Tesla too pricey. But it looks like they will miss this chance too.
2
Caddies are awesome cars. If anyone hasn't driven one lately I highly recommend it. Cadillac left Detroit at the wrong time. Detroit is cool again, Manhattan is, well, not. Cadillac is the middle aged white guy of the car world and there has never been a worse time to be that.
1
Forget the fancy cruise control, do they still come with ash trays?
1
I'm sorry but GM is as likely to "come back" as is Harley Earl.
Until a person of Harley Earl's ilk & vision reappears, GM is doomed to be an also ran and wither away like so many great American companies & brands of the past.
1
Super Cruise?? What marketing genius though that name up? Pure cheese.
3
@TimG
It made me laugh, too. It sounds like an ad from the mid 50s.
1
Cadillac is the new Oldsmobile. And we know how that worked out.
3
Yes, putting a GM lifer at the helm of Cadillac is the right idea, LOL. Worked out well with Mary Barra, eh? Those Ohio workers know the truth. GM really doesn't deserve any sales since they continue to be inept and unwilling to face reality.
5
For a long time, Cadillacs have looked like the drawings teenage boys made on the covers of their school binders: childish cartoon versions of “sharp” cars.
That’s the level of sophistication that the brand represents, and it’s doomed.
3
@Michael c- No worries about that happening any time soon. Testosterone has been banned in classrooms.
1
In my neck of the woods there are plenty of brand-spanking-new Cadillac (Escalades), driven primarily by Catholic school soccer moms and gangstas. Just sayin'...
2
@Eliza- Well, at least you didn't generalize your blanket statement. Did you interview the subjects of your study?
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.” RIP, Cadillac.
3
My father in law was a great guy whose major flaw was his depression era influenced admiration of status. He once told me... Isn't it something how people judge you by your car? My response was yeah it's a shame. His retort : I would love to have a Caddie! Circa 1980.
Sell it to Toyota they’ll do a better job.
3
listen to Crash of those 737 Max planes caused by autopilot? The concept scares me.
3
As a car guy I would have expected him to have learned the correct hand positions on a steering wheel. He and I most likely learned to put out hands at 10 and 2 but with the advent of air bags it was changed to 9 & 3. Boudette may have actually explained a problem with Cadillac, he is so far behind the times.
And I got my first job working on the final assembly line of GM in 1970.
When I was (much) younger, I craved a Cadillac. The I noticed that Caddy styling devolved onto Buick and then Chevrolet. So it seemd obvious to me that the only difference between a Caddy and the other GM products was time and price. Was a Caddy really worth two or three Chevys? Not if you considered the amount of transportation you got for your dollars. As for the styling, it aged too quickly. A three year old Caddy looked passe.
And that was why I stopped thinking fo Cadillac as the epitome of American automobiles.
34
Every "reinvention" of Cadillac that has been launched over the past 30-40 years has failed for the same reason: Whereas Cadillac was once an industry *leader*, the kind of company that sold innovative products of very high quality, the Cadillac of the past two or three generations is always following: they're always trying to be compared to Mercedes or BMW or now Tesla.
But they'll always be at a disadvantage, because they have to stick with the same badge engineered, design by committee, GM parts bin products. Thus you have a history of shameful affronts to the brand's (now very distant) proud heritage like the Cimarron, a Chevy Cavalier festooned with Cadillac badges that GM laughably attempted to compare to the BMW 3-series, or the Cadillac Allante, an attempt to compete with Jaguar's and Mercedes two seat roadsters by taking an Eldorado, with its very un-roadster like transverse mounted, front drive engine layout, and chopping it down to two seats, assembling and painting the bodies at Pininfarina, Italy, then flying them back to Michigan for assembly and sale, at twice the price.
2
Why would you pay the premium for a Caddy when you can have virtually the exact same car from Chevy or Buick or GMC for thousands less? Premium brands are supposed to offer a great driving experience, exclusivity and high status. That's why people keep buying Range Rovers even though their reliability is worse than Cadillac’s or Chrysler’s.
When I asked a Cadillac salesman why people buy caddy’s when they can get a GMC Denali for less, he said that the caddy is “a statement vehicle.” I agree and the statement is that the buyer didn’t have the sense to buy the same car for less.
5
All Cadillacs resemble Chevys, which resemble Buicks, which resemble each other. The 2020 Hyundai Sonata is vastly more attractive and decadently edgy than all of them -- and it will cost less than half of a Cadillac sedan when it goes on sale later this year (Hyundais are also much more reliable). Had Mr. Carlisle driven one of the Korean makes instead of pretending not to drive his CT6 sedan, he might have inspired Cadillac to go in a different direction.
3
Cadillac did not move its headquarters to SoHo.
They moved it to Hudson Square, which is west of SoHo and where Disney and Google are investing billions for new office space.
The Cadillac CT6 in the picture is just plain ugly. It looks too masculine and nasty. I would not buy it. I am a female Honda Accord driver, and very Honda loyal. Hondas are simply built very well (and look nice too).
5
Want a novel idea? If Cadillac's next generation of cars are really that good, the best way back to the good graces of baby boomers ..... is by undercutting your European rivals. Sell to us at a loss for a few years. Hyundai's luxury Genesis brand has had huge success with that business model (full disclosure- i LOVE my G80). If a Caddy costs similar to a Merc, Audi or Porsche then you will never grab market share from those "halo" auto groups.
41
@megachulo I think you're right! Cadillacs are way too expensive for what amounts to (in my eyes) a second-rate brand. Maybe stop trying to be so 'aspirational'?
4
@megachulo
Really that's just an excuse since they already undercut European rivals. And on maintenance costs it is no contest. I know. I own both.
What hurts Cadillac are all the opinions that it is no good so people don't even look at it.
Americans think they THEY are great, it's those other Americans that aren't so great.
2
@megachulo
You are wise obi won. My genesis has as much luxury as my friends' bmws and audis, but for far less cost. Caddy is doing things the GM way: we do us, and you need to catch up. Except for the Escalade, a huge success, Caddy is slipping every year. Even their "new" SUVs are a day late
3
You buy German or Japanese cars and you rent American cars. If they are targeting individual buyers they need to manufacture quality cars with sleeker logos.
2
I don't think going electric will save the Cadillac sedan. That train left the station years ago with Tesla buying up nearly every seat. Tesla is outselling even the European luxury brands. I think Cadillac will soon join Oldsmobile and Pontiac relics of the past and victims of fossilized thinking.
GM had their chance to dominate the field with the EV-1 and they shredded it.
1
I cant remember the last time I noticed a Cadillac on the road.
1
I drive German! I love my VW Jetta Wagon! Quality, quality, quality!
2
It's too late for Cadillac, but I'm glad they're finally trying. GM's biggest problem has always been that they see themselves as the inevitable choice. Sooner or later... so never just never occurs to them. I love their thinking here but the other car companies have been moving in this direction for decades. When Cadillac finally catches up to today it will already be "tomorrow is now" for the German's and Japanese.
25
@Tom Scott
This sums it all up: “Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.”. That's the Cadillac way.
4
I had two Ats's over 6 years... I gave up when they discontinued that car and went the way of Acura, trying to make a one size fits all car.. I bought an Alfa Romeo soon after which in my opinion is where Cadillac should be. I'll never go back.
When my dad, who was a huge GM fan, achieved financial success back in the late 70s, he bought a Cadillac Seville as the family sedan. We were all happy with it until we had an opportunity one day to drive a BMW for the first time ever. The BMW was so solid and firmly planted on the road. Going back to the Cadillac, we realized what a piece of junk it really was. My dad sold it within weeks and ended up with a Mercedes. That was the last American car any of us every purchased. The current Cadillacs are built much better than that 1979 Seville, but they still fall short of what the competition is offering. Why? Why can't GM get its act fully together?
6
There Cadillac goes again, following the leader (Tesla) in electric car design.
Hey, Caddie, just say No! Keep that 500 hp engine, build a sedan bigger than a Rolls, make it super comfortable, list it at least $150K, never discount it, limited production numbers, and market it with as much snob appeal as possible. Nobody ever went broke overestimating the snobbery and insecurity of the American public. Ok, you’re welcome.
3
I would love to buy an American car again. I took my Honda CR-V in for repair and was given a Cadillac SUV to drive while mine was in the shop. It looked great but was the biggest performance dog I've driven in a long time. And it was a gas hog which cost way more new than what I've been driving. There's little to like about that. It's a shame, but I think GM has dropped the ball on Cadillac.
2
Cadillac used to design breathtakingly beautiful cars in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Eldorado was always a work of art in those decades, while their other sedans set the standard for luxury. From the 80s onward, the body designs look like the Ford Tauris team had been hired.
I’ve never ever understood why, if you wanted to spruce up an auto brand, you’d move the team to a place like NYC where nobody drives. They should have moved it to Los Angeles, where everyone has a car.
9
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.”
I know nothing about cars. I can't imagine what the cachet of a Cadillac is, although I recall the ooh-ahh feeling among others whenever a Caddy was mentioned in my youth. I remember being impressed by the comfort and quiet during the one ride I had in a privately owned Caddy (as opposed to a Cadillac airport limousine) at about the same time Mr. Carlisle joined GM. About the same feeling as in the Mercedes I had occasionally been a passenger in in Germany, with the Mercedes feeling more reliably nimble both on the Autobahn and cobblestone streets. But when Bob Barker gave away a Cadillac!! Wowee! (Until the contestant who won it had to cough up the tax on the vehicle on April 15th, something you don't see on the show.) Admitting my lack of automotive knowledge (all I know I learned from "Car Talk"), I don't think, disqualifies me from asking how much Mr. Carlisle has been paid by GM for the last 37 years to not think of innovations "a little earlier," and why "not thinking of it a little earlier" warrants his continued leadership of the brand at an annual salary that probably eclipses (pun intended) my total earnings over the past 45 years.
4
Intrigued, I went onto Cadillac's website and decided to build one. Immediately, the base price of the Cadillac was more expensive than the Lexus that I drive. Simple question. Why should I spend more for a Cadillac that comes with GM quality than I would for my Lexus?
18
The new CT6 is, in my opinion, the best looking vehicle Cadillac has ever made—so I believe they can do it. But, judging by the depressingly outdated and uncool interior of that very same car, we know it won’t be easy, and that it will require some big changes from the company.
1
When I was young, I bought GM cars. They barely lasted through the last payment and this was back in the days of a three year loan. I finally turned to Japanese cars. They lasted for years and years and worked. In 2015 I bought a Subaru Forester because it has great safety features. I'll never go back to a GM car.
10
I wish Cadillac well and hope they make it. Like many, I grew up in a Cadillac family who sometime in the late 80s defected to the German brands. Not that I'd ever return to Cadi - my Audi keeps going and going and seems to improve with age.
4
A day late and a dollar short, or "To every thing there is a season..."
2
Lots of BMW drivers among the commenters.
Funny how, after working in Germany years ago, you see the car there is really just like any other near luxury/luxury class auto.
The extra money ("rent" to econ types) that BMW gets from selling its cars in America is really amazing. It's probably the greatest bad car deal since Americans paid 10-15K extra (above the cost of production) for Ford Explorers years ago. Just so they could drive a "manly" SUV.
People pay far above what they should for the BMW at purchase, and then are fleeced by the service department at each visit -- again, just for the status of a car that's more expensive to run and with a shorter lifespan that Japanese competitors.
What's really annoying is that Americans will drive the cars quickly but in the straight lines they feel most comfortable with.
When it comes to cornering, something BMWs do extremely well, Americans slow down and turn as if they were driving, say, a Caddy.
5
@DD Maybe you should come for a visit to Pennsylvania, where we throw our BMWs into the curves with abandon. On and off the track.
1
The problem with Cadillac is that under the veneer are Genuine GM Parts. Once past the first owner you are fighting the exact same planned obsolesce the Malibu buyer has to contend with. Cadillac patches over this with generous warranty for the first buyer but the secondhand value reflects the experience of ownership after 60,000 miles
7
I bought a Saturn wagon with traction control back when I felt patriotic and decided to buy American. First winter the car slip and slide with the traction control engaged on minor sloped roads. Car had all season tires. Kept it for 1 year and sold it for a loss and bought the first year Honda came out with the CRV. Experience of ownership was night and day, I never bought another American brand car again.
4
I'm on my second Cadillac ATS (recently discontinued) and they have been an absolute blast to drive. I'm looking forward to the new CT4 coming out.
Also that restaurant in the background of the one picture, Republic, is amazing!
@Brent. Tell me more. SRX here. Like it for the versatile x-over that it is. Had read bad reviews of the ATS but loved its sporty size and looks in the showroon.
@LMT My only issue is that I'm eventually going to get a couple speeding tickets. I just saw a CT4 with M-plates parked outside of my building and they look a little bit roomier than the ATS which is a good thing. I'm 6'3", so getting in and out of it is the only issue I have. Otherwise, theyve both been dreams to drive (a 2015 and a 2018).
1
I didn't even consider Cadillac when I purchased a car two years ago. I traded my Honda Accord for another vehicle of Japanese origin. Frankly, for reliability, it's tough to beat any of the Japanese makers. I love some of the German designs of late but wouldn't want those vehicles outside of the warranty period.
When I purchase another vehicle I'd really like it to be electric and Tesla, quite honestly, is so far ahead of the pack it isn't funny.
7
Cadillac has said the same thing again and again and they always fail. It’s very sad. GM management is not very smart. Cadillac should be the brand that defines American luxury — not European — and Pontiac should define American performance cars. The fact that GM owns these two powerful brands and cannot figure out how to utilize them shows just what’s wrong with American business leadership.
2
I thought Cadillac was back when it appeared in the second Matrix movie. The vehicles were very sleek. Maybe they should try to get a placement in the upcoming fourth movie.
Nobody has anything good to say about Cadillac? How about supporting vehicles made in America by union members? Whats more important is what your neighbors on the coasts do and think. Thanks for your support. These are good jobs in American neighborhoods. Is that not a factor when you shop for a car?
2
Hi Paul; Although i still own a 2005 Chevy suburban, i have decided that this is my last American vehicle. I need RELIABILITY. I would like to support American Jobs; I do support them elsewhere, but I can't afford to purchase a shoddy product. I have had to pay thousands of dollars for broken parts that simply do not brake on the Toyotas and Hondas that I have owned. If American Companies prove themselves to be reliable once again, i'll take another look. Right now, i don't think that they have the American Consumers best interests at heart.
@Paul Duggan
6
@Paul Duggan It is about quality. I buy New Balance Made in the USA because they are really good running shoes. I would consider another Ford but the ones I like seem to have issues every now and then. Americans are generally sophisticated consumers specially when big bucks are involved. In other words, a quality product will sell. I have to admit though that our rich compadres are into luxurious Range Rovers even though these vehicles have consistent reliability issues. But they can afford it, LoL!
3
@Paul Duggan Except for extolling unions, Paul, you sound like Donald Trump. Make America Great Again by only buying American-made products. I hope we're not going back to the Dark Ages where only Americans are capable of doing anything right, even if it's not very good.
1
If Cadillac were a development stage automobile company, would you invest in it? Not likely I would, but I guess management has belatedly come to a good answer--to take enough time to develop an innovative car that is better than Tesla or, in other words, that will be the Cadillac of electric cars.
1
There’s a market for baseball caps with suitable pictures of staring eyes on the front so Caddy owners can look down at their devices while the car thinks you’re still paying attention.
Early on, thinking folks were cautious about cruise control; that it would cause accidents. My mother wouldn’t let my dad buy a car with a radio.
Today, we really believe the car has our backs. Not yet.
2
For 78K I would buy two Honda’s or Toyota’s and still be ahead. I’ve lived in the Detroit area my whole life, not once have I ever considered buying a Caddy. Why? I would like to own a self driving EV before I die, but I’m not holding my breadth.
2
I have Lexus and Acura after having owned Toyotas, Nissans, and Mazdas. All those cars have quality and reliability. Also had decent luck with a couple of Fords. Just look at CR and Cadillac and Chrysler products always have reliability issues. I also had nightmares with my French (Renault), British (Austin), and German (VW and Audi) cars although they are doing better now in reliability. Cadillac should study how Hyundai have produced quality products after a sad sack intro in the mid-80s. The new Genesis is a wow!
2
@robert
Please consider giving the Brits another try.
Your Austin was produced at least 45 years ago, maybe more. Times have changed.
I now have two daily-driver Jaguars (no snarky comments -- one has a manual transmission and I drive it on low-traffic days) and my wife has a daily-driver Range Rover.
The newest of the bunch is 13, the oldest 18, and all were bought used, cheap, and with over 100K miles on the clock.
They are also very reliable.
The Brits went through a very bad period in the early-70's to the early '80's but they've got their act together now.
(Yes, I know that Land Rovers consistently rank at the bottom of reliability surveys but they are fiendishly complex -- the more you complicate the plumbing, the easier it is to clog up the drain.)
@Kevin T. Williams
Thank you for your thoughts, well thought out, I might say, old chap. That Austin America betrayed my age. It was astoundingly roomy and had a peppy engine with dual SU carbs. It featured the BMC-born and bred hydrolastic liquid suspension that used no shocks and unfixable by Joe at the local garage. The Manhattan dealer had me as a regular customer.
Just sharing my Brit experience. Be well.
“Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.” What a great line to put on a tombstone. That has been the story of GM for the last several decades, at least: late to the table, with little to offer. Pontiac and Oldsmobile are long gone. Can the rest of the GM lineup be far behind?
7
Cadillac's problem is simple - one can purchase the same GM vehicle from Chevrolet, Buick, or GMC, but without some superficial exterior and interior differences, at half the price. What is the difference betwen a Chevrolet Suburban and the Cadillac Escalade? The Buick Enclave and the Cadillac version. The costs to roll a Cadillac off the line is less than $1000.00 of the other models.
To compete Cadillac has to have its own unique vehicles and not take pieces parts from its sister brands.
3
Having owned both American and Japanese cars, i have to say that the Japanese still have an edge with ergonomics, handling and car longevity. In order to survive, American car makers need to produce what consumers want and not what GM wants and planned obsolescence. My Chevy Suburban, fails in so many areas: The driver side window motor broke, the brake computer broke, the gas lines to the gas tank broke. I could go on, but i had to pay thousands of dollars for things that just don't brake on Japanese cars. After 19 years, my 2000 honda odyssey motor is a little tired; but every thing else still works. The Body does not have a lick of rust (my suburban bumper is rusting out). If American car manufacturers built up to Japanese Standards, More Americans would want them. Wake up GM/Ford/Chrysler or you will be extinct.
5
Memo to GM. I was a GM guy for most of my life. Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, Chevy, Chevy, truck, sedans, convertibles. I have left GM, primarily due to quality issues, and I don't miss it. You are too late. You gave up the people's car market to Toyota and let the likes of BMW, Lexus and Audi steal your Baby Boomer market. Even if you come up with a transformation in automobiles you will be along time overcoming the customer loyalty to other brands. Concentrate on mass transit as that is what will be needed for the next generation of Americans. Leave the Caddy to the collector's market.
2
Assuming I ever get the money to buy a nice car, it'll likely be a Volvo. The old one I drove for years was handed down to me from my dad. That S80 went almost 500,000 km before it started to essentially fall apart.
3
I celebrated my 60th birthday this year, but I don't feel I'm old enough for a Cadillac yet. GM, and especially Cadillac, always made brash American cars for brash American tastes (many of which are now classics) and didn't have to consider European or Japanese tastes. When the American car buyers tastes changed, Caddy was left high and dry with a diminishing customer base. Cynical rebadging of Opels in the '80s didn't fool anybody. The "edgy" design of more modern examples of the breed is a return to the brashness of old, but has no style, class or cache. If I wanted an American luxury vehicle, I'd visit my Lincoln dealer. RIP Cadillac.
6
"Competing systems require drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel, which almost defeats the purpose of having the car steer itself. None have the infrared camera to ensure drivers keep their eyes on the road and can’t give in to the temptation to gaze at their phones or anything else."
This is not exactly true. Several manufacturers have cameras to watch the driver and remind them to pay attention or wake up. Lane assist, which is avaailable across the board now, is a good compromise. It does require one to keep hands on the wheel which is a good compromise given that the hands off systems are not very reliable yet. Also, the current systems rely on well painted roads of standard width and are pretty useless on residential or back roads without painted lane lines. This means not becoming overly reliant on them is a good thing, IMO.
1
It may be too little too late. It all starts at the top with a corporate philosophy to build a certain type of product, building the best possible has never been on their radar, it’s been more about what can we get away with. That’s too bad because the new cars are pretty good, but if I was shopping I’d probably buy from one of the Germans because of their longstanding dedication to quality, it’s in their genes way more than GM’s.
6
Back in the late 50's to early 60's, my dad took a part-time job as a limousine driver. One day he asked me if I wanted to drive back with him to the garage where all the Cadillacs were stored. I thought it was the greatest collection of American art that I had ever seen.
9
Timely article! I and my significant other were cruising the wide highways of Texas a week ago and discussing the cars on the road. Without exeception, the few newish Cadillacs that we spotted were clunky-looking with a really dated design. They looked as if GM had got half way through a model and then changed to different specs. It doesn't matter how much luxury is on offer, it's got to look at least half-way good in the driveway!
7
@soniadelaunay- You just described a case study in GM business practice.
1
Once you can afford buying (or leasing) an upper class car, you do not focus on performance or Technology (as the everyday consumer cannot distinguish it anyway). Following Masslov’s pyramid, of preferences people with more than just enough money in their pockets look for exclusive style and a true story… they want to share or join. So, if asked, what Cadillac can do…never try to copy German Performance or British Style. Rely on the roots of the American Dream, then look out for an iconic design such as Apple and add it with a unique can-do-24/7-Buttlerservice. Customers will love it. Britt’s want be able to copy it and Gemans will never understand the service thing.
3
I would never spend $80 grand on a GM or Chrysler product. Bad quality rep. If there were something in the niche, and I was looking, I'd default to Toyota. Or Mercedes. I'm not much of a luxury car fan, but really do enjoy real quality.
8
What all corporations are missing is anyone under 45 pretty much has no wealth. Cadillac cannot be just a target of the older ones.
10
I'll take a Lexus, a car that will actually last and won't need repairs all the time, over a Cadillac any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
15
The auto industry has cycled between engineers who make cars, marketing types who sell them, and financial types who count the beans and play with accounts to make money from it all.
The auto industry has had great leaders of each kind. Each has had its day.
We are now overdue for some great engineers.
15
GM has and continues to rely on trucks and SUV's. These priorities and 20th century lead times combine to put their carlines 3 - 5 - 10 years behind competitors. It has been this way with them for 20+ years. One has to go back to the '60's when Corvette introduced 4 wheel fully independent suspension, all wheel disc brakes, and fuel injection to find US car technology leadership. I'm rooting for them but it may already be too late.
4
@Vincent- GM/Corvette "introduced" what had been well-known in Europe for decades.
5
My uncle leased a Caddy for a few years not that long ago (while he was in his 80s). What a smooth, comfortable ride it was. There's still a place for American-made luxury cars if people can afford them. The name, I think, requires to "old" among younger, well-heeled drivers. Cadillac doesn't have the panache BMW has, for instance.
1
In the mid-1960s, General Motors was the world's largest producer of cars, while Volkswagen--in the US, at least--was a marginal brand for hippies and other free-thinking cheapskates.
No one could have imagined that in a few short years, the tables would be turned, with VW the world's largest automaker (along with Toyota and Renault/Nissan) and GM begging for scraps from old male customers reliving their 1960s dreams.
Hard to dissociate this from what's going on in the country as a whole.
18
Drivers don’t even need to keep their hands on the wheel...Super Cruise does the steering, braking and accelerating as needed.
This from the same company that introduced "automatic headlights" in the 80's that randomly turned themselves off as you were cruising down the interstate at night?
I think I'll pass.
17
@J Anders
And, even worse, the infamous V8-6-4 engine that would decide to stay in 4 cylinder mode as you tried to pass.
I'm with you on the pass.
1
@J Anders Right because the 1980's...don't be simple.
@Piotr
It goes to the engineering quality of the company culture.
I own a 13 year old Japanese SUV. It is about halfway through its lifespan. If I buy another vehicle it would have to be electric, but there is no electric car with enough range, and not nearly enough charging stations for this consideration. Cadillac, to me, represents bloat, waste, and excess. Why would anyone want to deal with that?
20
@Elwood Have you driven an ATS coupe? No bloat, no waste and extremely sleek with no excesses.
@David Just curious, what would be enough range for you? Most newer models go for 220 miles or more. A few coming out in the next 2-3 years should be 300-400 miles per charge.
@S B The range has to be greater than the distance between charging stations. On the east coast they don't really exist.
When I replaced my BMW 535, I never even looked at a Caddy, and I am 69 years old.
12
Not so hot these days but there was a time that a Caddy parked in the driveway of a split level ranch was considered suburban class.
4
These cars are good looking, incredibly well made and fun to drive. GM needs to merge the line with Corvette - and take on that name.
@Jeff- GM has failed at that once before. The Cadillac XLR was built on the Corvette assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. And in true GM fashion, it was offered with automatic transmission only and was dropped after a five-year run due to poor sales and poor quality
Well, Cadillac actually tried that, in the most literal sense: the XLR was essentially a 'Vette in Dad's clothing, or a hipster Eldorado. I thought it incredibly silly, and a sign that the marque was desperately grasping. Cadillac's problem, IMO, is that the whole landscape for what passes for "luxury" has shifted: in their heyday, lots of cars didn't have factory A-C or power windows, even as extra-cost options. Now? Even a "poverty-package" Camry comes with those; go up the list a bit and you even get leather seats, a peppy V6, and more gadgets than Q could ever throw at James Bond. And it's not even a Lexus.
3
GM made the mistake back in the 70s of trying to compete with the Japanese , selling inexpensive ( and cheapened ) mostly front wheel drive low tech cars rather than looking at the Europeans such as Mercedes and BMW as their rightful competition . The divisions used to produce terrific products but lost their mojo when the bean counters took over from the true car guys . That resulted in common platforms and engines etc that ruined brand identity . A Caddy was just a rebadged Chevy for all intents and purposes .
GM needs to wipe the slate clean . They can do it- perfect example is the new Corvette which is amazing, especially considering the price, and I’m sure giving management at Porsche and others a bit of concern .
Get some great engineering , design, AND QUALITY back into the mix and buyers will respond .
6
@Michael Patlin They have done all these things design and quality-wise! American buyers have not responded, and still hold this decades-long grudge, whereas everyone says they want to support American companies across the whole political spectrum. I see this with the Country Club Republicans who drive Lexuses, and the Democrat rrban professionals who drive European luxury brands, whereas in both cases, their fathers drove Cadillacs. I can understand why people quit on Cadillac in the late 80's to early 2000's, but now there's no reason to avoid the brand if you're just looking at quality and styling.
6
@Zach
It takes a LONG time to recapture a customer once you’ve lost them . GM has to PROVE they have long term quality that would result in buyer confidence especially with resale values .
Also even though somewhat edgy , Caddy seems to be a typical Art Center design exercise. It’s lacking something to make a strong statement . Maybe hire one of the established Italian design studios ?
4
@Zach
I drive a "Japanese" car - which has been manufactured in America for decades.
A lot of "American" cars are built in Mexico with Chinese parts.
1
Unfortunately I knew how the article would play out as soon as I read that Mr. Carlisle had been with GM since 1982. It’s a corporate mentality that’s stuck in the past that keeps GM and its products trailing the market.
49
The biggest, chromiest aspirational barge Caddy made post war was called the Biarritz, an association that one might connect with this week’s economic summit in a place that symbolizes aspiration itself. It may be true that everything on wheels today looks alike, and that younger wealthy folk generally don’t care that much about a transportation appliance. And for a few years, convertibles were extinct, luxury barges were reviled by those who could actually afford them, connectivity was the future. Expensive Euro brands had to have a line of bloated SUVs, for goodness sake. So, how to blame the planners at GM for being unable to take their best bet on machines that take four years to gestate and maybe a dozen more to sell well?
The trendy thinking runs to electrics, but even those are migrating toward bloat, as, sadly are Americans of all ages, and most important, our roads are crumbling away, traffic is guaranteed to become worse, and the suburbs themselves are less attractive as good lifestyle is now urban for mid-level wage earners.
Anybody can pen a visually exciting car, add gizmos, make it electric, make it off-road capable, make it quiet, paint it pink. All easy. It’s tough to guess what’s going to sell in numbers ten years from now.
I’d like to try though!
2
It's good Cadillac keeps trying, but what I read will lead to less sales, and eventually to a niche market for just die-hard Caddy lovers. Competition is only getting better, price of cars is not going down, affordability is going to become acute not only here but also in China, and GM is many years behind the curve, just like Ford with its pants down. Over supply in the industry is only going to make things worse. One huge action needed is for a major redesign. That has been something GM had been too outright stubborn and arrogant about. GM is too slow for change, they are a shrinking company, and on their last leg to learn if the product isn't selling, change it. Adding a super duper software program and a new dash isn't going to cut it.
7
It seems that some people below have not read the very positive test reports of the CTS-V (over 15 years) and ATS-V, and CTS-VSport. I have a Subaru STI and previously had a BMW M3 and BMW 540i. I am presently looking at used Cadillac CTS-Vs.
3
@CarlYour Yes, the V's are awesome. I just wish they had made the cabin more quiet.
1
@CarlYour
better get youself two........one will always be in the repair shop.
2
@CarlYour
... also don't know that any of these people know about Cadillacs in prototype and endurance racing ...
“We’re not trying to out-German the Germans anymore”
That's good because it ain't working even in the least.
As a matter of engineering and brand desirability they lost this battle.
To think my Dad used to think Cadillac and Lincoln were the epitome of luxury--floating down the highway.
Better to close the brand and go electric at this point. Enough with the huge, chevron on the hood saying to most people " I have no taste in cars."
23
@Bill I don't agree with Bill.
I think the Cadillac looks great.
It is well-engineered.
They outperform the German brands until you get into the Mercedes high-end.
Paragraph breaks are nice tools when used correctly. Otherwise they can be an irritant.
2
Make them big, sleek, powerful and comfortable again and they’ll be unique again. For the last 30 years they look like expensive versions of economy cars. Forget the gadgets just make them giant.
1
I applaud Cadillac's attempts to improve their products over the past 10 or so years (they've built some serious driver's cars, outscoring their German targets in many magazine comparisons), but I think one of the major issues surrounding their failure to succeed is their very name:
Cadillac
Sounds like "Aflac" and other late night, dreary television commercials.
And their nickname "Caddy" makes one think of golf, which is far from the (young and) sporty image this brand needs.
They need a new brand and new name, which is an expensive and difficult path. I wish them good luck.
5
After having two problematic GM cars in the 90s and 00s, I’d never consider any GM brand again. Even if Cadillac were to truly become the best and most desired brand in the near future, I’m still traumatized enough from my previous experiences to want to give another penny to the GM coffer.
I’m on my 3rd BMW now. I have had terrific experiences with BMW, hence getting the 3rd one was an easy decision.
10
Cadillac cannot change its market appeal unless it changes its leadership to make it synchronous with the market it wants to court. Mr Carlisle is far older than the group of people he wants to influence. How is he going to do that when his mindset is 25 years older than his target client? Maybe Cadillac really is a car for seniors because its designed and managed by seniors. If not, Cadillac will need to put people in charge who know their own cohort.
19
Further to my earlier comment in which I sang the praises of the vehicles currently produced by Cadillac, I would advise Cadillac to invest more in its overall dealership experience. While some dealerships are better than others, on the whole, Mercedes and BMW offer a much better experience on that front. I would say that many of the dealerships still give off the "Old Cadillac" vibe, despite attempts to update the interiors. If you want to compete with those brands, then you have to go the full mile. Otherwise, Cadillac would be better off just targeting people who want to upgrade from a Chevy.
3
So, Cadillac will be all-electric in 6-10 years, but won't have its first electric vehicle for 3 years? They're only putting Super Cruise in their slow-selling vehicles? They're not really serious, are they? I'll be in Tesla's upcoming Y model SUV with proven, well-established technology long before Cadillac produces its first model.
14
You had my interest until I read the penultimate paragraph. Sounds like the same old GM to me.
11
Cadillac is a Harvard business case study in how much image hurts in a premium market.
Johan de Nysschen was hired out of Audi to turn around Cadillac. He turned the entire Audi brand into a premium, highly-sought after German brand. He has a rockstar resume. He left GM after more dismal results from GM's Cadillac division.
How important is image? In my Maserati ownership, it is not as good as my older S-class, but it has a storied legacy and racing DNA, while being a bit overpriced. They can STILL sell cars, albeit slower this year, even with a not-as-good product as the Germans because of image and price premium.
So the other side of the spectrum, image/legacy and less product quality, you can still sell cars at insane margins. The focus is different; they've hired a new design/product head from Ferrari to expand the brand.
If you have the image of a middle-class luxury car that skews older, people will not switch products.
3
@Scott
Seems a good deal of focus is on "image" vs value, transportation, quality or reliability. Too bad Ralph Lauren retired before he could start making cars. Then again, even the Polo image faded once they started selling at J.C. Penny and at ever discount shopping center. Oh well, nothing lasts forever. Some don't even last a lifetime.
4
Not to quibble with your larger point @Scott, but Mr. de Nysschen came to Cadillac from Infiniti, where he also failed to move the needle. And despite his successful tenure at Audi, the brand had long been on its upward trajectory as a technology leader for decades before his involvement, which was primarily as North American sales director. Bottom line for Cadillac is that its ship has sailed. It has taken brands like Audi, BMW, and Lexus decades of consistency to achieve the aura and loyalty they currently enjoy. It will take Cadillac at least that long (at quite possibly never) to reach parity. Don't expect GM to play the long game. The more likely scenario is that Cadillac gets euthanized and replaced by Corvette as GM's luxury/performance division with a fighting chance to take on Maserati, Alfa, Jaguar, Porsche, et al with premium volume SUVs.
3
I have always looked to Consumer Reports for guidance on what to buy, whether it be a car, vacuum cleaner, or fridge. Cadillac has always suffered in the reliability department, so it's been off my list for years. I'll stick with the upmarket models by Japanese and Korean makes, as they are stylish, inexpensive to maintain and very well built.
10
@tony83703 Yup, I cannot fathom choosing any Cadillac product over the vastly superior Genesis vehicles, among others. Funny Hyundai was able to create superior luxury cars in just a few years. HMMMMMM
14
Sometime in the 70’s American car manufacturers went big with planned obsolescence and putting money into marketing instead of quality. Lots of ads with American flags and words like “spirit” and “freedom” in them. I remember my grandmother’s high end early 80’s Ford Granada was missing the piece of trim that covered the gas cap because Ford decided to use a piece of flexible plastic for the trim instead of a metal hinge. I noticed the same problem in every other Granada I saw.
A few years back we really wanted to give an American brand a chance, so we test drove a hybrid Ford SUV. We hated the “rollover” feel, it cost about $5000 more than the 4 cylinder gas version and mileage was almost the same. Complete fail.
Other than the Bolt, the stodgiest of the electric cars (though still a good car) GM is synonymous to me with mediocre quality, fake branding (by putting different nameplates on identical cars and pretending they were really different) and cosmetic gimmicks instead of real innovation. I wish it wasn’t so.
I will be nostalgic for Cadillac’s demise, but saying they’ll have an electric car to compete with Tesla in 3 years is just sad self-delusion.
11
@Stuart.
I had a Grenada. It was so depressing I gave it away.
2
@Stuart
Perhaps the virus of planned obsolescence for individual make of vehicles spread to the companies themselves?
1
Cadillac will never achieve it's former status symbol glory competing with BMW. Cut production to 500 half-million dollar copies a year, all hand crafted, Italian designed Fabergé eggs using unobtainium and leather from cows raised on an Alpine peak at exactly 7200 feet. Develop an in-house, hybrid powertrain that develops 1500 hp and makes Tesla's look like a hamster wheel. The paint should cost $50k. I can name at least a half dozen brands making money hand over fist with this strategy. There's still a market for the top prestige symbols of the automotive world - and it ain't the great unwashed. The world hasn't seen this kind of wealth disparity since the Great Depression. Make something nobody but the .001% can afford, and they'll beat a path to your waiting line.
23
Cadillac's problems can be traced to the disastrous downsizing done on the 1985 models. The public rejected them and went to Lincoln dealers in droves and bought Lincoln's reasonably sized models. Lincoln out sold Cadillac for the first time. Next was the Allante, a car all the auto magazine's raved about, but was discontinued because American car buyers refused to pay German car prices for a Cadillac. It's no longer fashionable to have a Cadillac parked in the driveway. Until that changes, it will be hard to stage a comeback. Until they can attract European CEOs to buy Cadillacs, the situation could be doomed.
5
@Brad Actually, my husband did buy an Allante. It arrived at the dealership, was prepped, and we showed up to take delivery. The salesperson was showing us how to lower the top. Sparks flew everywhere. We walked away from that car that the dealer couldn't even make work on the showroom floor.
2
'within six to ten years, Cadillac will be all electric.' Exciting.
But that's where Tesla is... NOW. I have a Tesla and where ever I go, people want to talk about it, to ride in it, to drive it. People at work ask about it every day. I'm not saying Tesla is the greatest thing on four wheels--I'll wait and see. Im just saying that it is today where Cadillac aims to be... a decade from now. Ouch.
Still, I'm rooting for Cadillac. I hope it comes back.
14
Loving my 10 year old Cadillac SUV, because of my local service team, but probably will get Tesla next. I told Cadillac in survey after survey that I wanted electric, and now they still will be 4 years out? Poor decision making- do they even have a Product Strategy department?
9
Look at the difference between a Cadillac and a Chevy in 1957, no difference today, Cadillac struggles.
3
@Scott Johnson
Does it seem that almost all cars look alike today or it is just me?
1
Remember the scene in the movie 'Tin Men'? Danny De Vito and Richard Dreyfuss discussing their latest Cadillacs.A VW drives by,and they say - "who's ever going to buy one of those".
13
I have not had a GM car in years and I cannot say I miss going to a dealership that sell there cars. I switched to Toyota some years ago and I am still amazed how interested Toyota is in making a reliable car that really works.
32
If you're not sharp enough to drive on the highway, you're not sharp enough to drive, period. Last thing we need is older drivers not paying attention on the roads.
GM will be down to Chevy, Buick and GMC soon enough..
14
@Midwest Josh
Younger drivers (16 to 19) are 3 X more likely to be in serious accidents than older drivers. And guess why? But don't let reality cloud your windshield.
https://www.cdc.gov › motorvehiclesafety › teendrivers_factsheet
There is only one way to compete, and that is by thinking out of the box.
There has to be a return to jaw-dropping American design, leaving the solid but largely unimaginative Japanese competitors behind, and outflanking the performance ethos of the Germans.
You can't do this with mundane looking last-gen cars. Look at the fabulous show cars Cadillac has surfaced. Search Elmiraj, the Ciel. And yet they never make it to production, held back by the requirement to conform to a GM-generic platform.
GM used to make beautiful, compelling cars. Now they make rental cars.
Management without guts, finance wonks ruining the business, zero real risk taking, a culture of lame compromise. That's why they are where they are.
51
@Time for a reboot
exactly. the Elmiraj and Ciel were beauties that should have been the way forward, but were abandoned... why?
3
@Time for a reboot This guy has nailed Cadillac's major problems. Just look the two cars that he names
The Elmiraj and The Ciel. Great design and styling that's what they should have strived for. Too bad that they didn't.
The Elmiraj
https://www.cadillac.com/future-concept-vehicles/elmiraj
Th Ciel
https://www.cadillac.com/future-concept-vehicles/ciel
2
@Time for a reboot Elmiraj and Ciel. Two examples of cars that SHOULD have been put into production by Caddy a few years ago by now. Still concepts. Instead the Caddy history includes the Cimarron, the Allante and the Catera. SMH.
1
The people posting negative comments about Cadillac have, in most cases, not driven or even sat in a Cadillac in decades. Indeed, if the newer Cadillacs were badged as BMW or Lexus, the very same people would be singing their praises. Actual automotive experts have given glowing reviews to late model Cadillacs, including the 2010 CTS, which was named Motor Trend Car of the Year. I own one and it is still running strong with hardly any issues, as compared to the BMW we previously owned which, after the warranty expired, cost well north of $10K to fix a cornucopia of mechanical and electrical issues.
11
@Zach The CTS was car of the year in 2008. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Trend_Car_of_the_Year
Buick and Cadillac are on life support, alive only because they can squeeze out a few sales in China. No one in Canada or Europe drives one or ever will. Build quality, driving characteristics, dealer and service experience, and reputation are no where near that of Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Lexus, and everyone who knows anything about cars knows this is true. Meanwhile, Jaguar and Volvo, not a lot healthier than GM, have muscled into the luxury market producing far more desirable cars and SUVs. Without US government support -- and sales of pickup trucks in the US --Chrysler, GM and even the much more successful Ford would be out of business. Expect all three to stop making cars altogether and focus on their light truck/SUV vehicles for a narrowing US domestic market plus a few models for Chinese customers built in Chinese plants. Fiat-Chrysler may well disappear altogether for want of any good reason to exist. Pretty much all of its US cars have already, leaving Jeep and Dodge Ram to keep the lights on. The surprise is this has taken so long. Europe has made better cars than the US for a century; this was disguised by American consumers buying US product and the US government blocking European imports. Trump's efforts to turn the clock back to protect American producers is way too little way too late.
13
@Cephalus When was the last time you drove a Cadillac? I have owned most European brands and I can tell you they are not as reliable as Americans. Look at reliability scores anywhere. The reliability issues of the 80's and 90's are history. Even then the Euros were no better.
1
If GM bought Tesla and re-branded it Cadillac, sales would plunge.
40
@ThePB GM is the Sears of the automotive world....
2
One thing this article doesn't talk about is the effect on Cadillac that the GM bankruptcy had a decade ago. Cadillac had to effectively choose which path to take (SUVs vs. cars) as opposed to their European competition who had the resources to do both. Some decisions were correct....the 1st generation SRX (which I used to own) was a car all the automotive journalists liked but didn't sell. The market leader was the Lexus RX so that was what Cadillac built in the 2nd gen SRX and the current XT5. It's not a rip roaring performance model but that's what the buyers wanted.
The problem was that there were no resources to flesh out the product line during the dark times of bankruptcy. Cadillac should have had products like the current XT4 and XT6 out 5-7 years ago but they didn't have capital to develop them.
The irony is that throughout the 80s and 90s, the criticism of Cadillac was that they would likely never crack the code of building a luxury performance sedan like BMW/Mercedes/Audi. The three generations of CTS (especially the most recent one) proved that wrong....Cadillac engineers figured that out. But again, Cadillac had the wrong product mix in the dealerships. While BMW is still selling the 3 series sedan, more buyers are leaving the store with the X3 or other like models.
So now Cadillac understands they have to go electric, but again they are 3-4 years later than the primary competition and 7 years too late compared to Tesla.
13
Cadillac built some great cruisers over the years, with powerful V8s culminating in the "Northstar" which could be had for a reasonable price in the 90s and into the 2000s. You have to wonder how many customers Cadillac lost when the cylinder count went down but the price went up.
3
Tesla never looked like an "American" car. It's striking, curvaceous lines were entirely its own. And it was the first e-powered vehicle out there. American luxury car owners walked away from their seven series BMWs and Mercedes-Benz sedans because Tesla was electrifying – both literally an stylistically. Tesla didn't declare itself to be the new glittering object of desire. I didn't have to. It was plain to see. Cadillac has never come close. Saying is not doing.
31
@Jim 0-60 in nearly 3 seconds didn't hurt Tesla either...
3
@Marky A
Over the air updates and concierge service without the grimy/sleazy car dealerships didn't hurt either.
3
GM still is clueless about the auto industry. So they develop a high tech self driving option and put it in a car that they cannot sell and are two years away from offering it in their SUV's. By then the market would be already ahead of them. GM is still plagued by top heavy management that still thinks they are operating in the 60's. The company is still a lost cause.
33
I considered purchasing a Cadillacs several times in the past but their repair record and horrendous depreciation convinced me to look elsewhere.
15
The US industry is a victim of its own success at winning the wrong battles.
While European and Far East manufacturers respond to regulatory pressures like fuel consumption standards by hiring engineers, US carmakers respond by hiring lobbyists. The result is cars that are uncompetitive in the rest of the world, limiting sales to those in the US who don’t pay close attention to how good imports are.
Sad: once the world leader…
46
For context, I've owned three Cadillacs - '05 DeVille DTS, '09 CTS, '13 ATS - an '07 Acura TL, '07 Infiniti G35x, '01 Lincoln LS V8, '12 Hyundai Genesis, and now an '11 BMW 335i. All sport sedans, all entry- to mid-level luxury vehicles, all fully- or near fully-loaded, 3 purchased new and the rest used.
Cadillac CAN make a great car, but in my experience, they always hold themselves back. The ATS I had (for car folks: 2.0T, RWD, sport suspension & exhaust, black diamond tricoat metallic with red leather) was a fantastic car, and arguably put Cadillac back in contention with BMW et al, if only for a minute.
But, the ATS never quite hit its potential. GM put its 2.5L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder in the base model, creating an underwhelming vehicle that excited no one. Even the top-end 3.6L V6 did not provide the performance that would allow it to compete with the comparable BMW 335 (which I now drive), which was much faster and peppier as far back as 2007.
It seems to me that GM has for quite some time been more concerned with interchangeable parts across its various marques than with building truly great cars. To put it in the terms of Simon Sinek, they don't have a "why" aside from making a profit. Even if it's just marketing, BMW has for decades built the "ultimate driving machine." Sure, BMW makes compromises also, but the end result has always been a great car.
I also think the focus on crossovers/SUVs (again, profit) is killing auto companies' progress.
16
This is all about status. Cadillac is not seen as a status car any longer. Many driver's only care about status. German cars are seen as status but they are not reliable and they are very expense to fix. Consumer Reports list of the 20 most reliable cars over the last decade are all Japanese models. A discerning buyer would keep that in mind.
10
Oh, God, how I miss my '77 Sedan de Ville with 7.5 liters of graceful tugboat pulling power coupled to what seemed a perfectly matched auto trans. From that point on, Cadillac had become, and remains, Packard.
4
The current Cadillac looks like a Christmas tree on wheels with an excessive amount of LED lights on its front end. I do a lot of driving and always am leery of Cadillacs close by on the highway. The drivers usually drive too slow for road conditions. So I think of it as a "granny car." The last GM car I owned was in 1975. Since then it's been German cars. For me, driving is about performance. GM has always catered to a different group of drivers.
11
I drove Caddies for 30 years -- until they wrecked the brand.
GM's Cadillac division ran aground year ago -- when they produced that Chevette-looking thing and slapped a Caddy crest on the front. Then they took a Chevy behemoth and tried to call that a Caddy as well. The they tried to pass off an SUV as a Caddy. Oh, brother! They lost me when they made a luxury vehicle into a roller-skate-sized compact car -- and tried to make it look sexy with colored lights. Now -- another makeover? Unless they're going to produce a big leather sofas on wheels -- which is what I want -- I'll continue to drive my Benz S-Class and harken back to a time when "being the Cadillac of cars" was worthy of the name.
5
I was very interested in leasing a CT6 last year but found payments to be about $150 more a month for a comparably equipped/priced BMW 5 series. I wanted to try autonomous driving- but I could only get Supercruise in a $80,000 CT6, but could get BMW's self driving options on a $70,000 540i. The $10,000 premium was not justifiable.
The previous CEO, Nysschen stressed higher margins over profits through incremental units sold- this has resulted in $80,000 Cadillacs failing to compete with $70,000 BMWs, Mercedes and Audi vehicles.
6
@Umar
Can't imagine why Caddy is bragging about having distance-paced radar cruise control. Mercedes has had it for at least 10 years.
7
Face it: Cadillac is for older retirees who never tried or drove a foreign vehicle. It's a nowhere brand.
43
Perhaps is it a bit pathetic that so many need to rely on a vehicle as an expression, if not an affirmation, of their identity rather than simply transportation? Often the vehicle comes down to simply nothing more than, say, driveway jewelry. Then again, perhaps more often, high powered and sports vehicles (including exotics as well as pick up trucks) have been needed and used to, well, serve to make up for many a male driver's, uh, shall we say "shortcomings"?
7
@Mark Shyres Some of us actually like driving. It is still a "sport."
4
Look - I am 40 and I would love to own a Cadillac or a Lincoln, both make some vehicles that I like the look of. If GM wants to make Cadillac distinctive, try the following:
1 - Distinctive design that does not look like everything else on the road. Most Cadillacs look like everything else with a few more angles.
2 - Develop a brand identity by using items that are not available in other GM vehicles. Why can I get just about any Cadillac interior and mechanical bits in a GMC or in a Buick? This is badge engineering that is not well done.
3 - Beating a dead horse - stop basing interiors off of other vehicles because it is "cheaper" to produce. It is obvious that many of the interiors are shared and that is a major drawback.
4 - Stop following trends. Start your own. Maybe it is time to ignore current design trends and take some risk.
5 - Time for a Cadillac IFE system for all passengers. I cannot understand why Delta Airlines can do this but NO automaker has chosen to pay attention. Passengers want to be entertained and even though everyone has phones and tablets, the luxury is to pay for something that already exists and I do not have to use my phone or tablet with. This is one of the reasons that Delta has much higher customer satisfaction than United or AA. Think OnStar for movies.
I want nothing to do with Tesla, Audi, BMW and some of the other garbage that is out there, no thanks. I'll take 8 cylinders of power and reliability with some innovation please.
8
So Cadillac's largest market is China? Would that be the same China that President Trump is currently picking a trade fight with? What could possibly go wrong?!?
29
The reliability of a Chevy with the price tag of a Beemer and the styling of a Camry. I can't imagine why people aren't flocking to Cadillac!
54
@Huntington Treadwell
"Styling of a Camry" - that comment would be accurate if you were describing a Lexus maybe. Cadillac is the ONLY somewhat distinctive luxury line design-wise.
@Huntington Treadwell and a $1500/month in premium gas
Price is the problem. I was once in a Cadillac dealer (waiting on my Mazda for service next door). I looked at a CT6 and thought "hey, this is pretty nice.' Then a I looked at the sticker - 90k as equipped. For 90k, I can get a decent Porsche or high-end BMW or Mercedes or Audi. Would consider it if it cost 60k. they should push for the psuedo-luxury market, they don't have the brand standing to charge German prices.
16
So GM has this SuperCruise technology that sounds pretty useful for drivers. I dislike the idea of a self driving car but would probably embrace this aid. But, in their infinite wisdom, GM has decided to keep the technology reserved for their elite brand! Why on earth would a sane person do that? They ought to install it into every vehicle they produce. People will buy it.
6
As an owner of many cadillacs and the one I am currently driving a SUV is because they are very reliable cars requiring less repairs and I love the features. You get when you purchase a cadillac many features that BMW, Mercedes & Lexus (really a toyota) often charge as expensive upgrades. Such features on a cadillac (onstar, keyless entry & starting, lights automatically dim and turn with the car, lane warning by seat buzzing, vehicle near you, backup cameras, warning concerning closest to other vehicles or objects, cameras in front & back, warning about keyfob location and many more. These features are also on other General Motor Vehicles (chevy, gmc and etc. as well as fords, dodge). Lexus to me will always be a toyota camry since the body is used and toyota has very few new technologies that are only on the vehicle after many other vehicles have had them for years. Honda is just starting to add features drivers want that are several years behind what GM cars have. The other thing is it is an American Company. So what it is more affordable for hard working American's. Should only the well-off be able to enjoy a great automobile.
In my neck of the woods the mercedes and bmw's and not what the wealthy are driving now. We see maserati's, jaguar's, bently's, lamborghini's,. Tesla's. It's like an auto show in summer when the wealthy compare each other's vehicles. Like if the house they own in on the ocean side or by the lake, perhaps not near water.
3
Cadillac abandoned the high-end sedan market to Audi/BMW/Mercedes. The top of its line tried to compete with the A6, 5 Series and E Class -- there was nothing to attract potential A8, 7 Series and S Class buyers (ie., buyers who wanted both performance and a luxury driving/passenger experience). It's hard to be perceived as a luxury brand when you don't compete in the luxury segment of the market.
3
I’m the guy that friends and relatives talk to for car advice. I’ve owned more than 40 cars, including every luxury brand. And all of my recent purchases have been American. As is apparent from the other comments here, the market just hasn’t figured out that American vehicles are now fully competitive with the best that’s out there on every front. Which means that domestics are now a considerably better value.
That said, I never recommend American cars to anyone else. If something goes wrong on a Toyota (and it will, just as on all cars), they don’t blame me; same problem on a Chevy and it’s all my fault.
8
I wound up in a Cadillac rental shortly after purchasing my (current) 2015 Audi. I was impressed and began to reconsider my choice. Then my mechanic mentioned something crucial: any car can be great, fun, sleek, etc. in its first couple of years. It's about long-term reliability and Cadillac just doesn't have it. 60k miles later on my Audi without one singe issue and it still runs, sounds, looks, and feels like it did the day I drove it home. The 2015ish year model Caddy's I see on the road look like they're barely holding it together. Before my Audi I had a Mercedes that I drove for 16 years and had 250k miles when I finally let it go. Same thing--was in nearly the same shape the day I sold it as the day I bought it.
9
@TFD 2013 XTS 120000 so far - standard maintenance and wear items per schedule. Experience about the same for spouse's SRX. Prior purchase in 2009 220 k miles - traded in when tech improved to the point that it was worth upgrading. Figure the same again after the super cruise has been in production a couple years to work out any operational kinks. Most modern cars can run a long time if you pay attention to operation, adhere to maintenance schedules and keep them clean above and below. Still would rather buy US products if possible.
4
@Todd Stultz Appreciate your point. But it's not just about running...It's about fit and finish holding up without squeaks, rattles, and hums over the long term. It's about the leather not stretching (it's about real leather, too). Etc. Nice discussion. Happy driving!!
5
GM once again misses the forest for the trees. Doubling down on "super cruise" while still pumping out gas-guzzling internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles instead of efficient, non-polluting EVs like Tesla is the formula for failure.
3
Mr. Carlisle better prepare himself to get strapped into his "golden parachute". Cadillac missed the boat 20 years go and super cruise is not going to persuade me or any other buyer. Too bad.
7
I have my own solution to the problem of driving without "hands on" control of a vehicle, which is reliable, efficient, safe, and economical. I take trains and ride buses for long distance travel. No worries about traffic, technology, or roadwork!
14
My friend, a mechanic would watch "feedback groups" brought in by automakers. The Japanese would listen and apply what they heard while the Americans would ignore what they heard and go through the motions. That's been the story over the last 40 years and that's how we as a country and GM find ourselves at the bottom of Auto heap today. My friend the mechanic and Ross Perot were right. Rome isn't built in a day and isn't destroyed overnight.
26
Remember all the excitement around Saturn? We bought one thinking that GM had rebooted into a modern car company with this brand. It was just OK and we ended up trading in on a Porsche and we never looked back . On our 5th Porsche now.
5
General Motors whole "X" body platform and different badges.
Rushing models to market, before model ready. Executive for brand me to, ready to sell.
Cadillac has too much bad baggage, to wow buyers. In youth did not want own Cadillac but Mercedes Benz, BMW other than 300, Jaguar with v12.
1
Back in the day when I was single, I subconsciously made a decision to never date a man who drove a Cadillac or a Lincoln (based on knowing some who did - they were arrogant to put it politely).
Also, just the brands scream "old, well to do person, plays a lot of golf and has attitude" (also from experience).
I wouldn't have/drive a Cadillac or a Lincoln if you gave me one.
23
"Super Cruise does the steering, braking and accelerating.... and can make long highway drives less taxing."
We are doomed, when drivers are too 'taxed' to drive while driving. Really: Will we all be wearing diapers soon, as making the effort to visit a bathroom is just too strenuous?
I mean; what more could affluent Americans 'farm' out to migrant workers?
12
I had a 2004 Cadillac SRX which I drove for about 13 years with no problems. It was comfortable, reliable, and had a good base 6 cylindar engine. The 2004 had an edgy looking design for the time and I got a lot of compliments on it. I finally got rid of it when an ignition coil failed and then the brake lines began to rust out and I felt it was unreliable for long highway trips. They could easily have been repaired and replaced. I have no real complaints about the car; it handled well although the mileage was not great in town. Cadillac lost me on the next iteration which I thought lost it's design - I still think it's plug ugly. Moreover Cadillac shortened the car by about a foot making it significantly less useful for trips and cargo. I never understood why Cadillac would take a well designed car, turn it plug ugly and reduce its utility.
7
Same as us. The SRX replacement wouldn’t fit the dog crate.
Super Cruise makes the car even easier to drive for the 65+ crowd. This is the main selling point?
For years Cadillac has said it has to keeps its familiar styling because that’s what its customers expect. Uh, the customers are dying. When you see a Cadillac on the highway, the reaction is “road boat” not sleek vehicle. Of course with an SUV, it doesn’t matter as much, but Cadillac needs to lose the waffle grill.
4
I started moving to German performance sedans back when I drove an original BMW320i. I was bowed over by the precision and driving ability of the car when compared to American autos. They didn't come close. So I've now owned seven BMWs. I have, from time to time, test-driven American cars including Caddys. Somehow, I can never get the "grandpa" car thing out of my head, and they don't even try to help me do that. The interiors look aged, and the performance never says "youthful and agile". GM seems to think it's all about the size of the engine, when it's about how everything works together to give you that feeling. It's sort of the same as if I say "Corvette" to any of my friends. They immediately say "balding 60 something with a crisis", even with the one just released. Brand is brand and hard to escape. And electric? When 40% of your sales are to seniors? How's that going to work out? What Cadillac needs to do is build sharp, fresh cars that have great driving feel, restrained acceleration, and a design nod to it's past in a neo-classic way. It's platform needs to be flexible in terms of power plant. There is a market for American Mercedes drivers...no, not actual Mercedes or BMW drivers but people trading upmarket from American GM brands. Think 40 year-old Chevy drivers who now have more disposable income. That's the sweet spot and GM, evidently, can't find it with directions.
35
My wife and I are successful professionals in our 50s, and after years of buying reliable, pedestrian Hondas and Toyotas, we decided to buy a luxury car, for her. Cadillac never even entered our minds, we didn't utter the brand name at any point in the process of deciding what to do. The only US brand we considered was Tesla. In the end we got an Audi SUV, and love it. It wasn't until I read this article that I realized that we are probably part of their target market, and they're not even on our radar.
At this point it may be too late, the brand may go the way of Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Our sons would laugh if we ever suggested they consider a Cadillac.
15
@Tom I switched from Subaru Outback to Audi Q3. Now that I lease cars instead of owning them, a quality luxury car is very affordable.
2
Cadillac needs to spend time understanding what made it a great brand. It was a brand that had style. The Escalade was a huge success for years. It was unique, had over-the-top styling and printed money for GM. Some comments have criticized Cadillac for being a GM and Detroit brand and suggested that they distance themselves from both. This would be a mistake. There is a renaissance of sorts underway in Detroit. It's entrepreneurial, youthful and creative. Caddy should embrace it and it's great history. It needs to go big on style.
4
@DeMe
Escalade? Over the top indeed, like Trump’s gold apartment.
1
Is America capable of producing a quality automobile, let alone a luxury automobile?
I say no. And the reason is twofold.
(1) American companies are focused on short term profits, in other words, short term thinking. I’ve never seen an American company look past its quarterly earnings.
(2) I judge all automobiles against my 2008 BMW 335i. My ten year old car still had its original windshield without a single crack or chip. All turn signals worked. The fold-in mirrors worked flawlessly every day. The car was a dream except for the outrageously expensive maintenance.
Now, most all brands have a luxury division. Heck, the entire European automobile industry is one huge luxury brand because they can’t compete on price alone.
The Americans (GM) needs to look beyond quarterly earnings. They need to value customers over shareholders because without customers, you have no shareholders.
And that old 2008 335i? I got rid of it. While I loved that car, the cost of upkeep was way, way too much.
Thank God for electrics.
9
@PC
In response to your question:
“Is America capable of producing a quality automobile, let alone a luxury automobile? “ — Have you driven a TESLA ?
I purchased a Tesla Model 3 last year —it’s American, it quality, it’s innovative , and its electric .. which means that it is virtually maintenance free. New features?, as the article notes, they are delivered directly to the car via a software update. For me driving other cars compared to my M3 is like using an old flip phone vs my IPhone.
5
@PC
My 2001 GMC Yukon with 244K miles begs to differ. It's been very low cost to own with only routine maintenance required, which is much less expensive than Europeans.
3
I wish Cadillac luck but am not optimistic. I had a 2014 CTS Vsport. Fantastic engine and suspension. But I also had a number of electronics issues. When a headlamp bulb died at 4 years and 3 months (3 months outside of full warranty), and Cadillac charged more than $250 to replace, I'd had it. Every visit to the dealership seemed like nothing more than an upsell opportunity, too. By the way, I mailed a letter to Mr. Carlisle just about one year ago describing the issues. I certainly didn't expect him to respond but I expected some subordinate to pen a quick response. Crickets.
18
Fun to read articles like this but my dog ain’t really in the hunt.
I drive a ten year-old Prius, bought new for 24K, and a 2012 Mini bought at Carmax.
Buy American? Maybe the Bolt. But short of that, I’ve got a reliable sedan now that runs close to 50mpg and a coupe that can keep up with Porsches in the canyons.
As for Caddies, memories of my Grandad’s big boats in the 60s will have to do. The brand has just been sullied too much. RIP.
15
@DD Amen. I have a reliable 5-speed 1997 BMW 318ti with 166k miles for town and windy country roads, and a 2005 Lexus GX470 with 215k miles for long drives and off-road adventures.No payments and low insurance cost. I will never buy a new car. Maybe a 1964 Cadillac convertible?
@DD I worked at a dealership that saw Mini's towed in on flatbeds every day due to oil deprivation in the overhead cams. The first generation had engines sourced from CHRYSLER! ouch. Most definitely not a BMW engine at the time. Good luck with yours.
@Marky A Tesla is American
GM has already realized that their older demographic is dying out. The mid-engine C8 corvette may anger nostalgic boomers, but the old guy car image was going to kill them the same way Harley died out.
So here's where they can take that super-cruise tech...
GM may want to consider that caddy may be the ultimate self driving electric car brand. When someone drives a car, they want it to be fast, taut and exciting. When someone is driven in a car, especially by a computer, they want it to be slow, big, and reassuring. A big, cushy back seat means more when you have a driver, robot or not. Perhaps they can experiment with their own ride share service in NYC and LA, and sell rides at a loss to show people the product from the back seat.
9
$78K for a car that will be worth $20K 4 years later. Beautiful car but no thanks.
7
Indeed, and also not beautiful.
7
Along with everything else, it’s time to change the logo. It looks like something from the Lawrence Welk show.
15
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Although Oldsmobiles ran well in my family lineage, a couple of older relatives had always thought the ultimate in African-American success was driving a Cadillac.
I inherited one of them, a 1988 two-door Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz and turned around and purchased a 1991 two-door Eldorado Biarritz that looks exactly like the first one. I restored both of them and they run great.
My two Caddies have leather seats, not the 'crushed velvet seats' like the "Pink Cadillac" song made famous by Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen. Although I'm sorry to contemplate the end of the Cadillac line, rest assured I will still be "having a party" in my vintage and soon-to-be-collectors' items while:
"Waving to the girls, feeling out of sight,
Spending all my money, on a Saturday night."
You ain't got to "wonder what I'm doing in the back of my (navy blue and also maroon) Cadillacs."
15
The best of the best!
Cadillac’s problem encapsulated by the writer here: “
And despite all the accolades Super Cruise has garnered, G.M. is doing little to take advantage of the technology. It is available only on the slow-selling CT6, as part of an options package that pushes the price to $78,000. The car’s sales have fallen 60 percent this year....”.
Cadillac can’t compete by pricing its cars higher and higher, despite cool tech. $78,000 is just too much for a luxury sedan when the Europeans compete in that space even with tariffs and taxes tacked on.
4
In the 70's and 80's my Unkles all had Cadillacs. My dream was to have one. In 2013 I treated myself to an ATS. Early on the turbo 4 failed, and it turned out to be a later recall. That was fixed and I must say, it is a wonderful car. Good looking, fast, responsive. I am thinking of buying one of the CT5's. Would prefer to buy an electric, but being a NYC resident, there are insufficient places to charge, not having a garage on my house, being a historic block. When the city decides to really take action on a reasonable solution, I will be buying one.
5
There is no need for self driving cars. People want safe RELIABLE cars.
26
@David J. Krupp I can't wait for self-driving cars because far too many drivers on the road today aren't paying attention to the road and have no idea how the leftmost lane is intended to be used.
@David J. Krupp Driver assistance systems make driving safer, and that benefits everyone.
I've been saved from a number of accidents because my car was smart enough to detect it.
Problems with American cars: reliability, 'challenging' aesthetics, those plastic buttons, failed to produce a real lined-up of electric/hybrid models, resale value, etc. Why spend $65k on a Cadillac CT6 when you can get your hand on a superb Genesis G80 for $60k?
13
@Dauphin
I agree. That final picture of yet another interior with undefined waves and a hodge-podge of smashed steering wheel buttons tells me they haven't rethought things enough. I personally think their exteriors aren't the problem. The cars look good enough. From a design perspective, their issue is all inside.
4
@Dauphin
I think you'd be better off buying a two year old lease Cadillac or BMW than a Hyundai if you want a luxury car.
Algorithms won't help the Cadillac. Lot of consultants gonna lose their job.
5
It is probably too late to get the market to think of Cadillacs as 'American Mercedes' or 'American Jaguar' kinds of cars. There is a sizable cultural burden to the brand by virtue of its own history of decades of opulent display. And yet this was not always the case.
Few now remember that the initial selling point for Cadillac a century ago was power. A Cadillac coupe, not very different from a Ford Quadricycle, famously climbed the steps of the US Capitol building with nary a groan or a sputter. This original impression of power led Cadillac to develop V-12 and V-16 engines, definitely powerful but no longer capable of going up public staircases. But this image worked for Alfred Sloan's GM, and beyond.
Changing that perception will require a new focus to what it means to have a Cadillac, and that will be difficult. It also cannot be subject to market forces, the error GM is making with Cadillac today. Cadillac needs a new definition to replace the opulent trademark it has had since the 1930s. From power to luxury to...? Only with a definite pole star to direct the brand around will Cadillac regain its prestige and its durable legacy. Without that, it's the engineering cliché of the day, a more-expensive Fiat or Smart car.
Crafting the new meaning for what a Cadillac is should be the major work of President Carlisle and his team. Less than that is more slow failure. Perhaps not so slow.
6
Cadillac body design is stuck in the 70s - garishly ugly. Buick's designs have evolved into svelte, well sculpted vehicles that are a pleasure to look at and drive. Cadillac, on the other hand, are just plain revolting.
GM needs to hire vehicle designers who can create designs that are several notches higher than the beautiful Buicks, and capture the essence of understated elegance - cynosure of the soul.
10
@Zor Agree on this criticism. Would love to see something like the initial concept Buick Avenir - before they toned it down for production
1
@Zor Several Buicks are rebadged European Opels, designed over there, which helps explain the aesthetic disparity.
@Todd Stultz
Do not forget Buick Bengal
As a middle-aged American I am emotionally connected to the Cadillac brand, and root for yet another comeback... but from a distance. I've never bought one. I test-drove an SRX a few years ago but found it clunky and crude, with an off-puttingly cheap interior and too much overcomplicated gadgetry. My wife couldn't get comfortable in it, and the vehicle felt like a gussied-up Chevy at twice the price. As an American I want Cadillacs like the SRX to succeed; as an owner I would prefer to buy a three-year-old Lexus.
9
Cadillac should go the "retro" route like the "new" Beetle, Thunderbird, Camaro, Challenger, or Mustang. They more than anyone else could cash in on it. They have the brand-design cache. Double-down on this strategy and they can turn the boat around.
20
In law school I recall reading about one of Ford Motor Cars’ defenses to being held liable for the exploding Pinto disasters. Their response to the issue of why they did not recall and fix the Pintos was that more people would have had accidents driving their cars to the dealership for the repair than would be hurt by their exploding car so, in essence, out of concern for the public they decided not to recall and fix the cars. Outrageous and immoral. The American Car Industry became lazy, complacent and corrupt, and while I am glad the industry was saved in 2007/8 for the sake of the workers, their bosses should have been fired.
5
So your excuse for not liking Cadillac is Fords pinto from the 70s.
People make absurd assumptions that are not based in fact but rather on outdated excuses all so they can justify paying far more for German cars that aren’t reliable and have terrible resale. To me people really don’t care about anything other than status when it comes to expensive luxury brands. They want the Benz because it will advertise to their neighbors and family how successful they are. For many buying a Cadillac is just too expensive on the status scale.
Or let’s bring up things from decades ago, like when they rebadged a Chevy in 1984 and called it a cimmero. People use this excuse for not liking the brand too. If everyone thought that way Hyundai and Kia would no longer exist. It seems everyone can forgive foreign brands, like VW, but GM and Ford, forgetaboutit.
Personally my opinion is irrelevant to GM. As a NYC resident I’ll never buy any brand. If I go to the airport and get a Lincoln or Caddy picking me up I’m a very happy camper.
1
Cars are big investments.
MAGA and Corporate Detroit just don't go together.
It apparently is in their DNA.
Time to roll out the "Take another Look " ad campaigns again.
1
Interesting piece. But I wonder why there was no mention of Lincoln, which to me would be Cadillac’s closest competition. It’s the only other American luxury brand I know of, and actually feel that its recent reinvention is finally starting to show some promise.
I’m 36, and was recently in the market for my first luxury vehicle, and briefly thought about Cadillac, but quickly took it off of my list. The styling of the cars is just all over the place. The sharper lines on yet a bloated body have always been off-putting, and the interior is confusing to navigate.
I would up leasing a Lincoln.
AND, re Lincoln, my parents owned three Town Cars, mostly because of the smooth ride but also because they held up well—few, if any, repairs. I’m disappointed to not see Lexus named in the mix. We’re loyal owners, after owning two BMWs over the years. Why? Free service under warranty, and they’re just GOOD, luxurious and comfortable cars that never (at least for us) break down. Ours is a 2015 and still on the original battery, even.
2
The new Corvette C8 has a better interior than most Cadillac’s. If that’s the state of Cadillac today, it’s going to be a real uphill battle to attract younger buyers.
3
Who wants to take the risk of buying a brand that might be discontinued?
3
Here is the problem. As a consumer, I can buy a German made car for $60,000 or I can buy a american made Cadillac. Guess which one I will take. If fact, German cars are even better buys when you buy them off of a lease. Very often I see that the pricing of German and American cars are getting closer and closer. Those gigantic GM SUVs you see on the highway these days; they are now costing as much as $100,000 so why not buy a Porsche truck or an Audi truck or a Range Rover.
8
@Truth Is True. I wish you had told me that German cars are a great "buy" before my two Mercedes drove me to the poor house. My wife started to get jealous because I was spending so much time with the Mercedes mechanic. And, oh, there were some problems he never could solve.
4
Correct. The Big Three German luxury marques dominate this market. And everyone here leases and then trades in for the newer model after two years.
You almost never see a BMW, Audi or Mercedes older than 2016 here. Cadillacs? once in a blue moon.
@GMoore I would never own a German car past its warranty period. Woe to anyone who does. If you want a luxury car but not to trade it in every few years, Lexus would be your best bet in terms of reliability because it's a Toyota at heart.
4
The last American-made car I bought was a 1971 Dodge Dart. It was very reliable, but I switched to a 1979 Mazda RX-7 after that. I drove it for 163,000 miles. Since then, all I've had are BMWs and Mazdas, which I keep for an average of 8 years.
I don't believe American-made cars have the reliability of German and Japanese cars. I check with Consumer Reports before I consider buying a car. They rank Mazda and BMW at the top of the list.
Chrysler stopped making the Dodge Dart because it was too reliable and people weren't trading them in for newer models.
7
A cheer for the fans of the old Dart and its famously durable Slant Six. Even when these cars were new, it was known that a very simple car - on the opposite side of the galaxy from a Caddy — would run, and run, and run. In the Boston area the Dart and its relatives became taxis, drive trains pulled and rebuilt a couple of times before the car turned 7 digits.
3
I will never buy a car from GM. I still resent the attitudes they held in previously decades showing complete lack of concern for the consumer. Their opposition to airbags cost how many lives? All they wanted was to raise their bottom line at the expense of the consumer.
7
nevermind airbags. Lee iacocca who was once chairman of GM fought to keep the government from making them install seat belts back in the 60s. typical American businessman. profits over decency and common Sense.
3
@bc Sorry, but Lee Iacocca was never chairman of GM.. He never even worked for GM in any capacity. He worked for Ford, then took over at Chrysler post 1979 bankruptcy bailout.
3
@Warren D- Brings to mind the old joke about GM and Toyota. They both have a major safety recall. Toyota immediately hires 100 new engineers to fix the problem. GM hires 100 new lawyers.
3
I have kept my 2006 DTS because, imho, that is the last year GM built a real Cadillac. Anything after that is leather upholstery on a Chevrolet.
Even my car has had problems, but at 220,000 miles, it is still going strong.
When GM finally gets its act together and builds a real luxury car, then perhaps the name Cadillac will mean something again.
Not until.
1
The thing is, that when sitting inside a Cadillac, you are reminded that it's a GM.
4
My 87 year old mother in law had a 2000 coupe deVille that was great. Its engine seals dried out and she replaced the car with a new XTS.
The car is a nightmare. I am 6'6" and I can't get in the car. But the real problem is the electronics. Everything is so complicated. My son who is an engineer has to fix or reset something every month. It takes a deep interest in tinkering to operate the sound system and the seats have a habit of repositioning themselves whenever you start the thing. It almost broke my legs.
They seem so enamoured with technology they make it hard to operate. Japanese Luxury cars just work and go.
Nobody under 80 desires this car.
5
What distinguishes cadillac from all the other high end luxury cars. All the people we know in the younger generation are dreaming of Teslas or other electric vehicles.
More of the same, slightly re tooled wont do it - just as plastic surgery and aerobics do not restore lost youth-only rebirth will do that
4
I love this comment! I agree!!
I recently bought a GM car (not a Cadillac) after having several Japanese and German vehicles. I love it. It’s affordable, reliable, roomy, looks good, and it feels good to buy something just a little bit more “American”. At this point, the Japanese have lost their reliability edge (my Honda was a disaster) and my Mercedes, honestly, is also made as economically as any other brand. If you are in the market for a car, do yourself a favor and give an American brand a try.
*I don’t work for a car company or any company in any way related to autos!
5
The very first thing that Cadillac needs to do is to build a quality car. They are producing junque. Not only that but hard (read expensive) to maintain. When you have to remove the front bumper to replace a light bulb you built something that is un-maintainable.
7
@Julia Ellegood Wow that reminds me of the Chevy Monza (or maybe it was the Vega) where you had to raise the engine block to get at the spark plugs.
If an extraterrestrial visitor arrived on Earth and read this article as a way of learning something about Earth’s cars, he would come out thinking that Cadillac, and American cars in general, are the pinnacle of technology, quality, style and driving pleasure. Regrettably, he would have been fooled, just as if he had watched Hollywood movies as a way of learning about human history and culture. With only one exception, every American car ever made belongs in the crusher. They have always been people movers, never motor cars. The exception is the Corvette. Sad to think that even this magnificent machine, the only made in U.S.A. car that can stand proudly next to the best of Europe, will one day, perhaps soon, die at the hands of that most hideous of American inventions - the SUV.
7
The new status symbol, which is all Cadillac has always represented to US car buyers is this: no car. None. Ride sharing for town such as Uber and Lyft. Luxury rental for weekend getaways. Or the car could be "co-owned" by 2-3 families. Sounds crazy but, with a little planning, it pencils out. 78K for a car quickly depreciates but you're still making those monthly payment of 600-700 a month. That money could be going to a lot more things of long term value. A nicer home, kid's debt free education, nicer and longer vacations. The days of staring at your car ( while hoping the neighbors are staring as well) are over.
8
I live in an area where German luxury cars dominate the roads. I would not hesitate to Guess that three out of every five cars on the road - not just luxury cars, all cars - are German luxury cars. and they're the newest models. that's because nobody here actually BUYS a car. they lease for 2 years so they can get the newer model. no one around here wants to be seen driving an older-model German luxury car.
1
FYI-I plan to purchase a sleek 1985 Eldo from FL once the kids are out of the house. I'll still be a 60-something suburban housewife but I'll be tooling to the grocery store in style, I already have the bumper sticker--'Elvis gave me this car'.
14
@trixila
Elvis died in 1977, not 1985.
1
I had a Mercedes C240 and then an S430.
They had the poorest quality of any vehicles I have ever owned - constantly in the shop.
I then had a Cadillac STS for four years and never had one issue with it.
10
@DoctorHeel
Most don't notice, but German auto manufacturers NEVER emphasize quality or reliability, They discuss ride quality, features, handling, and everything but their real advantage, cachet. I bought an Audi, and while one car doesn't define an entire line, it was instructive that after about $5,000 working on the heating/cooling/engine block problem, the dealer said that no matter how much more money I gave him he could not fix the car. Thought I would never hear that. German engineering is superb but has nothing to do with reliability and ease of repair.
1
I think that Cadillac is already doing the right thing by emphasizing technology, style and performance. Now they should get Toyota or Honda help to increase quality and reliability. The methods are well known but, up till now, Cadillac seems to stubbornly refuse to implement them. If I could rely on Cadillac making a reliable vehicle, I would go shopping for one today.
If Detroit had only listened to Dr. Edwards Deming who encouraged them "to build quality in" but instead pushed him out to Japan, who listened, and now dominates the American market. It is too late to save the American auto industry. The last American car I purchased was a 1987(?) Chrysler Gran Voyager because the transmission failed as I was going up hill and started rolling backwards. The car was less than a month old.
3
Turning a deaf ear to Deming was on a level with IBM chasing away what became Microsoft and also deciding that personal computers had no future.
But, as the still in love owner of a 1952 MG TD, I ponder what if Deming had only gone to England and clued them in.
5
Steve Carlisle is on a fool's errand, albeit a high-paying one.
It was over for Cadillac even before they badge-engineered a cheap Chevy Cavalier into the awful Cadillac Cimarron and an Opel into the bland, forgettable Cadillac Catera.
And after those brand-killing disasters they bought Saab and destroyed it, slapping Saab badges on Chevy Blazers and Subarus.
7
@Randy We have a Saab the only thing to fear is fear itself and SAAB GM version. It eclipses the Edsel.
4
GM’s butchery of SAAB was just standard auto business, but mine, a partly Chevy creature, is really an Opel Vostro under the skin, and is really a capable German thing. I said “is” because the car is 20 years old and essentially maintenance free, except for the initial few errors. Because of the internet, advice, parts and community is vibrant, as it is on many long gone cars: something the general public does not understand.
4
@Randy "It was over for Cadillac even before they badge-engineered a cheap Chevy Cavalier into the awful Cadillac Cimarron."
I remember driving a Cimarron. The car was ridiculous (as in buying a Chevy Suburban pretending to be a Cadillac Escalade).
What stands out is how GM shoehorned a V8 into the Cimarron. The car was a monster off the line, slaying any 318i in its path.
1
Growing up in the Midwest in the 60s and 70s, foreign cars were not only rare but derided. Depending on my dad's income as a musician, my parents bought a new GM every year or two, with one foray into a Chrysler and a disastrous Ford Pinto that thankful didn't blow up. So did my nearby grandparents.
The Chevies and Buicks were good serviceable cars. But the Cadillac was a status symbol. When we had a Caddy it said to me, "You made it." Of course, that's what GM's marketing department wanted all along.
I'm older and wiser. And -- even as beautiful as some of the models look, especially, the Vette -- my wife and I have resolved to never have an American marque car in our garage. My wife in particular say she'd be embarrassed to have an American car in the doctors' parking lot. The past unreliability doesn't cut it.
Our German and Japanese cars just run and run and run. Even when we forget to change the oil. The quality of the exterior, the interior, and the mechanics and just too good. Maybe Cadillacs are, too in 2019. But I'll never know, because as much as I wanted when when I was 15, now I'll never have an interest in owning one.
14
If you can afford an automobile in the price class of a Cadillac, the one major factor in your choice will be the brand and its reputation for all things considered.
GM, General Motors, comes in at the bottom of the list. One may admire the looks of the car but knowing it is made by General Motors kills the deal.
GM- Great Mammoth elephant in the room.
1
@R.L.DONAHUE Awwww, come on. It may kill the deal for you, but there are still plenty of people out there who aspire to owning a Cadillac. It's an American brand, and that still means something.
Follow Coca-Cola’s lead and launch New Cadillac? Maybe not.
3
I just don't understand why American Car Companies don't produce new modern versions of some of the historic car's within their respective lines that we're hyper successful and continue to be in resale. A great majority of automobiles across the American lines today look the same, and have a generic quality that doesn't feel either authentic or uniquely American. It's quite unfortunate. An exclusive focus on technology, and not general styling, will not win the day.
Where is the new version of the 1970 Ford Bronco 2 !?! And not just in name. A remake of that would be on back order.
5
@C "I just don't understand why American Car Companies don't produce new modern versions of some of the historic car's within their respective lines"
The Chevy Camaro, Chrysler Barricuda and Ford Mustang are remakes that appear to pull it off.
What would be impressive is if Chevy or Cadillac could produce an e-version of their classic Impala or Coupe d'Ville
2
@C
There will be a 202 Ford Bronco
No new modern versions? Try the 'new' challenger, charger, mustang.
@C I'll add to the Bronco list. How about a remake and update of the Cadillac El Dorado of the late '90s? High performance engine and all.
Let’s Do the Time Warp – here is one from September 2000 Fortune Magazine “Can Cadillac Come Back? GM's once-platinum luxury brand has been stuck in the mud for decades. Now Caddy is launching a bold new campaign to rev up its cars, its image--and its sales.” We are into a twenty-year brand revival – as if the branding is a brand trying to revive itself. GM sells a lot of Chevy and GM SUVs and trucks – but in the luxury-car market – they are consistently out engineered by the Germans, Japanese and now the Koreans. They also continue to suffer from using the corporate “parts bin” across all their platforms and brands. When the dash/switches and plates in your new Caddy look like the same ones in your neighbor’s five year old Chevy Suburban, the message is clear that GM is still playing their same old game.
3
Still can’t drive cross country in an electric in winter through northern states.
9
@Sue
True, but you will be able to in the future - and its a future that all car companies see, even if our president stuck in the Neolithic does not.
5
General Motors, many years past, stressed innovation, innovative design, engineering excellence and quality. Then Roger Smith took over and changed the corporate goal away from design and engineering excellence to a quest for the bottom line...make them as cheaply as possible and get them sold. This change in philosophy started a slow decline in GM quality that has lasted for decades.
294
@moderate af
"changed the corporate goal away from design and engineering excellence to a quest for the bottom line."
That is the problem with too many US corporations now. When money people take over it's a signal that the company is starting to decline.
73
@moderate af... exactly. Throw in the business mba’s in the mix and the real car guys were sidelined. Great concepts were compromised to death until gym became a pension company that sold cars. Bean counters shouldn’t run a car company
35
That long-term decline in quality was clear to many discerning buyers 20-30 years ago. Many of those buyers are still buying cars but would never buy from GM. Once you stop trusting a company, it's hard to start again.
80
“Soon I found myself questioning the bigger picture; the morality of the whole GM system…” John DeLorean, from "On a Clear Day You can See General Motors". GM is too big to fail and evidently too big to make an interesting, well designed, or progressively engineered car in seven decades.
5
I’m tired of all this GM bashing. My Chevy Cruze LT is a FABULOUS car for the $. So much car - looks sharp, has pep, handles great, sips fuel. I test drove a bunch of competitors. Corolla - garbage, Prius C - no power, outback - bad handling, Mazda 3 - dated interior, golf - too pricey. Too bad they cut it from the line.
The real problem that no one wants to talk about is, the people Cadillac is trying to attract just do not want to be associated with the people who buy Cadillacs.
331
@Michael
Me too.
4
@Michael
Yes. It's time for a new name. "Cadillac" is a permanently ruined brand.
9
@Michael
If someone were to describe something as being a "Cadillac", I would immediately think old and clunky.
15
my 1995 de ville is as close to perfect as a car could ever be.
i hope we will die on the same day so that we are never apart.
everyone else can keep the over-gadget-loaded, unproven electrical tracking/braking/auto-everything, cheaply made vehicles being hyped today: i will stick with my V8, fantastic average mpg, roadworthy in nearly all weather conditions cadillac.
8
Luxury car buyers today are sheep, who know little about automotive quality. They gravitate toward established European and Asian luxury brands not for the driving experience, but to shout to the world their (allegedly) higher social and economic status. As a result, look across the parking lot of almost any country club today and you’ll discover a sea of silver or black Mercedes and BMW SUVs and sedans. How boring.
In a world where automotive quality is quite high and almost any car you buy is at least pretty good, some of these “luxury” models turn out to be surprisingly ordinary, except for their cost of ownership. Some BMWs I’ve driven in recent years aren’t nearly worth their list prices, in terms of performance and build quality. Among small SUVs, for example, a $34,000 Mazda CX-5 will give you a better driving and ownership experience than a $50,000 BMW X2.
The current Cadillacs are as good or better than almost anything that sports a foreign badge at a comparable MSRP. The challenge is that foreign brands exude continuity and stability, while Cadillac continues to flail. Buy a particular Caddy model now and you don’t know whether it’ll still be around in the next 6-12 months. The CT6 is a superb sedan, but I’ve been reading for the past few months that GM may end domestic production soon and only sell the car in China. With that forecast, why would I want to buy one?
it’s no no longer about the quality of the cars. It’s primarily about marketing.
24
@LIChef - any vehicle sold in the US must be supported for ten years by the manufacturer. It not being produced in six months shouldn't change any buyers mind.
@Marky A--"It not being produced in six months shouldn't change any buyers mind." Sorry, but who wants to buy a vehicle that is slated to be discontinued? If, by chance, you do want to buy one, wait until it is discontinued. The price you will pay will drop by 25%-33%. You buy it now and you suffer the loss when it is discontinued.
BTW, I forgot to mention that I'm the FORMER owner of two Mercedes -- a 380SL and 380SE. They almost drove me to the poor house. And that brings up another problem with the foreign "luxury" cars. Try finding a qualified mechanic to work on them when they break! Lots of luck.
3
@GMoore I keep waiting for something to go wrong with my 10 and 16 year old Lexuses, but they continue to run beautifully. Amazing quality! And it appears that comparable Caddie's cost significantly more. The only reason to buy a Caddy is to brag you having one, but it's nothing to brag about. RIP.
RIP. And take Buick along with you...
2
Like Boeing the bean counter MBA's took over. With Boeing it was trying to persuade people the 30 year old 737Max was a "new" plane. With Cadillac it was trying to persuade me (at 81 years old) that the car of my father was still relevant. A bit late of that.
7
In addition to poor management, poor quality, poor marketing, they move to Manhattan, NYC for inspiration? Then back to Detroit? Then hire an engineer from Canada?
California ... yes. Better engineering snd 100k mile warranties and free maintenance for five years. Bigger engines ... sure, can do some hybrid ...
All electric? Sure to go out of business now.
3
The problem that GM has it that is lacks a soul. They do have visionary leadership and they don't take risks or understand value. The price points they try to sell at require excellence and GM is about mob rule and mediocrity. Their design team believes ugly sells. It comes down to one simple formula - build a better driver oriented car for less money than than the Germans that is as safe or safer. Yet they cannot handle it because GM's culture has always been about cutting corners and sourcing parts with economies of scale and creating conservative designs. Creativity is beaten out employees at GM very early on. When is the last time you saw a Cadillac and said WOW- what a gorgeous car???? Audi-Porsche-WV owns the design market now and even BMW looks ugly in comparison.
5
@American Akita Team
2011 CTS Coupe. Candy Apple Red, cream and wood interior. Premium luxury/sport package. Sport handling and luxury appointment. No less reliable than my prior honda accord. STILL get compliments. If the ELR was 15k less I would have bought it. Yes, they made an electric caddy almost a decade ago but they wanted 80k. They should bring that car back immediately at a lower price point. And NO, I don't want my car downloading software and driving me off a cliff. I'll drive myself thank you very much.
5
@American Akita Team
When is the last time you saw a Cadillac and said WOW- what a gorgeous car????
EVERY DAY i even LOOK in my garage. AND every day that we are on the road/in a parking lot everyone ELSE says WOW-what a gorgeous car! polo green. 1995 de ville.
1
@linh Sorry, but the 1995 De Ville looks like the box the Seville came in. Nothing sharp or crisp about that blob.
Well, there are lots of anti-GM stories in the comments, but as a standout member of a family of Ford employees, I owned a 2005 Chevy Impala for 13 years and put 315,000 miles on it. The only reason I don't own it now, was that I was given a Mercury Monterey minivan with only 61,000 on it and the Chevy (finally) needed front-bearings replaced. Simple economics made me sell the Chevy, which I hear is still on the road. That Impala, by the way, was made during the "Old-GM" days, where everything was "made of cast-iron" as I used to joke. It was an exceptionally good car, and one that was designed as a dual-duty police-grade and consumer level car...I think that design is why it was such a great car.
Cadillac truly needs to produce a distinctive vehicle, not makeovers of Chevrolets. Perhaps it can be the "stylish" brand, by invigorating those beautiful designs of the past...something truly different from anything else on the road.
2
Problem is it has a too-cunning-looking face, with tiny eyes. If it had bigger eyes it would look smart instead. (Anyone from Cadillac who wants to thank me for my design advice can give their money to a homeless charity such as Shelter instead.)
4
My Dad moved into a retirement community in 1996 and traded in his GM Olds 98 for a top of the line Cadillac. He spent the next year driving the car back to the dealer for various minor repairs to his brand new luxury car. A year later he traded the Cadillac in on a Toyota Avalon that is still on the road today.
13
GM's corporate culture starting in the mid-1960s became one of "bean counters," where each penny saved in design and production would go to executive salaries and stock dividends. t Quality and reliability fell.
GM has been producing good products for the past ten years, but the market moved from sedans to SUVs. For my money, the Chevy SS was a better vehicle than some imports that cost twice to three times as much: a luxurious sedan (minus the prestigious nameplate) which packed the performance punch of a Corvette engine and a reliable six-speed Hydramatic.
Cadillac moving to Soho was stupid. It should become again the pride of Hamtramck...and America.
1
Cadillac, across the board, makes among the ugliest cars in the USA (maybe the world?). They look like a miniature B-2 Stealth Bomber on wheels but without wings. As for the Escalade, it is nothing more than a Yukon/Tahoe junk-mobile with bling. Maybe GM needs to look at some of their competitors more closely and try to look up the meaning of the words style and quality. And no, I don't own a Mercedes, or BMW. We have been loyal Toyota and Honda customers for 35 years.
1
Growing up in a GM family, I for one have always aspired to own a Cadillac. And I really like their sedan designs. * But $70,000? $90,000? Ridiculous...I'll never own one.
* The rebadged Suburbans (Escalades) are grotesque.
9
Enough of the GM/Cadillac bashing. I'm on my third Cadillac and love it. Talk about the foreign "luxury" cars all you want, but look under the hood and understand that maintaining those cars can cost a king's ransom. What's more, I'm disappointed that the article didn't point out some of the incredible technical advances by Cadillac. It is still a great badge, and all of the bashing is not going to change that.
7
@GMoore
Success is measured in market share and Cadillac is a decade's long loser - even lowly Lincoln is growing share faster than Caddy.
Caddy market share is down yet again for 2018 - any bets on 2019's results?
My last American automobile was in the 1977 model year. I have been driving Japanese, and German since 1984 and have never looked back. I have been going to the NYIAS (New York International Auto Show) on a yearly basis and every year, I try to see what GM has to offer that will pull me away from my Lexus and Audi. Every year... and nothing (except the new Corvette) even come close to the fit, finish, quality of the upscale Japanese and German brands. This is really unfortunate from a company founded as an American icon. And now they are competing with Japanese car manufacturers who are building their cars a few towns away from them on American soil.
1
Have a Cadillac SRX crossover (it preceded the XT5) I’ve been happy with most aspects. Handing and acceleration are surprisingly good for a crossover. Well powered and the AWD is great on snow. Nicest vehicle I’ve ever owned. Friends had a Benz SUV they eventually traded in, always in the shop. (So much for German engineering by way of South Carolina.)
Cadillac has been way too slow introducing the smaller XT4 and the larger XT6 crossovers and thusbthey lost out on countless sales as this segment was becoming more popular than sedans. (The crossover SRX/XT5 is their biggest seller.)
The larger sedan CTS is not to my liking, The smaller ATS was supposed to be the BMW killer. It is gorgeous, but I understand the entry level is underpowered and handling is only so so. Man, talk about unforced error.
I would definitely buy another XT5.
I have auto steering, lane keeping, and automatic braking in my Honda. And these capabilities are common in new cars today. I doubt Cadillac's Super Cruise is a great deal different.
6
I have to say I like the design of a lot of the Cadillacs, though as a retired person it's not in my budget. i like to watch and read a lot of new car and SUV reviews. Something I keep reading as a negative on Cadillacs is their "fit & finish" in the interior. Compared to Mercedes, BMWs, Audis. and Lexus, the reviews state the designs are often not as well thought, poor placement of controls, too much use of hard plastics on doors, control knobs, the console; often too small LED displays for important control services; poor use of upscale materials to choose from. A Cadillac SHOULD hole an audience if they actually create a sup. All the inspired design. Cadillac needs now to get some of the star power design back into their salons and studios from MB, BMW, Audi. Give them a strong incentive to raid Germany's big three on designers & engineers, do a 6-week review of Cadillac design history, and tell them too design something modern, luxurious Ipay attention to fit & finish and material quality. and ensure they reflect the latest & greatest auto technology in the world. Oh, and keep the bean counters away during the process; they've ruined many a well-received concept car, turning it mediocre by the time it hit showrooms.
3
With a few modifications, this article could have been a reprint from 1979, 1989, 1999, 2009, and now again in 2019.
I've heard this story before about a lot of GM cars. Sounds promising . . . until you see the car in the showroom. The interiors were cheap and bland, and the cars' performance and reliability was subpar compared to German and Japanese automobiles.
GM relied on patriotic Americans to buy their cars. When people are spending that much money, they shop around for the best car value. GM has fallen short for close to half a century.
17
Even with an uncle that once owned a dealership, I would never purchase a Cadillac. Like most American (and, lately, a lot of foreign) cars, they are just ugly. American cars, especially the popular SUVs, all look the same. SUVs and sedans cruise by on the streets of Manhattan and unless I'm viewing the front end or back, and barely happen to notice some insignia, as any pass by I couldn't tell you who the manufacturer is.
In fairness to Cadillac and GM, there has even been a new Ford Mustang parked on my block in TriBeCa. Fox News Alert: It's hideous, hardly recognizable from the make's glory days when my dad bought a 1964 1/2--yes, 1964 1/2!--convertible Mustang, or the 1969 Mustang Mach 1 my brother bought and left for us to use while he was serving in the Vietnam War. Those were cars that set you apart!
Cadillac is not about technology, it's not about Super Cruise or other bells and whistles which will only eventually gravitate to other competing models AND become obsolete software in a multi-thousand dollar ugly piece of steel. That Cadillac grille? It could pass as my air conditioner filter. Hideous. The body? Please. It's become institutional, the Medicare scooter of cars.
Dear GM and Mr. Carlisle, design a car body that is cool, that stands out first. Then take your hands off the wheel.
15
With the detestable Escalade, the perception of Cadillac has changed from being Grandpa's car to the car bought by those whose status anxiety is so strong they feel compelled to spend $80K on 1950's technology.
A body on frame & live rear axle in 2019? No wonder the brand is disappearing.
30
Design, design, design. When Cadillacs started to look like every other mid-size, mid-price car (Acura, Toyota, Ford, Honda), they lost the whole game. Five years ago Cadillac presented a concept car called the Elmiraj, which was gorgeous! Of course it never went into production. Young buyers, though, are looking for green and affordable solutions for everything - houses, cars etc. Even rich young buyers.
10
Decades ago I worked at a Cadillac dealership and witnessed firsthand the bloated, boat like, gas guzzling behemoths coming and going. One need only to look at the offerings from the big 3 in the 50's and 60's compared to what europeans were building to see how far american auto makers were off the mark. The bubble has burst for G.M. who are now trying to compete with the europeans, the Japanese and the Koreans. I decided some years ago I would never buy another american automobile. They're not worth it.
3
It is hard to understand how General Motors can design and crank out the second tier products it does and after decades of flashing warning signs continue down what could eventually be a dead end road. I grew up in a GM-oriented family -- both as car buyers and shareholders. But decades ago, we moved on. Sold the stock and started buying other brands -- including some made by overseas-based companies. I always give GM consideration when buying a new vehicle. I wish based on quality, comfort, value and other benchmarks I could say GM has an outstanding product. After scrutiny, I never can. Sad for workers, shareholders, others including those lost in nostalgia. Sad.
4
Years ago Cadillac realized they had to compete with the Germans, namely BMW. Cadillac did focus groups and they came up with their solution which was to re-badge a Chevy and market it to compete with BMW. Well it flop.
Today when I see a Caddy or Lincoln, I expect to see a disabled tag. IMHO BMW is the finest car made in the world, even though the Quant family has 49% of the company stock, the only major car company in the world controlled by a family. During WWII, a Quant woman was married to Hermann Goring. BMW designed and made the best radial engines which powered their best fighter of the war, the FW 190 and that engine design was used in the Mitsubishi Zero.
BTW GM made the Rolls Royce Merlin engine but this engine was only used in the Lockheed Lightening P-38 due to it's lack of power. Packard made Merlin engines were used in the P-51 Mustang which was the best fighter in WWII. Ford was turning out B-24 Liberator bombers in their Willow Run factory and worked 24/7 turning out a bomber just over an hour.
GM went from over a 50 share of the US market to where they are today.
4
Once the envy of the automotive world, the American auto industry was reduced to a joke by out of touch entitled executives. Sound familiar ?
25
So I would have been the perfect target for Cadillac once upon a time, about to retire, plenty of income, looking for that status vehicle. Instead my next car will be a plug in hybrid from Korea. Fantastic mileage, and I'll mostly run on the batteries. Cars don't convey status in our demographic, for us it's where we've traveled in the last year. A car is just a means of getting around town.
14
Does GM really think the positive brand equity that remains in Cadillac is enough to act as a springboard to overcome their historically crushing defeat and revitalize the brand?
I’m not so sure.
But, Super Cruise? That’s the play? Cadillac took its eyes off the ball 50 years ago and is betting it all on driver’s keeping theirs on the road? Sounds dreadful, short-sighted (pardon the pun), and void of strategy.
Cadillac needs a big idea—one big enough to launch a whole new brand. In fact, like houses, it’s far easier to build a new one than to renovate one that has suffered from the decay of prideful neglect.
7
I owned a ‘99 DeVille sedan with the Northstar V-8 and the STS handling package. It would outrun my son’s Mustang GT and got up to 30 mpg on the highway. Great road car, luxurious accommodations for four adults, but it had some nitpicks. The car was front wheel drive, which was a design flaw in a supposedly high performance large sedan. The Northstar created so much torque steer that it would put you in a ditch fast if you weren’t careful with the throttle or had the Stabilitrack system disabled. I loved that car, but it’s shortcomings as compared to the German and Japanese sedans it competed against were evident. It was no surprise that within a few years Cadillac’s best selling vehicle was essentially a rebadged Chevy truck.
4
GM has not managed to come up with a design that is both distinctive and reflective of both luxury and elegance. Like the Jaguar it has lost its uniqueness and it is difficult to separate it from other cars.
6
Really it’s the logo...the coat of arms has to go.
They need a performance model that doesn’t say Cadillac...develop something else that is more aggressive. Do something off the charts with fins. Batmobile x Stingray, all blacked out, electric with crazy performance. That Cadillac script is so dated too, choose another font.
2
GM squandered its reputation in the 1960s-1980s. Trust is the easiest thing in the world to lose and the hardest thing in the world to regain. They may yet build an excellent vehicle, but there are several generations of buyers who will not look at a GM car.
33
@Paul Ephraim
It's my understanding that In the 60's one of the smart boys at GM figured out they made more money selling GMAC financing than on the cars... So the cars became 'good enough' to sell financing and not much more. When GM cut production costs with truly odious products like the Chevette or Cimarron their shortcomings were compensated for by sales & marketing wizardry instead of engineering.
One of the worst cars I've owned was a 1973 Chevy Vega followed a few years later by a 1970 Cadillac intended as a project car. The Vega was cursed from Day 1 at Lordstown which had serious labor issues and the Cadillac 472 V-8 never did run well because GM chose an aluminum timing sprocket with nylon teeth for the crankshaft.
Do you know what a steel timing chain does to a nylon load surface after a few million revolutions? Do you know how much time & labor it takes to replace that sprocket? It took forever to figure out the sprocket was falling apart and the valve timing had slipped by one tooth.
I should have learned my lesson with the Vega but gave GM a second chance with the Cadillac.
There will be no third chance.
4
@BA_Blue...I've owned a lot of different cars from different eras and like you I hereby proclaim the '73 Vega to be the worst of the lot ! I felt --and still feel-- INSULTED that Chevy put this car on the market to begin with,a car without a single virtue.I regret having sold it--instead of just having it pulverized--because of my guilt over having passed this heap of junk on to another.
@Russell C.
I traded my '73 Vega rust bucket in for a used Malibu. An hour later, I got a call from a young guy who was at the dealership, looking to buy it. I talked him out of it.
The most technologically advanced car from GM this century has been the now defunct Chevy Volt. A plug-in electric vehicle that's powered by a battery or a generator; in turn powered by a small internal combustion engine. GM tried a Cadillac version, the ELR, for two years in 2013 and 2015. Some Cadillac dealers refused to even offer it and it was never successful. The only full electric currently offered is the Chevy Bolt. Normally, a company launches its most advanced technology on it's top-of-the-line platforms and it cascades down in subsequent years. Until GM sorts out it's branding and go-to-market strategy Cadillac will continue it's death by 1000 cuts.
14
I owned a 1977 Sedan Deville, it was a wonderful vehicle. I then bought a 1982 El Dorado which turned out to be a awful lemon, it was in the shop over and over. GM treated me, the customer as an enemy rather than a returning customer.
To settle the awful treatment I received, Cadillac talked me into a 1985 Sedan Deville at a very reduced price, which also became troublesome requiring trips to the dealership.
I gave up, sold the vehicle, and never bought another GM product based on quility problems, and the treatment I received from GM.
15
Cadillac spent 75 years building large, beautiful, commanding
Automobiles. Then overnight, the new models had become
Dwarfs of itself!
They expected to see their target buyers fall in a swoon over this
Catastrophic change.
Today their vehicles are LEGO LAND small excuses. Inside there
Nothing to see, only black plastic and black padding. Outside the
25 year old designers just keep designing their online games styles.
6
Cadillac is barking up the wrong tree if they think self driving is the key to selling cars. At best, Cadillac could license Super Cruise technology to other car manufactures as means to boost revenue but self-driving is a novelty at best. Brand cache right now is with Audi even though Cadillac, from a performance perspective, has had great reviews even against its German competitors.
Cadillac needs to zig while others zag. People crave simplicity and something timeless; not multitudes of buttons or complex technology. Think Leica M not Sony A7iii, to give a camera analogy.
10
@JeffB Agreed - they should build cars with beautiful layouts (think Bentley or Rolls-Royce design, at a lower price point obviously). Get rid of the high tech "stealth" look, and build timeless cars (inside and out) with tech that works seamlessly but isn't overly complicated and ghastly to look at (ie screens that can be hidden).
2
I lost interest in Cadillacs once they quit making them with fins.
7
Cadillac is missing the greatest marketing opportunity of all time. Snoop and Martha.
1
Here’s the problem with “luxury” or “status” cars: they are just as ugly as all the cramped, pod-like autos everyone else is driving. Slight refinements to the grill or overall line don’t cut it. And let’s face it, it’s all about looks.
Take a gander at the buttercream-colored Cadillac coup de ville in “Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood.” THAT was a cool, luxury car someone would want to pay money for. A 1955 Corvette? NICE. I’ve never understood why car manufacturers don’t just revive some of the sleek, sporty colors and silouettes from the apex of car design in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Slightly adapted. Assuming that today’s car companies turn out sturdy, well-made cars that aren’t gas-guzzlers, why not sell the fantasy, sex and glamor of appearance ? All modern cars look utilitarian and are hideous. Period.
59
@Tom Phillips
I certainly agree that today's cars are utilitarian and hideous looking. I'd add that color choices also leave much to be desired: You can any color you want -- as long as it's black, white, or silver.
29
@William Wroblicka
ditto to both of you
on the highway Fri eve I passed a BMW , Jaguar and Honda - all nearly identical crossovers !!!
4
@William Wroblicka Ugh - NO on those colors as the only options.
2
"Within 6-10 years, Cadillac's entire line will be electric" - Missed the boat, you've already lost the battle.
"As long as they look straight ahead." Give me a break. People find it difficult enough to look away from their phones...sounds like old tech rather than moving towards self driving.
Ho hum. Goodbye Cadillac.
2
When I was growing up, who didn’t buy GM? My dad graduated from Olds to Caddy and couldn’t be prouder. I loved my Camaro. Next door, the GTO. Down the street, the SS Chevelle.
Then in the ‘70s, Detroit forgot how to manufacture a quality automobile (Chevy Chevette anyone?) and forever lost the market to the Japanese and the Germans. That’s when GM lost me for the first time.
GM lost me for the second time, and for good, when the company refused to recall certain models of Chevy and Pontiac for ignition switch defects, despite knowing of the defect for a decade and despite the deaths of 124 people. The recall was deemed too expensive and the problem was blamed on oversized keychains and short drivers.
So, to me, GM will always be the company that values dollars more than human life. And no upper management shuffle or gee-whiz Super Cruise or other shiny magic tricks will ever change that.
119
@Col Wagon One of the things I look at in purchasing an auto or truck is utility, quality and reliability, not shiny baubles.
GM for years has relied on the shiny baubles.
Yes, some of those Cadillacs are shiny, however, if I was in the market for a luxury brand it in all likelihood would be a European brand.
10
@Col Wagon
And chose bankruptcy to stiff its retirees out of their pensions, yet lives on to sin another day.
6
@Col Wagon you’re 100% right on the ignition defects. I remember repeatedly taking my brand new Chevy back to the dealer with faulty ignition problems only to be told each time it was my keychain. Utter nonsense. My keychain consisted of the car key and mailbox key and nothing else. G.M. lost me then and I’ll never go back.
2
Read any of Car and Driver’s 10 Best synopses of the Honda Accord to learn what makes a great car. The luxury of quality and integrity override all other measures of status a product planner can come up with.
9
Wealth gap.
There are WAYYY fewer upper middle class people than there used to be.
There are more millionaires now. But they’re not buying Cadillacs. They’re buying Maseratis, porches, and Tesla’s.
If luxury brands want to fix their sales problem, they should take a real hard look at where their customer base went. For every upper middle class earner that became a millionaire, there are at least 20 others who fell further down the ladder.
Pretty hard to afford a $1,000 per month car on a $60,000 per year salary.
89
@Austin Ouellette
'There are WAYYY fewer upper middle class people than there used to be.'
Not at all. Lower middle class and middle class income growth has stagnated for most of the last four decades (Clinton presidency excluded) but upper middle class income growth and number of households has been pretty robust.
'On one hand, experts note, the American middle class is shrinking, with individuals moving toward the higher- and lower-income brackets. "There's a loss of jobs in the middle and growth at the top and bottom," says Robert J. Gordon, professor of economics at Northwestern University. "In that sense, the middle class has been hollowed out."
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/family-finance/articles/2018-07-17/where-do-i-fall-in-the-american-economic-class-system
There are lots of upper middle class households and luxury vehicle buys. The article's point is that Cadillac's share has declined sharply. That is statistically correct.
FYI: $60K hasn't been upper middle class since Ford was president.
8
I once explored leasing a V series Cadillac. I really liked the car and it was fun to drive so I was ready to take it home. When I shared that thought with friends and family, most of them went..."you'd pay that much for a Cadillac?". The trauma to this brand's perception in the marketplace might just be irreversible at this point.
4
@M Sloan Most people aren't car people and don't understand the incredible performance inherent in the V series. Any serious performance enthusiast would snap up a V series in a heartbeat based on the performance-for-dollar value.
No country seems to beat America in self loathing or loathing of their fellow countrymen. As demonstrated by many comments - some based on very old hear say.
I own a V8 Cadillac and a V8 Mercedes. Both have their virtues and faults. The Mercedes does cost a lot more to maintain. The 15 year old Cadillac has features and capabilities that the much newer, twice as expensive Mercedes does not. It is as solid and rattle free as the Mercedes. The Mercedes has many more modern features and the quality of the interior is built to a higher standard (also true compared to Mercedes of 15 years ago as well) and I do really like the car. I was lucky that the differential was replaced under warranty. On a car with just 30,000 miles. Mercedes refused to repair the lane keeping feature under warranty claiming it wasn't a "safety issue" although the feature is sold as option as a safety feature. But I also really like the Cadillac. They are different cars suited to different purposes. May Cadillac with 125,000 miles as served me very well. And I still enjoy driving it daily.
Expecting perfection from people or machines is a fool's choice. Often exhibited by those making excuses for the faults of their idols.
18
Bring back the wreath to the logo.
23
I have a 1957 Model 62 Coupe that's a daily driver. It is as much a work of art as a car. Cadillac would do well to improve styling to differentiate from the pack.
To my eyes, the difference between the design of a Honda Civic, a Tesla, a Mercedes, Audi or BMW is negligible. It is as if all are trying, like nervous adolescents, to not stand out too much, and just let their logos do the talking.
If Cadillac is indeed set to fail, I with they could show some pride and create something beautiful again.
22
@Gina
They are all designed on the same CFD platforms to meet crash, roll-over, MPG and pollution requirements imposed by governments worldwide.
The software spits out predictable results so you get predictable cars.
2
@PhilipB One can only hope that, with in the coming age of electric cars, designers will have more freedom to create truly original automobiles.
@PhilipB
Thing is, some makes arent afraid to sacrifice a metric loke cargo room to create an interesting design. American and Japanese brands all think they compete on specs, so they end up boring or hideous.
In the seventies, Cadillacs were relatively attractive cars (until the Seville), but they have been making "modern" cars for the last 20 years that have had a strangely arbitrary sharp angular quality intended--I suppose--to look aggressive and futuristic, but were simply ugly. They should look to another Detroit product as a model: Shinola, and build quality cars with respect for the best of traditional American design. Iconic with a touch of nostalgia, and a made in America, with an invigorating-abandoned-town backstory.
7
It is an old tired brand name with a lot of baggage. The logo says 1950s and even if that was made more current it would still be a "caddy". GM would have done better to keep the Saturn brand name and upgrade it to stand for high performance luxury cars.
5
Cadillac needs to burn it all down and start over; even the badge needs to go. They are out of touch with current needs and tastes. If they didn't get the email, the days of the Land Yacht are over.
We will know they are on the right track when they come out with a car that nobody recognizes as a Cadillac.
6
In addition to the problems that come from poor performance and an almost quaint pattern of being behind the technological curve, itself reminiscent of RR in the 1970s and 1980s, GM in general and Cadillac in particular have been making genuinely unappealing car designs for decades, mass produced in a way that only further alienates the sort of buyer who wants a high-end but distinctive vehicle. They'll always have the Escalante-buying crowd in the hood, however.
7
This article is mostly about self-driving technology which is not safe and won't be for another 20 years, there are too many exceptions and unforseen events. Handing off the driving to the driver in anticipation of difficult road conditions ahead is a joke because drivers always have to watch for potential accidents as they come up, not before. Dream on.
4
I've seen the CT6. It's a nice car. I'd rather drive that than a car which is made by descendants of nazis.
In WW2 my mother was taken by the Germans and forced to reside in an exclusive gated community. While there, as a slave laborer, she was forced to work in a German auto plant. She made me promise to never drive a German car. I have kept my word.
93
@MIKEinNYC
Trace back the ownership of the parts suppliers for the cars you do drive. I suspect at the top of the supply chain you are going to find an national operator of a WWII concentraion camp in some location on the planet.
5
@MIKEinNYC
I bought a Mercedes some years ago and picked up my aunt Ethel who had a similar experience to your mother's in World War 2. I remember her crying quietly in the back seat as her father had always driven Mercedes. Despite his iron cross he did not survive. It was the first time in many decades that she had been in one she told me. I drive a Ford now.....considering Henry's history perhaps not much better. Of course my Ford is made in Mexico by 2 dollar per hour Mexican "union" labor. So even though I try to do my part by buying a US car it seems US car making and car makers are headed to the dust heap of history. American workers can't compete with 2 dollars per hour in Mexico. Why the UAW can't organize in Mexico or China is a nagging question. Unions need to be international or they cannot survive with open borders for people and money.
5
@Michael
What a resentful backward looking view. If you were hit by a car, and the driver of a German-made car would offer to bring you to a hospital, would you refuse?
10
An entire article about a GM brand with no mention of 'reliability.' Just because a person shells out for a Cadillac, doesn't mean they want to keep shelling out hard-earned cash for a car that turns into an endless money pit in a couple of years.
67
@Keith
I've owned a used Cadillac for the past 2 years. I drive about 150 a day, mostly highway driving. During that time I've had some mild electrical problems (Door lock actuators), and I've had the car maintained regularly. I've yet to have any major repair or reliability issues.
The car has a rock solid chassis great ride quality, a nice sound system, and comfortable climate control system.
Most of the comments here focus on things like "perception" and brand image. Conversely, the automotive press, tends have much higher opinion of Cadillac, than the general public. Very few of the people commenting have actually driven or owned a late model Cadillac.
10
Cadillac excelled when they did what they did well: Make huge, fast, smooth, luxurious cars that glide you effortlessly down the highway.
They might have survived the downsizing of 1977, which left interior area largely unchanged, but the introduction of the Seville, the use of "Corporate" (non-Cadillac, ie: Chevy and Oldsmobile) engines, and then the... Cimarron... heralded the slow but absolutely inexorable decline of the brand and of its status.
The final blow came when "badge engineering" came to Cadillac in the form of the Escalade, a Chevy Suburban with Cadillac badges and thicker seats. As with the Cimarron, why would anyone with any sense spend "Cadillac money" on a Chevy?
I believe that Caddy's only hope now is to do the exact opposite of what many posters here, and Cadillac itself, seem to think: Rather than trying to beat the Europeans and the Japanese at their own game, Caddy needs to out-American them by building a big, smooth, fast car (electric is okay) with wide-open inside spaces, unencumbered by bucket seats, consoles, and all of the claustrophobic features of a modern car interior. And by big, I mean big: a "normal-height" car with the footprint of a Tahoe.
They'll have the only one in town, and if it handles like a BMW and rides like a cloud, people in the middle-US will flock to it.
35
@Eric "if it handles like a BMW and rides like a cloud, people in the middle-US will flock to it."
If they are over 75. Maybe.
7
@Eric. I think it’s called the Buick LaCrosse. Rented one years ago. It was enormous, quiet, and smooth as silk. No European handling there. I believe the equally enormous and smooth Shaq was the spokesman for a while.
2
@Eric Hi I am 77 and I agree with you. The V8 Engine in my 93 Corvette and my 2002 Escalade EXT seem bullet proof. I am happy to die with what I have and enjoy the memory of the glory days of GM.
I see nothing on the market that interests me. I still have my 1985 MB 300 D, -- 400,000 miles - I take it out on rainy days!
Nice comment
1
GM would do well to follow the example of Rolex. Rolex builds a great watch. Every eight years or so you send it into the factory and the clean it, oil it, and polish it, and it's as good as new.
The car companies, (yes, even Porche, Mercedes, BMW, Rolls-Royce and Bentley) make their money on repairs not on selling the original vehicles.
These vehicles are all a nightmare to repair as they get older. They are real money pits.
That's why I leased a brand new 2019 Lincoln MKC. They are built to higher quality standards and if you take care of them they will easily last 200,0000 to 300, 000 miles.
GM needs to clean up its act and build a quality vehicle. There is an old saying in life, "If you want to get to where you want to go, you need to help others get to where they want to go."
If GM and Cadillac built a better higher quality car, they would have a solid market share.
My Rolex is the ultimate Timex. It keeps great time, I can wear it while I hit a gold club, and it needs routine maintence every eight years. Otherwise it doesn't miss a beat.
Cadillac would be wise to build quality not planned obsolescence.
Do yourself a favor, avoid the GM vehicles like the plague. Even if they are still covered under warranty who wants to waste valuable time living at the dealership for factory authorized repairs?
If I need service on my Lincoln they drop off a loaner car, pick up my vehicle, change the oil, rotate the tires, wash it, and then bring it back.
36
@Louis My in-laws own a Chrysler van, which they purchased when Chrysler was so desperate, the company was offering ridiculous warranties (this one may even be lifetime of the car). This van is in the shop monthly, if not weekly sometimes. I have stated the same case as you. Who cares if it is 'covered'. Time is our most previous resource. But then, they're retired and maybe the waiting room has good coffee?
8
@Louis
Could not agree with you more. GM makes garbage. Now you have me curious about leasing a Lincoln. I should look into that.
4
@Louis - I've always liked Lincolns and will look at them when my current lease ends. Years ago I purchased a Mercury Grand Marquis LS. It was great for long road trips. I had it for 18 years and put over 200,000 miles on it before it rusted through. The engine and transmission were still in good condition. These days I rarely spend a lot of time on the road. I have a Kia Optima which is a nice car and fine for short trips but is best described as utilitarian.
1
“That’s just one of these unfortunate prioritization dilemmas,” Mr. Carlisle said, again sitting back, hands free, while Super Cruise piloted us down I-94. “Had we thought of it a little earlier, we would have gotten to it sooner.”
And that, fellow readers, is the story of Cadillac in general, but GM in particular. Always behind the curve because they thought they knew better than the market. Always watching their competitors implement new technology and new design concepts -- and then trying to pawn knockoffs off on their customers. Always willing to save $0.15 on a "universal" part, while watching the quality of the whole car suffer. Always willing to sell their workers out to implement more automation. Always asking their suppliers to cut costs and then pocketing the "savings". And when they develop a new and interesting technology like Super Cruise, they can only apply it to a niche car that isn't selling.
165
@mjan
I agree 100%, I read this and thought it was classic GM behavior going back decades. Some other instances where GM developed truly cutting-edge technology and then let it wither on the vine:
* GM EV1 - they built a semi-practical electric car in the late 90s, then sent them all to the crusher a few years later. They had no EVs at all until the Volt over a decade later.
* Chevy Volt - the first mainstream plugin hybrid. A pretty good car, but they discontinued it this year due to missing the SUV trend. If they had a tiny amount of foresight and introduced the same technology in a crossover, it would have sold like hotcakes (see the RAV4 Hybrid).
* Chevy Cruze - the first generation received accolades for the interior quality and comfort. It showed that GM could make a good small car after decades of selling garbage. So of course for the second generation they cut the interior quality and content, leaving no point in getting it over the Japanese and South Korean competition. The Cruze was also discontinued this year.
Hopefully they are smart enough to realize that Super Cruise is a game changer. Autopilot is a huge selling point for Tesla. They should at least offer it on all Cadillac models, ideally on everything GM sells.
11
@mjan There's no dilemma at all. Put Super Cruise into the SUV ASAP. So they'll have to replace existing tooling before it wears out? Tough you-know-what. Them's the breaks. Most of the work on the system has already been done, adapting it for an SUV shouldn't take more than a few months work at most (and most of that work will be safety testing and software tweaking).
"Move fast, or lose."
7
Cadillac would help themselves if they stopped making cars that look like Cadillacs. They are consistently some of the ugliest cars on the market.
Perhaps steal some design engineers from BMW or Mercedes? Even people from Nissan or Hyundai could improve things greatly.
5
"One part of the plan is for Cadillac to add electric vehicles to compete with Tesla"
Back in 2014 Cadillac unveiled the ELR, or as the big brains at GM liked to call it, the Tesla Killer. The killer turned out to be little more than a pimped out Chevy Volt. Fast forward five years and Cadillac is still talking about taking on Tesla, this time in three years. Good luck. My suggestion would be that Mr. Carlisle spend some time behind the wheel of all what Tesla offers. Perhaps it will dawn on him that Tesla is not an electric version of a failed product, but ground-up thinking on what an electric car could be.
There is a difference.
57
@buddhaboy
I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm pretty much in Cadillac's desired demographic and one glance at the interior of the CT6 provided in this article and I know that I have no interest in it. It looks stodgy, old and awkward reflection of the past, not sleek, modern, and looking towards the future. They're going to have to do much better than this if they want to appeal to Gen X and Millennials.
3
I noticed the new ads for the Cadillac SUV were decidedly urban in flavor, suggesting that millennial rappers in NYC needed this vehicle to ferry their crew from club to club. It was completely ridiculous and smacked of desperation, being so far off the mark from the reality of this particular vehicle. Unless you were a successful rapper, few millennials would be able to afford the jaw dropping price of 70k plus for a dubious vehicle that promises to be a headache in a few short years.
23
I have owned 5 Cadillacs in the last 15 years (not by choice). While all have offered comfortable rides, I have learned not to trust the electronics. Anti-theft locking the car with no remedy except OnStar; wipers that start when it's sunny and don't when it rains; valet mode that is impossible to program correctly; outdated navigation system; etc, etc.
I would NEVER trust Super Cruise to keep me out of harm's way.
34
Cadillac basically makes cars for funeral homes.
73
@Mac Don't forget lots of rental car companies are choked full of Caddys as well.
1
Looks like Cadillac was behind imitating BMW and now Tesla...
1
When the product a company produces declines in quality relative to the marketplace the fall in market share is inevitable.
The American auto industry's excuse was always the cost of union contracts... I imagine that BMW and Mercedes workers, especially in Europe, are reasonably paid.
Corporate complacency and corporate credo were more the problem. Cadillac... we all wanted them in the 50's, not so much now!
5
@Phil Zaleon You don't have to imagine German carmakers pay their employees reasonably; they DO. However, when they established plants in the U.S.A., German carmakers opt for places without protections for unions, such as Alabama (Mercedes produces SUVs and C-class sedans there) and South Carolina (where BMW produces their SUVs).
3
@Carl Ian Schwartz Yes, you're absolutely correct.
We ought not fault them for taking advantage of our inequitable setup, especially when we allow states to compete with each other using taxpayer dollars to incentivize investment.
Europe is another situation entirely as healthcare is either partially or completely a governmental function and built into their tax structure.
Perhaps the European apprenticeship system, which some companies are implementing here in the US will, in the end, be beneficial in raising the technological skills of American workers.
1
Defines American excess in a white belt white shoe way. Recalled as the boat-car of our parents and grandparents that pivoted, did not turn corners. That it's been redesigned is like saying a redesigned Blackberry- its time has passed. The cars still have a bloated boxy feel rather than an opulent flowing look. That and a long line of poor build quality. Luxury from Bavaria sounds logical; from Detroit is a logical disconnect. Cadillac coasted for far too long.
14
What a shame and what a tough business. Electric, internal combustion, hybrid, autonomous driving. Casting bets everywhere doesn't make good economic sense and the future is unclear. What I do know is that our Cadillac CTS-V coupe is one of the finest cars we've ever owned, and we've owned many fine automobiles. What drew us was the styling, power, and refinement. 81,000 miles and not one problem.
13
@Frank F
Until the present time, my favorite car of the dozens I have owned was a 1968 VW squareback in college. Didn't have a lot of power like the muscle car guys enjoyed, but it was just 'right'.
Nearly 50 years later, I bought what could be my last car - a 2016 ATS-V coupe with the manual transmission. The performance is superlative, and I smile every time I see it in the driveway. Cadillac got it 'right', too. For sure.
I am very disappointed that they have discontinued the V coupe, and unfortunately, the rumored mid-engine design will probably never come to fruition.
Cadillac - are you listening?
2
@Frank FGood for you,Frank,but I'll pass.
So many difficult comments here! 1) Please keep in mind since the early 2000s Cadillac has produced a number of smaller cars that were built on unique platforms and very competitive with other luxury lines. So let's give credit where it's due and look at the product line with a more open eye. 2) There is no value in moving Cadillac HQ out of Detroit. NYC we love you but nothing was gained by moving it to Manhattan. Nothing will be gained sending it to LA. "The Standard of the World" was developed right here in Detroit." 3) And no we are not "scared of Europe and the rest of the world." Please stop. We are well versed in international business. If you visited here you would see we too have a population that is rapidly changing. So--just no. Instead what we want is our elected leaders to stop funneling our jobs overseas. If you understood that people's lives have been destroyed by this you may be more sensitive to some of the apprehension to unchecked globalism.
7
Perhaps not being defensive to the feedback is the place to start, along with excuses for what seem to be universal associations with the brand. Free focus group, listen up!
3
I’ve got a Kia Sorento. Mine is the top of the Sorento line, but it’s ... a Kia.
Yet, when I recently took a three-hour trip with an older (nearly 70) business partner in his Cadillac, I realized my Kia was better in almost every respect - comfort, interior, merging power, technology. Cadillac will have to wrench itself into the present to survive.
15
@Stephen I have a Kia Sorento too, and for the price I paid for it I couldn't be happier. It was considerably less than the pricier brands, but it drives well and looks great. No complaints!
3
When I see a Cadillac I am always wondering, who is buying these things?
I can't imagine that anyone with a modern mindset wants to be associated with Cadillac buyers.
32
First, bring back the classic names (who doesn’t want an Eldo or a Coupe or a Barritz?!), then put back those unique Caddy features (like the blinker signals on the front fenders and the periscope in front or rear window!). Get back-to-basics of Caddy-cool 😎!
Where’s the foot-switch to change the radio stations!
8
For several years past Cadillac sheet metal has been understated and elegant, but the reliability and build quality miserable and public. Cadillac was never been about quality or reliability, it was about aspirational status and perceived ability to afford such a car. Look at Cadillac ads; cars are routinely shown parked in front of a converted brick warehouse or in a recently gentrified urban setting.... lots young people who have shut down their computers and are heading for their Cadillac to drive to some trendy restaurant featuring ingredients they need some Wicki site to identify. Do these people own cars? Where do they park them when not cruising to the next Ta’Y’Grunge retrospective? They don’t. They walk, car pool, take public transportation or Lyft their Uber. Most of the people Cadillac have identified as a target audience cannot afford a car and a $1,500 monthly parking space AND the $3,000 monthly rent on a 600 sq. ft box. That demographic already has a German SUV, or they take other transportation. Perhaps the view from Detroit will help Cadillac better define its market.
31
@DEH
I have thought the same thing. I used to live in Soho during the 80s and 90s in loft buildings. I just rolled my eyes when I saw recent Cadillac ads showing their cars being driven down the cobblestone streets of Soho. They can’t be serious. The best car to have in NY is something small, easy to park and can be left on the street overnight. Nothing precious. GM is not thinking. Design by committee with no real world experience living in NY.
1
Where does one begin with why Cadillac is way way behind in car owner's esteem. Let me offer a few observations:
1. In the late 70's or early 80's, Cadillac basically took a standard small GM car and frame design from Chevy, Pontiac and Buick and made the chintzy Cimarron. The "affordable Cadillac". They are all in junk yards now. They should have been then.
2. The Eldo Biarritz was a joke.
3. As engineering and material qualities became chintzier, the overly long and ill fitting doors, trunk lids and hoods were now a serious liability that couldn't hide the poorness of design and build the second a person opened or closed one of these things.
4. The later years CTS and like are cheesy looking and feel chintzy inside. Compare to a BMW anytime you want to be reminded of how cheesy their designs have become.
5. Escalades, to me, and anyone I know are associated with people who may not really have money but try to drive as if they do and they have all that cheesy branding on them that screams, "I shop at Malls in the Suburbs and have no taste!"
6. I could go on. I won't. I feel a few other car companies have slipped but somehow maintain sales, like Mercedes. But everyone knows there is German engineering and build in those at least.
In the old days, Quality is what made Cadillac a Cadillac and then Detroit entered the 70's throwing quality out the window for profit and Honda, Toyota, Beemer, Mercedes all kept getting better and better.
63
@Clearwater the only reason German cars improved was Lexus.
16
@Chuck Possibly. I def think that might be the case with Audi who used to make glorified Volkswagen quality cars in the 70's and then became great in the 90's.
3
Complacency killed G.M. & Cadillac.
Remember "What's good for G.M. is good for America" slogan ? They tried to make up for old tech. with size and all the chrome.
While Europe and Japan were making progress like disk breaks that were on the 1958 TR-3 Triumph made in England, was soon on all European made cars, but took years for G.M.
4
@USMC1954 Disk brakes took a Gov mandate or they would never added them
1
Cadillac stopped being relevant in the late 70's. You cannot live on your old slogan "Standard Of The World" forever. I'm just wondering if the geniuses at GM ever really look at what Cadillac owners want. If they followed all of the Cadillac groups on Facebook and there are many, they would discover there are so many young owners of old Cadillacs who yearn for the return of a large 4 door sedan with rear wheel drive and current technology.
Why does GM and the Cadillac division invest so much money into concept dream cars to wet the appetite of devotees and then never follow through?
I'll tell you one other thing about that photo of the 1957 Eldorado Brougham above. That car retailed for over $13000 in 1957 and was the most expensive car in the world with technology that was years ahead of its time. The sad part is it cost GM over $25000 to build each one.
1
When I bought my BMW X3 I tried a cadillac SUV and I couldn't see out the back window. GM is still your grandpa's car (or in my case my Dad) go to Austin, TX you see more Tesla's than anywhere except LA, I do applaud their vision of all electric.
9
I’m no branding expert, but Tesla and Apple are “cool” brands because they have no real baggage and they come from California. For Cadillac to truly succeed, I think it needed to completely shed it’s GM and Detroit associations, and to have a completely new look. Instead, it still has uninspired reactionary designs that, I think, are forever associated with a conservative Midwest America that is scared of Europe and the rest of the world.
191
Tesla is cool because they dare greatly!
21
Cadillac, for image, tried moving to SoHo. That didn’t work. We wanted to replace our great SRX (2007) SUV in 2016 and the current models look and feel cheap and have a terrible raked rear window that minimizes the cargo space.
15
@David Miller
And both like to abuse their customers and use questionable business practices. I've given up on Tesla and will wait for a real company to offer the electric that I want to buy.
11
Stop looking at the car itself.....and start looking at what it represents....status. Once a car, really any car, begins to attract the common man as a buyer, the brand is doomed. Rich folk don't want to be seen in a car poorer folk start driving. Anymore than they want to live in a neighborhood that less well off people start moving into. Oh you don't have to be 'poor'. Just not in their class. Cadillac,then Lincoln then Acura then Lexus then BMW then Mercedes and now Tesla. Everyone drives a BMW now. It's doomed. It's like Apple phones. Used to be only wealthy people had them. Now everyone does. Trying to reboot the Cadillac brand is like trying to get people to buy a flip phone again. No matter how many bells and whistles, it's not coming back. Make no mistake something else will come along for the wealthy to drive. How else can they show they are privileged? And you have no business trying to look like them.
214
@Walking Man
Disagree. The Mercedes brand encompasses taxis, trucks, delivery vans, grocery getters and luxury aspirational vehicles.
Worldwide no less.
64
@Walking Man
I suspect if they added a little more chrome ( like the old days) the Caddie would attract a more interesting crowd. Dark black cars with tech. gizmos can only get a car brand so far.
5
@Walking Man
Apple, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all have incredibly high and increasing profitability. They are doing just fine with this strategy. It's also not a new thing, BMW and Mercedes have sold stripped down models for about the same price as a well-equipped mid-sized sedan from a non-luxury maker since at least the 90s.
24
I used to buy American cars. The last one was a Cadillac STS-V. The car was great, but unreliable. Two supercharger pulleys, transmission wiring harness, rear axle bearing, etc., etc., all in a two year lease. Every time the dealer experience was wretched - week long wait for appointment (“we can see you next Thursday”), two week wait for parts, constantly having to chase the service department. Stripped budget “loaners”. They lost the car after I turned it in and put a ding on my credit for two extra lease payments while they had the car - even though they had a time dated photo of the car in their lot.
Polar opposite with the Audi and Porsche dealerships I’ve done business since then. Immediate response. They come and get the car if necessary and it’s done in a day or two and returned washed. Loaners are commensurate to car being serviced. I understand the experience is similar at the Japanese manufacturers.
I’m never going back.
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@Luke
I drive a 24 year old Toyota 4Runner. I change the oil. What is this dealership you mention?
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@Luke Buy a Tesla...American AND superb engineering and service.
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@Luke you got that right, I've been there and seen that it's like night and day
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I feel Sorry for Cadillac and GM> They still don't get it. I looked at the Cadillac XT4 and the Lincoln MKC. I wound up leasing a 2019 MKC because the quality is so much better. A good Lincoln well taken care of will last 200,000 to 300,000 miles. There are plenty of LIncoln Town Car Livery Vehicles out there with that kind of mileage on them.
The Cadillacs have great design features, and their Super Cruise is wonderful, but what about the long term reliability of the vehicle? There are plenty of GM vehicles out there with holes in their air conditioning condesers. The parts are always on "Back order." If your buy an expensive GM product such as a Cadillac or a Tahoe or an Escalade, and your air conditioning compressor or condenser goes, good luck trying to get it fixed unless you are willing to pay $1000's out of your own pocket.
In the Glory days of Cadillac and GM the quality was practically bulletproof. You could buy a Chevy or a Cadillac and the cars were simple to work on and the vehicles lasted a long, long time.
Now, I wouldn't touch a GM product unless I had really deep pockets. I have a friend who drives Tahoes and he's had nothing but expensive problems with the engine and the rear tailgate.
GM needs to stop being so greedy and put the public first. When they go back to building quality, they will get a much better market share.
THe New Linoln's are great vehicles, well thought out, and built with extreme quality and reliability.
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I lost hope for Cadillac when I saw the new 1980 Seville parked in the neighbors’ driveway. I've never seen a Cadillac I liked since then.
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Cadillac always meant latest tech (my neighbor had a late 50s model with automatic this and that), luxury and status. The ELR Cadillac is beautiful, hybrid and well built. Only 'defect' , two adults max. The real defect is original overpricing and absolutely no will from Cadillac management to sell it. GM can do quality high tech, look at Corvette. Mary Barra, what are you doing? C'mon, apply some engineering and sales strategy to this great brand.
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The beginning of the article states; "Few American brand names have ever achieved the stature of Cadillac, which was once so closely identified with excellence and status . . ."
I remember reading about Packard, which apparently was the luxury car of the '30's and 40's. By the 1950's when I was young Packard was just another car, not much compared to many others.
I also remember during the 1990's someone saying that the average age of a Cadillac purchaser was 63. They can't epect younger Mercedes owners to buy a Cadillac
as they grow older.
I suspect that Cadillac will end up like Packard, LaSalle, and Deusenberg if they don't get their act together.
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@Bruce Just so you know, LaSalle was the inexpensive Cadillac line.
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@Alan Thanks, I wasn't aware of that. LaSalle was gone by the time I was born.
For many thinking of following in their Grandpa’s Cadillac brand, two solid sore points: Northstar Engine & Cimarron.
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My dad had to all but tear me away from the electric driver's seat in his 1965 Caddy, his first of many. He was particularly pleased with one that he said would deliver 30 mpg between Maine and Florida after he retired - of course, the national speed limit was still 55mph.
The brand deserved respect for quality of build and comfort for passengers over long distances. As a dreamer, I would like to see a change to hydrogen, and less of 'autopilot' hype. Systems need to see deer, moose, potholes, black ice, interpret changes in center of gravity ahead of time -pavement conditions- as well as anticipate moving aside for that logging truck that is partway into your lane just ahead and just around that particular curve; to predict, not merely interpret.
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GM is clueless and Cadillac long ago ceased to be anything aspirational to anyone not wearing white shoes and belts.
The very fact that they moved the division HQ to New York City- the least car-centric place in America - smells of either desperation or ignorance. I would vote for both.
Then there is the squared-off chunky styling that looks as if it were marked up by a kid who could not draw a curve free handed. Cadillacs are plain ugly, the trucks and SUVs are thinly veiled Chevy/GMC models and they do not hold their value.
Government Motors should have shuttered Cadillac and Buick along with Pontiac back when the taxpayers bailed them out. Mitt Romney was right about one thing- GM should have been allowed to go away- our roads would have been immediately beautified.
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@David Gregory, it's funny that you mentioned the "...squared off chunky styling." I've always felt that GM designers only use a t-square and a ruler to design their vehicles. The cars look like rectangles with wheels. Especially the Suburban. Compare any GM SUV against a Lexus.
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@David Gregory Gosh David - just get over it and buy another brand. No reason to dwell on Cadillac if you don't like it. I'd love to have a new Cadillac.
@Joe
Cadillac exists because they got bailed out.
The story that GM's total cost to the taxpayer was repaid is fiction- the liabilities and non-performing assets were dumped on the taxpayer and were underfunded pensions of Delphi and GM. GMAC also was a TARP baby- now dba Ally bank.
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When the 'age of automobiles' is over, we all will be better off....
The 'car' is an anomaly..... I don't imagine that any other intelligent species found anywhere in the universe would rely on something so god-awful inefficient.
…. and I'm certain, in comparison to every other species on this planet, we are the most transportation-inefficient by far....
… If we can't get there by rickshaw, we shouldn't.
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I really think that Cadillac should just throw in the towel and be done with it. Cadillac was once a status symbol but now it is just a vestige of an age long past. Consumers want power and performance from a luxury vehicle, not an ocean liner on wheels.
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@Tony - "not an ocean liner on wheels"
That's it in a nut shell. Cadillac hasn't made an "an ocean liner on wheels" on wheels for a very long time yet that's what people believe.
Cadillac offers power and performance in their V series and V sport cars. Lot's of it. And without the horrendous costs ownership of the German cars.
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Cadillac is a relic from the past. Start making trucks. People with money won’t spend it on Cadillacs. The American auto industry committed suicide. The president is eliminating the Chinese market. I loved my 62, but I don’t even know anyone who owns one now. RIP with the rest of American manufacturing.
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People won't care about Super Cruise, they want quality interiors and reliability.
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@andrewI can imagine the cost of replacing super cruise in one of these "4 year cars" & most of the other technology mass-produced gimmickry.
These cars are built to last for four years at the most.
Cadillac was trying to "out-German the Germans?" You've got to be kidding! Big boxy sedans and SUV's do not compare to import luxury /sport vehicles of BMW and Benz. And don't forget about Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, etc., all brands aimed at the near-luxury market, GM has nothing to compete against them with. Cadillac may go the way of Buick, which now has no sedans except in China!
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And what of the profile of the typical Cadillac customer?
Here on the roads of La Paz - where luxury marques abound - Cadillacs can counted on (statistically) to drive too slow or too fast; never signal, for any reason; just act, because your job is to look out for them; and, if driven by a male under 80 years old, be especially aggressive.
In summary, the typical Cadillac driver has more money than knowledge of cars.
Gee, I wish I drove a Cadillac.
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For clarification, Audi "just" introduced and all electric SUV, Jaguar's came out over a year ago and won World Car of The Year and World Car Design of the Year.
And unlike TESLA's two color option and bland look, the Jaguar is a sexy machine. And they'll get there with their own comfort level of self driving - but Jaguars are meant for the driver to drive the vehicle.
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General Motors should dump all the brand monikers and just be GMC (or just GM). Make a great car for everyone regardless of status.
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Like the Saturn. Dropping the Saturn was an error.
When I grew up, there was little doubt that the typical US luxury car was Packard. Cadillac only acquired that status after WWII. In retrospect I suppose I would place the Doble above both.
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@Haines Brown. Packard was the best. They didn’t change with the times, either, and are gone
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@Haines Brown Cadillac was an innovator and first with so many technological advances going all the way back to the 1920's.
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The buyers of BMW's and Mercedes Benz's are NOT going to buy Cadillac's.They are going towards Tesla..I have seen a lot of them,even in Michigan.
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I have owned every kind of car you can own, American, Japanese, German, etc. Rented a new Cadillac CT6 last year, it was a disaster from the get-go. Looked great, but none of the electronics worked properly, had to call GM for help, they couldn't fix it, Took car back and rented another CT6. Both were slow, wallowed, and quality was no match for BMW or Mercedes -- both of which I have owned. Going to take some mighty fixing for me to shell out $60000 for a Cadillac.
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Great article. The mention of Pontiac in the progression to Cadillac needed noting😬
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The trouble with Cadillac is that it doesn’t look like one anymore . It looks like every other car in its range. It just doesn’t stand out anymore. Why pay the price to look like everyone else?
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@John Kennedy. - "It looks like every other car in its range. It just doesn’t stand out anymore."
You've described perfectly the way I feel about Mercedes-Benz that used to be a premier maker but now makes everything from a $30,000 to a $300,000 car (Maybach) and it is amazing how similar they appear. The cheap ones and the plastering what used to be special SL grill on every car but the S class sedan have dragged the line down.
I say thing as as owner.
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Hmmm, I disagree, it stands out, just not in a good way. The designs are just so bad.
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"About two-thirds of those buying one of the new S.U.V.s, called the XT5, have never owned Cadillacs before, G.M. said. That suggests that the vehicles are broadening Cadillac’s appeal."
Of course, that statistic could also suggest that existing owners of Cadillacs, based on that ownership experience, decide never to buy another again. Hence most Cadillacs are purchased by those who have never actually experienced the vehicle in ownership.
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Cadillac has a talent for designing vehicles that you can instantly tell are only going to look cool for about three years before they start to just look weird.
They are also good at taking basic GM models, adding a few trinkets, and selling them for more than they're worth.
What they have not been good at, during my half a century on this planet at any rate, is making a car in which I have any interest. I used to hear people use the term "It's a Cadillac" when trying to point out how good a product was. I always found it ironic, because while there was a time that Cadillac meant something special, that time is long gone.
I'm sure that they've had some wonderful engineers and perhaps designers working for them over the past few decades, but they can only do so much when the bean counters are more important than the visionaries.
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@J.D. I know many designers who work or have worked for Cadillac. I can attest that the majority are really talented and forward thinking. However, to a man they all say that every time they come up with the next great idea the stodgy leadership says no. The people making the choices are all old and conservative, so who do they sell cars to? Old and conservative people.
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@J.D. I wonder if there are any Cadillac engineers anymore, or are they all from GM Central Casting? It's been ten years or more since Chevy was anything more than ~250 sales and marketing people -- no engineering, no manufacturing people, just sales and marketing.
The sad irony is that GM's R&D has always been truly excellent but since the advent of emissions controls and the oil price shocks of the '70's flung open the US market to the imports, management seems to have focused on protecting profits rather than innovation and quality. Bluntly, carbureted push-rod V-8's were dead, but Detroit burned the memo and has been sticking Band-Aids on ever since.
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How quickly we forgot about Pontiac. The “ladder,” used to be Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac.
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@Joel Poholsky
If you really want to nitpick, it's Chevy, Oakland, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, LaSalle, Cadillac.
But I agree with you about Pontiac.
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@Eric - And where on the ladder would the Saturn fit in ?
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Wasn't Pontiac the sporty brand? It was the wildcard brand that you bought if you wanted to show your sports car aspirations. The other GM brands were either mainstream, near luxury, or luxury.
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The power of brand. That's what wins in market. Lincoln seems to be digging deep and finding that magic. But if they concentrate too much on competing directly on features, they will lose.
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My old college friend's family owned a Cadillac dealership outside Boston for three generations. He always showed up at weekend parties in a new Cadillac.
When we kidded him that he ought to buy a Lincoln instead, he replied "the last good Lincoln was shot!"
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I've been thinking about buying an automobile, if various things come together. I decided that if I do, I want to be able to drive on vacations. I don't need a car for grocery shopping. I take the bus and ride share. Recently I took a bus to Cape Cod. That was OK but I wished that I had a car to drive around the Cape looking at whatever I want to look at. In the past, I have flown to the midwest and then rented a car. That was OK but if I drove the whole way it wouldn't take that much longer and I could stop and see a friend on the way. I'd much rather drive than deal with flying. I'd like to drive to Northern Maine too. So I don't see myself buying an electric car ever. In the West and Midwest, I don't see how they will ever be practical with their current range, or even better. And when the batteries are older, the range will be even less. I like solar panels, but think that fossil fuels are much better for automobiles.
As far as SUV's, they are fun when gas is cheap and they are new. When gas is expensive and the SUV needs repairs, no one likes them.
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@Kay Sieverding
Kay - You sum up the whole thing beautifully. Electric cars really have people dazzled currently; they seem to have no sense of history. Henry Ford bought one - a Detroit Electric - for his wife Clara back in ... the late teens, early 20's, I think it was. Detroit Electric closed down business at the outset of WWII along with the rest of the automotive industry (most switched to defense) and never restarted production after the war - gasoline was inexpensive and allowed drivers to go anywhere they wanted any time they wanted. Easy choice. And, yes, people are in for a shock (!) when they discovery what it costs to replace those batteries. The first electrics were manufactured at the turn of the 20th century and were useful for short runs - Manhattan used them for delivery trucks. But, all this could have been planned/engineered for optimum efficiency - electric, fuel cells, gasoline, optimum vehicle size, etc. (proposals were made) but government chose to "let the market decide." So it goes.
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@Kay Sieverding
You have made the case for buying a Cadillac, but Cadillac/GM doesn't see it.
Cadillac offers "Super Cruise". Most people have no idea what it is, and what it will do for them. As noted in the article: "And despite all the accolades Super Cruise has garnered, G.M. is doing little to take advantage of the technology".
Why GM is not shouting from the rooftops about Super Cruise is a mystery to me. If you drive to Cape Cod, you have fair chance of getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Frustrating and tiring. If you have Super Cruise, it's hands off the steering, gas, and brake. Easy. Long highway trips are easy. Caddy luxury features make the drive pleasant, especially with Super Cruise.
Why GM isn't advertising this amazing technology I don't understand. How Tesla can get such good press for such iffy, inconvenient, technology I also don't understand.
Maybe GM is planning a major campaign around Super Cruise? We'll see....
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@Kay Sieverding
Why would you need to replace a battery on a car when they last a minimum of 10 years? Have you seen how far the ranges are these days? Most new electric models are going for a minimum for 200 miles, Tesla is now approaching 400 miles for its more expensive vehicles. All the while rapid charging is getting faster and faster and more and more charging networks are being built. Charging your car is worth pennies on the price of gas, and on top of that, the maintenance is much lower, no belts, hoses, spark plugs, oil changes, transmission to worry about. By 2030, if not sooner, buying a gas car will make no sense at all.
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