Cadillac revival at crossroad

[NFS4]

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0306/01/b01-179498.htm

**waiting to hear Shantanu and cfour come into the thread**

 

[beer]

damn you said it before I got to you.

Grrr

 

[ElFenix]

was this the thread that said repost?

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
damn you said it before I got to you.

Grrr

I changed the title

 

[ElFenix]

But are consumers willing to pay more for a Cadillac when they can spend the same money for European and Japanese brands that have already enjoy burnished reputations for quality, style and status?

well somebody had to start buying BMWs in the mid 80s after they decided to go from an average joe car in the 70s on par with VW to upscale in the 80s

 

[Cfour]

You rang?

17.2% up from last year - nice!

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Cfour
You rang?

17.2% up from last year - nice!

yeah its kinda hard to argue with that

 

[NFS4]

Although I totally DESPISE Cadillac's "new age" flat surfaces/sharp angle design theme, it's good to see that they are at least making it uniform across their entire model range (i.e., Escalade, CTS, SRX, SLR).

And while the stlying is polarizing, Cadillac definitely has found an audience for it. The CTS is bringing in younger buyers and the Escalade has been elevated to cult status thanks to bling-blingin' rappers.

All of this coupled with a huge leap in quailty ratings. Big kudos to GM. Now if they could only fix the cheapass interior of the CTS and get better interior stylists. The Escalade's interior is a damn shame for a $50,000 truck.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Although I totally DESPISE Cadillac's "new age" flat surfaces/sharp angle design theme, it's good to see that they are at least making it uniform across their entire model range (i.e., Escalade, CTS, SRX, SLR).

And while the stlying is polarizing, Cadillac definitely has found an audience for it. The CTS is bringing in younger buyers and the Escalade has been elevated to cult status thanks to bling-blingin' rappers.

All of this coupled with a huge leap in quailty ratings. Big kudos to GM. Now if they could only fix the cheapass interior of the CTS and get better interior stylists. The Escalade's interior is a damn shame for a $50,000 truck.

I agree. The Escalade has a NASTY interior for that price, however it's domestic competitor, the Lincoln Navigator, has a really sweet interior.

But Lutz did say that the interiors will get an overhaul, and I believe they outsourced it to European company to create the future interiors. The XLR looks nice, is this based off the earlier CIEN concept? Or is that something else?

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN

Originally posted by: NFS4
Although I totally DESPISE Cadillac's "new age" flat surfaces/sharp angle design theme, it's good to see that they are at least making it uniform across their entire model range (i.e., Escalade, CTS, SRX, SLR).

And while the stlying is polarizing, Cadillac definitely has found an audience for it. The CTS is bringing in younger buyers and the Escalade has been elevated to cult status thanks to bling-blingin' rappers.

All of this coupled with a huge leap in quailty ratings. Big kudos to GM. Now if they could only fix the cheapass interior of the CTS and get better interior stylists. The Escalade's interior is a damn shame for a $50,000 truck.

I agree. The Escalade has a NASTY interior for that price, however it's domestic competitor, the Lincoln Navigator, has a really sweet interior.

But Lutz did say that the interiors will get an overhaul, and I believe they outsourced it to European company to create the future interiors. The XLR looks nice, is this based off the earlier CIEN concept? Or is that something else?

XLR is based off the Evoq concept. Cien is something different.

 

[chiwawa626]

I think atleast half of the revival has to do with all the rappers starting to sport new cadillac models over the last few years...lol

 

[Chadder007]

I think this part will be Lutz's undoing....

"I'll be satisfied when we beat or exceed BMW or Mercedes demographics," Lutz said. "It's possible because I see them coming down in price and size and we're not going to do that."

 

[Shantanu]

Cadillac still sells more $40,000+ cars than anyone else. BMW, Mercedes, and especially Lexus get a lot of their sales at the low end $25,000-$35,000 vehicles.

And what's wrong with the CTS interior? It won the award for best interior at the annual Auto Interiors Show. My Mom recently purchased a Lexus RX330 so I have a basis for comparision. The dashboard on the RX330 looks less stark than on the CTS - that I will admit - but in other areas the interior falls short. The seat bottoms are so short that I'd be surprised if even 5'5" Japanese men would find them comfortable. The ceilings are lined with cheap mouse fur. The door panels have some sort of vinyl that feels and looks like the stuff that egg cartons are made out of. The same material covers the skinny steering wheel. The thick, leather wrapped steering wheel on my CTS is a lot more fun to crank.

 

[rubenswm]

Originally posted by: Chadder007
I think this part will be Lutz's undoing....

"I'll be satisfied when we beat or exceed BMW or Mercedes demographics," Lutz said. "It's possible because I see them coming down in price and size and we're not going to do that."

Nice to see Lutz heading the company in a much better direction by being honest with himself and the company and fixing their problems.

 

[Phuz]

Originally posted by: rubenswm

Originally posted by: Chadder007
I think this part will be Lutz's undoing....

"I'll be satisfied when we beat or exceed BMW or Mercedes demographics," Lutz said. "It's possible because I see them coming down in price and size and we're not going to do that."

Nice to see Lutz heading the company in a much better direction by being honest with himself and the company and fixing their problems.

C'mon Lutz!

 

[ultimatebob]

I hope that Cadillac decides to build the Sixteen. It was by far the coolest vehicle at the NYC Auto Show, and is the ultimate Bentley or Rolls Royce killer.

Sure, I can't afford it, but I want one anyway! Guess that I'll need to buy one off lease, or just steal it off the showroom floor

 

[NFS4]

And what's wrong with the CTS interior? It won the award for best interior at the annual Auto Interiors Show.

And so did the Hummer H2. That tells you how bullsh!t those awards are...but we've already discussed this in the thread you posted. Every auto publication and even Lutz himself has criticized the CTS interior.