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Automotive News & Views Can GM make Cadillac the standard of the world Again?
6098 messages, Last post on Aug 14, 2009 at 4:43 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Jan 13, 2007 9:40 am) The bustle back Cadillac Seville was the "Cadillac Catera" of it's era in the late 1970's in terms of aesthetics. The only people who thought it would be cool to release such a hideous looking vehicle back in those days was G.M. /Cadillac......totally out of touch with reality. ---mediapusher _____________________________________________- . There was another old Cadillac shown that also was gross, goofy looking - think it was a late 70's Seville with a bustle back. The front and rear of this car had absolutely no relationship, no integration. An abomination of a so-called design. ---xrunner2 |
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Replying to: mediapusher (Jan 13, 2007 3:51 am) And the models including Kelly (Al Bundy's daughter) were truly beautiful young women that were trying to highlight and show off the Allante's gorgeous design in a Married with Children episode. Remember Kelly practicing saying the word Allante to get it just right. Apparently, Cadillac gave permission to the show to use the car and promote it to the demo group that watched Married.
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Cadillac built 2,185 cars in Europe in 2006. GM also sold more cars outside North America than it did in the Continental United States. Cadillac only builds about 29-34% of its cars, and remainder are provided by suppliers like ZF, Magna, and Inteir---among many. Cadillac even sold 1,171 cars in Japan...where Lexus in NOT popular having sold only 10,293 cars in the Japanese mainland versus more than 183,037 CARS in the U.S. to Cadillac's 142,765. Cadillac is regaining share in America, and also begining to make inroads in crucial overseas markets. Lexus would be a dead product if it were sustained only by its Japanese sales, (and for which, it was not available in Japan at the outset, allowing them to "dump" them in the U.S. market at $38,500 a copy.) WE do not do that. Cadillac has wisely chosen to open assembly plants in Europe and China in order to beat tariffs and some local taxation on imports. Yet the sales would not be there if the product did not exceed the buyer expectations---for they also have Audi, Mercedes, BMW, etc. to chose from. Lincoln is almost out of the game, so it falls to Cadillac to uphold the American marques oveseas. Favorable reviews of many American made cars in Detroit by the world press may yet signal the turning point in the public perception where American cars are not automatically regarded as inferior or shoddy vis a vis Japanese, German, and European counterparts. Every car maker has built lemons, or had production disasters that yeilded some pretty terrible product. But what GM and Cadillac are doing now corrects much of that oversight. If Cadillac were a stand-alone company it would still require roughly 100,000 employees across dozens of global suppliers across several tier levels to make one car, and the combined assets of the company would run to $40-50Bn in revenues. The synergy of the design has now become paramount in the auto-industry, especially given the increasing technological level of the computer and electronic systems now demanded and necessary to meet engineering, environmetal, and regulatory performance criteron. Cadillac is not quite back at the top yet, but they are now very near the summit. When Cadillac begins to outsell Lexus in Japan, even despite tariffs and taxation that make them a frighteningly expensive propasition, or for that matter in China, then we know they are winning again. The truth is in the driving, and the last brand new Cadillac I drove, their latest SUV had a seemless and excellent driveline. Interior quality was very good, but could still move up a notch. It was a car I would pay money for...and I don't consider myself a "Cadillac" man. Quite simply, it looks as though Cadillac is getting it right...going after markets globally with American and Cadillac style. It was what made them a great car decades ago, and that idea is still consonant even today with a great product. Manufacturers don't spend ad dollars showing what they used to build when they don't have much faith in what they build now...when the old cars appear in the ads, then you know what they are building now is ostensibly better. 'Standard of the World'? Cadillac is now built around the world, and chance is in the offing that it can claim that title again. DouglasR (sources: automotive news.) |
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Jan 13, 2007 10:56 am) However it does seem kind of silly that they would have promoted the Allante with that show if they wanted people of high class to buy that vehicle ---mediapusher ______________________________________ And the models including Kelly (Al Bundy's daughter) were truly beautiful young women that were trying to highlight and show off the Allante's gorgeous design in a Married with Children episode. Remember Kelly practicing saying the word Allante to get it just right. Apparently, Cadillac gave permission to the show to use the car and promote it to the demo group that watched Married. |
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Replying to: douglasr (Jan 13, 2007 11:03 am) Mercedes easily outsells Cadillac in Japan despite costing twice as much. (Fleetwood - 5.5 million yen, Benz S Class 12 million yen). What plausible reason? Prestige, of course, can be the only answer. source: http://www.intelbridges.com/japaneseconsumeruk.html |
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Replying to: douglasr (Jan 13, 2007 11:03 am) What does "Standard of the World" mean? The Cadillac CTS already is the "standard of the world" in U.S.A., but so is the Lexus LS430, E350, E250, BMW 325, 530, etc. This title cannot be a singular claim by any make of car. It belongs to many as it always have. ---mediapusher |
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The actual numbers are for the Japanese market are: Mercedes-Benz (all models) 46,161 Cadillac 1,171 Jaguar 3,461 Audi 15,420 Astons 110 Ferrari 391 Maybach 26 BMW AG 58,755 Bentley 355 Lincoln 0 ---------------------- Total Imports: 261,534 Mercedes and BMW sell across all ranges of product, which Cadillac does not match (there are no "3 series" type Cadillacs!) Given the 33% tarriff on imports plus an additional 20% VAT and licensing/registration fees, an imported car in Japan is a very expensive propasition. (Not to mention every car has to be inspected by the government, and you must prove you have a parking space for it!) Mercedes & BMW are far more entrenched in terms of service and retail outlets, thus can sell more cars. 75% of Japanese sales above $45,000 are imported cars! A recent article in the WSJ reported that Toyota/Lexus was very disappointed with the performance of Lexus in Japan---where they thought there would be no problem selling the car---but it ends up competing against foreign cars. At that price, Japanese (like American consumers) want cache and exclusivity, so they turn to products they can't get in Japan. Even Rolls-Royce sold more than 50 cars in Japan last year. There is also the issue of RHD, which Mercedes, BMW, Astons/Jaguar, Bentley & Rolls-Royce all provide, and is necessary in Japan as they drive on the left. Cadillac has only recently started built some of its models with RHD (as Chrysler is also doing in Europe.) So that is one more reason why Cadillac sales in Japan can be considered successful: the Japanese have the inconvenience of driving a LHD car in a RHD world. Thus Cadillac is inching along. (Better than the 10 Buicks or 14 Mustangs sold there...!) Toyota, after-all, sold its first TWO cars in L.A. in 1957! And they thought that was a "success" (when 'Made-in-Japan' meant it was cheezy cr-p) The revamped CTS made for the Chinese market has been accepted resoundingly and the KD plant where they are assembled can't build them fast enough, and demand is sharp for imported Cadillacs despite the staffering price on the Chinese Mainland (tariffs and taxes effectively doubling the price.) "Standard of the World" best refers to the famous 'Penalty of Leadership" ad written by McManus for Cadillac in January 1915 and used by Cadillac Motors as a talisman for the brand. Having won the Dewar Trophy twice in its ascendant stage (for interchangeability of parts built to 1/10,000" tolerances, and the Kettering self starter) Cadillac was persuing Packard, and left no stone unturned in persuit of engineering and quality. Not just an ad slogan, Cadillac began to set the tone in the industry, especially when it introduced V12 and V16 engines in December 1929. Spurring both Packard and Rolls-Royce to build their own along with Lincoln among others. Cadillac became noted for many "firsts" in the industry (which Packard was also proud of and competing with Cadillac to maintain) such as Automatic Transmissions (in luxury markets, though also available on Oldsmobile in 1939) among other features. Just as "excellence was expected" at Porsche, and "engineering supremacy" is demanded at Mercedes, "Standard of the World" meant the latest in engineering/performance and/or convenience features blended with excellent build quality. What is means, at the end of the day, is that the brand becomes a benchmark against which all others are automatically compared. That was the point of "Penalty of Leadership" by McManus. It is what Cadillac must regain again. At least they are trying. DouglasR (Sources: Automotive News Market Data Book 2006)
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Replying to: mediapusher (Jan 13, 2007 11:29 am) This isn't about cars, it's about Swiss watches! Let me know what you think: (quoted text) "Swiss made" embodies a concept of quality that has been forged over the years. It includes the technical quality of watches (accuracy, reliability, water-resistance and shock-resistance), as well as their aesthetic quality (elegance and originality of design). It covers both traditional manufacturing and new technologies (micro-electronics). The Swiss are not the only watchmakers to manufacture high-quality timepieces and are consequently faced with strong competition. However, thanks to their unique infrastructure and to their know-how and spirit of innovation, they have succeeded in maintaining their leading position. The intrinsic value of the "Swiss made" label, therefore, is the result of considerable efforts on the part of watchmaking companies, who are ultimately responsible for maintaining its reputation. While prestigious brand names have thrived, they have never relegated the "Swiss made" label to a secondary place. The brand names and "Swiss made" have always worked together in an alliance that provides the consumer with the best of guarantees. " source: http://www.fhs.ch/en/swissm.php |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 13, 2007 1:07 pm) It would be interesting to compare the management style of a long time Swiss watch maker vs GM and Cadillac. Has Cadillac division been forced to make many compromises in research, engineering, materials, etc for the overall goals of GM? If Cadillac were staffed with top notch people of all disciplines and then split off from GM, would it have a better chance of meeting/beating the best in the world? Many companies have split off a division through the years to enable the newly formed company to flourish and prosper. |
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Replying to: mediapusher (Jan 13, 2007 7:19 am) Well people immediately forget the problems and mistakes of the imports, so its not a stretch to forget about a car that was last built some 14 years ago. Cheap interior in a car like the Cadillac CTS sends a very insulting message to a potential buyer that has money. Then it must also send the same message to the imports that don't have a much better interior.
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