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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
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Replying to: sls002 (Jan 04, 2008 3:11 pm) Cadillac CTS Ages 16-35: 34% Ages 36-55: 54% Ages 56+: 12% The greatest percentage is the middle age group - right within my demographic as I am 42. I guess I helped bring down the average age of the DTS buyer.
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CTS review by local newspaper writer This morning's paper had a review by the local auto reviewer. She usually doesn't like GMs as much as the other cars she writes about. |
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Replying to: lemko (Jan 05, 2008 8:01 am) |
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Replying to: louiswei (Jan 04, 2008 1:48 pm)
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Replying to: louiswei (Jan 04, 2008 3:25 pm)
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Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 04, 2008 4:40 pm) |
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Replying to: mr215 (Jan 07, 2008 6:05 am)
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Replying to: mr215 (Jan 07, 2008 6:05 am) We don't "need" Cadillacs, period. We don't need BMW's, Mercedes, or Porsches for that matter. All of these vehicles offer absolutely nothing over a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord in terms of utility. They are purchased because the buyer has certain "desires", not because the Accord or Camry don't satisy their basic "need" for reliable transportation. Rare is the company that can succeed by telling the customer that "you don't need 'X', so take 'Y' and be happy with it". If YOU are more inclined to buy a Cadillac because they have gone green and stop offering V8's, that is certainly your perogative. But I agree with lemco on this one. Acura has never had a competitive flagship to take on the BMW 550i or Mercedes E550 in part due to the lack of a V8 (and, IMO, lack of RWD platforms). If Cadillac wants to compete with Honda or Toyota, perhaps a V6 will suffice, but I don't think they will be competitive in the performance sedan market. Even BMW, with their excellent 535i, has not announced plans to abandon the 550i. |
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If the Volt electric drive system with the new battery technology works out, then what GM should be moving to is motor generator electric drive power train. So the performance would be depend on the electric drive. The motor generator would only need to be used to keep the battery charged, although the Volt concept is that the battery will provide about 40 miles of charge so that the day to day use would come off the power grid rather than the motor generator. The point is that with an all new technology for the drive train the old idea's of what makes a luxury car will have to change somewhat. |
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Replying to: habitat1 (Jan 07, 2008 7:10 am) I also agree with pretty much everything you say but do no wait for BMW to announce dropping the V8 in the near term. They will continue to pay gaz guzzler taxes until the tax is so high actual buyers refuse to pay it. BMW will just pay the penalties as long as consumers support them. When will this happen? Well if everything stayed the same (gas prices, economy, regulations, etc.) it will probably be at least 5-10 years. And of course the V8 penetration would go down during that time. If gas doubles (I doubt it) it will go away faster, if gas remains the same (most likely scenario) then V8 will be around til the regs cut it off. DETROIT – The big, powerful V-8 engines that have been a mainstay of Cadillac's big sedans since the late 1930s are fading away, victims of the move to fuel efficiency. Cadillac's trademark V-8 engine will give way to smaller high-tech V-6s – and possibly some diesel engines – in Cadillac's cars. In an interview with Automotive News, Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor said last week that Cadillac is considering a 2.9-liter turbocharged V-6 diesel for its mainstream U.S. sedans. Taylor's revelation came in the wake of General Motors' announcement last week that it has dropped plans to replace the Northstar V-8, which goes out of production in 2010. The Northstar has powered Cadillacs since 1993. It's all part of the new world of high fuel prices, rising fuel economy standards and pressure to reduce emissions. "On Dec. 19, the world changed," Taylor said. That's when President Bush signed a law mandating a 40 percent fuel-economy improvement by 2020. In the future, Cadillac's mainstream sedans probably won't offer V-8 engines, Taylor said. Instead, the CTS and the successor to the STS and DTS will be powered by the 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 that went on sale in 2007. In 2009, the new 2.9-liter diesel goes into production for Cadillac's CTS to be sold in Europe. Cadillac also could use that engine in U.S. models, Taylor said. After 2010, Cadillac could use a pushrod V-8 in its Escalade SUV and also in niche vehicles like the CTS-V and XLR roadster. Marketers once considered a V-8 engine an essential selling tool for the luxury market. But in a world of $100-per-barrel oil, those days may be gone. Lincoln, for example, does not offer a V-8 in its MKS sedan. And the percentage of Cadillac buyers who want a V-8 is declining. Only 10 to 15 percent of Cadillac buyers insist on a V-8, while the others choose the V-6 powertrain. "You have such a narrow gap now in terms of performance ... that smart consumers are saying, 'I don't need it,' " Taylor says. Dealers appear to accept Cadillac's decision to reduce the size of its engines. At Moore Cadillac in Richmond, Va., two-thirds of buyers choose a V-6. They feel they get better fuel economy while achieving near-equal performance, says owner Jacques Moore. "The V-6 is adequate today for virtually all of Cadillac's sedan fleet," Moore says. While the V-6 gasoline engine enjoys wide acceptance, a diesel-powered Cadillac might prove risky – at least in marketing terms. In the early 1980s, Cadillac had a brief, disastrous experience selling diesel-powered cars, with powerplants hastily modified from gasoline engines. But that was then. Today, Mercedes sells a diesel version of its E-class sedan in the United States, and BMW plans to introduce diesels here. Cadillac's compact 60-degree European diesel, made in Italy by VM Motori, would be competitive. The engine will generate 250 hp and 406 pounds-feet of torque – performance comparable to a V-8. While Cadillac could accommodate a diesel in its U.S. fleet, Taylor says it probably would remain a niche product. "As long as BMW and Mercedes are going to have (diesel engines) and market them, those guys will lead the charge," Taylor notes. In the future, hybrid powertrains may replace V-8 engines as a mark of prestige, Taylor says. This summer, Cadillac dealers get the Escalade hybrid. GM has not announced pricing, but a fully loaded Escalade now sells at about $67,000. Asked whether customers would pay $70,000 for a hybrid Escalade, Taylor says yes. Someday, hybrid powertrains might become the new V-8, he says. "The world changed with the signing of the new fuel economy bill," Taylor says. "That's the new world." |
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