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Can GM make Cadillac the standard of the world Again?

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What is this discussion about? Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac XLR, Cadillac STS, Automotive News

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#4424 of 6098 why GM killed the Ultra V8 by 62vetteefp Jan 16, 2008 (8:58 am)
The V-8 engine, long a symbol of power for American car companies, is sputtering.   At the Detroit auto show this week, Detroit's Big Three are promoting smaller engines and alternative-fuel vehicles, eliminating the V-8 from many models and relegating it to niche status.   Ford Motor, which first popularized the V-8 in the 1930s, will start using a turbocharged 6-cylinder in many vehicles, including the next generation of its Explorer sport utility vehicle. The company has named its new engine technology EcoBoost, a nod to consumers' concern for the environment.   ''It's pretty clear that the V-8 is on its way out of the mainstream,'' said Ford's chairman, William Clay Ford Jr.   General Motors recently canceled a $300 million program to develop a new V-8, citing new fuel-economy standards that require a 40 percent improvement in overall gas mileage by 2020. ''That cancellation was a direct result of the 35-mile-per-gallon legislation,'' Robert A. Lutz, GM's vice chairman, said Tuesday.   Even the famed Hemi V-8 from Chrysler will be quieted at stoplights when it is paired this year with hybrid technology in some big SUV's.   Car companies, in a sense, are catching up with shifting consumer tastes: sales of V-8 engines in the United States have dropped 24 percent since 2004, according to the auto research firm R. L. Polk & Company.   The V-8 will still be a staple in pickups and large SUV's, and Detroit continues to flex its muscle-car muscle with some other models. General Motors, for example, unveiled this week a limited-edition 620-horsepower Corvette ZR1 – the fastest and most powerful Chevrolet ever – and a high-performance Cadillac, the CTS-V, offering 550 horsepower.   Ford executives said they had at times wrestled with the decision to give up V-8s in some models, including a new sedan from the Lincoln luxury division, because they worried about customer reaction.   ''I worked on the Lincoln Continental program 20 years ago, and people were vehement that it had to have a V-8,'' said Mark Fields, Ford's president for the Americas. ''But now people don't really care if the performance is there.''   Some Asian automakers, notably Honda of Japan, have stayed out of the V-8 market entirely. Toyota offers V-8s in its full-size pickups and SUV's, but it has dominated the midsize car market with less powerful engines.   ''The era of indulgence is over,'' said John A. Casesa, managing partner at the Casesa Shapiro Group, an investment firm in New York. ''When oil goes to $100 a barrel, the romance of a V-8 under the hood diminishes pretty quickly.''   Chrysler is bucking the trend somewhat. The company is updating its Hemi engine and achieving better fuel economy by marrying the current edition to a hybrid system in its full-size Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUV's.   But the automaker, which was bought last year by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, is developing a new line of V-6 engines that would be an alternative to the V-8s in popular models like the Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.   ''There's a new group of young customers that may not appreciate or care what the Hemi does,'' said the Chrysler vice chairman, James E. Press.
#4425 of 6098 Re: Can we get back to Cadillac [mr215] by trimaster Jan 16, 2008 (11:37 am)
Replying to: mr215 (Jan 16, 2008 5:01 am) Let me clarify what I am saying. I don't doubt that Cadillac likes chrome and brightwork on their vehicles. I don't doubt that Cadillac would rather have under 50 people buying their SUV as opposed to over 60 people. What I am saying is that writers and people on this board keep pretending that the Escalade was designed by and ONLY appeals to athletes and rappers. That is BS plain and simple. Just because some people here look down on the vehicle and worship German vehicles they think it's OK to deride the Escalade and the type of people who like the vehicle. That is what I have a problem with. There are only a few hundred professional athletes out there and a few dozen rappers. Who is buying the rest of these Escalades?   I agree 100%. Here in my area the people who drive the CTS look VERY similar to the people who drive the Escalade: Middle aged men and women.   Every now and then I'll see a person who fits the rapper and athlete stereotype, but the vast majority of the time they do not. I'm sure the region plays a big part on who drives certain vehicles also.
#4426 of 6098 Re: Can we get back to Cadillac [mr215] by fintail Jan 16, 2008 (12:25 pm)
Replying to: mr215 (Jan 16, 2008 5:01 am) Around here, the Escalades sell mainly to affluent boomers, maybe a younger trophy wife thrown in here and there. Rarely does one see an under 40 male driving one...at least a current model, and maybe a handful of older people in them too.   For the CTS, it is a more even distribution, I see people in their 30s, and some in their 60s or maybe even more.
#4427 of 6098 Re: CTS coupe wins concept car of the year at NAIAS [62vetteefp] by rockylee Jan 16, 2008 (12:27 pm)
Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 16, 2008 8:50 am) 62' The General Rules The World !!!!   -Rocky
#4428 of 6098 Re: Can we get back to Cadillac [mr215] by sevenfeet0 Jan 16, 2008 (12:29 pm)
Replying to: mr215 (Jan 16, 2008 5:01 am) "There are only a few hundred professional athletes out there and a few dozen rappers. Who is buying the rest of these Escalades?"   Apparently my step-sister and her husband. They just took delivery of their new 8 passenger Escalade ESV. Seems she gave birth to quadruplets three months ago and combined with their three year old son, they have a lot of kids to haul around (no fertility drugs for those of you scoring at home!). Although they are an African-american family, her husband supports his ESV payments through a more pedestrian life vocation than a blinged out rapper....he's the junior partner in his father's OB/GYN practice. Replies to this message: rockylee (Jan 16, 2008 12:32 pm) mr215 (Jan 17, 2008 6:18 am)
#4429 of 6098 Re: Can we get back to Cadillac [sevenfeet0] by rockylee Jan 16, 2008 (12:32 pm)
Replying to: sevenfeet0 (Jan 16, 2008 12:29 pm) Holy Cow !!! 4 kids at once !!!! Was the doctor in the shot-gun stance going hut, hut, hut, hut !!!   The ESV, will work great !!!!   -Rocky
#4430 of 6098 Re: Can we get back to Cadillac [62vetteefp] by lykourinou Jan 16, 2008 (8:07 pm)
Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 15, 2008 1:56 pm) I haven't heard any reports from Caddy being offended by the "bling" comments. I wonder how they feel about it.   go to GM's corporate site watch the unveiling of the Escalade Jack Miller I believe who is GM's general manager says and I quote "There is added bling to the new Escalade." Besides there is nothing to be offended about, if you read expert reviews on similar full sized SUV's they say that consumers tend to by Escalade for the commanding pressence set off by the plethora of chrome.
#4431 of 6098 Re: Can we get back to Cadillac [sevenfeet0] by mr215 Jan 17, 2008 (6:18 am)
Replying to: sevenfeet0 (Jan 16, 2008 12:29 pm) "Although they are an African-american family, her husband supports his ESV payments through a more pedestrian life vocation than a blinged out rapper....he's the junior partner in his father's OB/GYN practice"   cant be! No record deal? No diamond chains? What normal person with a job would buy an Escalde instead of a Q7?
#4432 of 6098 Tony Snow (C&D) loves the CTS coupe (NAIAS show) by 62vetteefp Jan 21, 2008 (7:04 pm)
Tony expounds wonderment on the beauty of the CTS, expecially the rear end and sail panels. Talks about the CTS Coupe, which will be built, convertible, stations wagon and diesel.   Jeanne Jennings (Automobile) talks about her love of the BMW 1 series($36K base!!). Then discusses how great the GM vehicles are including the CTS coupe and CTS-V and SR1.   Jim Hall (ex-AutoPacifica) says the the CTS coupe is astonishing. Says it was the most succesful car, from a styling point, of any car at NAIAS.   Even Wolfgang Puck was there and he loved the Escalade. I guess that answers this question: "There are only a few hundred professional athletes out there and a few dozen rappers. Who is buying the rest of these Escalades?"   Jason Vines (ex Chrysler) says CTS Coupe was stunning and GM won the NAIAS show. Wagoner doing great and the best press conference ever.   http://www.autolinedetroit.tv/ The New Frontier Replies to this message: sls002 (Jan 22, 2008 7:57 am) bumpy (Jan 22, 2008 8:56 am) sls002 (Jan 22, 2008 10:55 am) 62vetteefp (Jan 22, 2008 9:20 am) bumpy (Jan 22, 2008 10:07 am) mr215 (Jan 22, 2008 11:02 am) and 1 more... 62vetteefp (Jan 22, 2008 12:21 pm)
#4433 of 6098 Re: Tony Snow (C&D) loves the CTS coupe (NAIAS show) [62vetteefp] by sls002 Jan 22, 2008 (7:57 am)
Replying to: 62vetteefp (Jan 21, 2008 7:04 pm) Lindamood really liked the forerunner of the BMW 3-series, which was a model 2002 (a strange number for BMW series names). Anyway my understanding is that the new 1-series is about the size of the 2002 model and is therefore a return to a more nimble sized BMW. The 3-series has grown over the last 20 years by a significant amount.   What this means is that the CTS is a much bigger car than the entry level BMW used to be, and perhaps should be. I do hope that Cadillac is not planning to bump the CTS price range up by $15 to 25,000 over the next 5 years. I recall what GM did to the G-body pricing (the Buick Park Avenue in particular, but the DeVille too). Replies to this message: bumpy (Jan 22, 2008 8:56 am) sls002 (Jan 22, 2008 10:55 am)

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You are here: Forums Automotive News & Views Can GM make Cadillac the standard of the world Again?