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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: 62vetteefp (Feb 27, 2008 6:52 am) I think Cadillac made an attempt to get into the true high end luxury market with the Eldorado Brougham in the late fifties, but this model was more glitz than anything and was a maintenance pig. I would agree with you on BMW (mostly sports sedans) vs Mercedes (wide range of luxury/sport_sedan models). For prestige the Rolls is it, but is way out of range for nearly everyone. Mercedes is prestigious, and one can buy a C-class for a reasonable price (which may not be quite as much prestige as an S-class, but still is a Mercedes). I have yet to see a new CTS. I did take my SRX back recently for the axle seal recall, but the showroom only had Corvette's, Impala's and SUV's to look at. But I do think the CTS with the new interior and re-sized body may replace the DTS as the popularly priced Cadillac. |
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Replying to: 62vetteefp (Feb 27, 2008 4:45 am) Interesting to note that the Is Lexus The Standard of the World? discussion doesn't get too many comments. I don't hear comments like the Rolex of can openers or the Mont Blanc of down pillows. Cadillac still seems to own the phrase - people just don't seem to make comparisons like that as much anymore. Maybe because Timexes keep time as well as a Rolex with a lot less maintenance and expense, and Bics write better than most Mont Blancs? |
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Replying to: claires (Feb 26, 2008 7:51 pm) Nicely put. Seems like many of we posters get all hung up about the word "standard". According to some folks, the "standard" term was used with regard to some race sponsored by Dewars that Cadillac had won. If "standard" of luxury/performance had actually been awarded to a car mfr on annual basis over years by some group such as WSJ, NY Times, Motor Trend, CR, Car and Driver, Road and Track, etc, then maybe it might be useful to use that term. But, that has not been the case. Maybe we are really talking about the desire and capability of GM to return Cadillac to its former glory status and how close is it now in achieving that goal. But, some will say, what is "glory". Do we even know if GM has set goal to make Cadillac the top luxury car of the world? Have Wagoner or Lutz stated so or is it mentioned in GM annual report to shareholders? If they have set that goal, how will they know when they have met it?
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Replying to: lemko (Feb 27, 2008 7:42 am) |
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Replying to: bumpy (Feb 27, 2008 9:00 am) The non-V CTS doesn't have a V8 anyway. I'm also pretty sure I read somewhere that they will keep on building the Northstar for those that want to count cylinders, even though the DI 3.6L makes more power. |
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Feb 27, 2008 3:54 am) Great point!!! Is it possible, with the advent of the Japanese luxury marks over the last 20 yrs, trying to emulate BOTH Cadillac AND the Germans, only with cust. svc. and Quality in mind, that what has happened is that Caddy has tried to remain true to it's recent history as being that luxury car (the "sofa"on wheels) that Americans aspired to own as they chased the American dream. Yet quality issues, not styling have nagged them. The Germans on the other hand, have that import "prestige" on their side and have masked their quality issues by building a "supercar" image with gadgets and V-10's and V-12's and such. Even early on, the Japanese made thinly veiled "gussied up" versions of their more popular sedans into Luxury Marques, but the quality and reliability is what allowed them to gain a foothold. couple this with the fact that people come out of college EXPECTING the American Dream to be there waiting for it, there is nothing left for them to "aspire" to. Caddy's Northstar V-8 has been around now for almost 15 years. It is one of the better V-8's on the market still. But, no V-12 bling, sticks that are few and far in between, and quality and reliability on par with the Germans, but (questionable now) historically behind the Japs. They are criticized for not being as sporty as the Germans (not meant to be), but not as reliable as the Japs (point well taken, but now in SOME question), so that kind of puts them in no man's land in the luxury arena. What they SHOULD do w/ the CTS is pound it into the public's head that it is BIGGER and LESS EXPENSIVE than the 5 or E!!! Screw the magazines that compare it to the 3 and C!!! They may not get people looking for a 5 or E to buy into that, though they may, but they WILL get it into their heads that it is MORE CAR for the SAME PRICE as the 3,C,IS,A-4, etc. Caddy may NEVER have been as good as it was looked at in the '50's or '60's, but it sure as hell was never as bad as people said in the '70's or '80's.
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Replying to: bumpy (Feb 27, 2008 9:00 am)
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Replying to: cooterbfd (Feb 27, 2008 9:23 am)
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Replying to: lemko (Feb 27, 2008 4:52 am) |
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Replying to: lemko (Feb 27, 2008 9:47 am) The CTS-V has basically the Corvette ZR-1 engine, detuned to "only" 550 hp ! 
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