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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

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


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#5152 of 6098
Re: sls [tlong] by lemko
Jul 26, 2008 (8:01 am)
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Replying to: tlong (Jul 25, 2008 8:39 pm)

They seem to forget about the Japanese car bodies that rusted with a vengeance in the winter and the interiors that cracked and split apart in the hot summer sun. My girlfriend's father bought a Datsun in response to the first 1970s fuel crisis and said it was underpowered and downright scary to drive in Philadelphia rush-hour traffic. It ended up throwing a rod after a few years.
#5153 of 6098
Re: sls [tlong] by sls002
Jul 26, 2008 (9:53 am)
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Replying to: tlong (Jul 25, 2008 8:39 pm)

This is a Cadillac forum, so your posts are completely off topic as are marsha7's.
#5154 of 6098
Can GM Make Cadillac the Standard of the World Again? by claires HOST
Jul 26, 2008 (10:20 am)
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#5155 of 6098
Re: Can GM Make Cadillac the Standard of the World Again? [claires] by sls002
Jul 26, 2008 (10:51 am)
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Replying to: claires (Jul 26, 2008 10:20 am)

I am not sure what it means to be the "Standard of the World" and I am not sure that Cadillac ever was, but for Cadillac to become the Standard of the World now (or for some other make to become that):
 
Cadillac would have to dominate the world luxury market (like Cadillac dominated the US market in the 50's and 60's) and GM would also have to dominate the world market (with at least 40% of the world market). I don't see any manufacturer doing this in the near future. For Toyota (and Lexus) to do this would probably mean there would be only 3 major manufacturers left with the other two nearly bankrupt.
#5156 of 6098
Standard of the World... by lemko
Jul 26, 2008 (1:10 pm)
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...refers to standardized parts used on Cadillacs from way back. Really, it's just a meaningless slogan like:
 
BMW is the Ultimate Driving Machine...for whom, really? Yuppies?
 
Or Lincoln: What a Luxury Car Should Be - in my opinion it's a Cadillac.
 
Perhaps Lexus' Relentless Pursuit of Perfection - yeah, make the car bland enough that it won't offend anybody.
 
Rolls-Royce has described itself as "The Best Automobile in the World!" Heck, lately I find my hooptie '88 Buick Park Ave as the best car for my purposes.
 
Porsche - There is no Substitute - uh, what about Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, etc.
 
And the list goes on and on...
#5157 of 6098
Re: sls [sls002] by tlong
Jul 26, 2008 (7:40 pm)
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Replying to: sls002 (Jul 26, 2008 9:53 am)

This is a Cadillac forum, so your posts are completely off topic as are marsha7's.
 
Point taken. This thread started with your post 5142, we shouldn't have let ourselves get off Cadillack in this forum...
#5158 of 6098
Re: Can GM Make Cadillac the Standard of the World Again? [sls002] by tlong
Jul 26, 2008 (7:46 pm)
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Replying to: sls002 (Jul 26, 2008 10:51 am)

Cadillac would have to dominate the world luxury market
 
Clearly to be the standard of the world they would have to be recognized as such in Europe and Asia.
 
I'm guessing that the closest makes to that standard that aren't tiny niche makes are BMW and Mercedes. So Cadillac would need to be able to compete as an equal to those brands.
 
They have made a good start in the past few years but they would need to:
1 - Add a smaller model than the CTS that can go head to head with the BMW 3 series (rumored)
2 - Improve their high end offerings to be viewed as competitive or superior to the BMW 7 series and/or Mercedes S class.
3 - Maintain and continue to improve their quality, technology, and reliability through successive refinements to these vehicles.
 
The one thing that Cadillac has going for it to accomplish this is the weak dollar. They could conceivably be more competitive overseas with American made cars due to a cost advantage. They need to have the vehicles and establish good dealer networks overseas. I also suspect they need to have right-side drive versions of these world-class vehicles for markets like Japan, Australia, and the UK.
 
The difficulty in doing this is the current financial and competitive position of GM. It's going to continue to cost a lot of money to make major improvements in their vehicles. We all agree (I think) that the CTS comes closest to being there, but that is not a full lineup, especially for non-US markets. I don't see them wanting Escalades in Japan!
#5159 of 6098
While I've Participated Here... by laurasdada
Jul 26, 2008 (10:23 pm)
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Round and round we go, how to define "Standard" nobody knows. It's been really pretty well covered from the Dewars trophy through tailfins, Cimarrons, Allantes, V8-6-4, downsizing, badge engineering to today.
 
No car can be a standard to all people. The car that you purchase, that is your standard.
 
It's well past my bedtime, but I'm actually working... So, I'm not sure of my coherency here...
#5160 of 6098
What we need to do: by m4d_cow
Jul 26, 2008 (11:47 pm)
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first is to define the term world standard, cuz for me Cadillac's only time as a world standard was in the 50s, when Cadillac was cross-shopped with the likes of bentley and jaguar.
To return Cadi to that position will require more than just one good product, CTS. The Northstar is a start, the newfound ride and handling too, but it takes more, and time. Try to catch up with lesser divas first, like Acura and Infiniti, then target BMW and MB later on.
 
I dont see them wanting Escalades in Japan
 
Well, I see them wanting Escalades in China, especially Shanghai. Escalades, H2s and Chrysler 300cs are everywhere there.
#5161 of 6098
Re: While I've Participated Here... [laurasdada] by circlew
Jul 27, 2008 (2:09 am)
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Replying to: laurasdada (Jul 26, 2008 10:23 pm)

I believe you are right about personal standard.
 
It's not fair to put Caddy in the same field as Bentley or Rolls. Ultra Luxury really.
 
BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Lexus, Infinity is more a level playing field. In this field, Caddy is not the standard. Period.
 
Can they ever really top this class?
 
Regards,
OW

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