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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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In theory, what's left of GM and Cadillac should be able to engineer some great cars, simply because they can put their money into better engines and design, rather than spend money trying to figure out how to badge engineer across 4-5 other lines... Of course, great engineering and design will be made by the UAW, so, like it or not, we are truly back at Square One, just in a smaller company...the lousy, worthless, overpaid, unskilled UAW workers are still going to be there, so will anything REALLY change???
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Replying to: marsha7 (Aug 01, 2009 8:22 pm) Using the same Lambda platform for yet another GM crossover tells you something. Targeting the 3-series tells you something. Stretching the CTS tells you something. The 2010 SRX tells you something. AFAIC, nothing really world class there so far. Let's let the products speak for themselves. GM typically will overprice. Pricing strategy is not their strong point, never has been...except, arguably, for the Corvette. They really should under promise and over deliver but they are not made up of that fabric. Regards, OW
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Replying to: circlew (Aug 02, 2009 7:06 am) Also the way GM did business didn't make financial sense. Having extreme liabilities with health care and pensions, etc.. There was no way they could compete effectively in today's market. It goes way beyond the bad decision they made to cheapen the quality of their cars. All this, yet they can compete in China very well. Perhaps much of the financial success of their brand over in China has much to do with licensing. It's the same way vehicle fuel stations operate in the U.S.A. Underneath the GM name in China, business operations probably look and are very different from their USA cousins. If American origin car makers hadn't had serious European or Asian competition, we in America would still be driving 1960's/ 1970's like Detroit automobiles. Who would really be ok with that? Let's hope they changed their tune in the U.S.A., cause that's the only way they will be able to survive here. Right now the only "Standard of the World" is the CTS, and many would even question that badge of honor based on the transmission problems many on the Edmunds blogs are complaining about. I really am not sure what "standard of the world" means anyway. It's an ambiguous phrase. Was Cadillac ever the standard of the world?? |
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YES!! caddy has ups and dpwns since 1902!!! we will prevail as the standard of the world !! my new caddy proves it as heads turn daily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if the world is watching? iam there too help each person matters and all cadillac owners WILL UNITE!!!!!!! CADILLIST RENO NV. U.S.A.
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Replying to: caddilist (Aug 06, 2009 1:48 am)  Regards, OW
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Replying to: caddilist (Aug 06, 2009 1:48 am)
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Replying to: circlew (Aug 06, 2009 7:12 am) It would be different if GM priced their cars correctly, but they want too much for them, based on what you get. Nissan is about to challenge GM in 2011 with a full fledged pull all the stops electric car, something they could have capitalized on in the 1990's. Is GM prepared for this? Probably not, just like they weren't prepared for the Prius, huge demand for small cars, or how to build decent interiors for luxury cars that don't screamcheap. At $3.00 a gallon now, we will never see long bouts of $1.20 per gallon vehicle fuel again, because the oil industry doesn't like those low prices for consumers. |
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Replying to: alain_changer (Aug 06, 2009 7:53 am) GM does price the CTS correctly. Compare it to a 5 series and it's suddenly a very good deal. Note - this is exactly what Hyundai is doing against Toyota and Honda - 90-95% the quality and feel for 20% less.
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I do not typically test drive cars I am not seriously interested in buying sometime soon – I don’t think that is fair, to the sales person or the dealership. I made an exception recently. I am not seriously interested in trading my G8 GT in for a Caddy CTS-v – today. But I was very curious, after reading a number of reviews by professionals & owners, to see if this could be something I’d look at as a used car - in a few years. I hope the new CTS-v survives for a while. With GM and the general economy where it is & looks likely to be headed, I seriously doubt that GM will develop & build anything similar in the next decade. So, anyway: I drove a used [ approx. 8,500 miles ] CTS-v with 6L90 automatic trans one Saturday morning. A relatively short drive – only 3 or 4 miles. Impressions here first – then a couple of observations below: Though the drive was brief & included no speeds above 60 \ 65 MPH or so [ no highway – just gathering initial impressions here ] I was quite impressed with the acceleration & ride. The Eaton supercharger’s whine is reasonably well muted. As many have said: The wealth of TQ at any RPM provides very satisfying acceleration in any gear at any speed – with a feeling of effortlessness. The ride was quite pleasant, given the capabilities of the car & the tires – and the approx. 4,200 pounds of vehicle weight [ plus me & another 200 pounds of ballast = Sales Associate ] being controlled. Kudos to mag-ride. I certainly did not stress the car in braking or handling, but it felt quite competent & reassuring in normal driving. I believe the 0-60 & quarter mile times I have seen reported. The acceleration in the 5 – 60 \ 65 MPH range, using moderate RPM but wide throttle openings was exhilarating fun. The road test results I have read indicate that the maximum acceleration is better than my Corvette Coupe. And to feel that in a car more similar in size to my G8 GT is quite interesting & very entertaining. I found the interior materials, fit & finish quite acceptable. The exterior paint & trim seemed well planned & executed. The entire vehicle seemed to reflect quality at least in line with this class. The MSRP of a similar new 2009 CTS-v would be in the mid-$60K range. And anything else in approximately this same class \ category [ looking at both performance \ functionally & luxury appointments ] I see prices quite a bit higher. I do hope this car survives. In spite of the EPA MPG ratings, I will keep the CTS-v on my “short list” – for when I decide to seriously look again for a Sport Sedan. Does this mean that GM has made Cadillac “..the standard of the world Again?” What this does mean [ to me ] is that GM has produced a very well equipped & well engineered Sport Sedan – that is quite comfortable, and exhilarating to drive – for a very competitive & reasonable price. In my humble opinion. Cheers, - Ray Just 1 data point . . . |
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