Is Cadillac ready to go toe to toe with BMW, Lexus, and MB??
#1
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Is Cadillac ready to go toe to toe with BMW, Lexus, and MB??
As Cadillac's renaissance enters Phase Two, can its products really compete against the best from BMW, AMG Mercedes and Lexus?
By DAN CARNEY Email
At around $75,000, $100,000 and $50,000, the STS-V, XLR-V and CTS-V must provide no-excuses execution to compete against the likes of the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG and BMW M3.
The cabin of the 2007 Cadillac Escalade is more luxuriously appointed than the previous model, but with the clunky manual tilt adjuster, confusingly jam-packed single control stalk, separate remote key fob and lack of express-up one-touch windows, it's not yet "The Standard of the World."
Date posted: 05-11-2006
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=114950#2
By DAN CARNEY Email
At around $75,000, $100,000 and $50,000, the STS-V, XLR-V and CTS-V must provide no-excuses execution to compete against the likes of the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG and BMW M3.
The cabin of the 2007 Cadillac Escalade is more luxuriously appointed than the previous model, but with the clunky manual tilt adjuster, confusingly jam-packed single control stalk, separate remote key fob and lack of express-up one-touch windows, it's not yet "The Standard of the World."
Date posted: 05-11-2006
Since the launch of Cadillac's revitalized models such as the Escalade and the CTS, the company has promised to return to its one-time benchmark, "The Standard of the World." Today, that means beating competition from BMW (including the company's M performance division), Mercedes-Benz (likewise AMG) and Lexus.
The thinking at GM goes like this: If the company can take on the likes of the BMW M5, Mercedes' SL65 AMG and Lexus' LX 470 SUV, then surely the company's other brands can beat their respective competitors.
There is significant validity to this thesis. Cadillac sales have increased 37 percent since 2001 and the company outsold Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. in 2005. The cars are smarter-looking and more rewarding to drive than ever. Cadillac's success is in stark contrast to its rapidly fading crosstown rival Lincoln, which sold barely more than half as many cars as Cadillac last year.
The problem with Cadillac, GM and domestic manufacturers in general, however, is the unfortunate tendency to benchmark against one's own previous products, rather than against the latest and future BMW M3, Mercedes CLK63 AMG and Lexus GS 450h. Those are the cars that must be defeated in the showrooms for the company to succeed.
Admit it: You've asked yourself this question
With the launch of the new 2007 Escalade, Cadillac has announced the beginning of Phase Two of its renaissance. But the question that can rightly be posed regarding Phase One is whether it was truly the miracle Cadillac claims, or just a mirage that is apt to dissipate in the face of increasingly fierce foreign competition.
The question is not asked out of some pro-import bias, but out of the belief that only by topping the competition, feature for feature and dollar for dollar, can Cadillac reclaim its stake as the "Standard of the World." The company is reaching for that banner now, but some product shortcomings may suggest that the reach is still premature.
Today's Cadillac lineup is excellent, with the popular Escalade, zoomy XLR and sporty CTS. GM is justifiably proud of the achievements since the dim days of the Eldorado, Fleetwood and Catera.
"It is hard to remember now, but six years ago Cadillac was still literally on the ropes," recalled Detroit gadfly and publisher of the Autoextremist.com blog, Peter DeLorenzo. "Their vehicles were out of touch," he said. "Cadillac was strictly a deteriorating country club brand. But now they have street presence."
Phase Two oversights
That is true enough, but "better than ever" doesn't always equate to "best in class" in the American luxury market. "In round two we have to come out with no-excuses products," proclaimed Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor. "In this round, if we miss something we have to take our lumps and stand tall."
Cadillac knows, for example, that it must stand tall in the face of some hiccups in the all-new Renaissance Phase Two-era Escalade.
The power windows have no one-touch express-up function, like those you'd find, for example, on every Volkswagen Jetta, for all four windows. The steering wheel tilt is not only manual rather than power adjustable, it adjusts in the huge, clunky increments one might associate with some commercial truck.
The key has no built-in remote control functions, like those you'd find on, say, a Toyota Yaris economy car. Instead, the Phase Two Escalade's key ring includes a key and old-fashioned separate fob with the remote functions.
The good news here is that the antiquated key fob isn't present as the result of some negligent oversight. Cadillac will replace the keys in all its models with ones that incorporate remote functions, but because of the differing engineering schedules for each model, those keys won't be available until summer, explained Taylor.
Such is the case with all of the product details that Cadillac realizes are needed, but absent. "It isn't generally something that is missed," Taylor said. "There is usually a story around it." That means that there is some production capacity, engineering commonality or corporate intrigue sort of obstacle that prevented Cadillac from executing on that particular detail.
So Cadillac folks aren't blind to the competition, or stupid, or careless; they are bogged down by GM's bureaucracy. "But consumers don't care" about the source of the shortcomings, acknowledges Taylor.
Fulfilling present expectations
At the same time, the "overall integrity and design" of the Escalade are so strong that customers will forgive these oversights, asserts DeLorenzo. But the company might not find luxury sedan buyers as forgiving as SUV buyers. Certainly, at the prices of the high-performance "V" models, Cadillac buyers have the right to be extremely discerning, and some expectations have yet to be fulfilled.
Take the new STS-V, for example. It has the same horsepower rating as the mighty Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, but it doesn't deliver the same visceral thrill that taunts the driver into misbehaving. The Mercedes-Benz E55, BMW M5 and M3, and Caddy's own CTS-V snarl and snap, reminding the driver of the potential under his right foot.
The STS-V seems to doze off, like a Pompano Beach retiree in his La-Z-Boy — still sharp as ever, just taking a little rest. Once roused, the STS-V can deliver the goods, but it is far too easy to draw the wrong conclusion from its quiet cruising attitude.
Defining a future direction
One way that Cadillac can truly take the fight to Europe's Old World prestige powers is to compete in their markets. The company has taken that step with the development of the Saab-derived BLS, a compact front-drive sedan that gives European Cadillac dealers the four-cylinder and diesel engines they need to attract customers in the volume to justify selling the brand. Meanwhile, they will be able to show off CTS and STS models that a few of those shoppers might consider.
At home, Cadillac will soon roll out a higher-performance CTS-V, followed by a new CTS that will reinforce the current model's many strengths, while correcting its obvious weaknesses, such as the cheap-looking interior. Perhaps that car will be the first, true no-excuses example of Cadillac's Phase Two hardware. "The next-generation CTS will have to have bulletproof execution" to sustain the renaissance, agreed Cadillac's Taylor.
DeLorenzo, who has seen a preview of the CTS, says he thinks it will. "I think this vehicle is the first direct threat to the BMW 3 Series," he predicted.
Cadillac fans, and anyone who thinks GM can punch its way out of the corner it has backed into, hope he is right.
The thinking at GM goes like this: If the company can take on the likes of the BMW M5, Mercedes' SL65 AMG and Lexus' LX 470 SUV, then surely the company's other brands can beat their respective competitors.
There is significant validity to this thesis. Cadillac sales have increased 37 percent since 2001 and the company outsold Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. in 2005. The cars are smarter-looking and more rewarding to drive than ever. Cadillac's success is in stark contrast to its rapidly fading crosstown rival Lincoln, which sold barely more than half as many cars as Cadillac last year.
The problem with Cadillac, GM and domestic manufacturers in general, however, is the unfortunate tendency to benchmark against one's own previous products, rather than against the latest and future BMW M3, Mercedes CLK63 AMG and Lexus GS 450h. Those are the cars that must be defeated in the showrooms for the company to succeed.
Admit it: You've asked yourself this question
With the launch of the new 2007 Escalade, Cadillac has announced the beginning of Phase Two of its renaissance. But the question that can rightly be posed regarding Phase One is whether it was truly the miracle Cadillac claims, or just a mirage that is apt to dissipate in the face of increasingly fierce foreign competition.
The question is not asked out of some pro-import bias, but out of the belief that only by topping the competition, feature for feature and dollar for dollar, can Cadillac reclaim its stake as the "Standard of the World." The company is reaching for that banner now, but some product shortcomings may suggest that the reach is still premature.
Today's Cadillac lineup is excellent, with the popular Escalade, zoomy XLR and sporty CTS. GM is justifiably proud of the achievements since the dim days of the Eldorado, Fleetwood and Catera.
"It is hard to remember now, but six years ago Cadillac was still literally on the ropes," recalled Detroit gadfly and publisher of the Autoextremist.com blog, Peter DeLorenzo. "Their vehicles were out of touch," he said. "Cadillac was strictly a deteriorating country club brand. But now they have street presence."
Phase Two oversights
That is true enough, but "better than ever" doesn't always equate to "best in class" in the American luxury market. "In round two we have to come out with no-excuses products," proclaimed Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor. "In this round, if we miss something we have to take our lumps and stand tall."
Cadillac knows, for example, that it must stand tall in the face of some hiccups in the all-new Renaissance Phase Two-era Escalade.
The power windows have no one-touch express-up function, like those you'd find, for example, on every Volkswagen Jetta, for all four windows. The steering wheel tilt is not only manual rather than power adjustable, it adjusts in the huge, clunky increments one might associate with some commercial truck.
The key has no built-in remote control functions, like those you'd find on, say, a Toyota Yaris economy car. Instead, the Phase Two Escalade's key ring includes a key and old-fashioned separate fob with the remote functions.
The good news here is that the antiquated key fob isn't present as the result of some negligent oversight. Cadillac will replace the keys in all its models with ones that incorporate remote functions, but because of the differing engineering schedules for each model, those keys won't be available until summer, explained Taylor.
Such is the case with all of the product details that Cadillac realizes are needed, but absent. "It isn't generally something that is missed," Taylor said. "There is usually a story around it." That means that there is some production capacity, engineering commonality or corporate intrigue sort of obstacle that prevented Cadillac from executing on that particular detail.
So Cadillac folks aren't blind to the competition, or stupid, or careless; they are bogged down by GM's bureaucracy. "But consumers don't care" about the source of the shortcomings, acknowledges Taylor.
Fulfilling present expectations
At the same time, the "overall integrity and design" of the Escalade are so strong that customers will forgive these oversights, asserts DeLorenzo. But the company might not find luxury sedan buyers as forgiving as SUV buyers. Certainly, at the prices of the high-performance "V" models, Cadillac buyers have the right to be extremely discerning, and some expectations have yet to be fulfilled.
Take the new STS-V, for example. It has the same horsepower rating as the mighty Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, but it doesn't deliver the same visceral thrill that taunts the driver into misbehaving. The Mercedes-Benz E55, BMW M5 and M3, and Caddy's own CTS-V snarl and snap, reminding the driver of the potential under his right foot.
The STS-V seems to doze off, like a Pompano Beach retiree in his La-Z-Boy — still sharp as ever, just taking a little rest. Once roused, the STS-V can deliver the goods, but it is far too easy to draw the wrong conclusion from its quiet cruising attitude.
Defining a future direction
One way that Cadillac can truly take the fight to Europe's Old World prestige powers is to compete in their markets. The company has taken that step with the development of the Saab-derived BLS, a compact front-drive sedan that gives European Cadillac dealers the four-cylinder and diesel engines they need to attract customers in the volume to justify selling the brand. Meanwhile, they will be able to show off CTS and STS models that a few of those shoppers might consider.
At home, Cadillac will soon roll out a higher-performance CTS-V, followed by a new CTS that will reinforce the current model's many strengths, while correcting its obvious weaknesses, such as the cheap-looking interior. Perhaps that car will be the first, true no-excuses example of Cadillac's Phase Two hardware. "The next-generation CTS will have to have bulletproof execution" to sustain the renaissance, agreed Cadillac's Taylor.
DeLorenzo, who has seen a preview of the CTS, says he thinks it will. "I think this vehicle is the first direct threat to the BMW 3 Series," he predicted.
Cadillac fans, and anyone who thinks GM can punch its way out of the corner it has backed into, hope he is right.
#5
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Personally I love the "new" Caddy designs and they have come along way. That said I still wouldnt pick one over a Lexus let alone the Germans. What scares me about the new Caddy designs is that in 5 years I think they are going to look dated really quickly. That alone scares me.
#7
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by LexLaw
Personally I love the "new" Caddy designs and they have come along way. That said I still wouldnt pick one over a Lexus let alone the Germans. What scares me about the new Caddy designs is that in 5 years I think they are going to look dated really quickly. That alone scares me.
But.....the CTS interior............
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#8
Lexus Fanatic
The one thing that Cadillac still needs to do, though, is NOT what a lot of " auto enthusiasts" want to hear. The company has some good sport sedans now....especially in the V-series.......that can compete well with its target....the German sports sedans. The problem is that, in doing so, it has forgotten its core group of customers, and the ones that kept them in buisness for so long....the Granny and Grampa types, or better yet, the people of ALL ages that like B-I-G, H-E-A-V-Y, S-M-O-O-T-H riding cars with vinyl roofs, hood ornaments, ultra-soft, cushy, bench seats, cream-of-wheat suspensions, etc.....
Cadillac, in the last 10 years or so, has basically neglected this crucially important and core group of customers to a shocking degree....( and the Lincoln Town Car has benefitted from it ). Even the traditional DeVille has been turned into a semi-sports sedan, the DTS, and the big, soft, rear-drive Fleetwood is long gone. At the risk of being branded a " grandpa" by a lot of "enthusiasts" I have to say that Cadillac had better start paying more attention to its traditional customers....Cadillac now has some good sports sedans and doesn't have to keep introducing more and more of them. They may be able to sell V-series cars for now, but in the future when those BMW-competitors no longer want a Nurburgring-carver and may want a comfortable boat instead, Caddy will have nothing to offer. It doesn't really have anything, anymore, to offer them NOW.
Cadillac, in the last 10 years or so, has basically neglected this crucially important and core group of customers to a shocking degree....( and the Lincoln Town Car has benefitted from it ). Even the traditional DeVille has been turned into a semi-sports sedan, the DTS, and the big, soft, rear-drive Fleetwood is long gone. At the risk of being branded a " grandpa" by a lot of "enthusiasts" I have to say that Cadillac had better start paying more attention to its traditional customers....Cadillac now has some good sports sedans and doesn't have to keep introducing more and more of them. They may be able to sell V-series cars for now, but in the future when those BMW-competitors no longer want a Nurburgring-carver and may want a comfortable boat instead, Caddy will have nothing to offer. It doesn't really have anything, anymore, to offer them NOW.
Last edited by mmarshall; 05-12-06 at 05:26 PM.
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by ATSOU
Caddy is alrite.............just overpriced.....
#13
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Originally Posted by Och
I think Caddy's exterior styling is about as ugly as it gets. Interiors are not bad, but kinda weird, not my cup of tea. Engines are basig GM pushrod crap. And wtf is up with that picture - all these performance cars will have shifter on the steering colum?!?!?!
They've been done with 'pushrod crap' for a long time - all overhead cam engines I believe (Northstar).
But that pushrod crap sure can make a Vette go fast.
#15
Originally Posted by mmarshall
The one thing that Cadillac still needs to do, though, is NOT what a lot of " auto enthusiasts" want to hear. The company has some good sport sedans now....especially in the V-series.......that can compete well with its target....the German sports sedans. The problem is that, in doing so, it has forgotten its core group of customers, and the ones that kept them in buisness for so long....the Granny and Grampa types, or better yet, the people of ALL ages that like B-I-G, H-E-A-V-Y, S-M-O-O-T-H riding cars with vinyl roofs, hood ornaments, ultra-soft, cushy, bench seats, cream-of-wheat suspensions, etc.....
Cadillac, in the last 10 years or so, has basically neglected this crucially important and core group of customers to a shocking degree....( and the Lincoln Town Car has benefitted from it ). Even the traditional DeVille has been turned into a semi-sports sedan, the DTS, and the big, soft, rear-drive Fleetwood is long gone. At the risk of being branded a " grandpa" by a lot of "enthusiasts" I have to say that Cadillac had better start paying more attention to its traditional customers....Cadillac now has some good sports sedans and doesn't have to keep introducing more and more of them. They may be able to sell V-series cars for now, but in the future when those BMW-competitors no longer want a Nurburgring-carver and may want a comfortable boat instead, Caddy will have nothing to offer. It doesn't really have anything, anymore, to offer them NOW.
Cadillac, in the last 10 years or so, has basically neglected this crucially important and core group of customers to a shocking degree....( and the Lincoln Town Car has benefitted from it ). Even the traditional DeVille has been turned into a semi-sports sedan, the DTS, and the big, soft, rear-drive Fleetwood is long gone. At the risk of being branded a " grandpa" by a lot of "enthusiasts" I have to say that Cadillac had better start paying more attention to its traditional customers....Cadillac now has some good sports sedans and doesn't have to keep introducing more and more of them. They may be able to sell V-series cars for now, but in the future when those BMW-competitors no longer want a Nurburgring-carver and may want a comfortable boat instead, Caddy will have nothing to offer. It doesn't really have anything, anymore, to offer them NOW.