Cadillac's Last Stand? Storied Brand Aims (Again) for Revival

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/business/cadillac-brand.html


A Cadillac CT6 in Detroit. Although it is equipped with the Super Cruise driver-assistance system, the model’s sales have fallen 60 percent this year, and General Motors may halt production.

By Neal E. Boudette
Aug. 27, 2019
Updated 11:36 a.m. ET

DETROIT — Few American brand names have ever achieved the stature of Cadillac, which was once so closely identified with excellence and status that it became shorthand for anything that was top of the line. And few brands have fallen as far.

Cadillac rose to prominence a century ago as the pinnacle in General Motors’ “ladder of brands” — the ultimate destination as car owners prospered and moved up from Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Buick to demonstrate their success in life.

But by the 1970s it struggled with quality and failed to keep up as the definition of automotive luxury shifted from big, spacious cars with tail fins to German-engineered performance sedans. Cadillac became known as a “grandpa” car brand. It now trails far behind Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi on a global basis, and ranks just sixth in luxury vehicle sales in the United States.

“It’s almost like the brand is stuck in time,” said David Placek, president of Lexicon Branding, a marketing firm that develops brand names and strategies.

General Motors has tried for more than two decades to restore Cadillac’s standing at the top of the automotive world, with little sustained success. In 2015 it moved Cadillac’s headquarters to the SoHo district of Manhattan, aiming to immerse those shaping the brand in the kind of upscale urban setting that is a prime target for high-end products.

The image-making, however, wasn’t backed up by new cars that turned heads in the crowded luxury segment. And Cadillac again missed a shift, rolling out sedans as consumers flocked to S.U.V.s.

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[CDerekGo]

1. Could the blame lie?

Squarely on GM's shoulders? They've squandered a brand by recruiting CEO's from other not so great 'luxury' brands, who only changed the badges on the existing cars, further confusing existing Cadillac customers, as well as making a mess out of future buyers who only know of the Cadillac Escalade, all other models are just a jumble of letters and numbers any longer. Maybe I'm too old school, but give me an actual NAME for a car model....

When a manufacturer changes the name of a model, but never actually changes the model, who do they think they're fooling? Actual Sales have proven that. Moving your headquarters have only done one thing as well, sucked your Division's bank account dry. I'll never understand some of these decisions.

As I watched GM brands die away (and no, I'm not a die-hard GM buyer) as well as other Big-Three brands go into the dust bin of history, I actually wonder, which of the Big-Three will die away next.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. IMO, that's spot on...

The Escalade, Eldorado, Coupe de Ville - all models that spark something in me, perhaps because of nostalgia, but they still sound cool to me. The only Caddy I've owned was a 1996 STS (not a cool name) that was fast, plushy and pretty as hell.


(not my actual car, but identical)

[MineralMan]

5. Looks like an overweight Chevy to me.

Nothing distinctive about it.

[Dennis Donovan]

6. Guess you have to drive one...

[MineralMan]

8. No thanks. Large American sedans are not my cup of tea at all.

Not interested.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. I can dig that

[SharonAnn]

24. It was a "touring sedan", had great handling, short turning radius, "get up and go"

It was a "touring sedan", had great handling, short turning radius, "get up and go", sportier suspension.

It was a great driving car. One of my favorites. If you needed a sedan but liked a sportier, more European feel, it was perfect.

[FoxNewsSucks]

26. I always liked the STS

I like the clean lines of the car, it doesn't look overweight at all. I know others who had one, and it was a a great car

I never did get one, but I did put a couple hundred thousand miles on a 95 Oldsmobile Aurora, which also had a NorthStar V8. GM can make some great cars, but I'm not sure what current management is thinking sometimes.

[Javaman]

3. ...

[Dennis Donovan]

16. Yes!!!

The cultural aspect of the brand is significant!

[MineralMan]

4. Cadillac is about to join Oldsmobile as an extinct brand.

Its brand-loyal customer base is dying off fast. GM is unlikely to take the kind of steps needed to convert it into a fresh brand name, and the competition for the high-bucks luxury car is fierce.

I don't think it can be saved, frankly. I don't think any of the prestige US car brands can be saved. Lincoln is next on the oblivion list. Chrysler will follow shortly.

The new luxury car buyer is younger, performance-oriented, and uninterested in historical brands. Instead, it expects real innovation to go along with its luxury appeal. GM doesn't get it, and neither does FMC.

[TomJulie]

12. Cadillac is about to join Oldsmobile as an extinct brand????

ROTFLOL!! I'll take that bet anyday.

[MineralMan]

13. Just watch.

[brush]

7. Too bad for GM and the rest of American luxury brands. They've been out-marketed and left...

Last edited Tue Aug 27, 2019, 02:27 PM - Edit history (2)

behind in public perception of quality. The badge engineering from back in the day started it. You didn't know if you were getting an Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac or even Cadillac. Even the engines were interchanged.

The article left out the also now defunct Pontiac in GM's once vaunted stepping-stone line-up of more and more prestigious cars to aspire to. In its heyday it was Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and the Cadillac, the pinnacle.

Now looking back the Pontiac/Oldsmobile/Buick line-up was an exercise in redundancy and the public finally got wise to it. GM had America fooled for a few decades though before the imports started arriving and blowing that all apart.

[MineralMan]

10. My wife's father was a Buick man. Loyal as can be.

The last car he owned before he died was a 1999 Buick Roadmaster station wagon. What a boat that thing was! After he died, my mother-in-law continued to drive it. She had a horrible time with it, because parking lots were no longer designed for vehicles like it. Soon, it collected dings and dents. But, she wanted nothing to do with the idea of replacing it, until its transmission failed after a few years.

Since replacing the transmission would have cost more than the car was worth, my wife and I convinced her that it was time for the Roadmaster to move on. She finally agreed to buy a new car, so we went car shopping. One after another smaller car she looked at got rejected. It was a long, long day of her trying to get in and out of cars that had seats that were too low, doors that were too small, and ergonomics that didn't suit her 80 year old self.

We were about to give up, when I drove past a Chrysler Jeep dealer. There, out in the front of their lot was a line of PT Cruisers. On a whim, I pulled in. They were all lease returns, with low mileage and very good prices. I walked her to a white one, and opened the driver's door so she could look into the car, and then asked her to hop in and check it out. A salesman showed up, but I waved him off. My mother-in-law sat on the seat, not down into the seat. She grasped the steering wheel as if to drive. "I like this one," she said. It's easy to get into." Then she got out. I opened the rear hatch for her. She liked the adjustable shelf. "I could put my groceries on that, without bending over," she said.

"Would you like to try driving it?" I asked. She nodded, so I waved to the salesman, who came over and went with her on a brief test drive. They came back, and M-i-L said, "I like this car very much. How much does it cost?" The sticker price on it was about $13,000, which was how many miles it had on it. A lifetime power train warranty the salesman said it had.

"I'll take it," my wife's mother said, and we went in so she could write a check for the full price. She drove it home and into her garage, where it took up about half the space of the old Roadmaster. She didn't know it, but that Roadmaster was not the car for her. That PT Cruiser was. She loved it. Easy to park, easy to drive, easy to do whatever she needed it to do.

When she died, a few years later, it still didn't have 30,000 miles on it. I drove it on longer trips, like to her home town of Sioux Falls. She drove it around town. Her little PT Cruiser made her happy. "Look," she said. "It has this strap that helps me get out of the car." Simple.

[brush]

17. In other words, build the right car for the right market segment and it will be a success.

Chrysler was good at that with the K-cars in Iacocca's day, the Dodge Magnum and the PT Cruiser. Hope they come up with something again.

I myself prefer a mid-priced American car now just for convenience and lower cost of getting it fixed—not that much lower admittedly as dealers gouged you for as much as they can get out of you for servicing. My preference is probably because at one point I had Jags (style and grace and all that) but I had to keep a beater for a second car because the Jag was always back and forth to the shop.

You live and learn.

[MineralMan]

18. I just bought my second KIA Soul. We had the previous one for

seven years and traded it in for a 2020 model. Many improvements in the new one, but the old one was never in the shop except for oil changes and one programming change from a recall. The only thing we spend any money on was a set of tires and a new battery this past January.

We expect similar results with our 2020 model.

My other car is a 1996 Ford Ranger. It's a Ford, but the engine and transmission are from Mazda. The 2.3 Liter engine is bulletproof, really. It will still be running when the truck falls apart from rust, but that's a long time off.

[brush]

19. I didn't know Ford had an arrangement with Mazda for engines.

The 2.3 is really good? I once had a Dodge Dart with the slant 6, it was like that and I literally drove the car to the junk yard and left it with the keys in the ignition. I lived in New York then and the rocker panels were all rusted thru from winter road salt, the floor was starting to go, and the transmission was going but the engines was still running like a top. Never had any trouble with it. It was the most durable engine I every had.

[MineralMan]

21. They sure did. That 2.3 and then 2.5 liter four-banger

is a hugely durable engine, if not a stellar performer in power. The Engine and transmission in those Rangers were Mazda. The old Chrysler slant six was another solid, if boring, engine.

That said, engine technology has changed dramatically in the past couple of decades. Most automotive engines these days are pretty much rock solid in terms of durability. That wasn't always the case, of course, in the past. The worst thing about the Ranger with the 2.3 Liter is that it's a bit underpowered, by most standards. It doesn't matter to me, really. I'm not in a hurry, and that old pickup is a workhorse, not a racing vehicle. If it gets me there and back without issues, I'm good.

[Coventina]

11. Meh. I've encountered way too many jerks in Escalades to care.

And, the Escalade's commercials were aimed at jerks.

When you go after the jerk demographic to buy your products, I no longer care about your company.

[MineralMan]

14. I give Escalades a very wide berth.

[JCMach1]

15. Love my SRX, But Electric and PHEV options

would be awesome...

Bring SRX back as a crossover with a Bolt drivetrain would be awesome GM, thanks...

[pecosbob]

20. The last Cadillac I truly admired was the 1961-2 DeVille.

My favorite is one of the most beautiful cars ever made..the Cadillac Sixteen. A work of art.

But frankly they didn't do much after World War Two to maintain their standard of excellence in engineering. The trend toward vehicle platforming in the sixties essentially reduced them to gussied up Chevys.

[brush]

22. Horrible isn't it? GM squandered Cadillac's quality image with...

as you mentioned, platforming and badge engineering. Remember the Cimarron? What a disaster that was.

All of Cadillac's decision making talent has left the building.

[pecosbob]

23. It wasn't only GM

You can take a 2.3L engine from a newish Ford Focus and drop it into a 1972 Pinto. It's the same bloody engine fifty years later. It's like their desire to innovate in Detroit disappeared in the seventies or something. They've spent the last fifty years trying to engineer yet another .001 mpg out of the same tired tech while nudging consumers toward larger, heavier less fuel-efficient and more profitable SUVs and light trucks.

[MineralMan]

27. Large Trucks and SUVs are popular with some people.

The rest of us aren't fooled by all that, and buy economical vehicles that are more practical. With US auto makers dropping sedans, they're feeding that. And US small cars, built here, are not much competition for imports, really.

It feels like the US brands are giving up and focusing primarily on expensive larger vehicles. Not a good move, really.

[SharonAnn]

25. Lots management decisions about maximizing profit. Killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

Cars are special to people. Many love great engineering and style. High quality is required for such a costly product.

Always doing "cost reduction" moves hurts the product. Customers notice it and they drift away.