Ask The Best And Brightest: Luxury Brand Luxury Trim Brands?

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Once upon a time, luxury brands built unique cars and added special editions for extra profit. Now luxury brands tend to build more cars based on volume brand platforms, the special edition seems to be giving way to a new phenomenon: unique luxury trim levels. GM has been a proponent of this system for some time, adding Denali trim levels to its GMC upgrades of Chevrolet trucks. Now, The General’s Cadillac brand has announced it will be adding Platinum trim level options to every vehicle that isn’t available in “V” form. The impetus for this is clearly the dream of coaxing BMW “M” or Cadillac “V”-style markups from consumers who don’t care about dynamics or power, but it also fundamentally undercuts Cadillac’s status as a true luxury brand… as well as Buick’s raison d’etre as an entry-lux brand. Or does it?

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Accs Accs on Feb 08, 2010

    Wait a second.... You are basing what Eddie Bauer = the outdoor company who is now bankrupt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Bauer On your relation through a bad Mo FO Co badge and tape job on an Explorer.. costing into 40g. I doubt they, the outdoor company would honor anything. You'd actually have to track them down first.. apparently the company has been through more hands and holding agencies than a hooker. I just checked their website. Its nothing more than your average home goods catalog. Swim suits, bedding, shoes and accessories, bags and gear. There's nothing to tell me that its any better than LL bean. Personally.. They both have only marketed errr sold errr pair for a a good rep with a coupla hundred million dollars on badges on cars. Bauer's stuff may have been better then = less watered down.. but I dont see the value on a SUV... and not one with the rep it / or its kind has anyway.

  • Stewart Dean Stewart Dean on Feb 09, 2010

    AccAzda...My tongue was firmly in cheek and I was leaning hard on the irony pedal... Like everything else, EB has been gutted by the bottom-line spread-sheet mechanics in search of ever-increasing "profits" and (literally) fantastic bonuses. When there were families invovled as there once was with firms like IBM and Cummins Diesel, there was not just thought but belief give to the greater good and damn fine products, in part because of the family honor. Now just MBA gigolos and pimps.............pardon my French. You might read Watson's "A Business and its Beliefs" for the glory that once was IBM.

  • Accs Accs on Feb 09, 2010

    Indeed, and well noted. I also remember when IBM decided to sell their laptop business.. to Lenovo, some... Korean err Chinese company. And there is a whole entire discussion about the cheapening of computers based on that sell to the lowest cost producer principal. But this is a car site.. and I specialize in cutting hairs.. And while I don't get "Eddie Bauer" on PRINCIPAL alone. LL Bean is slightly better and thus more visible, its vehicles are somewhat better, albeit more expensive but only for the badge.

  • Michael Neufeld Michael Neufeld on Jun 27, 2010

    Does this mean I can place my order for an American Apparel Lincoln MKZ soon?

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