Cadillac Nails Its Own Coffin. Again.

by Robert Farago

October 8th, 2007 10:36 AM

There may be those amongst you who believe that Cadillac should offer an entry-level model below the CTS. There may even be readers who give the ailing brand a better-than-even chance of creating a car that can compete with one of the most highly evolved models on planet Earth (BMW's 3-Series). But there's another group of car folk who consider the introduction of a [more] affordable model for Cadillac a form of brand suicide (Catera anyone?). In this camp, count GM's main marketing maven and former Cadillac GM Mark LeNeve, and current Caddy GM Jim Taylor. On the pro-how-low-can-you-go side, stands GM Car Czar Bob Lutz (like a Colossus), whose delusions of grandeur aren't all that grand, apparently. Automotive News [sub] reports– surprise, surprise– Lutz wins. His argument? A baby Caddy will help the brand in overseas markets– even though the Saabillac (BLS) has been a dismal failure. So, in 2011, General Motors will launch its baby Caddy on a "modified" version of its forthcoming rear wheel-drive Alpha platform. Caddy Jr. will be built in GM's Lordstown, Ohio factory; the same assembly plant that currently produces, wait for it, the Pontiac G5 and Chevrolet Cobalt.

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Johnson on Oct 08, 2007
RF: More proof that Lutz is nutz Or alternatively, you could use the equally applicable and ever-popular phrase: "More proof that Lutz is a putz" Cadillac has a BLS wagon now that they say will improve sales in Europe. I am very confident GM has no idea what it's doing, and that includes the Cadillac brand.

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KixStart on Oct 08, 2007

It's the wagon aspect of the thing that gets me. Performance wagons, while they have their adherents, are still a bit of an oddity. And the practicality of the wagon format can not be denied but who ever said, "Gee, I'm in need of a practical car. Maybe I should shop Cadillac?" Is Lutz thinking "downsized Escalade?" Downsizing the Escalade sort of kills the entire point of the Escalade, which is in-your-face blingism. Cadillac *might* have a chance with a sport sedan of some sort (and I like RWD, too) but I'm thinking the wagon is not going to bring flocks of people to the showrooms.

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Stuki on Oct 08, 2007

Still, whatever it does to the brand, if that thing in the picture truly sells for $20,000 with anything resembling Cadillac equipment levels, I'm seriously interested. More likely, it will cost within $5000 of a similarly equipped Bimmer, and with freefall depreciation, cost more than the Bimm to lease.

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Toronado455 on Oct 09, 2007
It’s clear now that GM will never get it right unless they simply turn all their dealers into GM dealers. Everything they make, sold under one roof That is a cool idea. Though it would require some serious consolidation. It would be a way for GM to trim down and become a leaner company but it might not actually be the most profitable move. I don’t mind Art & Science that much, although it is limiting in that many women seem to hate it. I think the CTS execution is pretty good, but the XLR’s version is horrible. I can see why chicks hate it because it is angular and masculine. I generally hate it because of the stupid crease in the middle of the rear bumper more than anything. I happen to disagree with you about the CTS vs. XLR. I think the XLR is the one Caddy that gets the Art & Science style right! It should be a small, Vette-shaped thing, which the XLR is. OR, the Escalade ESV - the other extreme - seems to work well too. But all the models in the middle are way ugly.

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