Cadillac Battles to Keep Gains From Eroding

[HotRodSaint]

Like several other General Motors Corp. divisions, Cadillac was stung by a double-digit percentage drop in October sales, and the luxury marque now is faced with trying to hang on to gains made earlier in the year.

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Taylor says the BLS could be sold in the U.S. in five years.

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But Taylor grins when he mentions the smiles generated at GM when Cadillac passed Mercedes last year. “Don't say that volume doesn't count.”

Taylor is confident Cadillac still has a lot of opportunity to grow its volume.

“Everybody shopping for a luxury car automatically considers BMW and Mercedes,” he says. “A lot of people don't even check us out.”

Cadillac has to prove it has a legitimate lineup of luxury cars before that changes, he says.

“A lot of customers don't even perceive that we have a new STS or XLR,” Taylor says. “We have 30 years of not-stellar performance that we have to overcome.”

[Kdirk]

Yeah, what he said.

Let's hope that GM's problems at the moment don't end up impacting Cadillac in such a way that product quality or availabilty suffers as a result. The financial (and other) problems at GM and even Delphi (which supplies MANY of the parts required to make Cadillacs) come at a very bad time, as Cadillac is now on the cusp of showing the world it means business again.

On the other hand, maybe Caddy will benefit from the disgruntled MB and BMW owners who have had bad experiences with those cars, since they both seem to be slipping on quality control and electrical gremlins these days.

Things will be great for Cadillac in 5 years if the momentum can continue without interruption.

KDirk

[hardrockcamaro@mac.c]

Now is the time.

Mercades are known for having electrical and build issues over here and I noticed that most cars broken down by the side of the road are BMW's, I'm sure the media will catch on sooner or later.

Now is when you pounce.


However, I'll give you all a quick update on Cadillac's efforts to sell cars in the UK again. So far I've seen none on the roads, there are now tv, magazine, radio or any other adverts. A few (and I mean you could count them on your fingers) dealers have some cars n very posh parts of London and a couple of other cities, but basically, no-one knows about them...

I knew they'd f*** it up again.

[ShadowLvr400]

Add to that, the ride on some of the new caddies is so harsh, that no Benz or BMW owner will tolerate it. The performance match is there, but te cars are so rigid and the suspensions so tight that any road vibrations or bumps are transmitted directly to you the rider.

[Lord Cadillac]

Originally Posted by ShadowLvr400

Add to that, the ride on some of the new caddies is so harsh, that no Benz or BMW owner will tolerate it. The performance match is there, but te cars are so rigid and the suspensions so tight that any road vibrations or bumps are transmitted directly to you the rider.

That's what I'm not crazy about. At least give us ONE comfortable, soft-riding model. That used to be the DeVille and the Fleetwood.. They DTS is rigid and there's no more Fleetwood...

[Playdrv4me]

Ive said it once and Ill say it again. A true BMW or Mercedes enthusiast, but particularly BMW, does not drive that car for reliability but because of the driving experience. It will take more than gains in reliability to lure away owners of those vehicles. It will take consistent improvements in technology, ride and handling, as well as the ability for the customer to count on a consistently fresh and updated product line like they are used to with MB and BMW. Not a here today gone tomorrow scenario.

[Kdirk]

Amen Sal,

I am a bit distressed at the sport/performance suspension trend that has overtaken Cadillac. One of the things I like best about my 95 is the softer ride - it's just more comfortable. Why in the HELL would I want to feel every nuance in the road? Roads suck, they are [poorly] maintained by the government and thus my bony a$$ gets shellshocked riding in one of these eurotrash inspired cars.

Let the EU have their cars that may as well have square tires for the all the ride quality they have. I don't want to be connected to the road, I want comfort dammit! I don't even want to know the road is there - that's how a car should ride. And I don't need super tight responsive steering either, my daily drive bears no resemblance whatsoever to a lemans course. It looks more like an eastern european minefield.

I don't understand how so many people can actually think [more like groupthink] that this is a better ride than the pillow soft Cadillacs of yore. Wait, I've got the answer - when a bunch of people start thinking the same way because they've been brainwashed by marketing and publicity, it usually leads to bad things. Kind of reminds me of what happened in Germany 60 years ago.

Who needs this agility? We aren't all race car drivers, so who really believes this is neccessary? Like the new BMW commerical where the guy in the 5 series dodges snowballs on a snow covered back road. Yeah, that's a really neccessary capability. Then again, the typical BMW driver is such a conceited ***** that they probably don't want their car getting any snow on it, lest they have to get out mid trip and wipe it down. Pffft, maybe it is a selling point. That's why you wait until it's parked and throw bricks at it instead.

What this really means is that the public is a bunch of morons who can't think for themselves (everyone else is doing -IT- so why shouldn't I?), and car companies have to cater to the public, so now all we get are cars with euro styling and handling. Makes me want to puke. Gee, thanks BMW & MB, you ruined it for all of us by forcing Cadillac to make cars that resembled yours, as all the yuppies have been brainwashed into thinking that having the crap shook out of you is the "ultimate driving experience". Yet another reason I'll never buy a German car, just to spite those Sonsab****s.

Oh, BTW, I am more than half German, and I still say they suck. The US never should have paid to rebuild the old country after the war. It sure came back to bite us in the butt.

Nuff Said.

KDirk - pissed off as usual.

[Playdrv4me]

Yea and see thats where your making a mistake. Not everyone who drives a BMW or Mercedes does so because they are trying to fit the "me too" profile as has been brought up on this forum before. Some of us actually DO prefer the controlled ride of a superbly handling automobile to the floaty ride and boat like handling of some of the older American cars. That doesnt mean I dont still like the older Fleetwoods and Town Cars etc. But everything in its proper place. A luxury vehicle should allow you to experience every part of the aspect of driving, and besides, what are you complaining about? Cadillac still produces and heavily refined the current DTS, which is designed to cater to people like you who refuse to accept the fact that the vehicle market is in constant evolution. Peoples tastes change, the automakers have to keep up... Nothing new.

By the way, I realize you tend to consider people with I.T. backgrounds mindless idiots, but I worked hard to get where I am and chose the profession I am in out of many possible directions I could have taken because I enjoy it. Frankly I didnt even have any particular schooling to get where I am, it was a natural way for me to go and one which I enjoy thoroughly. Its also sad that you think so poorly of your German heritage, yet another sign that you cant let sleeping dogs lie and move on, as the rest of the world already has.

[1enthusiast]

I drive about 25,000 miles/yr. Which means, I'm in my car almost more than I'm doing anything else. Since I started driving at 16, I've always hated.... HATED soft, pillowy, floating luxo-barges. They make me feel like I'm on the Millenium Force at Cedar Point. Not only that, but I prefer a car that can take a corner faster than 5 mph before the tires start screaming bloody mercy.

There is a vast majority of the "young professionals" of which I'm a part of who have decent money to spend on a car. If Cadillac is to stay in the mix of the luxury segement, they need to continue their trend of tighter, quicker, more sophistocated cars. Right now I am considering either a Lexus IS250 or Acura TL, although the CTS is not necessarily off my list. Cadillac does offer a viable alternative to the Lexus and Acura. But if I were considering a BMW 3-series, I wouldn't even consider a CTS. BMW does make the best handling cars in the world, and no one can come close. Most BMW buyers aren't concerned with reliability so much as the fun and real adrenalin rush they get from driving one.

[90Brougham350]

If I want that feeling one gets when one is about to have teeth pulled or have surgery, I'll go sit in a BMW.