One of the biggest problem with General Motors' luxury division, Cadillac, is its brand equity. While certain products in its portfolio have a following with the elite (cough, cough, the Escalade, cough, cough) others are struggling to find their home.
To me, the Cadillac vehicles are better than ever. Hell, I even named the ATS-V and CTS-V as my top two for 2015. But would I ever consider or tell someone to check out one of the company's standard vehicles.
No.
The ATS, CTS, CT6, XT5 all sort of lose me. Could it be the Art & Science design language? Most likely. The interiors have become quite nice and even the CUE system has gotten its act together. But, aside from the Vs, I don't think I'd ever want to be caught dead in a Caddy.
Others share this sentiment too. In an effort to help boost the company's perception, the automaker formerly from Detroit has uprooted to New York's Manhattan island and has hired some of the best to help turn this ship around. Another initiative is the VIP fleet that's a move from Audi's playbook. So far it doesn't appear to have moved the needle. But that hasn't stopped the company.
The latest move is to open up a coffee shop on the ground floor of its new Big Apple location. While I admit that this is a fun little endeavor I don't think it will have New Yorkers clamoring for Caddys.
What say you, Spies? Do you think people will go kooky for Caddy coffee or is this simply an awful attempt at better public relations?
...Called Cadillac House, the café/gallery/dealership fills out the spacious ground floor of the brand’s 330 Hudson Street offices, and is due to open on June 2. Mark you calendars.
Nestled between Soho and Greenwich Village, the coffee shop is a ploy to lure well-heeled urban types into a space inspired by Cadillac, but not in the same way that certain small-town diners are inspired by Cadillac. It’s all part of an initiative started in 2014 to foist the brand onto those who traditionally shun domestic luxury.
“We have tried to tell people what you’re supposed to feel from the Cadillac brand,” said Melody Lee, Cadillac’s brand director, in an interview with Bloomberg. “But what we hadn’t quite fully established was an environment that you could walk into..."
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