Here's One Mans Vision For Re-Inventing Cadillac. What's YOURS?

"The Escalade will live on though as pointless as it may be seen by many because America can't seem to get enough of these rolling excesses"

"But Cadillac needs more in the way of other models, including one that is excessive"

I wish the person who wrote this article would make up his god damn mind. Besides, the Cadillac 16 is doomed from all the hippy nay sayers who would view this car as the coming of the anti christ.

— Joe_Limon (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 12:36:59 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

An over-the-top ultra luxury vehicle that could be its flagship would certainly be a great addition to the Cadillac line. But, right now Cadillac has bigger problems to deal with and the biggest one is to replace the current DTS. We've all heard about the upcoming XTS that is scheduled to replace the DTS. It sounds extremely disappointing and not really worthy of the role, although it could be worthwhile as a stepping stone to a REAL Cadillac, sort of like the Lexus ES is to the Lexus LS. (Lincoln seems to have a similar problem in that they appear to be planning to replace their outdated Town Car with the rather unremarkable MKS.)

Cadillac needs a full-sized bread-and-butter luxury sedan that can replace the DTS, and that can compete with the best in the world, especially the Lexus LS, the Hyundai Equus, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the BMW 7-series, the Audi A8, and the Jaguar XJ (especially against the Lexus LS) and that can make a profit!

The car should be rear-wheel drive (with all-wheel drive as an option) and it needs to have a V-8 engine! Cadillac has shelved plans to produce a replacement for the Northstar V-8, but an updated version of the current Northstar would work for at least a little while, and GM can always fall back and use a version of the Corvette V-8.

The Holden rear-wheel drive chassis sounded ideal. A rear-wheel drive chassis developed for Cadillac could be shared with Buick and perhaps Holden. Shorter versions of the chassis could be shared with Chevrolet and possibly even Opel, Vauxhall and Daewoo!

If and when GM starts making a profit again, we can worry about developing an ultra-luxury car like the classic V-12 and V-16 models from the 1930s or the Eldorado Brougham. As it is, I'm not even sure that GM and Cadillac will be able to survive long enough to actually come out with the XTS.

— Chaordic1 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 1:35:26 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Make the Cadillac Sixteen (XTS) BIG! The Escalade BIG! The CTS and STS in the middle, and the new ATS small!

IMO, the XTS and STS should push style ahead of practicality. For example, the XTS would do well with a long hood, and so would the STS (XTS more driver focused, and the STS more passenger focused). The XTS just needs to have something the young and middle aged would drool about, and the STS needs to move away from the image of being a bigger CTS. And if most of them can be on the same platform (the next-gen STS being the basis for future models), then developments should be less costly and engine offerings shouldn't be a problem; even more, GM would then have a strong lineup of RWD platforms that they can continue R&D in.

— WorldofLuxury (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 1:55:10 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

The Australian Holden developed Zeta platform - which underpins the Camaro, Holden Commodore ect - is a great mid range platform but lacks that special edge cadillac would need to compete with Audi, BMW, MB, Jaguar and Lexus. They need to develop something very special to truly take the fight to the luxury players.

— BozzorTheGreat (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 4:48:31 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I think Cadillac needs a pretty pared down product line of 5-6 vehicles that emphasize sleek American style and luxury (Sixteen styling is a good starting point), larger cars, high technology/innovation (lighting, telematics, software, intelligence, etc.), and solid performance.

Cadillac needs to be as American as Audi is German. I find the American brand essence of Cadillac sort of missing these days. Audi is modern, sleek and very Germanic in its understatement. Cadillac needs to find its voice as the American luxury brand and represent Americana in a similar way.

In my mind the products needed would be:

1. CTS to be positioned between 3 and 5 series size-wise, at 3 series price point. The current one is almost there, but not 100%. A CTS coupe is not necessary in my mind.
2. STS - a sleek E-Class/A6 competitor that would slot between 5 and 7 series size wise. There should be a lower spec version for fleet/livery (the way E-Class is for taxis/fleet in Germany), and an upscale consumer version.
3. an XTS to compete with LS460, 7, S Class, A8, XJ. The car should be about as as good, with high tech features, at a lower price point. Lexus still does very well with this kind of strategy at the high end (high tech, about as good as 7/S/A8, but significantly cheaper)
4. Large 2+2 coupe - in between a CLK and CL, something to consider vs 6 series, XK etc. Very luxurious and sporty.
5. SRX - the current one is OK, not amazing. Cadillac needs to be a bit more upscale and American country club here (like Range Rover represents English gentry). This product would compete with X5, Touareg, XC90, Cayenne in terms of size, off road prowess and pricing (X5 may even be too expensive).
6. ESC - a more luxurious, detailed rendition of the Escalade that is not a caricature but rather more refined and thoughtful. The only real competition I see here is the GL and Range Rover.

7. Additional cars such a super sports coupe (R8, M1, SLS) could come later, but are not necessary now or a priority to develop the brand.

Other thoughts:
-I think wagons, small cars, small coupes etc would violate the brand character. Americana is all about luxurious, comfortable and spacious, not cramped and compact. Therefore, I don't think Cadillac should do an ATS or a CTS coupe. To me, it takes away from the large "Americana" positioning of the brand.
- Interiors still need to step up their game. Audi is the benchmark from a quality point of view, but it should be executed in a uniquely American way.
- All vehicles should be RWD or AWD
- the product naming system is non-emotive. We need to bring back product names that evoke some emotion - Fleetwood, Brougham etc. I am sure they can develop some contrived all-American sounding names that harken back to yesteryear.

The easiest way to think about what Cadillac should be is the Ralph Lauren (perhaps RL Purple Label) of the automobile industry. Luxurious, modern, confortable but unabashedly American. E

— masoodr (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 8:34:20 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Caddy needs to keep their focus on midsize cars and forget about the fullsize market that is drying up. Come out with a compact to compete with the 3-series, IS, Audi A4, Acura TSX.

— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 9:09:28 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Its simple: Caddy needs a full line of cars (small, med, large) that perform as well as BMW and are as reliable as Lexus.

— thstone (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 5:07:48 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Don't you mean Kia? I thought you believed Hyundai was chasing down Bentley.

— Joe_Limon (View Profile)

Posted on 9/30/2009 9:06:33 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

That read more like Cadillac's History than a solution to any problem it may have. I say Cadillac has no problem and if it stays the course it is currently on it will be fine. In another 2 generations I firmly believe the CTS will outdo the E Class. I know there will be arguments here that the CTS competes with the C Class, but that's for now. The up-coming model, the ATS, based on the Alpha/Kappa platform will see to that.

— tango (View Profile)

Posted on 10/1/2009 2:40:29 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

i dont care to have a vision to re-make cadillac

— KZ258 (View Profile)

Posted on 10/1/2009 9:53:10 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1