Comments on: Executive: Cadillac needs flagship not in current lineup

By: DialM4Speed

DialM4Speed — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:32:07 +0000

Maybe if they advertised the XLR!! I’ve never seen one commercial for the car what’s up with that? I have seen a few of them on the road though. And to all of you who say they should build the Cien… Come on you already know what most haters will say… Nobody will pay that much for a ****ty Cadillac! Ha Ha Ha!

By: fan

fan — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:26:37 +0000

dont know about former cadillac quality, but since i got interested in cars (quite some time ago) gm quality has been going downhill a steep slope… (and this rush downhill started at a really badly low level…)

By: Get Real

Get Real — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:22:52 +0000

I agree with Fan. GM has killed Cadillac Quality.

By: Get Real

Get Real — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:56:21 +0000

DON’T WASTE THE MONEY ON A FLAGSHIP.

Europe is selling cars today with quality levels reaching back to the 60’s, bad, bad, bad.

Cadillac should spend the money making transmissions and electronics that still work correctly after 5 years of ownership.

Cadillac has an opportunity NOW to put money into quality NOW and beat European cars NOW. Plus at the same time close the quality gap with Lexus.

Stay out the GM parts bin, make Cadillac a premium name again with premium parts. That’s what people used to pay for when they bought a Cadillac car, and they will do it again if GM puts the parts INTO the car.

By: Mr.AMG

Mr.AMG — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:44:28 +0000

The DTS definetly is not an S-Class competitor. I think they should discontinue the DTS and call the new flagship sedan the Deville!

By: Mr.AMG

Mr.AMG — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:39:53 +0000

I’m in love with Cadillac, and i would love to see the Cien see prodution but i agree with a Sixteen or a large coupe for right now. Cadillac hasn’t really earned their stripes yet to be running along side with F430s or LP640s.

By: fan

fan — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:41:17 +0000

i agree, cadillac doesnt need a flagship like the cien. its a “nice to have” option, but not even close to being necessary.

what they – along with ALL other GM brands – need, is a good line-up, one thats not just selling because the give the highest rebate… that of course would require customers to rethink, away from cheapest price to best quality…

anyway, not close to seeing that happen…

so long, GM…

By: gumby

gumby — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:06:21 +0000

I almost hate to say it, but why not bring back an El-Dorado type car, like in the 60’s and 70’s? The name alone would have some sales and cadillac would hate to completely throw the name down the dumpster, so they would have to do a good job with it

By: 1966_GTO_

1966_GTO_ — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:58:50 +0000

Not a Cadillac made today worth over 50k? Are you serious? The V Series cars offer serious performance and luxury and it would be rediculous to price any of them under 50 thousand. I happened to pay over $50k for my SRX V8 AWD, and I’ll take it over any X5 or ML. Lexus doesn’t even have a competitor for the SRX. In every other category, yes, Cadillac is behind, but Lexus is within their reach, if they make the right moves.

By: F451

F451 — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:50:37 +0000

I believe that there is not a Cadillac made today that is worth over $50K window sticker. If Cadillac is to become a serious luxury player, they will have to compete in a world market dominated by those manufacturers who have built legacies. Do not do stupid moves like making a Twelve out of what was designed to be the Sixteen—make the Sixteen! If Cadillac even remotely conjectures that they are in the leagues of Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus, then Lutz need to get off the crack he is smoking. Cadillac’s road to being a world-class player will not happen overnight…it is decades in the making, just like all the others’ who traveled the path.

By: ottacontrol

ottacontrol — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 01:29:36 +0000

the dts is not an s calss competitor

By: enzomedici

enzomedici — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:40:07 +0000

“Any buyer with half a brain already knows that the top of the luxury car foodchain is ruled by Cadillac.”

Whaaat? Dude. Most people that buy BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or Porsche don’t even consider a Cadillac, at least none of the people I know do.

Cadillac needs to build the Cien to boost their performance reputation. The V-series are nice, but interiors need improvement, currently there is too much cheap plastic still. Maybe they will rectify that in 08.

Also, they shouldn’t be trying come close or match the performance of German cars. They should be blowing them away.

If a Caddy and BMW cost the same and perform the same, I’ll take the BMW every single time today and so would most other people in the luxury car market.

It all comes down to image, status and branding and Cadillac is still tarnished. The are coming back, but they need a few more years of kick ass cars first.

By: Shawn1982

Shawn1982 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:30:47 +0000

And it took them this long to fingure that out?

By: Jazz

Jazz — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:32:58 +0000

Cadillac needs cars that can compete on the world stage. Yes we bash the Corvette here for its shoddy interior but name a C
adillac that has the recognition of a Corvette around the world. Cadillac needs a Corvette and not a platform or rebadge. It needs a halo car just as Corvette is the Chevy halo car. Should it be the Cien? Doubt it. I suggest two. A sedan and a coupe. With neither being really related to a Corvette. Mercedes has the S and SLR. Audi has the A8 and now R8.
BMW has the 7series and the previous Z8. Caddy needs to fill their product void if they really want to get market share from its luxury competition

By: LamborghiniZ

LamborghiniZ — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:17:50 +0000

Of COURSE they need a flagship, that is painfully obvious. Cadillac can’t truly be taken 100% seriously without a top of the line, S-Class or CL-Class fighter, not in today’s market at least, when every other competitor save Lincoln (which blows) has one.

By: jonstew

jonstew — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 21:04:49 +0000

I know, I know….Cadillac needs to bring back the Cimmaron. They could call it the CTM….Cadillac Turd Mobile. Come on Lutz, this could save the company!

By: PrimeGTP

PrimeGTP — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:08:38 +0000

The XLR is a car that was thrown together to appease dealers. It’s never really been developed to its potential. I hope they make a second generation, though.

By: bacalao

bacalao — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:06:17 +0000

the XLR is a stupid waste of money. First off a vette offers more and is cheaper. second of all i used to like them a lot until i sat in one of them. A BMW 3 series is more luxurios than an xlr that is very very sad.

By: maximus

maximus — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:01:54 +0000

“not even Pontiac or Buick can claim that title.”
truer words were never spoken

By: gbb

gbb — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:55:34 +0000

If Caddy could build a sweet V12 Coupe and Sedan in the $80K range it would be seriously cool. Styled like the Sixteen,…………hell yes that would sell.

By: PrimeGTP

PrimeGTP — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:40:16 +0000

That was hilarious, but horrifying in that I wouldn’t be surprised!

By: global_lightning

global_lightning — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:38:35 +0000

Nah, you all have it wrong. Cadillac already has a flagship model, and it happens to be their best selling model: The Escalade.
Going head-to-head against the Germans will take years of consistency, patience, quality, and resources. GM is too short-term of a company to take this route. Instead they should focus Cadillac into a niche market where it’s already dominating. I’m talking about rapperz, playa’z, pimpz, hoez, etz… Bling out the brand, take it back to it’s heydays of the 1970’s. Tailfins, Parthenon gilles, curb-feelers, crushed velour interiors, airbrushed honeys on the hood, pneumatic bouncing suspensions, all straight from the factory…
Forget the european tradition. I say bring back the Detroit tradition!

By: PrimeGTP

PrimeGTP — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:22:30 +0000

I agree that the “flagship” philosophy is somewhat flawed. You have to make sure your volume cars are up to spec first. Fortunately, the new CTS and STS are looking fantastic, and the SRX is a million times better than the Escalade. Whether they should go for a Cien-style supercar or an ultra-sedan, I don’t know. Cadillac has the potential to pull both off amazingly. However, with the Corvette SS due, I think a big powerful sedan would be better for GM’s overall lineup.

An example of the flagship strategy gone wrong would have to be Pontiac. The G8 GT is fantastic, but Pontiac needs to put some more winners under it. The G6 will continue to be a volume seller, but they ruined its performance side with the uglified GXP. I have a 2007 GTP, and it is a far nicer car. The Solstice GXP is really the only true “Excitement” car they have once the GTP is retired.

By: Fromes

Fromes — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 17:00:37 +0000

I agree instead of focusing on their efforts in to one flagship model they should use their energy to improve the entire lineup. I think the Cien concept is cool but I think a S class type of Cadillac would be better.

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:58:18 +0000

Any buyer with half a brain already knows that the top of the luxury car foodchain is ruled by Cadillac. Not even Buick or Pontiac can claim that title. I’d say the closest competitor to those two is probably Mercedes Benz only because they have cars like the SLR and Maybachs.

Would a Cien be nice? Sure, Ferrari and Lambos are overrated IMO. But those are niche cars. Caddy is making it’s money slaughtering the German sedans and SUV’s which is where the most profit resides.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:58:01 +0000

I guess I don’t get some of the comments. I thought the Cadillac brand was doing pretty good. Love it or hate it, Cadillacs have a relatively unique looks that distinguish them from other GM cars and other makes as well.

Seems like a V12 sedan in the $80 – 100k price range makes sense. If you want to call it a flagship then so be it.

By: SRT-4Ken

SRT-4Ken — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:44:27 +0000

———>I would like to see a production version of that Cien……..

By: SRT-4Ken

SRT-4Ken — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:42:34 +0000

——–>I’m still tryin to figure out what tha devil he meant by “the article was 90% pure invention”, emphasis on “90%”…..does that left over 10% mean that they ?ARE? developing the sedan, leaving the “90%fiction” part to mean that it might be a V10 or V8 (not V12) making the article 90% false? dagg that junk confuses me….

By: 1487_GM_SALES

1487_GM_SALES — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:37:23 +0000

All the GM haters need to get a life. If you had any kind of brains you would realize that a Cien type flagship would be nice, but is not necessary to Cadillacs leadership in the market. If that was the case, where is the Infiniti, Acura or Lexus flagships? Where is a BMW or Audi flagship? And if you exclude the overpriced, unreliable piles of crap Mercedes SLR’s, then the Germans don’t have any kind of “flagship” either. Jeeze, get a clue clowns.

By: 1966_GTO_

1966_GTO_ — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:27:38 +0000

Cadillac doesn’t need to build the Cien. If they are trying to compete with Benz and BMW (which is obviously a stretch), why not a large coupe (CL/6 series) or a large sedan (S/7 series)? The rumors of a production Sixteen-inspired sedan keep getting denied, so I don’t know what to expect…

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:21:51 +0000

^^^^mabey to the people that dont know, but most people in the market do know and that is what hurts the xlr….what is a better deal a $70,000 505 hp vette, or the $100,000 440hp xlr-v (which is still a nice car) with equally inferior interiors. the vette by a longshot is the better deal, even the baby vette will stomp the xlr-v. i do like the xlr idea, but it is not bringing the attention to the caddy dealers that gm wishes for. and i take back the rebadge and replace it with shared platform.

By: Boxster2.7L

Boxster2.7L — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:16:31 +0000

Why don’t they just build the damn Cien already and get it over with?!

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:02:52 +0000

CTS DRIVER wrote “… THE XLR IS NICE BUT ITS JUST A REBADGED VETTE, …”

Um-m-m, no. The XLR shares the Corvette’s platform, but even the differently abled can distinguish between the two cars with the badges removed while wearing mittens in the dark.

By: F451

F451 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:56:22 +0000

At this point Cadillac needs more than just a flagship…

By: CTS DRIVER

CTS DRIVER — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:54:56 +0000

DUH GM INST THAT OBVOIUS? JEEZ, THE XLR IS NICE BUT ITS JUST A REBADGED VETTE, LETS GET SOMETHING ORIGINAL HERE ALREADY.