Rate GM's Handling of Cadillac

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Rate GM's Handling of Cadillac

Last night several of us on the GMI Staff had an impromptu chat on AOL Instant Messenger and the main GM topic of it...Cadillac. We are all very discouraged with GM's handling of the brand. Back in 2000-2001 GM made the commitment to take Cadillac back to being the "Standard of the World" luxury car. Speed up to today and we have a new, downgraded FWD SRX and an
upcoming FWD FLAGSHIP sedan. On the other hand we have a fairly acceptable CTS lineup and an impending RWD 3-Series competitor....hit and miss is the best way to describe Caddy in our opinion. Needless to say, most of us on the GMInsidenews Staff are NOT happy with where Cadillac is headed. What is your take?

Use the poll above to vote on the grade you think GM deserve when it comes to their handling of the Cadillac brand.

[Dr. Show-Me]

I am disappointed that Cadillac hasn't returned to a premier status, but since making such a promise, they have undergone a market collapse, bankruptcy, and a financial depression that removed credit from the system. They made mistakes over the last 40 years that caused their bankruptcy. I have given them a pass on their failures, but will hold them 100% accountable for their future actions. I like the 3 series fighter, their decision to replace the DTS is a right decision, and I'd prefer to see a true flagship sooner, rather than later. They deserve a "C," but can improve their grade to A minus with superior products going forward, but only if they improve their products rather than dumping them because they weren't immediate market successes.

[BlackGTP]

CTS A+ everything else is a C. Clearly impacted by going bankrupt and not having enough $$ to develop a 3 and 7 Series equivalent. They need to keep up the Led Zep momentum!

[mgescuro]

F. Plain an simple.

[civilzues]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

F. Plain an simple.

well of course. everything in thier lineup starts under 100K.

[Dr. Show-Me]

I'm surprised you only gave them an "F." Isn't there anything lower on your scale?

[ChevyRules]

F. GM doesn't know how to manage Cadillac because it is still accountant vs car guy/engineer at GM. Let's break it down by model......

CTS: Good car. Only Cadillac I will ever consider so far. But, where does it compete? If we go by price, it is a 3 series competitor. Ok, so how does it stack up against the 3? Better interior, some cool features, but nothing ground breaking, and arguable styling( I personally like Bangle's influence on BMW's so I consider it moot point for me). But, everywhere else it gets trashed. Performance and handling the 328i and 335i crush the 3.6/now 3.0 and 3.6 SIDI. And performance is a key factor in this class. Go by size, it is a 5 series competitor. Performance is there when comparing similar models. 535i is a few tenths quicker then the 3.6 SIDI V6 model and CTS-V edges out the M5. But, it lacks several class luxury features and no 550i competitor. It especially pales against the new E-Class in technology. It has an identity crisis. The ATS can't get here fast enough so the CTS can finally move up to properly go against the 5 series.....

STS/DTS: No need for explanation here. Dead cars walking

XTS: WTF!?!?!?!? You are going to have your flagship sedan on Epsilon II? Not only is it a mainstream platform which is clearly a move by the accountants, it will be FWD( luckily will have AWD optional to somewhat save it). I don't buy the whole reason why the Zeta version was killed due to CAFE. Fuel economy between the G8 and LaCrosse( how about Malibu as well and it is considerably smaller then the G8!) proves it is BS. How about engine? Unless EPII can hold a V8( and what V8 will there be for it???) or the 3.6 SIDI Twin Turbo rumors are true, this car will be limited to 304 HP. The competition outguns it by 50-130 HP. Another class where the XTS will be outgunned by the 7, S, A8, and LS. I also don't buy the whole bankruptcy and financial situation either. Development of the Zeta XTS was pretty much done and wrapping up. So they wasted more money to redo it for Epsilon II. This product should be a Buick.......

SRX: Oh Boy. The 1st gen SRX was a great vehicle. It won C&D top luxury SUV 3 years in a row( and we all know how they love to hump BMW ). Performed and handled great. Only two problems were the interior and styling( I personally didn't mind the wagonish look). Ok, so the new one fixes the interior and styling problems. But, guess what! They ruined everything else about it. They took it off Sigma which was RWD and put it on the fat pig that is Theta-Epsilon. Another FWD platform! Not only is it FWD, they give it a POS 3.0 SIDI V6 that can't move it and has POS fuel economy numbers. This vehicle should be a Buick......

Escalade: GMT-900 rebadge. Ok interior and big ass motor. That is all its saving grace. It's a BOF truck and GM should have made Zeta able to spin off a full size truck for the Escalade. But, nope they didn't.

So Cadillac's management by GM gets a big fat F!

[FenwickHockey65]

CTS - A
STS - C
DTS - D
XTS - D
SRX - C
Escalade - B

[ejfx]

Currently =C
Starting post bankruptcy...things better change...there are no more excuses...

[AMERICA 123]

CADILLAC MOTOR CAR COMPANY ? - and its successors ?

Since 1958...... lousy overall with some notable exceptions.

The situation of the the 1999 Escalade along with GM's own surprise at its instant and large success basically summarizes a great deal of the situation....... in just so many ways.

On all fronts.

_____________


Americans as a people have always wanted one of their own to yearn and strive for...... which for quite awhile now really meant a Cadillac that succeeds - and is the one that we can not only be proud of in our own terms as our aspirational first choice but also as one that is unabashedly, unapologetically and exuberantly so..... American in character.

[LeSabre]

I gave them a D. though I almost went w/a C.


!!!

[jmlee0695]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

CTS - A
STS - C
DTS - D
XTS - D
SRX - C
Escalade - B

How can you give the XTS a D before seeing it or knowing anything other than it'll be on E II?

[MiosoBosa]

I voted a "C".

It's not that any of the Cadillacs are bad vehicles, especially the CTS, new SRX, and Escalade, but the issue stems from the fact that Cadillac, back in 2004, committed to put out potentially class leading vehicles in the XLR, STS, and old SRX, and never improved upon them when they were called out on their short-comings. Well that may be a bit of a lie. The SRX did get a new interior in 2007, and the addition of the Sport model which solved several short-comings with it's plasticky grille, the STS was improved vastly with exterior reworkings but never got an engine upgrade that rivaled it's intended competition, and the XLR was reworked in 2009 and then killed two months after it was launched. The last one kills me because Cadillac never promoted it, took forever to change it's original interior, and like the STS, never gave it a worthy engine, which always confused me since the XLR and the Corvette could have shared drivetrains. The Cadillac, having a much more restrictive, muted exhaust, would have still been good for a base 415HP and not stepped on the Vette's feet due to additional luxury character weight. LSA or LS9 with the same restrictive, muted exhaust as a Vseries upgrade.

Another issue I have with Cadillac is the C-Class competitor just now ready to show up, and the lack of an S-Class competitor, which the STS could have surely been if the Chinese version had of been the MCE in 2008. Of course the LS3 would have made an excellent base V8, along with the LSA or LS9 as a Vseries model.

I am looking forward to the ATS and XTS, hoping that the XTS is AWD-Only with GM's next generation LS engine as the chosen motor. I believe that it will be quite possibly the epitome of what an S-Class killer should be, especially without having the disadvantages of RWD.

[2002 Caddy]

CTS - A
STS - F
DTS - D
XLR - F
XTS - D (the jury is kinda out on this one... A super model with a wooden leg is still kinda hot. )
SRX - C-
Escalade - B

Overall a big fat D.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by jmlee0695

How can you give the XTS a D before seeing it or knowing anything other than it'll be on E II?

True.

Although I do think it should be RWD, and if Cadillac wants to re-do the DTS, then they should keep the DTS nameplate and make the XTS a 7-series fighter.

I guess we'll just have to see.