A New Caddy-tude

1435 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by coolcaddy, Jan 5, 2004

coolcaddy

Discussion Starter · Jan 2, 2004

Another great article heralding Cadillac's comeback, (scroll down for article).

If there's anyone out there who still doubts that Cadillac is shooting for Standard of the World, well, I should bring you up to date on a few other facts you may be a bit unsure of: the world is round as it turns out, we really did go to the moon, and that shiny thing at Roswell was just a weather balloon.

Interesting quotes from this article:

We don't want to make it into something that it is not. But I'd say it's akin to what the 7 Series might be to BMW. The new DTS (the successor to the DeVille) will play that role. It isn't a high performance car because it is a large vehicle -- but it will have luxury, style and attitude.

What's interesting about this isn't so much that the DeVille's successor is aimed at the BMW 7-series, but that Cadillac is, thankfully, not looking to a 7-series counterpart as its uppermost end, based on this quote:

We have to put an entry in there at some point and we're still continuing to evaluate that. The Sixteen was as much about showing where our future designs might go as it was hinting at an ultra-luxurious model.

This is important because it reaffirms that the folks at Cadillac understand that "supercar" doesn't mean 7-series or S-class, and that Cadillac is shooting for Rolls-Royce or Maybach for its uppermost end. Who'd-a thunk it a few years ago?

Of course, Cadillac will not need to market such a supercar under some other name as MB has had to do with its Maybach brand, (i.e. because DC has so cheapened MB that the name alone can no longer be regarded as an ultimate measure of automotive excellence).

Article follows...

A new Caddy-tude
Return to trend-setting roots reinvigorate Cadillac

Friday, January 02, 2004
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cadillac, once America's "Standard of the World" in luxury motoring before sputtering into a prolonged period of mediocrity and so-so styling, is making a strong bid to regain its title.

The company that gave Americans tail fins, the Eldorado and powerful 16-cylinder engines is on a comeback trail, winning plaudit after plaudit for its model lineup.

more...

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parakleets

· #2 · Jan 2, 2004

Does anyone have any official sales numbers, for the SRX? In my part of the country (Phila. Suburbs), I have not seen very many. It was also this way for the CTS, during the first 8 or so months that it was on sale, but now they are relatively common. I see similar style vehicles (Infiniti FX45, Chrysler Pacifica, Lexus RX330) quite a bit, so this body style is accepted around here.

While I think that SRX is a great vehicle, and agree with most of the reviews that I have read of it, I am not too excited about the styling. That's not to say that I think that it is ugly, or cheap looking. The Lexus RX330, now that is an ugly vehicle! The SRX looks maybe too much like a station wagon, and maybe that was Caddy's intent? In this class, Infiniti's FX45 wins the beauty contest. It still looks enough like an SUV, that I don't think "mom-wagon", and it's curves and oversized tires make it look very sensual. It has a "must-have" look. Too bad they could not apply such styling to their big, new SUV.

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tgagneguam

· #3 · Jan 2, 2004

In reference to Caddy's potential move WAY upscale, I would love to see Cadillac execute the sweet Sixteen in the near future (and even the Cien!), but I think it would be more important and more relevant to fill out its existing line first. How 'bout a CTS coupe (CTC?) and convertible with entry level 6-cylinder engines up to a high-performance V-8 (CTC-V?). Along the same lines, how 'bout a 4-place coupe to slot on the side of the upcoming STS, which should also get a V-series stablemate. And attention needs to be placed on the next generation Deville (DTS), which will be going up against some very stiff competition: the 7-series, the A8, the S-Class, and to a lesser degree, the LS430 and XJ8. It might be nice to see a coupe version of the DTS, too, but a premium sedan is a must (and it must be done correctly!). Also, the introduced-in-1999 Escalade will be do for some extensive updating soon, IMO. Nissan's Infiniti is coming on strong, and the new Range Rover is a real gem.

Cadillac has done a phenomal job since 1999! But, it has finite resources, and as much as the Sixteen is so very much better in design than the Maybachs and the Phantom, it seems a bit premature. Patience, Cadillac! One step at a time.

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BigAls87Z28

· #4 · Jan 2, 2004

Well, I think whatever big sedan Caddy has for its flag ship, it will look like the sixteen. Remember all the concepts caddy had? the Evoc and Imaj and all of thoes? they turned out to be the CTS, XLR and SRX. The Cien was something to celebrate caddy's 100th birthday (cien=100). I dont think Caddy should make a supercar, but maybe down the road? Caddy should first get the basic sedans out, then add a coupe. I think the upcoming sigma lite chassis would be a great start. It would be shard by Chevy and Pontiac's 2 door sports cars. I mean, the chevy and pontiac will both be able to hold the gen IV small blocks, so a CTC-V would be very easy to do. I think it would be a great move for caddy. I can see how caddy hard liners might not like sharing a chassis with the likes of muscle cars, but they have no problem sharing the GMT800 and Vette chassis? Either way, I would think that would be the best way to make a 2dr coupe for caddy.

Oh yeah, and I called it, I said that the 7 series compeditor would be teh DTS!! Who said they were gunna keep the DTS as a FWD sedan to appease the old buyers? DTS should start getting longer. What chassis are they gunna put the DTS on? How many cars is Caddy gunna pump out off the Sigma chassis?

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awalbert88

· #5 · Jan 2, 2004

Caddy is definately making a turn-around, but I think it is a bit premature for any expectations of a Maybach/Rolls Royce level vehicle. It may happen in the future, but I would be surprised to see anything like that produced this decade.

Now if only the management at Lincoln had the guts to break the mold they've fallen into as well...

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Mr_Pringle

· #6 · Jan 2, 2004

A refresh for the Deville in 05? I know that this probably won't be much, but I'm very interested to see what changes.

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LegendNH

· #7 · Jan 2, 2004

Originally posted by parakleets@Jan 2 2004, 12:02 PM
Does anyone have any official sales numbers, for the SRX? In my part of the country (Phila. Suburbs), I have not seen very many.

The SRXs are selling very well in NJ. In fact when I went to see the car at one of the local dealers, they were completely out of them the two times I went. I have only seen two on the road though.

As for the CTSs they are all over the place. I see them in my schools parking lot, I see them driving to and from school and theres even a guy on my block that owns two one them.

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mgescuro

· #8 · Jan 3, 2004

I've only seen a handful of CTS's on the road. I saw an awesome black one with a kick a$$ rear spoiler too!! But no SRX's or XLR's to be seen at all. I've seen a few on dealer lots, and they're gone within a week. So, apparently, they're out there.
But Escalades are everywhere... every iteration of 'em.

But from what I understand, the SRX's were selling far below expectations. I just can't find where i read it.

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coolcaddy

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 5, 2004

I had an enlightening discussion with my favorite Cadillac salesman about the SRX about a month ago, and it seems that it may have suffered the same initial packaging problem as the Lincoln Aviator did when it was introduced. Specifically, folks would walk into the showroom, look at a $50K SRX, then walk over and look at a similarly priced $50K Escalade, scratch their heads, then plop down money for the Escalade.

Lincoln had the same problem with the Aviator/Navigator. That problem was solved by offering special packages of more "interesting" Aviator options and pricing those packages well south of Navigator territory. Apparently, that worked very nicely, as Aviators are flying out of Lincoln showrooms (ha, "flying", "Aviator", get it?), at least here in SoCal.

Cadillac apparently followed suit by offering more packaged options that result in a more affordable vehicle with a desirable feature set, and I'd venture to say that it's paying off, (we'll know for sure when we see December sales figures). I'm starting to see them on the road either daily or every other day, so anecdotally, it looks like the SRX is doing well.

As far as CTS's are concerned, I see a gazillion of 'em. Easily 5 or more a day on my long commute to work, each way.

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