[Rocket 88]

It's an uphill battle for Cadillac. The more affluent Chinese travel the world, and notice how cars are perceived all over the globe. It's not like China is virgin ground where Cadillac can position itself as a premium brand because it says so.

Exactly. And the problem with all the rhetoric about moving to NY, increasing prices and the new alpha numerical naming is that no one has a addressed the real underlying problem; there needs to be a compelling reason for someone to select a Cadillac. Making vehicles that are just as good isn't one of them.

What Cadillac does uniquely have in it's favor is it's American, but now it seems they are intent in positioning the vehicle upmarket from its traditional buyers in its home market. So just my opinion, but I'm betting they do a better job alienating their existing customers then attracting new ones. Instead of again trying to run things a German also ran, they should creatively try to include existing customers and move upmarket. It can't be impossible with the Germans all trying to move base product down market...

 

[Rocket 88]

That's actually quite a significant detriment at the moment.



They have to. The traditional buyers simply aren't wealthy enough or appreciative enough of the luxury market. Or more to the point, they're not luxury buyers. And they're not the buyers Cadillac needs in order to succeed.

But as Cadillac upgrades and retools to have a better image and better prestige and far better cars, the traditional buyers will still gravitate to Cadillac anyways.

Being American is a detriment if your trying to sell to people who want to buy a German sedan. It's an asset if you want to build an American luxury car and differentiate yourself on the market. (other then the fact that Lincoln and Cadillac pretty much destroyed that concept of real American Luxury) But going upmarket and being a German wanna be will just looks like it'll be a colossal disaster. We could end up with GM believing their ELR is a Model S on a larger scale or more great product like the ATS that still isn't moving well.

I get why the strategy is tempting because it yearns to make them legit but I don't think they're gonna make it or the market is going to respond well unless the come up with some compelling reason to buy a Caddy over a MB for the same money. Even if they are equivalent. Just my opinion.

I'm also curious what the plans are for Buick as GMs other premium/luxury brand. Can they make Buick attractive to the folks who can't follow Cadillac.