[b4z]

I'm one of those buyers cadillac doesn't want anymore. We have an excellent net worth because of real estate but don't make a lot of money. I have bought or leased 5 Caddys in 10 years. Mainly because I can lease a $40k caddy for $329 while the equivalent mb is $459-499mo. I consider the mb more prestigious but the caddy is the sportier drive and cheaper to own.

 

[jgill16]

I disagree with the survey, since Cadillac doesn't offer a hundred thousand dollar vehicle. MB offers more models priced over hundred grand. Cadillac too would have a richer clientele if they offered vehicles over a hundred grand.

 

[rueben44]

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.

What you stated makes sense and is the most likely truth not what some others posted. They build great products now and as they truly move into a global position those trends will change. To be honest this really isn't a big deal people.

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

That's an exaggeration of reality. If resale value mattered, no one would buy luxury cars at all. You should see the staggering decline in value for the CL coupe.

Cadillac owners aren't perceived as stupid either. Elderly perhaps, but not stupid.


It's all about prestige and MB has gobs of it.

There is prestige but MB has historically always built a very good car - one that works well and lasts a very long time. Cadillac historically didn't do any of those (V864, 4100, Northstar just alone!) and still remains unproven to be durable...

 

[Neanderthal]

Ever notice while watching the news on TV that in any god forsaken country where they're showing some mob of terrorists in the streets, those terrorists are always driving MB's. They must be really cheap in that part of the world, or my chosen occupation isn't paying enough here.

MB offers super low leases to terrorist groups. I am SOOOO jealous!!

 

[mgescuro]

What Cadillac does uniquely have in it's favor is it's American,

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

but now it seems they are intent in positioning the vehicle upmarket from its traditional buyers in its home market.

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.

 

[mgescuro]

Warren Buffets will be the worlds first trillionaire thats all that counts, when "money-is-no-object" it's the Lincoln Town Car & Cadillac XTS is all that matters.

Warren Buffett recently treated himself to a brand new Cadillac and was so impressed with the dealership he sent a letter of praise to General Motors chief executive Mary Barra.

By his own admission, Buffet is NOT a luxury customer.
He's just a very wealthy individual.

 

[b4z]

Cadillac has been a marketing arm of GM since the '30s or '40s and its sole purpose has been to increase profit over their lesser brands. They have not been engineered to be durable cars that were sold as taxis in Germany and luxury cars in the US. When GM tries to offer similar appointments or performance of MB the first thing they do is take the part and try to engineer cost out of it, which always cheapens the part and causes warranty claims and long term durability issues. GM always moves the cost to the buyer down the road. You can go to the '50s and see mechanical fuel injection issues, or probs with Corvair, or probs with nikasil in the aluminum engine blocks for the vega, or whatever part and era you want to name. That's not to say mb didn't have probs and they did have probs in the mid '90s when they tried to meet Lexus dollar for dollar and part for part.
When most manufacturers introduce a new technology they try to make it durable, GM tries to take cost out before its proven, but they still charge "early adopter" prices. Until GM puts better water pumps on, or radiators without plastic tanks, or better wheelbearings, or better a/c compressors they etc. etc. etc. they wll never be a World Class manufacturer.

 

[eaton53]

Wealthy people everywhere know that buying a luxury car with the worst resale value and low prestige factor, is really dumb.

Jaguars take a bigger dump than Cadillacs.
But, so what? Resale isn't a big deal to really wealthy people. It matters greatly to the wannabes.

I've owned just about all of 'em. All of these luxury cars have their admirers.
There are plenty of people who still consider a Cadillac to be a dream car.

And anyone who hates the G-wagen is dead to me.

I love the G-Wagen.
But I don't think I'd love it if I owned one and had to use parking garages on a regular basis.

 

[Sox]

I disagree with the survey, since Cadillac doesn't offer a hundred thousand dollar vehicle. MB offers more models priced over hundred grand. Cadillac too would have a richer clientele if they offered vehicles over a hundred grand.

I agree. Brilliant idea. Then they can park all of those vehicles (I did say ALL) in the parking lot right next to the unsold ELRs. To sit there for years.

 

[Sox]

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.

I wouldn't put any money on that.

 

[MonaroSS]

I absolutely adored the older SLs, especially R129. That, to me, is the pinnacle of the two-seat, top-down, luxury experience.

I disliked the SLK until recently. The latest version doesn't come across as a shrunken, cheapened SL or an overpriced answer to the Miata. It has a more distinct identity.



And anyone who hates the G-wagen is dead to me.

G-Wagons are for sissy's...

Real men drive Benz Unimogs...

 

[paul8488]

It's all about prestige and MB has gobs of it.

Well said. I have a coworker who likes small CUVs; he said he wanted a Buick Encore, but it was too expensive, so he bought a Ford Ecosport. 'Car as status symbol' is huge here, even amongst entry-level customers, so every brand wants to appear as 'prestigious'. It seems that quality isn't the only thing holding back the local Chinese brands.

Seems to be the same in India: many people (myself included) thought that Indians would jump at the chance to buy a Tata Nana or Datsun simply to be able to become a car owner, but they're seeing that many people just don't want a cheap, bare-bones and unrespected car.

 

[NightOwl75]

I kind of already knew that Mercedes owners are wealthier than Cadillac owners. Mostly because I live in a small town and 2 or 3 of my neighbors own a Cadillac. How many Mercedes vehicles have I seen in town? Maybe 2.

 

[F14CRAZY]

G-Wagons are for sissy's...

Real men drive Benz Unimogs...

Don't make a mess in your pants now

 

[BlackGTP]

I disagree with the survey, since Cadillac doesn't offer a hundred thousand dollar vehicle. MB offers more models priced over hundred grand. Cadillac too would have a richer clientele if they offered vehicles over a hundred grand.

Agreed - the press tends to overlook simple math in order to make sensationalistic headlines. I'd be interested in seeing the demographics of like models CTS/EClass, ATS/C Class. Lumping in the demographics of the S Class and other higher end cars Mercedes sells makes for skewed numbers.

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

I kind of already knew that Mercedes owners are wealthier than Cadillac owners. Mostly because I live in a small town and 2 or 3 of my neighbors own a Cadillac. How many Mercedes vehicles have I seen in town? Maybe 2.

That's interesting... I live in a suburb of a city but on my street there are about 3 Mercedes owning families, many Toyotas, Hyundais of course, one guy with an 80's Brougham lowrider and one guy who traded an Elantra for a black ATS...

 

[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.

 

[paul8488]

Agreed - the press tends to overlook simple math in order to make sensationalistic headlines. I'd be interested in seeing the demographics of like models CTS/EClass, ATS/C Class. Lumping in the demographics of the S Class and other higher end cars Mercedes sells makes for skewed numbers.

Well yes and no. I mean if someone wants to write an article about the average income of Cadillac drivers that have two cats, eat sushi at least once a month, and have never been to Seattle, then so be it! It is up to the reader to decide if that information is useful or not.

What I get from this information is that on average, Mercedes customers have more disposable income available than Cadillac customers. If Mercedes introduces a new 200,000 dollar model tomorrow, more of their current customers would be able to afford it than Cadillac customers. For me that's actually useful to know.

 

[Sox]

Don't make a mess in your pants now

It's a good thing Mercedes owners are wealthy so they can afford the gasoline yardage that thing gets.