Honestly, this horse has been beaten here to death. Just google Cadillac in the search menu and drink to your fill.
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Reasons Why ATS Doesn't Sell Well, and Will Cadillac EVER Have Standing In The World?
I have been thinking about the relatively poor sales of ATS sedans (a dealer near me has four 2013's still on the lot), I remember thinking when they first came out, that they looked like a mini-XTS to me, rather that a sport sedan. I remember when Cadillac produced the Seville in the 70's, they gave it a completely different look from the rest of the lineup. Perhaps Cadillac should have done the same with ATS - given it an aggressive sports sedan design, that looked different from the rest of the lineup. Perhaps, first of all, ditching the vertical "fin" tailights that appear on the XTS for starters. Just my humble opinion.
Secondly, will Cadillac EVER be able to achieve world-class status in the eyes of domestic buyers? I think Cadilac produces world-class vehicles today, but they are (and perhaps always will be) looked down upon because they domestically produced. Again, just my humble opinion.
Secondly, will Cadillac EVER be able to achieve world-class status in the eyes of domestic buyers? I think Cadilac produces world-class vehicles today, but they are (and perhaps always will be) looked down upon because they domestically produced. Again, just my humble opinion.
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+1.Honestly, this horse has been beaten here to death. Just google Cadillac in the search menu and drink to your fill.
Just keep plugging, enhancing, and filling out the line up. Also GM financial will help a bit.
Gm financial is the issue to match subsidized lease rates of its competitors..
Subjects Been beaten to death without question...
Subjects Been beaten to death without question...
I haven't looked into the leasing for the ATS, but I do think there are some packaging issues and that it's ultimately not as spacious as the 3-Series or Q50 when it comes to overall room and trunk space. There are lots of successful entrants in this segment, from the German trio to the Japanese trio. But Cadillac has to get the quality correct on this as well, because eventually if the dependability is not up to par then that will also be a hindrance whereas (accurate or not) the German and Japanese brands are thought of as "quality" products in some manner or another. There are several updates I'd make to the ATS itself but other things outside of the product itself are contributing factors.
Big thing GM needs to do with Cadillac... stop treating the brand like an upscale extension of Chevrolet when it comes to option packaging.
All Cadillacs should look top-notch. Special lines like Platinum and Vsport would understandably look different, but beyond that... it should have no trim levels.
All Cadillacs should look top-notch. Special lines like Platinum and Vsport would understandably look different, but beyond that... it should have no trim levels.
The reason ATS sales haven't taken off like they should is the poor packaging of the car itself and the option sheet. I sat in the rear seat of the ATS when it first came out and owned a E46 BMW 323i at the time, the car Cadillac benchmarked for ATS, and the rear of the ATS felt SMALLER than the already tiny E46. The F30 3 Series and ATS are literally the same dimensions wise and the 3 Series back seat is much larger.
Secondly the option packaging it stupid. At BMW you can build your car a la carte with as many or as little options as you want without packages. Want a base 3 Series with Sports package and Navigation? You can do it. Want that in ATS? You have to buy the "Performance" trim level and add Nav. Cadillac owners should be able to build their cars exactly how they want.
Secondly the option packaging it stupid. At BMW you can build your car a la carte with as many or as little options as you want without packages. Want a base 3 Series with Sports package and Navigation? You can do it. Want that in ATS? You have to buy the "Performance" trim level and add Nav. Cadillac owners should be able to build their cars exactly how they want.
If you want the best drivers car.. look no further. . Be prepared to pay for it. It's a Cadillac after all..Otherwise you can always look for value elsewhere
Let's be honest... nobody is buying these cars as drivers car. You might have a small percentage of owners who are true car enthusiasts buying them as such, but cars in this class are sold as an entry level to the brand and a way to tell your neighbor/co-worker/friend "Hey, check out my new Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Cadillac/etc." Cadillac clearly doesn't demand the respect the other brands do, as they are kicking the ATS' ass in sales. Even the new Lexus IS, which going by this forum would be hailed as the biggest automotive design failure since the Edsel is absolutely killing the ATS in sales.
Clearly something is going on with the ATS. My dealership took most of the remaining '14's and made them loaner cars. They've all been sitting up there for at least 7-8 months. Tons of 15's have been sitting for awhile as well.
Clearly something is going on with the ATS. My dealership took most of the remaining '14's and made them loaner cars. They've all been sitting up there for at least 7-8 months. Tons of 15's have been sitting for awhile as well.
It's not even just about option packaging.Big thing GM needs to do with Cadillac... stop treating the brand like an upscale extension of Chevrolet when it comes to option packaging.
All Cadillacs should look top-notch. Special lines like Platinum and Vsport would understandably look different, but beyond that... it should have no trim levels.
GM needs to treat the brand as upscale. Period. End of story.
I think Johann and company are doing just that. But they're essentially been at it for about 1-1.5 years. Give them at least 3-5 years to start the turn around, but don't expect solid results for 5-7 years.
Another reason for poor sales, not lot of advertising. I see more Lexus, Mercedes, Bmw commercials on their compact luxury sedans then Cadillac. People probably don't know Cadillac offers a compact luxury sedan and coupe.
Cadillac certainly demands respect; it just doesn't command respect.Let's be honest... nobody is buying these cars as drivers car. You might have a small percentage of owners who are true car enthusiasts buying them as such, but cars in this class are sold as an entry level to the brand and a way to tell your neighbor/co-worker/friend "Hey, check out my new Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Cadillac/etc." Cadillac clearly doesn't demand the respect the other brands do, as they are kicking the ATS' ass in sales. Even the new Lexus IS, which going by this forum would be hailed as the biggest automotive design failure since the Edsel is absolutely killing the ATS in sales.
Clearly something is going on with the ATS. My dealership took most of the remaining '14's and made them loaner cars. They've all been sitting up there for at least 7-8 months. Tons of 15's have been sitting for awhile as well.
And let's face it. Why should Cadillac command respect? There hasn't been a decent Cadillac that commanded respect in decades. Escalade is probably the best known Cadillac in some time, and it's a rebadged truck.
ATS isn't a compelling car visually. It is boring. It is plain. It isn't stimulating.
As I said when ATS launched, it looks like it was design circa 2006. And, most likely, it was designed pre-bankruptcy. It was then shelved and then brought back, with little changes post-bankruptcy.
It lacks sportiness. It lacks elegance. It lacks poise. And the coupe is worse.
Oh yeah... and why aren't 19" wheels offered on ATS??
I have to agree with you, I think ATS just looks to boring, the CTS I think has a bit edge to it. I also think that it might be time for Cadillac to either move away from the vertical tail lights or at least come up with something more aggressive or distinct, as I think they all look the same and to damn boring.Cadillac certainly demands respect; it just doesn't command respect.
And let's face it. Why should Cadillac command respect? There hasn't been a decent Cadillac that commanded respect in decades. Escalade is probably the best known Cadillac in some time, and it's a rebadged truck.
ATS isn't a compelling car visually. It is boring. It is plain. It isn't stimulating.
As I said when ATS launched, it looks like it was design circa 2006. And, most likely, it was designed pre-bankruptcy. It was then shelved and then brought back, with little changes post-bankruptcy.
It lacks sportiness. It lacks elegance. It lacks poise. And the coupe is worse.
Oh yeah... and why aren't 19" wheels offered on ATS??
And lets not forget advertising. Dancing robots and some geek are not going to pull anyone into a dealership nor do they tell anyone what the car is about. If they had kept with performance oriented ads (played during the Olympics around when the ATS came out) they would have established an identity for the car. Dancing robots establish nothing.
... not lot of advertising ...
This.... let's not forget advertising ...
Recall reading the comments of an ATS owner , last month , could have been on Autoguide . The owner really liked the ATS , the only gripe was the learn curve on the CUE system . His last remark that hit home to me was his observation that the other family car , a Mazda 3 , had more room in the back seat than the ATS ! Hard to imagine that a compact car had more room than a middie , 109 inch wheelbase 4 door sedan . You see , the secret to making a 4 door sedan in any market segment , is to make the 4 doors a user friendly experience . How you take away from this design philosophy is to raise the beltline , a more sloped windshield which lowers the roofline & headroom , with wide roof support pillars , structure and compromised visibility . This practise also is evident in some CUV and SUV applications . This creates , I suppose a hotter looking racy appearance but it turns off a good percentage of your potential buyers who want the vehicle to open up and be a spacious comfortable place to spend their time , rather than one for the driver enthusiast , where it shrinks around them . A point could certainly be argued that the design , in its' segment , which appeals to the broadest potential customer base , coupled with a strong customer satisfaction and reliability (reputation) in the current marketplace , will always prevail ! Can you see how this may best be described as a marketing certainty ??
Actually, lets forget the advertising. Please.
If Cadillac airs one more ad showing the most bare bones car in the most blend into the background color, then they deserve everything they are getting.
If Cadillac airs one more ad showing the most bare bones car in the most blend into the background color, then they deserve everything they are getting.
A matter of opinion.ATS isn't a compelling car visually. It is boring. It is plain. It isn't stimulating.
As I said when ATS launched, it looks like it was design circa 2006. And, most likely, it was designed pre-bankruptcy. It was then shelved and then brought back, with little changes post-bankruptcy.
It lacks sportiness. It lacks elegance. It lacks poise.
To my eye, the ATS is a beautiful car. It IS elegant and poised. Line it up with BMW 3 and Mercedes C.
As for sales in general, I've said this before: The ATS and CTS represent Cadillacs first DIRECT competition to the foreign names. It is illogical to think they would out-sell them right away. Cadillac has entered new markets with these cars.
Take the Lexus IS as an example. It was a first-in-market for Lexus. The ATS is doing better than the IS did in its first few seasons.
With thanks to Member ROY219
Thread:http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/...all-fuss-about-189714/index3.html#post4542162
First generation Lexus IS (aka Toyota Altezza) was introduced to the U.S. market in MY 2000. U.S. sales for the first two years were as follows:
For comparison, U.S. sales figures for the E46 3-Series - the IS' primary competitor - in those years were:
- 2000: 15,540
- 2001: 22,486
- 2000: 89,681
- 2001: 103,227
Zz
Cadillac needs to turn the tables on the german companies by offering the ATS starting at $1 less than the competition, then market the cars as a real sports sedan and coupe at an imposter price, directly attacking the pseudo-luxury fwd crap from bmw and MB.
Cadillac could win that battle with smart advertising and marketing, the question to me is if they will do it!
Cadillac made the decision That cars are getting smaller, so it would beat them with a small trim package. Instead, the C and 3 Series grew in size, making the Cadillac appear out of step. And then bmw and MB came out with cars SMALLER Than ATS, making the Cadillac out of step again.The reason ATS sales haven't taken off like they should is the poor packaging of the car itself and the option sheet. I sat in the rear seat of the ATS when it first came out and owned a E46 BMW 323i at the time, the car Cadillac benchmarked for ATS, and the rear of the ATS felt SMALLER than the already tiny E46. The F30 3 Series and ATS are literally the same dimensions wise and the 3 Series back seat is much larger.
Secondly the option packaging it stupid. At BMW you can build your car a la carte with as many or as little options as you want without packages. Want a base 3 Series with Sports package and Navigation? You can do it. Want that in ATS? You have to buy the "Performance" trim level and add Nav. Cadillac owners should be able to build their cars exactly how they want.
Cadillac needs to turn the tables on the german companies by offering the ATS starting at $1 less than the competition, then market the cars as a real sports sedan and coupe at an imposter price, directly attacking the pseudo-luxury fwd crap from bmw and MB.
Cadillac could win that battle with smart advertising and marketing, the question to me is if they will do it!
Is that the same as fundamentally misunderstanding the market ?Cadillac made the decision That cars are getting smaller,
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