Cadillac needs the 2.0T for a number of global markets. That's not a bad thing either IMO. It's the same as how the hands were forced by MB, BMW, Audi, etc to offer V-8 engines in their mid-luxury sedans to cater better to Americans.
I don't get this whole "Germany has a lock on performance, Cadillac must be a comfort barge" argument.
Probably because no one is making it in this thread.
:
Performance wasn't invented by the Germans. Plus saying Cadillac shouldn't pursue performance because it is already taken by BMW implies Cadillac should aim for comfort.
Depends on what you mean by performance. The Hellcat pair are performance vehicles, but they subscribe to a very American notion of performance: power. And even so, they are modern enough that they do not fall apart in the corners and are generally dynamically competent. But they're not trying to anything other than American. They lack the luxury and class of a Cadillac, but the principle is one that I deem quite fitting for the Cadillac brand.
Personally I think Cadillac's dynamics should be balanced. They shouldn't wallow, but they should feel planted and substantial. It's not that they shouldn't build cars that are dynamically excellent, but making that their USP is the problem - because it's not a USP. Others are doing the same thing, including ones with more history in doing so that are therefore an easier sell to many customers. Audi is an example of a brand that does not market their existence on being a sports product brand. They have sportier products, but they don't treat it as their foundation.
Isn't comfort already taken by Mercedes and Lexus? So by the same argument Cadillac would then be copying Mercedes, because Mercedes invented comfort just as BMW invented performance. So since performance and comfort are already taken, Cadillac and all other tier 2 makes should just give up.
Let's not forget Cadillac has a long, long history in comfort. In the 60s and 70s even as Mercedes was making inroads Cadillacs were still more opulent inside, better riding, etc. A Mercedes was more about the engineering details, solidity, and neutrality. And this was long before Lexus existed in any way - the closest thing would've been the Toyota Century and Crown premium sedans. BMW did not invent performance either, even if they'd want us to believe that. Alfa Romeo was racing in the 50s and 60s. They had sporty cars like the GTA or Spider, plus sport sedans like the Giulia, Giulietta, Milano, 164, and Alfetta. Since Alfa Romeo has not been in the US for a long time many have doubtless forgotten their history, but it's rich and it's there. Jaguar doesn't really market their history all that much in the US, but they too have one of performance. The XK120 was a record-setter and iconic as a sports car. The E-Type is often referred to as one of the most beautiful sports cars (or car, period) of all time. The XJ220 was, like the XK120, briefly the fastest production car in the world. The Mark series were lauded sport sedans in their day, if not especially the Mark 2. The Jaguar XJ was a continuation of that, though without as much greatness. So for them to build a car like the XE or XF is not new for Jaguar. The problem I have with the new XF and XE is that their interiors don't seem Jaguar plush and rather more German than I'd like, the I digress. BMW's real prominence in places like the US probably came about more in the 70s-90s era, well after Alfa and Jaguar had built great histories of performance and sportiness.
As Mercedes continued to grow and became for a time the top selling luxury brand in the US, Lexus also swelled in power and influence. They in fact replaced Mercedes as the top selling luxury brand. While neither were known for sportiness, they were not copies of the other either (as much as Lexus DID copy Mercedes in various ways). Mercedes continued with their engineering excellence and the reputation, deserved or not, for over-engineering products that were at the forefront of technology, safety, and dependability; we know the latter was something Mercedes left a while after that. Lexus' approach focused on refinement, quality, exceptional dealer service. They also were comfortable and restrained like Mercedes, but did manage to market themselves well enough in other ways. It was at this time of course that Cadillac was still building cars that were not divergent in theory, but rather in the final product. Cadillacs too were comfortable, but their image was in a very bad way, so even if the Seville of the 90s was a reasonable competitor to the Lexus GS or Mercedes E-Class, the import brands had more cache. Lexus used consistently compelling marketing to overcome their lack of an image while Cadillac's was still going in the wrong direction. The Northstar was as advanced as anything that contended with it from Germany or Japan. But Cadillacs weren't really about racing. Sure they had in the 30s or 50s, but that wasn't what their brand was built upon. That's why for Alfa or Jaguar a sport sedan is heralded as adding to their legacy, whereas Lexus or Cadillac doing it is changing the brand's image altogether.
