General Motors has become one step closer to registering trademarks for the terms LTS and Cadillac LTS, GM Authority has learned.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has published the marks for opposition on October 30, 2012 — a time period that allows those parties that believe they may be damaged by the applicant’s registration of the mark to appeal the registration. Both of the applications have survived the 30-day published for opposition date, and as of December 25, 2012, have a status of 688, or Notice of Allowance issued — Statement of Use Required from applicant.
The new status means that General Motors has been allowed to register the trademarks but must first provide the USPTO with a Statement of Use (SOU) — an official statement wherein it promises to use the name in a real-world product or service.
General Motors originally filed for the two trademarks simultaneously on June 8, 2012.
The GM Authority Take
It is widely believed that LTS will be the name of Cadillac‘s upcoming full-size flagship sedan that would compete against the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Lexus LS, and Audi A8. The vehicle has been rumored to ride on an upcoming full-size rear-wheel-drive vehicle architecture dubbed Omega.
Having passed the public period for opposition, we expect General Motors to file for several extensions in providing the USPTO with its SOU, since the document must contain a product or service that’s on the market today, or being launched in the very immediate future. Since the LTS is years away at the time of this writing (slated for a 2015 or 2016 launch), The General will likely ask for as many as six extensions — the maximum amount officially available from the USPTO; each of the six extensions lasts six months.
Nevertheless, GM’s continuous pursual of the LTS trademarks tells us that the automaker is indeed serious about using the name on an upcoming Cadillac.
Comments
well now we will have the alpha to omega scheme going…..Excellent idea, Cadillac!
This might be the “1 series” fighter!
It’s not a 1 series fighter Kevin. It’s a big bold full size sedan.
Cadillac really needs this car to be competitive on the world market, and it is promising news.
If this car continues GM’s current string of “walk off home runs” I can’t wait to see it in my garage.
I can’t wait to see what it looks like. I hope it’s similar to the sixteen concept from 2003.
I wonder if it will have a name? It would stand out better instead of LTS I would think?
Only ppl who want a luxury car to have a “name” are the ones living in the 70s and 80s. Wake up and smell the coffee… and the new age. 😉
Exactly. LTS IS a name. The launch of A&S back in 2002 marked the point in which everything that made Cadillac look old and out of step was left behind.
If Cadillac was to “bring back” an old name just to appease a few minority consumers, they’ll bring back all the negative baggage along with it to the detriment of all that A&S has done for Cadillac.
Right, names are passe and stupid: Corvette, Vantage, Phantom, Quattroporte, Berlinetta, what “sophisticated” person would want these cars. Initials are so much better, just ask Lincoln (before they go out of business).
Well, of all those cars you named only the Corvette would be recognized by the public.
Now the 3/5/7 series or the MB CLS are known by most anyone who knows cars.
Only because those BMW & MBZ designations have MEANING. The non-car enthuisiast (who have the money to buy one) have no idea what an XR4Ti or a G35 is. These same people ALL know what a Corvette & an Escalade is. Why don’t they rename that a CTK?
Actually, the Escalade would be an ESC; Its variations would be the EXT and ESV. Such as it is, it exists solely as a legacy nameplate.
I can’t see why you think naming is such a big deal. The CTS already identifies what Cadillac means in this century, not as a hat-nod to the past, which was never the intent of the CTS in the first place.
But then again, I’m trying to explain the importance of making Cadillac important to buyers today, not buyers from 30 years ago. I mean, you’re bringing up Merkur for frigg’s sake; it show were your priorities are and what you think Cadillac should be.
As I said before, Cadillac will never again be a handjob memory of the past for old men to reminisce about. The future matters more than the past.
Naming, or branding, is EVERYTHING and it’s “Marketing 101.” Using initials misses a huge opportunity that GM cannot afford. When I say TomTom or Kleenex you know the brands. When I say ETC, GLC, LHS, or my favorite ‘stoopid one XR4Ti, no one knows what I’m talking about. Everyone from 8 to 80 knows what a Mustang and Miata is.
Do you think it’s working for Lincoln? I’ll give you the answer: no, they have lost more identity and are about to go under. They are doing the same copycat scheme.
I don’t think for a moment they should bring back the old names, that would be a disaster because people REMEMBER those names and the horrific quality and poor image associated with “de Ville” and the others. Gen Y’ers know those names too from memories of their grandparents broken down Cadillacs with blown headgaskets from their 4.1, 4.5, 4.9 and “Northstar” motors. Too bad they didn’t use initials back then because those “names” would have been forgotten. See how the human mind/memory works?
I have lower expectations of the Japanese makers when it comes to branding, they’ve always copied others. But GM/ Alfred Sloan wrote the BOOK on automotive marketing & branding, to punt and copy the Germans shows that they are in big trouble creatively (note BMW outselling Cadillac).
Michael….good thoughts.!!!!!…..maybe I’ll plan on getting a no-name xyz12345 for my next car! 🙂
“Do you think it’s working for Lincoln? I’ll give you the answer: no, they have lost more identity and are about to go under. They are doing the same copycat scheme.”
Lincoln and it’s struggles to stay relevant are not due to it’s product naming. Lincoln’s problems stem from it’s inferior and uncompetitive product range. That’s it.
I mean Cadillac isn’t suffering with the CTS, that’s because the CTS is a competent product in the mid-size luxury segment. As such, it behooves GM to update the nameplate to stay competitive; as we see with the 3rd gen CTS.
A pity we can’t say the same of the MKZ, but that shows as much as Ford cares about their mid-size luxury product…and the amount of effort they are willing to invest in making a competent product.
“to punt and copy the Germans shows that they are in big trouble creatively (note BMW outselling Cadillac).”
That’s because BMW found a better and more efficient way to sell luxury cars; to sell cars with a superior image of what luxury is. BMW’s growth in the 80’s was built on that “gotta have” need of people with money who want luxury now.
It still exists today; a 30 something getting pushed into middle management is going to reward himself justly with a BMW or MB or other. He’s not going to do as the outdated Sloan ladder suggest and wait until he’s 58 before he buys a luxury car. If he did, his professional image would suffer greatly; nobody will take him seriously if he rolled up in a beater Camry.
The Sloan ladder is dead. Get with it. Nobody is going to wait until they are nearly dead for a luxury car. If they are a young professional and they have the money, they are going to buy it now.
I don’t see why you’d ever hold up the Sloan ladder as something admirable or even workable in 2013. Maybe that’s why BMW soundly outsells Cadillac; even you know that.
But then again, Cadillac is making better cars now then it ever has. It’ll take time before the rest of the world will take notice.
Uhm, Lexus and BMW are USING the Sloan ladder, that is why they are so successful: IS, ES, LS; BMW is 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series. They step you up “the ladder” from entry level to the top.
That’s not a Sloan ladder. Nothing in BMW and Lexus’s business models says that a buyer will buy larger cars as they get older, or be restricted by price over time.
It’s not a linear motion of onward and upward. Consumer demands change, and not everyone who bought a 3 will want to buy a 5. They might even downgrade and buy a modest mid-size car if their money and demands dictate so.
You can’t force consumer demands to be linear. It’s a cop-out, especially if you expect those demands to remain unchanged for 80 years. Sloan was trying to force an industry (that was in it’s infancy at the time) to be linear to fit his business model for GM.
Thankfully, Sloan doesn’t work anymore, and everyone with disposable income will buy what they feel they can afford, not because their age dictates what they should buy.
Age is the enemy, and it’s not something to be touted by a luxury automaker, or a business model.
Michael, yes, initials and Lincoln…great combo!!!!!!!
This car is farther along than many realize. They are well past what and how much to pay for Door Handles. There was a fight already over the cost of them.
The rights to this may more may not signal the name. GM would tie up the rights if or even if they choose not to use it. As of now there is some talk of moving to using a real name. Right now I expect the LTS will stay but with GM as fluid as they are now that could change.
Ad of now stop wishing for the Sixteen. Also some of the concept drawings on this site have been off base.
The CTS reflects the direction they are going but the LTS will be more dramatic. I would recommend looking at the drawings of the Cadillac Glamor coupe and it will give you a hint of what they are thinking. The Glamor is not a direct indicator but it will give you an idea of their styling language that Cadillac is going.
This car will help their Image but Cadillac will be built on the backs of the ATS, CTS and SVX. These cars are where buyers will be brought in to take a chance on Cadillac.
Many customer will take a chance on Cadillac at $40-50K but few will take a chance on $90-100+K till they feel confident with Cadillac. The more happy CTS owners will lead to more LTS sales not the other way around.
But the LTS image will help sell more ATS and CTS.
If they can make Cadillac competitive in this class more people will notice. Some just want to compete with Benz and BMW but I would like them to reach even to Bentley.
Bentley anymore is becoming the image of wow. If you show up in a Benz it is just another Benz. I see it here even in Ohio where many are reaching to Bentley and Maserati for high roller daily drivers. I even see them in the snow here anymore. People want different.
“Many customer will take a chance on Cadillac at $40-50K but few will take a chance on $90-100+K till they feel confident with Cadillac.”
That’s the thing. I don’t feel Cadillac has firmly cemented itself yet with the public at large, and that this push for a large/full size car is being done in haste; for the sake of having such a product.
The price risk you mention is what will prevent the LTS from getting a foothold. My worries are that of Cadillac’s image is not that of white collar buyers, but still of blue collar workers. In a way, both matters worry me.
I disagree about the haste. By the time the LTS is released, the ATS will have been out at least 3 (if not more years) and be well on its way to the next re-fresh. The new CTS will have been out at least 2 (if not more years). Cadillac can’t end up like Lincoln and just mess around at the lower end of the luxury market. They’ve got to have cars that are in the $70k+ range if they are truly going to compete with the Germans and Lexus.
If Cadillac sticks with luxury cars in the $30-$60k range, they’ll perpetuate that “blue collar” image which they need to shed. The LTS needs to come in the next 2-3 years for GM’s sake.
Cadillac is a blue-collar workman’s car????????????????? Never heard of that one before
That’s because a Cadillac depreciates in such a way that it becomes affordable to a blue collar.
Grawdaddy…you are most correct about used Cadillacs for sure…all cars depreciate of course…I think/hope the new GM models are going to break this cycle…better build and quality should reverse this…older cars from 70s thu 80s were just not very good; I know I had some of them!
Scott, you are letting a little too much classified information out. You can get yourself fired.
You have to work for them to get fired.
This info can be all found in the public domain if you look around. I have read many snippets that have been published on this car as Cadillac/GM has not been totally silent on the topic.
Unlike the Camaro. That project is darker than even the C7 was,
If you work for a company that is privy to GM confidential information you can also get fired and your company can be penalized.
I think what will cement GMs commitment to the Cadillac brand and their continuing brilliant work like the ATS is not becoming complacent and cutting corners now that they are gaining a foothold. I agree that at prices close to 100K it will take some time and demonstrated world class quality. I believe with what Cadillac has done recently they are on their way. I personally would take that chance on one but I also realize I am not a typical customer and obviously am biased towards GM products.
There is not haste here. GM is doing this right this time as they already have addressed the ATS and CTS and will continue to grow this segment.
The LTS is still off a little ways and we have several new lower priced models that will show up between then and now.
The CTS step up will enhance Cadillac much this fall.
In the past Cadillac tried to do a XLR at over $100 K when they were still trying to pedal the Deville and first gen CTS. The fact was they really had only creditable car and it was still in need of attention.,
today the ATS and CTS have and will prove to be worthy of compare and being better in many respects as the Germans. With proper funding and support these cars will prove much in the next two years and we will see more models of each too.
By the time the LTS is here Cadillac will have a solid line up. Now I expect the LTS to not be a Bentley competitor out of the gate. BMW and Benz will be the first targets but we will see more version as time goes on and it will take on bigger game.
Cadillac needs to grow and they have done it from the bottom up 1-2 years apart with the best product an American automaker has provided in years.
In the past Cadillac acted like they could justify their poorer cars if they built an expensive two seater. They acted like it would give credibility to the cheaper cars that just were not right. I understand they did this as they could not afford to revamp the line as they are today but it still was a formula to ruin.
Today they are moving from the ATS up and it will pay off.
BMW was built on the back of the 3 series.
This whole deal will still take time as they now have and will improve the product but still need to deliver on service and quality over time to earn trust.
The ATS is where most of where Cadillac will be built it is the foundation. The rest will be in place to let people expand their trust when they are ready.
I would love to see them take the LTS in the future to the next level with a Coupe that is Luxury and Sporting like the Bentley Coupe. But when I say Bentley keep in mind I speak of 8-10 years from now. You do have to have goals.
One thing that will play into Cadillac’s hands is the down sizing of the economy. While many are down sizing cars many will look to Cadillac as they are just a little cheaper but they can provide more car for the lower price. That is often enough to get people to give them a try. Make em happy and they will return.
Cheaper? have you priced an ATS vs a 3-series they are within hundreds of dollars of eachother! And i suspect the CTS will follow suite.
How PATHETIC of Cadillac. They lost all creativity and sense of brand so they copy the Germans? We ALL know BMW & MBZ use alpha-numeric numbers, but that is/was okay because the nomenclature MEANT something. Everyone copying this is a no talent poser (that includes you Lexus).
People remember names, NOT “designations.” Car zealot types (on this site) know a lot of these alphabet soups names- but “normal” buyers don’t know ANY of these “names” because they sound like part numbers. EVERYONE knows what a Miata, Corvette and Camry is. No one gets all romatic thinking about an MKZ, MKT, ATS, IS, or XR4Ti- these all sound the same to the mainstream buyer. Do you buy a Rolex Submariner or a real cool ABC5? Brands/names have a soul and meaning.
So what is Cadillac thinking? Hmm, boy those “acronyms” are ‘workin out great for Lincoln. Or are they thinking, hey if we copy a successfull brand that knows what they are doing, maybe it will work for us! BMW recently outsold Cadillac in the USA- another cringe-worthy milestone.
BTW, LTS stands for Laparoscopic Tubal Sterilization in the medical community, nice name for a car. Or, for all you Gen Y texters, “Laugh to Self”- maybe Cadillac did get it right.
Gotta agree you are living in the past. All lux marques use non names.
BMW/MB/Cadillac/Acura/Lexus/Infiniti/Volvo/Audi
In fact Buick is the only one that does not other than the ultra expensive rolls and their ilk.
Right, no one desires a Bentley or an Escalade.
“Gotta agree you are living in the past. All lux marques use non names.
BMW/MB/Cadillac/Acura/Lexus/Infiniti/Volvo/Audi”
^This, because mainstream luxury cars are ALL using a nomenclature.
I’d like to see Michael W try to make the case the Bentley and Rolls are mainstream luxury brands.
What they call the car is not important as long as it is the leader of its competition. If the name is the only thing you can complain about then that’s a good thing. And if names are that important to you then you can give your cars their own names. I have named both of my Corvettes, my Denali and I’ll give my new LTS a name as well if it is all that I expect it will be in light of GM’s recent design/build teams! But not because I don’t like alpha-numeric names but because they are parts of the family!
The cars will not live or die based if they have a name or not. The content is what that is important and the image it provides for the owner.
Styling in this class is one area that sends this message if you have not gained the reputation.
While slapping Eldorado on a car may work with those over 60 it means little you anyone under.
I just find it funny how it cost a lot of money to name a car and do the legal work to secure the name and most of the Luxury brands are using the cheaper letters and numbers while econo cars get names.
There are many Luxury cars that do use names like Bentley Roll and Maserati.
I expect Cadillac to remain with letters but I would not be surprised if a name may be added to some higher level LTS at some point.
Scott, I will still buy an ATS later if I like it enough.; lack of name will not stop me…maybe the crest on the grill will let people know what it is?
I believe a car name should be an extension of the vehicles design language. Think Stingray or Ciel.
The mistake Cadillac could make would be to ressurect old family names like Seville, Deville or Eldorado. Those names feel old to younger aspirational buyers like me.
I agree. The Fleetwood, Coupe and Sedan DeVilles used to mean something back in the 40’s and 50’s when my grandparents bought them but by the time my father started to buy them the poor quality issues began to plague GM and as a result those names today would send the wrong message to the younger buyers. Cadillac has transformed itself and once again is becoming “the standard of the world” they don’t need to confuse today’s buyers.
No one I know has any idea what an ATS, XTS, or LTS is except for the followers of this or related car sites…..there is no brand-name recognition and, because of that, no help in making Cadillac a stand- out. Most everyone knows DeVIlle, Cimarron, Seville…my brother just bought a new Camaro…everyone know that is a desirable Chevrolet 🙂
That is a totally absurd comment. I would think that the majority of true auto enthusiasts know what an ATS is – it’s the North American Car of the Year. An if you aren’t talking about enthusiasts then they most likely have no idea what a Cimarron is and likely do not care!
And as to the desirability of the Camaro it depends on which model – the ZL1 or the Z28 are the desirable ones – get the point?
Seriously? No one you know knows what a CTS is? Is your limited exposure to limited audiences now an authority on what is really going on in the world?
I work in automotive research and there are few worse things than to suggest something without any proof or data as you have in your comment.
And does “everyone know” about Deville, Cimarron, or Seville? Or only those who were around when those cars were around? How do these names play on a global level? What is their reputation with Cadillac’s target market? Are they reputable and desirable, or do they carry negative connotations?
Because everyone I know would never buy a Cadillac “Cimmarron”… See how silly that sounds?
Not Cimarron 🙁