Cadillac’s recently appointed brand chief Johan de Nysschen is known in the automotive world for making some extreme decisions, like when he moved former employer Infiniti’s headquarters to Hong Kong from Yokohama and renamed their entire model lineup to begin with a ‘Q’ designation. The long-time auto exec is being just as proactive with Cadillac, reportedly moving expanding the brand’s operations from Detroit to New York City.
The plan was first revealed by de Nysschen in August, but it wasn’t clear if the brand would go forward with the idea until recently, when he confirmed the move NYC expansion to Automotive News. Cadillac reportedly wants to at least have an office in New York to broaden its appeal outside of America and possibly attract new talent to the brand. It is also looking for further autonomy from other General Motors brands and a Manhattan address may be the easiest and best way to promote change.
Cadillac’s engineering, design and manufacturing operations would likely stay in Michigan, however the expansion would bring Cadillac’s marketing, advertising and strategy operations to Manhattan. The move would also put Cadillac right in the hub of the affluent, stylish crowd it’s now hoping to attract with cars like the 2015 ATS Coupe.
Update: The official word on Cadillac’s New York plans are the following:
“Johan said we are considering expanding – maybe adding a new office. That is much different than ‘moving.’ And he did not confirm. He used this as an example of ideas being considered to grow,” according to Cadillac lead spokesman Dave Caldwell.
Comments
Keep reading comments by De Ny about; advertising , exclusivity , lower production to increase turnover , separate dealerships , more new models . The why , of all this activity seems simple , sales except for the middie SRX SUV and Escalade are not encouraging . Turnover is based on hitting the right chord with the buyers . If you are an auto manufacturer , are you selling what the public is interested in , and is your product one which has a rich history of quality and excellent service to the public ?? Does the name of your product evoke good memories of past ownership of the previous models and in your circle of friends and acquaintances , do any talk bout their current drives , plus do any own Cadillacs ?? Are you selling today what I could be interested in , today , to visit a dealership to look closely at the models available ? Each of us has memories perhaps of Cadillac’s in the past , mine involve looking at a neighbor’s Cadillac sedan , 2001 model , thereabouts , some years ago . Excellent condition but I didn’t buy it because of reputation that the vehicle had quality issues that would be expensive to repair and maintain . Read recent comments from a posted comment in the GM forum site where the owner of two Cadillac recent models couldn’t understand why the steering wheels shaked while the engines were idling . He then mentioned his company wouldn’t buy a Cadillac due to anticipated down time to correct deficiencies , instead had bought a Lexus type SUV and had over 400,000 kms of trouble free driving . A few of the comments I read about the Caddie ATS include great handling but annoying squeaks from the dash , same in the drivers seat , loud noise from the TT4 cyl engine under hard acceleration , visibility issues . Here is perhaps the real reason Cadillac has lower sales results , perhaps the brand has spotty reliability and quality concerns such that customers are leery of the product . Also , perhaps the type and/or style of vehicles being produced also do not represent what the average buyer is looking for TODAY in the purchase of an expensive vehicle ? A high priced vehicle MUST have unquestioned quality of assembly and long term performance . In my opinion , Cadillac appears to represent probably some of the lowest resale values of any comparable vehicles . This is a huge burden to carry on your back , quality and resaleability issues , compounded by , on the whole or part , selling what may not be what your TODAYs buyers want and desire to buy !