Cadillac is currently in the process of rebuilding and reshaping its reputation in the eyes of consumers. You might think Cadillac’s official reconstruction began with the introduction of the current-generation ATS in 2012, but the brand is still in the very early stages of its overhaul.
General Motors’ product chief Mark Reuss told us on the floor of the New York International Auto Show that the automaker is in “year one” of their rebuilding process. He said they are beyond the first year in regards to their product development, a point proven by the ATS, CTS and all-new CT6, but in relation to their reputation among consumers, they are only just getting started.
Cadillac has acknowledged they have a relevancy problem before, an issue they hope to fix through different marketing tactics and greater vehicle street presence. Brand marketing chief Uwe Ellinghaus has also admitted it will take “many, many years,” before the issue will truly be fixed, with many consumers still associating the brand with its older roots of large, floaty luxury cars and not its modern approach of more youthful sports and performance cars.
GM believes that if Cadillac can keep pumping out increasingly good products, consumers will eventually take notice. It’s hard to argue with that logic, but it’s definitely a long-term solution. The brand is spending $12 billion in order to develop new products between now and 2020, so it’s image may not truly see an improvement for another 10 years or so.
Comments
I am glad GM is being up front here as this is the truth.
What we have had was just the old think on Cadillac and that all has been tossed out. I do not know if it was Johann or Mark or even Mary but someone finally got through to the folks at the top and got the investment that has really been needed,
While the cars we have now are good they are not good enough. I never thought I would see the day where GM would step up and do this entirely the right way.
We should see some really amazing cars with little compromise. We have not seen that kind of Cadillac since the 30’s.
This is one good reason why a company that has a chairman and CEO split run more effectively and GM is no exception. Every time the two positions have been held by one person the company has falted as evident in the 80s with Roger Smith and Rick Wagoner in the 2000s. By the mid 90s Gm was back on track when you again had ceo running the company and a chairman running the board.
My point of all this is to the tune of you saying you never imagined GM operating like this. Thats because Barra is more in tune with running the company and has a boss in Tim Solso. IMO and many other GM investors I spoke to, They(GM) should never combine the two positions again. The company is running better because of the equal powers.
Well you are partially right.
We do have good people in place but it is the change in culture and the way they are now empowering people to do things without being told to do them.
Lutz started this and Mark, Mary and others are carrying this on.
6-10 year ago this was just starting and it would have been hard to imaging people being give the ability to do their job and getting backed up for it.
When Lutz arrived he asked why the Malibu could not have body gaps as tight as a Hyundai. He was told that they could do it but they were not told to do it. Lutz said do it and fix what ever needs fixed as you should not have to be told. Same went down in the powertrain division as one engineer told me Lutz said so what you know and I have your back.
As Lutz called then these are the people who are not the problem and he named Mary and Mark as such. Right now there are more people that are not the problem and their numbers are growing.
The people at Cadillac got what most people including Mark could not get. He lost a fight over door handles on the CT6 so this deal is even deeper than just Mark and shows how far this movement has gone. To win what Cadillac has won took support from Mary but it had to be approved by the board. They have stopped many a good leader but this time they did what was right. That is something to be well noted.
Plus up to you as I have no idea why some one would down vote what you had as you appear to get it.
I read that 2020 Cadillac has 8 new cars more on brand
I’m about to become the most unpopular poster.
In roughly give years Buick, with it’s mash of Opel based vehicles has grown.at a faster and healthier clip than Cadillac and done so with minimal investment.
Lincoln, Cadillac’s historic rival, is selling cars inferior to Buick at a far higher price point. Maybe GM should stop wasting billions on efforts to out Germans the Germans and focus on soft luxury which is something
a De Ny says many , many years ? Really , did it take Buick , the traditional old man’s vehicle , many , many years to reach the top ten in customer satisfaction and sell 1,200,000 worldwide last year ? There is something still missing in Cadillac’s management , still too many chiefs and not enough Indians , perhaps . Hate to say it , but I would turn this division over to Buick management who knows how to get the most out of what they are given . It’s time to fish or cut bait….this prestige market waits for no one . Buick , bring on the Avenir now ,even though it’s probable that the biggest objection to it comes from Cadillac who doesn’t want this to steal the thunder ? from their upcoming models . But as De Ny says , it will take years and years for the issues to get fixed and Buick , you have already fixed them ……. this is a no brainer , go for it !!
Buick has recovered quickly position that has been, and crossovers in its range, like Enclave; Rendezvous or Encore, plus Lacrosse and Regal
Cadillac had almost nothing of this until the emergence of ATS, only competes with the CTS SRX and recent XTS, but how come the Crossover sales and acceptance will go far
I’m 21 years old and I’ve loved Cadillac’s bold designs ever since I was in elementary school when the first CTS came out. And then the XLR and Escalade became my favorite cars. For my 20th birthday in 2013 I bought a 2010 Cadillac CTS to reward myself for being a top health insurance agent at the company I was working for. Recently, I traded in that car for an ELR now that I run my own insurance agency. The perception of Cadillac is definitely changing, the problem is marketing. Most people do not know how the modern Cadillacs look, but when they see me in then they take notice. I’ve had countless co workers who own BMW, Mercedes, and Audi be very impressed with my CTS, but they didn’t know anyone who owned a Cadillac so they didn’t know much about it. In my neighborhood there are kids my age with brand new BMWs and Mercedes (that their parents paid for) and my CTS was on par with their vehicles, but my ELR is the best car everywhere I go.
I have always said that its going to take longer than 2020 for Cadillac to recreate itself . Thats only 4.5 years away . The vehicles in the portfolio now are not truly where Cadillac sees themselves . Its in the vehicles that are in developement right now that is going to move the division upmarket . Its folks like Darian (above) that Cadillac wants to sell their cars to . Sure Lincoln will always be a thorn in Cadillac’s side but the focus going forward is to sell to the millenials , get them into a smaller car and hope to keep them as customers and move upmarket .
And China is going to be the biggest market to sell to . Their middle class is growing faster than ours , and they like their Buicks and Cadillac’s (esp, the SRX) for them it is a status symbol . I believe its going to take more than the 12 billion they have in the coffers right now to make the move up market . As long as GM is “fully” committed to remake Cadillac then we will see the fruits of their labor .