Update: General Motors made the strategy official today in during its investor call conference. GM also confirmed the BEV3 platform, a modular electric-car platform, which the first Cadillac electric car will ride on.
Cadillac’s merry-go-round of strategies may be in for another stop. General Motors’ luxury division could reorganize and position itself to become a Tesla challenger, according to sources close to the matter.
Said sources spoke to Reuters anonymously and said Cadillac could become GM’s lead electric-car brand. GM itself could make the announcement as early as Friday, today, in its investor call conference. If the information proves true, it would follow the automaker’s restructuring announcement this past November, which called for more resources focused on electric cars and self-driving technology. It would also mark a shift from GM’s current electric-car strategy to introduce more affordable EVs via Chevrolet.
The report claims Cadillac will be first to receive an electric car on a new dedicated platform for EVs called BEV3. GM has already said it plans to produce profitable electric cars next decade, and it would appear this is one of the platforms GM intends to use, judging by the floated timeline. The Cadillac electric car will reportedly arrive in 2021, just as GM rolls out 20 new electric cars through 2023 globally. GM CEO Mary Barra said profitable EVs will come in 2021.
Former Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen also said during his tenure that Cadillac would lead GM in technology, and most of the 20 planned electric cars would be Cadillacs. The report’s sources indicated the BEV3 platform will underpin nine of the 20 electric cars in the pipeline.
Although and electric car from Cadillac would fit right in for the Chinese market, which will introduce EV quotas for automakers doing business in the country, it could also provide a proper challenge to Tesla.
The electric-car maker sold 191,627 cars in the U.S. last year with just three models. Cadillac? It sold 154,702 with a full portfolio of vehicles.
We’ll bring you the latest on Cadillac’s rumored repositioning and future electric cars as we learn more.
Comments
Can’t compete in The ICE field but now they are going to lead in the Electric car field. Good luck with that. Don’t get me wrong I am hopeing for success but judging by their past record I don’t hold out much hope.
I think this is Cadillac’s last chance.
This EV architecture can support RWD/AWD?
This is their chance to correct the mistakes made when designing the Alpha and Omega platforms. What Cadillac needs the most are RWD/AWD luxury/performance CUVs. Not just at the upper range, but almost the entire range, save for the bottom-end Cadillacs. And they have to LOOK RWD.
This is where the ATP gains are. Luxury buyers will only pay so much for FWD/AWD vehicles. Not so for RWD/AWD.
If GM forces Cadillac to build a tarted-up Chevy Bolt crossover, that company truly deserves to fail.
It will be a highly flexible modular platform. So more than likely, they will be RWD if they are going against Tesla and the competition.
Like the XT4, XT5 and Xt6 hahahahaha. Bewcause o fthe upcoming EV Revolution coming in the especially the Luxury Market, I am almost ok with Cadillac doing all FWD/Chevrolet based CUV’s.
I do however think and agree that the last chance Cadillac has is to make money right now these next three years with the Chevy/FWD XT4/XT5/XT6 CUV’s and the new Escalade coming out. They need to take that money and pump it into proper RWD/AWD EV cars and CUV’s that can beat Tesla. If not, it is lights out for Cadillac.
We all know Johan tried but GM culture won out at the end unfortunately.
So true.
Once they kicked out Johann over his refusal to compromise on quality for the sake of expediently-produced crossovers, and then brought in a GM insider to replace him, they waved the white flag for me.
Cadillac deserves better, and they won’t get it because accounting calculates you can save 3 cents by re-using the mirror control buttons and carpet from the Malibu. It works for Chevy, surely the same rules apply to Cadillac! I bet Mercedes and BMW are doing it all the time!
Why are you focused on or paying attention to mirror control buttons? If you are buying a car based on these buttons or irrelevant crap then you dont know how to pick or choose cars!
The focus needs to be on how the car drives! Performance, suspension, braking! Not seats, steering wheel, dash!
I cant believe we have gotten to this point where people care more about what the instrument gauges look like then how great the car handles, or brakes!
It’s just sad!
Are you saying it’s bad for a luxury car buyer to care about the interior of the vehicle? Why is it sad that somebody might care about the place they spend all their time while driving?
Especially when you’re easily paying upwards of $60,000-$70,000 for a CTS when it’s actually a $40,000 car. All of GM’s brands suffer from lackluster interiors and horrible overall value propositions. It’ll come around to bite them again.
If it’s you main reason of buying any car not just a luxury car then you dont have a clue what your doing when it comes to buying a car!
This is the problem that we have today all people care about is what’s directly in front of their face. They dont take the time to look beneath the surface! This is mainly because those kind of people are lazy, and take the path of least resistance! Which is sad!
We use to value driving dynamics over comfort!
As I have been telling everyone on this site for years, yes you are correct. That is literally all people in the market look for today. They are not like us. Gearheads and car fanatics will always exist to overlook certain things. I get that.
Our point is GM dropped the ball because they still have not realized the marketplace.
As I have repeatedly stated on this site, I have helped many while searching for a new car. I am a GM fan so I always have them look at GM vehicles as well.
I have seen and or driven pretty much every direct competitor to GM in the last couple of years. I would say the Top off is about $120,000
So in every vehicle class GM has by far the worst interior materials in the Industry. Like I hate saying it but it is completely true. There is one exception I have noticed. The Buick Enclave.
I have talked a lot of people into that one actually.
All the people looking for a car today have no clue what engine it is what platform it is but they can ALL are able to decipher if an interior is soft touch or hard plastics.
I mean GM spent over a Billion Dollars to develop the new 1500’s and they only spoke to Silverado owners for the new Interior and got embarrassed by Ram. So look what is happening now. Ram has the amazing interior and shocker are gaining Market Share. Hmmmmmmmmm I wonder why.
GM needs to spend more money on interior research groups, materials, and design. Period.
I certainly agree with you. GM needs to understand that the vast majority of today’s consumers really do care about interior and tech. I mean, look at the just-announced 2020 Ford Explorer for example… say what you might about the funky exterior design, but the interior looks gorgeous and generally premium with soft-touch materials right where people want it.
Then you look at the Traverse. A fine vehicle in its own right, one that drives well and feels solid. Plenty of room. But most of the dashboard is an (admittedly high quality but very much still) hard plastic. The top of the door panel is hard plastic. Most of the rear doors are hard plastic. The leather is low quality even in the top-tier High Country trim. There’s not nearly enough padding in any of the arm rests. It has that horrendous fingerprint/dust magnet piano black trim around the touchscreen. The seats are fairly hard and uncomfortable.
Don’t even get me started on the 2019 Silverado 1500 – the chassis and drivetrain engineering there is of high quality. It’s a joy to drive and rides well. The interior is one of the cheapest I’ve seen in a long time given that it’s a vehicle that can easily eclipse $60,000 and touch $70,000 on the top end. Because luxury trucks are very much a thing, upper-end LT and LTZ models – ones loaded with features and expected to be of high-quality materials/design – are also some of the most popular. But my frank opinion is that GM is charging nearly $10,000 too much for the sea of hard black cheap-looking plastics, low-quality switchgear, and now-tiny 8″ touchscreen.
GM needs leadership that truly cares about more than only how it drives. Every other automaker understands the importance of the interior. They understand the need for balanced quality, materials, refinement, and driving dynamics. GM seems laser-focused on driving dynamics alone, and while that works for some, it doesn’t work at all for the pricing model they use.
Agreed
“Gearheads and car fanatics will always exist to overlook certain things. I get that.”
Gearheads are beginning to learn when an electric street family SUV beats their “race car”….
Agreed
Interesting. Have you been in a Tesla Model S or Model 3? Those cars have interiors nowhere near the luxury quality level of comparable similarly-priced ICE vehicles. The rear seat of the Tesla 3 is literally intolerable for adult-sized people. The giant screen design used, while lauded as a modern interpretation of austerity design, is simply cost-cutting to avoid making a quality interior with intuitive tactile controls, which add to the safety and quality of the driving experience.
If GM produced a vehicle with the Model 3’s interior at the average transaction price of $50K per vehicle, the magazines would laugh Mary B. right out of her C-suite office. Telsa and Musk get a a pass on any such criticism.
Don’t forget how big the touch screen is. That is of paramount importance these days.
Exactly right, everyone who has commented.
When you drop serious money for a luxury car, it needs to feel like a luxury car. No crap plastics, no cheap shortcuts, and as little part sharing with mass market cars as possible.
Even if the car drives and handles like a dream, when I get in it, I don’t want to feel like I’m in something cheap and built to a budget. There may be a small minority who only care about driving dynamics, to the exclusion of all else; and for them, something like the ATS may be excellent. Generally speaking though, a luxury car means all of the car, not just a few areas of focus.
People who say “don’t look at the window switches” or some such thing are just making excuses. If you’re in a luxury car, there shouldn’t be compromises. It shouldn’t be good quality interior OR driving dynamics, it should be BOTH. Those people would have a better argument if the competition weren’t consistently putting out products that are complete packages. But, they are, and there is no room to say “ignore this cheap crappy thing” when you can walk across the street and buy a car that DOESN’T have to make excuses for itself.
Some people may think the ATS or CTS, or even the CT6, have fine interiors. To them I say, look at the competition. Look at the European and Japanese (and increasingly, Korean) competition, and tell me Cadillac is up to the same standard. They are not, and they are not up to the general standards of a luxury-oriented lifestyle, period.
Yep I couldn’t have said it better, luxury is the whole package.
Look at there new truck $70,000 for that interior.
I am in the market to trade my 2017 Denali HD, but for that interior, on the TOP TRUCK.
And don’t even get me started on Customer experience or GM ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE.
GM just doesn’t get it. GM people are telling GM that their products are good enough, but there NOT. And every year GM looses just a few more GM loyalists. First the standard sedan, then the Cadillac and now the truck. Gm spends money on TV ads to try to convince people they have an equal vehicle to Toyota and Honda but it is a laughing stock of that internet thingy. Again WHO is making these decisions. At least the new truck ads show the truck and don’t outright lie.
I actually quite like the ATS myself, but I know for a fact that I like the Audi A4, Merceders C-class, Jaguar XE, so on and so forth more for the price. The ATS drives well and has a “good enough” interior, but it’s only good enough if you can talk them down about $5,000 off MSRP. Possible but not probable.
Simple fact is that, even if they all end up being around the same MSRP and cost, the other cars execute better, provide significantly better interior execution, and are just as fun to drive (if not more). GM either needs to commit to being the value leader or they need to commit to being a leader or near-leader. Frankly, firing the interior design teams, getting some fresh eyes, and loosening the hold of the bean counters alone would go a long, long way to helping GM – but I believe that’s a pipe dream.
Mary Barra may well have had some of the best intentions in mind for GM, maybe she was held back by the age-old politics inside that company. Or maybe they should have just hired an outsider.
Yes I to quite like my our ATS even though it is a POS. the satisfaction letters from GM are running out of the glovebox there are getting to be so many and the funny thing is the dealer will not do anything about it.
You are also correct on the competition. After 38 years and 6 Cadillacs this POS has driven us to also try others and Cadillac is a JOKE. We chose the Audi A4 and it is a dream vehicle compared to our ATS and is less money for more options than a new ATS.
We also looked at an XT4 and for the money it isn’t even worth your time to look By the time you get the basic standard options as the competitor you are way over the money and the interior WHAT, even our POS ATS interior is better. Soft door panels etc.
Whatever
WHO writes this garbage.
GM’s goal was 1,000,000 EVs by 2026
Tesla will make 1,000,000 EVs in 2021
“The electric-car maker sold 191,627 cars in the U.S. last year with just three models. Cadillac? It sold 154,702 with a full portfolio of vehicles.”
Tesla sold 245,000 in 2018 an increase of 240%….
China factory will be producing 500,000 per year….
Tesla may take over your closed factories……
That is exactly what I have been saying for two years now.
China and the EU Governments want to lead in the EV field and we are still arguing over Coal LOL
Cadillac sold 354K vehicles in the U.S. and China. Tesla sold 245K Global. Cadillac sold PROFITABLE vehicles at 354K. Tesla hasn’t made a real money profit since 2003. If Cadillac sticks to its guns, something that they have proven time and time they won’t.. and actually does go almost completely EV or at least PHEV then this explains the cancellation of the CT6, and the possibility that there is a replacement vehicle, a full size vehicle, that is a direct competitor, but obviously more luxury to the Model S. Which unless U spend serious coin, has a very basic interior
Basic interior?
Have you ever been in a Tesla and or driven one?
They are so far ahead of the Auto Industry it is downright comical actually.
I could only imagine some poor GM engineer telling the board hey we can do the same electronics and wiring that Tesla uses as well. The board looks at it and says, these are for Space Spec designs we sell cars. Give me the Auto specs that will be much cheaper.
The poor engineer looks at them and says…That is what Tesla is using.
The Board…Oh no, we are not being serious about directly competing with Tesla. Just make it look like we are and go cheap. Thank you.
I have looked at several Model 3’s. Those interiors are boring minimalists taken to the extreme and obvious cost cutting with a near useless back seat. I was honestly more impressed by a recent Hyundai Elantra Limited rental I had that was on sale nearby for 19995!
Then explain why people nitpick a Cadillacs interior and not the rest of the industry? Seems to me that GM is forced to play by a different set of rules that the rest of the industry doesn’t need to!
Sharing platforms, drivetrains, that gets Cadillac killed in the media. But other manufacturers do the same thing GM does and they get a pass but GM doesn’t!
That’s why I laugh at these negative comments you make about Cadillac
The move is what we had heard was coming. It is a very good time to do this as the S model is getting very long in the tooth.
Tesla also has cut the free charging and is now doing away with over the air updates due to the added cost.
Cadillac may sell less cars but they make money and GM pays dividends.
The EV market will be getting interesting soon as we have the Taycan coming soon and the Cadillac that will be the new kids on the block in the trendy S class where it will be old news.
GM in this segment will make money as when you charge as they can in this segment there is money to be made. the only real profit car at Tesla has been the S.
It matters little how many you sell if you are not making money.
This is not even the Escala.
The unknown future I suspect will be interesting at Cadillac as things are not going to remain the same. The plans looks spot on and it will be down to execution and getting the details right. They do that they will make a big splash.
> Tesla also has cut the free charging and is now doing away with over the air updates due to the added cost.
Source? Tesla still provides free supercharging for new car purchases for 6 months. I’ve never heard that they are “now doing away with over the air updates”. Why would they? New features, bug fixes, without a trip to a service center? Very convenient and the infrastructure has been in place for a long time now.
I originally read it last night in the editorial of the SAE Automotive Engineering magazine and how Tesla is cutting things to save money.
The LTE link was killed last summer. You can still do it if you have a WIFI connection or you pay for the link yourself.
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/272214-tesla-will-end-free-premium-lte-offer-next-month
Tesla was paying $100 per car per year and they just can not afford that any longer.
The Supercharger is only for 6 months down from Lifetime as it was not all that long ago. Again they can not sustain such cost long term as their profits are lagging.
The realities of the real world cost of running Tesla are now just catching up. It is easy to swing this stuff when you are selling cars at a large mark up like the S where they had decent income on them. the other models are not making that kind of return.
Also the low price S is hurting to they are killing it.
The S was the cash cow and it paid for the growth. It is now slowing as people move to the lower profit 3 as well as they will be moving to the next new big thing like the Porsche Taycan.
The way Tesla does business will have to change.
A sign issues may be coming Musk is not talking crap on thrusters on the Roadster to hover? Elon always crops up crazy crap to distract from issues.
https://www.tesla.com/support/frequently-asked-questions-connectivity
Tesla’s free standard connectivity provides over-the-air software updates over wifi and important safety updates over cellular. Premium connectivity provides over-the-air software updates via Wi-Fi and cellular. Don’t spread FUD like OTA updates are going away…
Promotional things (free supercharging for life) to sell more cars in the first few years of manufacturing? Seems like a good idea. Selling lower volume lines while continuing to develop technology for later high volume models? Seems like his plan is working.
The fact remains they removed the ability for the car to link unless you provide the WiFi or phone connection your self. They removed the $100 yearly connection.
The second part on charging is that it was not a promotional offer. It was a feature you got with the car that now is removed.
No matter how you spin it you are getting less content for your money.
The cars can still do OTA updates. Removing free lifetime LTE is not the same as removing OTA ability.
Source on free lifetime charging removed? My understanding is that all cars that originally came with the “feature” of free lifetime charging, still have free lifetime charging. New cars don’t include this “feature”, but have other “features”, like new autopilot hardware+software, bigger batteries, different frontend style, etc (depending on model/year/etc).
Scott3 is a dumba** that believes he knows all things automotive. Although his knowledge fades when it comes to EV’s. He’s been hoping for Tesla to fail (while not directly stating it). Tesla has been doing things right while GM has been reluctant to do so up until now.
He is an old pushrod guy, I would guess. Maybe has some lackeys working for him doing performance stuff. You know lives and dies by GM ICE.
Would be my guess, although he does want GM to succeed so I’m with him on that.
There is however NO WAY to explain things to him. I was stating before that Tesla to a young person is like that dream car of his was, still nothing.
I just don’t care that much for the degrading comments. Maybe a fool or something but not dumba**.
Scott doesn’t need me to defend him, but that’s kind of harsh. I won’t lie that I don’t always agree with him, particularly when it comes to everything he’s said about Tesla or politics or the environment, but he’s not been all wrong in those areas either, especially when it comes to Tesla.
He’s a good poster, if you ask me. As are you two guys, BTW.
The truth, as Scott would say, is that Tesla’s longterm outlook remains uncertain, that some of their cars are beginning to show their age and some are plain ugly, and that electrifying many cars over a short period is going to bring about unforeseen headaches and unforeseen environmental harm.
Now, what do you say… group hug?
I don’t get your argument on the FREE data. GM has never given FREE data and even with your own WiFi ( that most people have ) GM still won’t update even simple things for FREE.
Hell you can go to AutoZone and read codes for free GM great CUSTOMER SERVICE $50.00 to $90.00 just to tell you what they want to charge you.
That feature you got with your car like GM dropping oil changes you used to get with your car. I just don’t get you sometimes. Go buy a Tesla then and only then will you understand.
So even if your getting less content form Tesla, it is GREATLY MORE content than GM.
GM doesn’t outright control what every single dealership charges you. They provide labor estimates to the dealership, but what the dealership chooses to charge on labor is entirely up to them. Most have to charge quite a bit because most make very little of their profit from sales in today’s market.
GM still provides a free oil change, tire rotation, and inspection with every new vehicle. They still provide a competitive warranty. They still provide 10 years of on-board diagnostics and maintenance reminders. It’s not like they’re really behind on any of those metrics, they’re just not leading… they’re mid-pack, which is apparently what GM hopes to be these days.
Tesla and Elon Musk in less than 10 years (because Legacy Auto Makers started working on EV completion to Tesla years ago) has completely flipped an Industry around. I would say that is pretty Badass if you ask me.
A small little company that has no future (according to short sellers) cannot do that now can they?
Cadillac may sell less cars but they make money and GM pays dividends; and GM shuts down the plants when it no longer makes economic sense because of less than adequate volumes.
Man, I hope you’re right.
But, I fear GM’s actual plan is to slap a Cadillac badge on EV they make, no matter to what price point, and try to make “Cadillac” mean “electric” rather than “luxury”, since they obviously can’t execute on that level.
I hope I’m wrong. But given Cadillac’s history, I don’t have a lot of confidence…
About 4-5 years late on this strategy, but better late than never, I guess?
It is a crying shame they didn’t take the initial failure of the ELR (great, luxury-level design with a great mix of electric for the vast majority of uses but gas if you need it–important for Caddy’s older, more traditional customer base–but it had an underpowered engine and not good enough interior) and didn’t keep improving upon it. Not to mention electrifying one of the big hulking SUVs that Caddy is know for. Instead they put all their eggs in the Chevy basket and made two very good cars….and that’s it.
Now they are way behind Tesla, not to mention Jaguar and Audi.
You make it sound as if Tesla has 50% of the car market. In reality, it’s closer to 1%. What GM needs to do is come out with is a no excuses competitive EV. They showed with the Volt and Bolt EV that they understand the technology. They just need to wrap it up in a pretty, performing package. Let’s be honest if the Bolt architecture would have been stuck under a Chevy Trax it would have a been a runaway success.
What Tesla has is mindshare. Just like Apple. A lot of folks want one for whatever reason. GM needs a car folks will step over their momma for.
100% in agreement with your post, but I don’t think you meant “Trax”. The Trax is basically the same size as the Bolt. Yes, a few inches bigger outside, but inside due to EV packaging, it’s a tie.
They should have produced an Equinox EV, or larger. Easier to hide higher MSRP on larger vehicles. Also, frankly, it would have done better at Buick/GMC than at Chevrolet with higher margins.
We’re not talking about the “car” market ; we’re talking about the “EV” market. Maybe in 20-25 years, those will be synonymous, but for now, they are not.
The EV buyer is generally quite different than the a “regular” buyer, even in luxury. And if someone is going to spend $50k or more on an EV, the first brand they think of is Tesla. That’s a huge advantage; they barely have to advertise.
If I’m a new EV buyer, and I’m worried about “Will I get good info from the dealer/store about its capabilities? If I have a problem, will I have the proper support from the company? Where will I be able to charge it? Will I get the latest tech?” do you go with the brand that’s sold hundreds of thousands of EVs, or the brand that has sold close to zero? Plus, even with all their problems, Tesla owners seem to really like their cars, so it’s likely when they buy a new one, they’ll go back there. Tesla has a huge lead on Cadillac in that respect.
Do Cadillac dealers have a reputation for being cutting edge? Do you think if someone comes in and wants to spend $75k, they might get guided towards an ICE Escalade (which all sales reps will know, and the dealer will get more $$$ frp, services such as oil changes from) or the Cadillac EV?
Tesla does not have an insurmountable lead, but beyond them, GM has also let other luxury makers pass them by as well (e.g., they have nothing like the Jaguar I-Pace in 2019). That’s inexcusable, considering how great their battery tech is and how much of a lead they had with the Volt and Bolt.
Again, glad they are finally making this shift, but it’s going to take a ton of work, strategy discipline and smart marketing, not something Cadillac is known for.
That is NOT how transitions/disruptions work. A number of factors are converging. Falling solar costs. Autonomy. Falling battery costs. Once they hit the tipping point, it’s all over for ICE. I’m not talking 20 years. Or even 10 years. It is showing it’s face now, and 2020 you will see it. All that you have to do is take out the top 5% and you will see drastic stuff.. Like falling used car prices and a flooded market. VW is seeing it. That is why Kodak went from record profits to bankruptcy in 12 years. 100 years of history wiped out. But the more that they listen to you the more that Tesla takes the lead.
Look forward to hearing more about this. It would really hit the mark great if it’s styled, sized and priced competitively.
I just hope this isn’t a repeat of when Cadillac positioned the ELR as a Tesla challenger and we all sighed at an overpriced albeit stylish Volt
Lets not forget the Porsche Taycan and Audi E – Tron GT coming fast.
Cadillac and GM cannot come with anything lackluster.
GM is going to need fast charging tech and charging stations everywhere to compete with Tesla.
Finally! Some GM-related news I can get behind!
I’m all for this!! Cadillac should be the leader in technology and engineering within GM! It’s always been somewhat backwards thinking for GM to debut the best of their tech on a value-centric brand like Chevy. The ELR would’ve likely been better received were it released on the market before the Volt!
Regardless of where you stand with Tesla, they are biggest game in town when it comes to electric cars! And I’d rather Cadillac be the brand to truly don the luxury design and interior on an electric vehicle to come out of the US!
This is why GM will lead the automotive industry in the future. They will be able to continue to make a profit while still developing the electric car for the masses! While still building a ice vehicles to bridge the gap. Then fuel cell vehicles will be on the way after electric vehicles get here!
Tesla is a one trick pony with only cars to sell. I hope GM drives tesla out of business
Why drive another American car company out of business?
https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/09/27/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-on-electric-competition-im-gla.aspx
If another company makes an EV car so good/inexpensive/performant that it causes Tesla to go out of business, that is good, because it means that transportation technology has advanced a lot and that’s good for the earth.
Forgot he said that. Just don’t want to see American jobs go away.
Video of Elon on competition:
Hey,check out cadillac*s insta. First teaser photo of the Xt6 is there.Looks promising
sorry, I did not see your comment. I thought I broke the story first. Well GMA has not at all or any other site. I guess we did it best. They should pay us. I follow Cadillac on Twitter.
It looks okay. I just hope it does not have the XT5 interior. And, the xt5 is getting an update so what about the interior?
Cadillac sales for Q3 of 2018 was a total of 37,291 units while Tesla sold 80,142 over the same period; this means for Cadillac to outsell Tesla, Cadillac will need transformative products that are clearly superior to Tesla and may need to be more affordable meaning the price of the Cadillac models cannot differ much from what they are currently because one has to assume Tesla will not sit on their laurels and will have a wide lead as Cadillac and Europe enter the EV market also.
So they basically need an electric CT4/5 and XT4/5 all with at least 300 miles of range and the supporting charging infrastructure for the same price or less. Make it happen.
I’ll believe it when I see it on the showroom floor.
In other words, after years of trying unsuccessfully to copy BMW, Cadillac is now going to embark upon a plan to copy Tesla’s every move.
I’ve read about a time when the rest of the world would copy Cadillac, when they called themselves America’s “Luxury Car Leader” and they really were.
i hope that doesn’t include the no profit/smoke and mirrors moves tesla excels at.
The #1 market for Cadillac branded vehicles is…..China, same as Buick. As a result, the decisions about the direction of the brand is dictated by that market, not here. The only exception being the Escalade. It’s very likely that there will be multiple Cadillac branded EV’s in China that are never offered here.
With GM facing the phase out of electric vehicle tax credits, having already sold 200,000 EVs and Plug-in HEVs, it makes more sense to work on the top end of the market in the USA. The two largest markets for EVs moving forward, however, are China and Europe. Buick’s strong presence in China will help. Too bad about GM having abandoned its European business. But who knows, Saab’s Trollhattan factory might be back on the market (I’m joking).
Cadillac going electric makes the most sense if GM also goes on offense in Europe.
I’m not sure what segment & sales combos would best sustain dealers there?
(spit-balling: I-pace, model S, too expensive for a Vette super car, why not one Saab?).
They need to avoid being/looking like a carpetbagging auto giant. A European plant for unibody EV or plug-ins buys credibility. If not, I expect export tariffs will be better from Korea or Canada. The former must be closer to export quota limits, so bury the hatchet with the latter’s union.
How can you even come up with something new. While you left an entire country hanging dry with no support on the vehicles you were selling in South Africa
Chevallac has already shared the XT6 face! It looks like a transformer.
Go to Cadillac Twitter
Ha Ha I broke the news 1st!!
Maybe I need a job at GMA..
It looks like Escala some
I’ll start out I am a Cadillac lover, ever since I was 10 years old. I have owned six. the last one our 2014 ATS 2.0T is the worst of them all.
I really hope GM-Cadillac will spend the time and MONEY to give Cadillac a chance.
But this is my take.
Cadillac will have to make a vehicle that looks as good as Tesla – And they can and do.
Cadillac will have to have tech at least equal to Tesla – I’m not sure they can.
Cadillac will have to have ALL options as Tesla – And they can.
Cadillac will have to have an EQUAL price as Tesla – They have never proven capable of this.
Cadillac will have to have an EQUAL owner experience – They have never proven capable of this.
So in recap: A cheaper vehicle with the same offerings as Tesla. A better vehicle with an equal price as Tesla. And at least equal CUSTOMER SERVICE.
In the recent past and currently, Cadillac has less standard options for more $$$$ with less CUSTOMER SERVICE.
If GM-Cadillac has plans to continue down this same path GM should cut there losses and sell Cadillac to a more committed auto company.
GM can no longer convince the average public they have a better vehicle, heck they can’t even convince the average public they have a vehicle worth buying at all.
They think that a great Cadillac EV will kill Tesla sales. It won’t. It will kill GM ICE car sales… And speed the revolution…
Old Chevallac and GM are behind as usual. So GM thinks that the only comp for Tesla will be them? LOL
WIth Audi, MB and Jag pretty much having electric cars on the road RIGHT NOW or within 12 months, GM is talking like it always does. Tesla has been on the road for a few years and will outsell Chevrollac.
https://twitter.com/Daimler/status/1072974416013942786
MB says by 2022 their whole line will offer electric cars. As with gas powered cars no one will buys Chevrollacs RIGHT NOW and for the last decade too, they’re going to buy them in the future.
I think everyone here wants GM and Cadillac to win, but they always come in half a** and expect ppl to accept/buy when they’re much much better alternatives.
Look at all the bad press the NEW Silverado is getting while to NEW Ram is get praised.
I would be more inclined to believe the could be the leader in the Electric field if they had proved they could be the leader in their class with the ICE. I don’t under killing their best ICE vehicle in my openion. I know they have other ICE vehicle that far out sell the CT6 but to spend the money to finally make it what it should have been from the start and not even give it a chance to prove itself is a darn shame, not to mention a waste of money. I guess they made those improvements for the main customers China. iIf they are going to do an Electric vehicle of similar Why not keep the ICE CT6 until that vehicle is ready.. Heck they could have even did an overlap seeing as how they do overlaps all the time in their other vehicle lines.
“O” one more thing.
There are ALOT of troubles in this plan. First and foremost we are talking GM. That same GM that hasn’t proven being able to change or adapt that quickly in the past. It once was said it took GM 5 years from Idea to product on the showroom floor. If this is the case, GM better be 4 years into this already. Tesla and others are already in the game, does anyone here think Elon, Franz and Tesla are just sitting around waiting for the competition to win.
You see right now in the world Elon and Franz are the best known future mind and designer. So GM and especially Cadillac who are known right now in the world as, well I’ll let everyone else fill in what they want, are going to not only catch up to the best but overtake the best. And even if GM does have the talent, maybe in design but no way in the tech, When does GM ever spend the MONEY to WIN.
As we speak Elon is thinning out Space X, preparing to build a second factory in China, preparing to try to get to Mars, putting satellites into space by himself for himself, and preparing to take people to the moon, and GM is going to win Cadillac, win. Maybe the space X people Elon lets go Cadillac can hire, at least Cadillac would have the second best tech people on the planet.
Here is a better scenario GM does have a better built China designed China tech vehicle already. Let that sink in. Tesla are the ones behind. That would be the only way to win this battle.
I hope so but, hummmmmmm.
2021: Cadillac released halfassed EV
2025: Cadillac’s finally refreshed EV is now truly a competitor
late 2025: Cadillac EV is axed
2021: Cadillac releases halfassed EV
2025: Cadillac’s finally refreshed EV is now truly a competitor
late 2025: Cadillac EV is axed
I’m hoping GM comes out with a Bolt-platform based EV sedan that looks like a normal car and has a normal gauge-oriented interior with real buttons that control primary driver functions. If GM sells it for $35K to $40K with a 300-mile range and I’ll buy it tomorrow.
No you wouldn’t. Because there’s no magic in EVs, and some competitor will also be selling an EV like it with a 300 mile range, same amenities, and same price point, but that car will come with a $7500 tax credit and the Chevy won’t.
Starting this year Chevrolet is out of the EV business. The tax credit for purchasing a new Bolt (or any other CM EV) in the US drops to$3750 on April 1 and drops further to $1875 on October 1.
The Bolt may soldier on as an autonomous Lyft vehicle, where purchase price is not so much of a concern compared to operating costs and reliability, but as a privately owned vehicle it’s done for.
Well, since I drive 33,000 miles to work every year and my current daily driver had hit 230,000 miles, I’ve been looking at EVs since 2012. None of the available EVs have either not been able to support my daily commute range requirements, especially in the winter, or I’ve not liked the vehicle. In any case the Federal tax credit, which I can take full advantage of the max $7,500 (read as I pay enough income tax to recover the $7,500) has not enticed me to make an EV purchase up to this point. The Model 3 comes the closest to what I would like in an EV sedan, yet the car is so badly designed as a vehicle, I wasn’t willing to part with my money for one.
So yeah, if GM comes out with a sub $35,000 EV sedan with 300 miles of range and as I said I like the design of it, I’d buy it tomorrow. From my tracking of the EV marketplace, GM seems the closest to delivering on a sub $40K EV sedan; I don’t think Tesla can deliver a $35K Model 3, and if it does, it will be even worse than the $50K Model 3 available now.
Per the Tax Foundation “In tax year 2016, just 60,245 out of more than 150 million (income tax) filers claimed the credit, which illustrates the narrowness of this ($7,500 credit) provision. Additionally, the credit is disproportionately claimed by higher-income households.” According to EV Volumes.com about 160,000 EVs were sold in the US for 2016. So out of the 160,000 EVs sold, only about 38% of EV purchasers file for a tax credit, which means the tax credit doesn’t seem as significant a player in the EV purchase decision as you indicate.
There are dealers who purchase EVs, put them in their “loaner” fleet and harvest the Tax Credit. When they resell them, they lower the price by the tax credit (plus consideration for the miles on the car), saving customers not only the value of the tax credit but sales tax as well.
Caddy used to be the top car in luxury, power, tech, style, etc. Currently GM doesn’t display the ability to lead in any of these areas, let alone all. By the time these cars come out all of us EV converts will be enjoying our new and even more improved Teslas, with supercharging and a better customer service. So many reasons why it will be almost impossible to get us back. And how about when companies like Tesla, Rivian, etc start eating away at GMs’ cash cows also! Bring it or lose it.