“We clearly need an S-class competitor,” voiced Carl Sewell. Sewell is both co-chairman of the Cadillac National Dealer Council as well as being the owner of Sewell Automotive Cos. of Dallas, which umbrellas four Cadillac dealers.
“If we’re going to be a global company that becomes the standard of the world, we absolutely have to have that car,” he continued in an Automotive News report.
Amen. But as it’s been well documented, Sewell should get his wish in a few years. He’s waited this long, after all, so we don’t see his franchises suddenly turning over in discouragement. It’s also great to see dealers push for such a product, showing that there is true demand for it from the words of the front lines.
Comments
Bring it on!
Tell the dealers to wait. The CTS and ATS need to firmly anchor Cadillac in their respective segments.
The whole idea of “a flagship will make Cadillac meaningful” is bullshit. Exceptional products like the CTS and ATS will speak about Cadillac’s place in the world of luxury cars. Cadillac didn’t need a flagship to get where it is now, and a flagship isn’t needed in the coming model years….
HOWEVER…..
Should the CTS and ATS firmly cement themselves as competent products generation after generation…
Should Cadillac have overcome the decades and decades and decades of negitive public image…
Should Cadillac have no baggage attached to its name or its products
and should GM have the capibilities, resources, and creative talents to do so….
THEN Cadillac should pursure a flagship. This is not something that is to be rushed into production just because a few dealers are whining. Cadillac needs to do lots of homework before anyone even makes a concept sketch.
I get the impression that these dealers would treat the flagship like any other product they sell; like a used Aveo. A car like a Cadillac flagship would sell but a few by hands of only the most capible salespeople, not someone who works in the used car lot.
While I full agree that lesser, more volume oriented models need to find their place, it’s about a proven trickle-down marketing strategy. A high-end, high-priced flagship that can stand head and shoulders over others suddenly makes the lesser, more accessible models that much more desirable. Mercedes didn’t start with a C-Segment and work its way up, after all. Neither did Cadillac, for that matter.
Very true Manoli. That’s why I’m always frustrated when people act as if Cadillac is Hyundai or even Toyota before Lexus. Cadillac was ALWAYS a luxury mark. Cadillac made it’s name and reputation on high end luxury and innovation. Cadillac would have done more to re-establish it’s glory and respect by dropping all volume and going back to basics as a non-money making Halo car for GM and then trickling down vs going entry to mid-luxury volume and trying to climb back up.
A wise business man once said “you don’t build your customer base by discounts and deals. Those “customers” won’t be loyal. They are just looking for the best deal. You build you business on quality product and service and charge accordingly. The customer base you earn will know and expect that from you; and will always come back for the same, they will bring in others.”
I disagree…..it is the flagship model that will help anchor the brand and bring more people to the brand….it is the number one way to sales…think back when Audi was not so good circa 2006 and they dropped the R8…..Audi caught a lot of attention with this car and when new models were introduced (A5,A4) they wore the lighting shared by the “high end” R8 and sales started to grow and now every auto company is using LED’s (trickle effect) …..plus Cadillac was known for their big exclusive cars……people want to see a modern day version of one….really soon, Cadillac is on fire
It’s true that you can’t rush any product just because some dealers want it now and not later. A big full sized car in the luxury car market stands out. They not only have charisma, but they make a statement too. Every luxury car maker had/has a big flagship that everyone wanted. Example, look at the Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lincoln ( but not lately though), Duesenberg, Pierce-Arrow, Aston-Martin, Packard, even Hyundai with the Genesis. People want ’em and envy those who own ’em. They say “See this guy? He made it to the big times, be like him.” These cars have a special place in people’s hearts. Looks at BMW’s 8-Series of the 1990’s, the Mercedes-Benz 500K of the 1930’s, the 1956-57 Continental (a separate luxury division of Ford. And yes it was a Lincoln, but not from 1956-1958, it was a separate brand for those years), the 1940-1948, and 1961-1969 Lincoln Continental (these years they were Lincolns), they’re brilliant cars. My 1963 Cadillac Coupe de Ville still looks awesome after all these years even though it isn’t a flagship model……. I guess I could of just said “You’re wrong, Grawdaddy. Cadillac does need a large flagship sedan and/or coupe.” But I just love talking about cars, as you can see from the novel that I wrote haha.
Of course they need a flagship model, Cadillac wrote the book on this type of marketing with the 57 Eldorado Brougham, Biarritz and Talisman models over the years. I just hope they are serious and make it RWD, not another FWD 70/30 weight-distribution rental car. The Ciel is awesome, but too small. Car needs to be bigger than a 300, about the size of a BMW 7 Series, size matters with “flagships.”
Have you seen the Ciel in person? It’s by no means “too small.”
I don’t know about your assessment of the Ciel. By all accounts it’s large on a scale not seen since American cars of the 60s. The wheel base is 125 inches and the overall length is just over 200 inches. That’s longer than my 1967 Catalina Coupe, and about as long (with a similar wheel base) as my 1966 Bonneville Coupe was.
That’s Easily as big if not bigger than any large luxo barge on the market now.
I agree with grawdaddy… Can any of us afford a 100,000 car… We may want it for the sake of Cadilac legitimacy, that doesnt make it a good buisness plan… As Grawdaddy mentioned GM needs to utilize its recources propperly…
“Can any of us afford a 100,000 car… We may want it for the sake of Cadilac legitimacy, that doesnt make it a good buisness plan…”
That’s what I’m getting at. The people who bought an S-class didn’t trade in an HD Silverado; they bought an S class because they had the disposable income and they want the exclusivity.
I just don’t want this to be half assed in build quality and technology by unassertive people at GM, and made worse by dealers who are eager to court people who couldn’t make the payments just so they can shuffle more units off the lots.
This car would need to perfect; in engineering, design, client relations, mechanical operation, technological features, and in product. It cannot be built or sold just like “any other GM car”. It’s the one chance GM has to make a car that says “Cadillac” that they haven’t been able to say properly in over 60 years.
If all you cared about was volume, then sure, what’s the point of a flagship? But in the luxury market, volume isn’t always the point, is it?
For instance, say Bugatti were to launch, say, a $50,000 E-Class fighter tomorrow. You better believe that there would be a line out the door and around the block for such a car, because the equity of the Bugatti brand is stratospheric, thanks to the Veyron’s stratospheric price and capabilities.
I wholeheartedly agree that this vehicle must be approached with zero compromise. Otherwise, it’s going to be just an also-ran. But as GM has recently proven with cars like the new Stingray and ATS, such a thing is very possible.
Just thought of a cool name for the flagship CLZ. The CL would be pronounced as “Ciel” (French for sky) and the Z is for “Zenith” (the highest point reached). I wonder what name GM will choose for the flagship.
I’ve been checking out this website for the past year and I’ve never commented on any article/blog. However, today, I’m going to voice my opinion on the Cadillac flagship. They should take their time with the flagship and not rush it into production. Let’s take a look back at history. In the early 80s, Cadillac rushed the Cimarron into production because many dealers were whining and complaining that they needed that car right away. As we all know, rushing the Cimarron proved to be disastrous and Cadillac almost slept with the fishes. They cannot do that with the flagship!! They need to take their time and make it the best that it can be and more. Btw, I’m certain that the flagship will be amazing and many people will be surprised when they see it. GM has shown that it’s making world class vehicles again and not half-baked products like they did years ago… The ATS has been widely praised in the industry and it’s been described as being the new leader in the compact luxury segment (suck it, BMW). The 2014 CTS will probably become the new leader in the mid-size luxury segment since it’s adopting the alpha platform and we all know that alpha is excellent from an engineering standpoint. Anyway, my point is that the flagship should be a success in the full-size segment. I must say that it’s not going to be easy whatsoever because it’s going up against great cars. You have the prestige of the S-Class, two nice alternatives in the 7 Series and the A8, and the reliability of the Lexus LS. However, Cadillac can pull it off if they do things the right way. Also, Cadillac should incorporate something of a prestige element when marketing the flagship. Younger buyers who still believe that Cadillac isn’t on par with the Germans and the Japanese should be targeted with what I’m about to say. Cadillac should show them that they are not new to what the Germans and the Japanese have done. Years ago, Caddy was the alpha male as far as luxury goes. Mercedes was virtually non-existent when luxury buyers in the U.S. were shopping cars. Michael W has said it best that Caddy wrote the book on this. Regards to everyone and sorry if I rambled on and on…. 😉
I agree with you on the fact that GM cannot rush the Cadillac flagship. Though, with the new Alpha platform (going to underpin the next gen Chevy Camaro and maybe a new Buick GNX *crosses fingers*) has proved to be brilliant. The flagship would have to live up to previous flagships in Cadillac’s history, and judging from GM’s recent work, I’m quite confident that they will deliver on that. Plus, the flagship has been in development for about three years and won’t be done for another two years…… I must say that the Cimarron was a catastrophic disaster from the start. There was absolutely no way that car could of been successful. Seriously, they could of taken ten years with the developmental process of the Cimarron and it still would of been a gigantic smelly sh!t stain forever on the great Cadillac name.
Brew City Bill, I totally forget about the rest of the details regarding the Cimarron. You’re absolutely right about that! The Cimarron would’ve still been a failure even if they would’ve planned for a long time. My mistake. I do hope that a new Buick does get a vehicle with Alpha underpinnings… Buick should benefit from that while also keeping its distance from Cadillac. In other words, GM should make one or maybe two Alpha vehicles (a revived Grand National and maybe a new Regal). However, they cannot blow it out of proportion and make multiple Buick vehicles with Alpha underpinnings. Buyers would just become perplexed and GM cannot afford to have a marketing nightmare with their divisions. Cadillac is performance luxury aimed at Mercedes, BMW, and Audi (I still don’t see Lexus as being in that category despite them becoming more “sport”). Buick should still maintain its soft luxury while having a few Alpha based cars. Back to the flagship, did anybody read an article on MotorTrend? Looks like the Omega flagship has encountered a few problems pertaining to door handles. Apparently, they were including S-Class type of door handles running for $5 a piece, but their cost cutting ways got the best of them. I won’t say more on what the article says (hint: the article also mentions a lot on the future of the ATS-V). I hope that the rumors on the Omega flagship are false…
http://wot.motortrend.com/we-hear-next-cadillac-cts-v-to-get-force-fed-lt1-engine-cts-coupe-wagon-future-uncertain-328909.html#axzz2LBAFdDam