You don’t have to look very hard on the internet to find someone who is against Cadillac’s decision to move the brand’s corporate practices from Detroit to an office in New York. Even Automotive News editor-in-chief Keith Crain was outspoken in his stance against the move. But as a new op-ed from a Detroit Free Press reader indicates, the media aren’t the only individuals upset with the decision.
Customers aren’t happy with the Cadillac move, either. One of them is Jim Greenwalt of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who is not only upset with newly appointed Cadillac chief Johan de Nysschen, but with the experience he had at his local Cadillac dealer.
“I, along with my wife and two sons, have been exclusive Cadillac owners for more than 20 years,” Greenwalt writes. “When I returned my leased 2012 Cadillac SRX to Suburban Cadillac in (Troy, Mich.) I was amazed that not one person asked how I liked the vehicle or whether I wanted another.”
That’s surprising to us, too, Jim. It seems like any dealer would at the very least ask how you enjoyed the car upon returning it. A huge part, if not the integral part, of de Nysschen’s growth plan for Cadillac is the dealers. He expressed his desire to get all Cadillac dealers to “step up,” earlier this month, saying the brand “cannot afford that the experience is anything other than confirming that this is a first-class brand.”
Greenwalt said he heard about de Nysschen’s decision to move Cadillac from Detroit to New York after his negative dealer experience and now his family is “all driving Lincolns.” It should be noted Greenwalt lives in Michigan, so keeping the brand in the state is more important to him than it may be to other Cadillac customers outside the mitten state.
The big problem here isn’t anyone’s hang-ups about Cadillac’s move, but the negative dealer experience. We believe many consumers will forget about the relocation of around 100 Cadillac employees to a new office in due time, but a negative dealer experience can leave a lasting impression on consumers. Let’s hope de Nysschen addresses the problem once all the furniture is moved into that new office.
Comments
I understand some not being happy with the move and more so I understand a bad dealership experience. I have no idea how large Troy is, but go to another dealership man! I have a problem with the ownership group of the Chevy dealership in the town I live in (I had a bad experience at their Nissan dealership as well), but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna run off and purchase a Ford. No, as a mature adult who loves GM cars (which this guy supposedly did), I run to the next dealership which for me is 25 miles away! A quick check on Cadillac’s website shows at least 5 dealerships within a 7 mile radius of Troy…smh
It seems like his decision was motivated more by the New York move than his negative dealer experience. The relocation will likely upset some Cadillac-buying Michigan residents, whereas other customers outside the state may not care as much.
I’m with you, Jon. One must question the man and his family’s loyalty. A Chevy dealership in my town, which was actually part of a nation-wide chain, actually lost its agreement with GM for really bad customer relations and the entire chain ultimately died off like the dodo bird. Does that stop me from buying a new truck from the new Chevy dealer? No, the cost of buying and operating it may, but not the bad experience others have had there. I suspect the man wanted a Ford and used this as an excuse to justify it to himself. On the topic of customer service, here’s a lesson this dealer missed: “You the retailer are not doing me a favor by selling me your product. Without me, you are nothing.” The new Cadillac boss should force all his dealers to post that in the break room, and while he’s at it pull the plug on the dealer; his pathetic attitude also looks bad for people who buy the product.,
Now you know why GM wants to cut the number of dealers and gain more control over dealer actions.
As for the move it is more a ego hit to MI and few people out side of there don’t know or care.
So if they went to Lincoln we lost just an XTS sale.
The move means little to most and will have more effect in how they do business internally.
GM needs to get a handle on the dealers.
I could careless if Cadillac moved to the moon. As long as the vehicle I purchased is everything I expected and more I am fine with that. People are so traditional and emotional in this country. Business is business and if moving the brand to NY will further progress the company then I am all for it.
They need fewer dealers. With 900+ dealers and really only 2 vehicles (SRX & Escalade) to count on to make money, it’s not a good time to be a Cadillac dealer and as a result there are going to some folks that have a bad attitude. 5-6-7 years from now it could be better, but not so good right now. Many of these stores have several other brands anyway? Just trim the dealer count back to 600-650 and move on. Who knows, with fewer stores the coveted “ATP” might even edge up a bit!
Well, for the guy that was loyal to GM for 20 years sounds like to me that he has a negative attitude and closed-minded. Consider the fact that store was super busy that day, sales associates under stress and etc may be more involved than what was being said. And who knows, that dealership might be the best in town and the circumstance was not in this guys favor for that day.
Go to a different dealer. I understand that luxury customers expect the best service and all but sometimes people get bend out of shape for nothing and IMO, there are two sides of the story and situation.
Living in the mitten state I understand the gentlemans opinion on the dealership lack of interest . In my town our Dadillac dealership was owned or named Capitol Cadillac , and has been its name for years . Now it has been sold to the conglomerate company named Suburban Cadillac . Since that move I also have noticed a different attitude at the dealership . Its as if they don’t care about the old customer base but is involved with just moving sheet metal out the door . Alot of us here have noticed the change in attitude of the dealership and salesman now .
If Cadilla is to distinguish itself in the luxury automobile market along side BMW,Mercedes and Audi it will have to severly downsize and upgrade its dealer network. At least 65% of Cadillac’s current dealers need to be transitioned to other GM lines.
The new Cadillac dealers need to invest heavily in upgrading their locations, sales and service staffs and focus like lasers on the new Cadillac. If you look at the successful BMW, Mercedes, or Audi dealers they reflect a focus on luxury and brand. As the bible says you shouldn’t put the “new wine” of the world class luxury line into the old “wine skins“ of its bloated unfocused dealer network.
The move to New York from Detroit is to help Cadillac buttress its image as a luxury brand name. But I think another upscale midwestern city would have been a better choice than New York. Besides, what other luxury automotive brand is in New York? Cadillac is doing great by offering luxury automobiles comparable to BMW Mercedes and Audi at high, not stratospheric price points.