The following article is part of the GM Authority Opinion Desk series, where our authors share what is on their minds.
Imagine
The breathtaking Monhook Mountain House in New Paltz, New York
You’re driving your 2015 Cadillac CTS to an exclusive party at the breathtaking Mohonk Mountain House. As you arrive and drive past a few guests, you notice that your sexy CTS is getting second looks and your arrival has been noticed. And why not — the CTS is such a sexy car. You park in a private parking lot reserved for the event among a vast assortment of imported luxury cars: BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Lexus… you name it. As you exit your CTS in that perfectly-fitting, ironed suit, you notice that you have an audience, thanks to your car, no less. You shut the door of your CTS. The LED light bars on the handles are still glowing. Your stature among partygoers increases even more. As you approach the party, you depress the lock button on that nice-looking Cadillac key fob to lock the doors; the doors lock, while also activating the “chirp”, which in the case of the CTS, and that of every Cadillac made today, produces an ugly and unappealing instance of the horn.
As the partygoers turn to identify the object that has disturbed the serenity of the event, you notice that the colorful birds who were complementing the backdrop and singing beautiful lullabies fly away. The loud and unrefined horn of your CTS scared them off.
The story isn’t a figment of our imaginations. It actually happened to one of our editors a few months ago. And though it’s just one example, we’re certain that it’s not the only one.
The Problem
We’ll just come out and say it: Cadillac needs to do away with the horn-based “chirp”.
Horn-based chirps might be okay in mainstream cars but they are out of place in luxury cars. Need reasons? We can think of some:
- A horn-based chirp is loud, obnoxious, and completely unrefined. Simply put, it is the antithesis of luxury, style or elegance.
- A horn-based chirp is generic and commonplace; it shows a lack of creativity on the part of the people responsible for the car, and a certain oversight of a minor, yet important, detail.
The problem is intensified when we consider the fact that Cadillacs also use the horn chirp to notify the driver that the key fob has been left in the vehicle, as well as to notify the driver if the vehicle is still running upon the driver’s door being shut. Just last week, we even observed a Cadillac SRX driver sticking her index finger into her ear in hopes of muting some of the dreadfully-loud triple-horn-chirp.
The Opportunity
But what is perhaps more important than anything else is the opportunity Cadillac is forfeiting by using the generic and anonymous horn-based chirp. Which brings us to the question: what if Cadillac had its own unique and proprietary chirp that was only used on its own cars?
Whenever such a chirp would sound, everyone in the vicinity of the vehicle would instantly know that the vehicle making the sound is a Cadillac. It would be a chirp that Caddy owners would sound off with pride.
This is exactly what Audi has done with its latest-generation vehicles. The “chirping” sound has become known as the “Audi Chirp” among some owners and enthusiasts. Observe:
In essence, Cadillac should create a uniquely-identifiable chirp of its own and make it a strong brand differentiator.
The Naysayers
Those who will disagree with us on this subject will probably say something to the effect of, “Cadillac has other problems to address”, or “No one cares about the chirp”.
To those we say: the devil is in the details, especially when it comes to luxury cars. And this is one detail that’s fairly easy to fix. It’s not like we’re asking for three all-new crossover models by the end of March (which Cadillac desperately needs, but is significantly more resource- and time-intensive to deliver). And though a chirp seems like a minor detail at first, it is one part of a vehicle that every owner comes into contact with almost every time they exit and lock the vehicle. Why not make the most of that sound and the associated experience?
Come to think of it, the sounds a product makes (such as car’s “chirp”) are often what define that product in the eyes of the consumer and owner. Cadillac already does so much to ensure that its vehicles are quiet, free of rattles, and have amazing sound systems. So it should look at the chirp as an opportunity to further improve the customer experience and further distinguish/brand its product.
The Time Is Now
For the first time in decades, Cadillac is finally being given the autonomy within GM that it deserves. It is also making amazing cars that truly rival and sometimes beat their German and Japanese competition.
And so, the time is now for Cadillac to take all of the excellent things it is already doing, and move them one small, yet important step further. And giving Cadillacs their own uniquely-identifiable chirp is that one small, yet important step that should be addressed as soon as possible. Because no one wants to be the guy whose car scares away the birds.
Comments
old school stuff. and inexpensive as well. The quality does not.
in fact, it seems that different countries have different accessories. shop I heard that Audi would make such a noise. However, this is not the worst audi voice.
Funny that both major automaker makes this so great topic. especially cadillac
so cool
If it bothers you that much, go into vehicle settings and turn the chirps off. I’ll even help you out with a step by step:
1) Go to settings
2) Select “vehicle”
3) Scroll to the bottom and select “locking, unlocking and starting”
4) Go to “passive lock”
5) Change it from “On with Horn Chirp” to just “On”
There you go. Future embarrassment at spiffy parties avoided.
I get that your point is larger than this, but come on guys.
Paul, everyone knows you can turn it off. This is not an appropriate solution, especially for luxury goods.
With half-assed solutions like that, I for one am glad you’re not responsible for product.
It seems the author didn’t know you could turn. And if I were in charge of product I’d have a lot more to worry about than a chirp. But thanks for being needlessly rude. I kinda thought the step by step was the opposite of half assed.
The status-quo: use the car’s horn as the chirp or disable it altogether (which defeats the purpose of a chirp).
The alternative: Cadillac can design a kick-ass chirp that will make everyone know it’s a Cadillac.
I choose the alternative. #DareGreatly
You could be working for GM.
Things like this make Cadillac a second tier brand.
It’s all about the details, and you and Cadillac are clueless when it comes to true luxury brands.
Maybe for a hillbilly american car brand a horn or nothing solution is fine, for a true luxury brand it’s not.
Get a life and follow Paul’s instruction.
Looks like you totally missed the point about the opportunity that Cadillac has to brand itself with something unique. Try again.
Who is to say what the standard is?
No missed point and I have no issue with a horn beep.
What do you want a Road Runner BEEP BEEP or Some R2D2 sound? Better yet this is an American car how about Dixie or a Wolf Whistle?
Ok how many people have you ever heard chose to buy a car bases on a Chirp?
If it is that important then do tell us what you think it should do and it better not involve spoken word. LOL!
Oh no, you are still missing the point. Who ever said that it is a purchase consideration? No one did. Stop making things up. So while it might not be a purchase consideration, it’s definitely a vital part of the ownership experience. By your logic, a Cadillac exhaust notes should also sound the same as that of a Chevy Cruze or Malibu. And maybe Cadillac should also use the same key fobs, door handles, and window switches as Chevys too.
What you seemingly fail to continue to mis-understand is that luxury products must be held to a higher standard. I’m sure creativity can prevail in coming up with a nice, classy and tasteful chirp. One thing is for sure: the horn is none of those – it’s not tasteful, classy, or nice.
And it also presents an opportunity to market the brand and product based on image (the “Cadillac chirp”) and 2) improve the experience.
Have you ever heard of the JDP APEAL study? You should research why Audi is consistently at the top of this study, which is what makes them so desirable. It’s because they meticulously obsess over every detail of their cars. Like the chirp. Like the sound a door makes when it is closed or when a pull handle is engaged to open a door.
Give me one good reason why Cadillac should NOT re-think the chirp and stick to the status quo you seem to be recommending.
C’mon scott. You are better than this. Road Runner and R2D2? What are you, six years old?
1. There is a reason why no true luxury car maker uses the horn as the chirp.
2. As Silent says, I am sure that designers/creative can produce a very sharp chirp that can become the Cadillac chirp, or the Cadillac of chirps.
3. The luxury segment (also like Silent says) is all about details. There is nothing about the horn chirp that represents attention to detail; instead, a horn chirp is like an afterthought.
If we follow your logic, then Cadillac should do away with LED-lit door handles, soft-touch materials, and use gauge clusters straight out of the Cruze or Impala. They should also use the same engines, transmissions, and other components, whether large or small.
There is a reason that the best luxury cars are held in high regard — they offer a scrupulous attention to detail. The horn-based chirp is the antitheses to “scrupulous attention to detail”.
4. While we are on this topic, allow me to educate you on the subject of the “10 critical components”.
If you’re not familiar, some automakers have recently begun to identify and focus on the top components that owners come into contact with every day when using/driving their vehicle. These usually include:
– Outside pull door handle and/or passive entry button
– Key fob
– Inside pull door handle (to close door)
– Inside pull door handle (to open door)
– Steering wheel
– Shifter
– Pedals
– Audio/center stack and gauge cluster/read-outs
– Storage compartments (not the truck but globe boxes, etc.)
– Device integration (charging, streaming/Bluetooth, etc.).
More often than not, these components are what define an owner’s perception of a vehicle. It is crucial that automakers get these right, or they risk major dissatisfaction from a customer experience standpoint.
So, do you honestly not think that a vehicle’s chirp is not among this list; if not, it is very close and is most definitely in the top 15.
So yes, a chirp might not be what buyers go into a dealership to test out and look at. They probably don’t even experience it until they buy a vehicle, since locking a car after a test drive isn’t a popular thing to do. But the chirp is undeniable a huge part of the ownership experience.
Currently, what Cadillac is doing is eliminating dissatisfiers with its vehicles. Let’s look at some examples:
Problem:
Consumers didn’t like the floaty ride/driving experience of past Cadillacs.
Solution:
Sigma and Alpha platforms and their respective ATS, CTS, STS vehicles with Magnetic Ride Control or other forms of capable suspension systems
Problem:
Consumers didn’t like the styling of past Cadillacs.
Solution:
Art & Science design language, and its various iterations.
These go on and on. Most recently, Johan has even stated that Cadillac will place greater emphasis on the design of gauge clusters. Why do you think they are doing this? Clearly, they realized that it is a dissatisfier among owners, especially compared to the awesome clusters offered by Benz and Audi. These is specific data to back this up, mind you since each automaker has their own PPH-style questionnaire that goes out to every new car customer.
Cadillac has been and will continue to remove dissatisfies and barriers to entry. I believe that the horn-based chirp is among the list of dissatisfies, especially when Cadillac is the challenger brand whose goal is to steal customers from competitors. And though we can probably spend months discussing what matters and what doesn’t to conquest customers, what does not make any sense to me is why you would want Cadillac to be at a competitive disadvantage with the chirp when this is such a simple and easy thing to fix, while carrying so much possible upside? To me, that’s just bad thinking on your part.
Who says they have to use a chirp, Really think about it and how many people say damn no Chirp. I bet most never even think about it. With all that Cadillac needs to do this is low on the list.
If I recall these Chirps were first heard on the add on alarm systems and display being different but not of elegance.
If you think a chirp is in the top 15 more power to you but I think most never even notice it till they get home or a parking lot and the first time they lock the car. Most will not care and the rest may just think and forget it.
It is the things that they come in contact with the most that make the difference. Many of the things you list are legit and I do agree with but the chirp if it is there or not most will never care. I know many keep them off as they hate most sounds.
Either way it is an easy fix and if you think it is so important then write Cadillac and tell them they should make it programmable to deal with anyone that has issues with it.
I think getting their own engines, making Cue easier to use and other advances will be much more important. Even the simple thing as a high quality door handle rate much higher as that is the first thing someone feels in a show room.
I personally have nothing against of for the sound. It could do what ever as far as I care. I just think of all the things to fix and advance here this one is low on the list.
I really think a programmable one with different sounds would be the best way to go as it would give choice to personalize it. That is what most phones do today. I would not recommend the songs but other sound choices would be better than just a chirp.
Yes I am older than six and that is why I feel Cadillac has a lot bigger fish to fry for us to be bitching about a chirp.
I would venture most people on this web site could not even tell you what Cadillac’s signal was till this thread.
I bet you could not name the door ajar sound of each of the German car let along Cadillac with out looking.
I like the way Silent replied to an earlier post, so I will do the same.
“Who says they have to use a chirp”
They don’t have to use a chirp. They can come up with whatever sound they want. It’s highly likely that anything would be better than the current “horn chirp”. Especially for the “triple chirp”, which is horrible. I would bet that it actually scares some owners. There is a way to inform owners without scaring them.
“Really think about it and how many people say damn no Chirp. I bet most never even think about it. With all that Cadillac needs to do this is low on the list.”
Judging by this portion of your comment, you clearly have very little understanding of the overall ownership experience and the perceptions that become made in the comparison process (i.e. my Audi/BMW/etc. had this, but my Cadillac does not).
Details are vital for luxury goods, especially luxury goods the goal of which is to convert existing Audi/BMW/Mercedes owners into Cadillac owners.
What you fail to understand is that Cadillac can not be “missing” anything or be “worse” in anything compared to the competition. Any one thing in the “does not have” or “has but does worse” column from a competitive standpoint is a disadvantage for Cadillac. At the end of the day, it is all about the details.
And to answer you question about how many people notice… more than you think. Most people lock their doors after every single time they drive their car. So by association, they also hear the chirp/horn. I would argue that people notice these things even less than a “chirp”, which is more tangible by nature of being more audible.
And even if they didn’t “notice”, is that really a good reason to not get something right or improve on something?
– How many people don’t care or even know that the cars today have electric power steering or HVAC?
– Why place the battery in the trunk for better weight distribution?
– Why place the engine longitudinally for better weight distribution?
Again, locking a car is something the majority of owners do on a daily basis after they exit the vehicle. Suffice to say, locking the vehicle is a very common task in the ownership experience. Hearing the “lock chirp” is also very common as well.
“If I recall these Chirps were first heard on the add on alarm systems and display being different but not of elegance.”
You miss the point once again. Audi creatively engineered a classy and unique chirp that assists in defining the brand. I’m sure Cadillac engineers/designers can come up with something on the same level, if not better.
“Either way it is an easy fix and if you think it is so important then write Cadillac and tell them they should make it programmable to deal with anyone that has issues with it.”
This is simple: the goal is product excellence, and this is one thing that is not excellent. And it’s not like they have a handful of people working on product. This is a few days’ worth of time from a designer, and a week’s worth of time from a logistics/supplier/procurement team.
“I personally have nothing against of for the sound. It could do what ever as far as I care. I just think of all the things to fix and advance here this one is low on the list.”
Low or high on the list, it is a quick and inexpensive fix. It just requires a few days’ worth of attention, as I mentioned above.
“Yes I am older than six and that is why I feel Cadillac has a lot bigger fish to fry for us to be bitching about a chirp.”
I’m glad you’re older than six 🙂
Again, for something that owners come into contact with daily, the chirp actually ranks high on the list. Think about the process of exiting and then locking a car. Everyone does it after driving.
The problem is exponentially made worse by the triple-chirp of the horn. It simply takes the refined luxury product image that Cadillac is trying so hard to achieve, and damages/impedes it.
“I would venture most people on this web site could not even tell you what Cadillac’s signal was till this thread. I bet you could not name the door ajar sound of each of the German car let along Cadillac with out looking.”
You would lose this bet as it relates to me.
But that’s not important. What is important is that the owner of a $60,000 vehicle should love everything about their vehicle… for a brand whose goal is to steal buyers from the competition (Cadillac). And until Cadillac has all of the details right, there will be people who will avoid buying their luxury vehicles. The faster Cadillac fixes them, the faster they’ll be able to attract even more new customers, sell more cars, make more money for themselves and for GM, and become a respected American luxury car brand in a sea of very competent German and Japanese rivals.
The car horn should not be activated with the key fob unless it is a panic situation. The first lock should be silent and if the driver wants to confirm the lock then the second press should be a low electronic beep.
The car horn is low budget and rude.
childrens
I actually like the standard horn chirp, it’s what locking a vehicle with a remote should sound like. It could be so much worse, just listen to Toyota’s annoying beeps. My neighbor’s Toyota sounds just like my electronics powering back up after a power outage.
Or it could be so much better. It’s all a matter of perspective.
the point is that Cadillac is not suitable for some cheap, weird and funny things. New Cadillac must be at least polite. and at which the alarm is needed. today is no longer stolen cars or radios, or who steals will be able to steal any cadillac CT6. On STAR is point as well. Stole more cheap and old cars which have to be involved in a terrible voice alerts.
Nowadays, cars are going for themselves, and to open the lock. No longer need to press the remote control.
All the small details are important. The voice that makes the alarm. voice that occurs when closing the door
I Agree, a Luxury Division should have it’s own Identity and the sound it makes on the outside is a Huge part of it, Period, so Fix IT!!! 😉
I think GM as a whole needs to have chirp instead of the horn based chirp. But then Again I think only the American brands Iike GM, Ford, and Chrysler they all have horn based chirp
I have an older car( not a GM product) with the horn thing and I hate it. I think all Manufactires should get rid of it. When you come home late you don’t need to wake your neighbors you just want to lock you vehicle. A nice chirp or something like that would be nice just to let you know you have licked your vehicle.
Well, if I’ve licked my vehicle, I’m not sure that I’d want anyone to know.
My fob is programmable so that it only horn chirps upon pressing lock twice. That way if I come home late and don’t want to wake the neighbors (if for some reason I didn’t park in the garage), I only press it once and watch for the lights to flash. If I’m walking away from it in a parking lot I can hit it twice to hear the chirp without having to look back and see if the lights flashed.
You know I intended to say locked. That aside I can’t change the setting on my key fob. There are still a few others love mine even some newer vehicles. All I am saying with all the new technology out there they could and should all be like yours or something similar. To hear the horn blow every time you lock your vehicle is annoying.
Yeah, I knew you intended to say locked, but I couldn’t pass it up. If you can’t program it or disable the horn chirp, I’d say that is problematic though.
Well I have an idea. How about a lock tone app.
The car will have the web hot spot so you can down load your own lock tone.
How about Hair of the Dog from Nazareth. It can go into Chorus when someone sets off the alarm.
We could also have a ice cream truck tone so we can piss off the neighbor hood kids once in a while.
Anything would be better than the loud-ass and obnoxious horn.
I agree with Chris , most GM fobs can be programmed to honk the horn or just flash the lights etc . Coming home late night I hit the lock button once , can hear it lock and flash the lights . But parking during the day I hit that button twice more to let people know my vehicle is locked and alarm is set , so stay away from my ride ! It would be cool though if we now have wifi we could choose from different apps to program the sound the horn makes upon locking . Maybe Guns and Roses – Welcome to the Jungle – might be appropriate ! LOL
I have a Cadillac ATS. How I wish the horn sound was that of the Cadillacs of yesteryear. I always knew a Cadillac was in the vicinity when that horn note was sounded. My present Cadillac horn unfortunately is not distinctive at all. I bet the General could do better!
Should this really be a point of contention when thinking about choosing a car or a measure of its quality?
Yeah bro, you know I think the ATS V is a way better car than that Lexus IS-F, but i just can’t get over the horn honking when I lock the car. I think I’ll have to pick the Lexus and the peep-peep sound it makes when I hit the fob.
This is really a problem to no one and is the prime example of mountain out of mole hill. But please Cadillac, go ahead and find a way to outrageously charge consumers for an obnoxious chirp or ding that you’ll end up calling the Cadillac Advanced Security Package, rather than the equally obnoxious easy to integrate honk from the cheap standard horn.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the kind of thinking that holds back product excellence.
Point of contention when choosing a car? No, probably not. But it sure as hell is annoying when you have already chosen it, thereby degrading the ownership experience. And if you think that’s not the case, then you haven’t lived with the car or feature in question.
It all boils down to paying meticulous attention to the details; what’s the point of getting such “difficult” items as a perfectly-balanced platform just right when you can’t do the “easy” things like the horn chirp?
The question you and scott really ought to ask yourselves is this:
“Will Cadillac be any worse off by addressing this?”
Clearly, the answer is no. In fact, Cadillac would be better off as a brand and as a vehicle if it were to address this. If you think this isn’t the case, then you’re just delusional.
Obviously it is a point of contention for you since you have made a different version of the same statement several times in this thread. The horn is not some missed opportunity to pay meticulous attention to detail. My point was that all sounds made by arming the alarm are annoying, and more annoying when that alarm goes off. Nobody outside the car cares or pays any attention to the noise other than wondering how soon the noise will stop. If you want something special or innovative when it comes to this aspect of vehicle security, then have the car report its status to your cell and have it so it makes no noise at all to any ears around it. Have it be only connected to your interests.
What you don’t get is that most people could care less over this than people who do. Especially over something that you maybe hear 4 times a day for a total of about 3 seconds and is obnoxious no matter what sound it makes.
So I’ll answer your question with a similar question.
“Will Cadillac be any worse off if they don’t address this?”
Only to a few who are willing to get all butt hurt over something as simple as a horn or chirp. This little “meticulous attention to detail” will not be the thing that keeps Cadillac from being the standard of the world and certainly won’t be the straw that breaks Cadillacs back or holds back progress.
So chill out already.
Mate, I am “chill”. Ironically, it’s usually the people who tell others to chill out who aren’t very chill themselves.
“Obviously it is a point of contention for you since you have made a different version of the same statement several times in this thread.”
There are those that strive for excellence and there are those who do not. Tell me, what’s the point of giving Cadillac vehicles their own RWD platform rather than sharing a FWD-based architecture with Chevys and Buicks?
What’s the point of giving Cadillacs their own exterior and interior door handles? Why give Cadillacs their own gauges, interior and exterior materials, and interior and exterior lighting elements? I’m sure some will say that these are small and insignificant details and to some, they probably are small and insignificant. But to others they are a big part of the ownership experience. Why put Cadillac at a disadvantage over something so simple and easy to address?
“The horn is not some missed opportunity to pay meticulous attention to detail.”
How is it not? Why is it that Audi, just to use a single example, has a very refined and classy chirp, while lower VWs still use the traditional horn? If that this not attention to detail, then I do not know what is.
“My point was that all sounds made by arming the alarm are annoying, and more annoying when that alarm goes off. Nobody outside the car cares or pays any attention to the noise other than wondering how soon the noise will stop. If you want something special or innovative when it comes to this aspect of vehicle security, then have the car report its status to your cell and have it so it makes no noise at all to any ears around it. Have it be only connected to your interests.”
From what I understand is written in the article, we are not talking about the sound produced when the alarm going off. I think that sound should be as loud and as obnoxious as can be for obvious reasons.
But we’re talking about 1) arming the alarm and 2) the triple-chirp that sound when a key is left in the vehicle.
To me, the second is significantly more annoying than the first, though the first is also not ideal.
Also, the alarm reporting is actually quite close. But again, that’s not what we’re talking about here.
“What you don’t get is that most people could care less over this than people who do. Especially over something that you maybe hear 4 times a day for a total of about 3 seconds and is obnoxious no matter what sound it makes.”
First of all, do you have data to back any of this up? Without actual data, your entire statement is invalid.
Now, I don’t have any data myself, but having been in this industry for 25+ years, I have a solid grasp on what matters and when it matters along the ownership lifecycle. So I can’t imagine the horn chirp not being an ownership dissatisfier at least on some level, especially for owners who Cadillac wants to conquest or has already conquested. I am certain that it has made recent Cadillac converts from Benz or Audi question their choice, and that’s not a good place to be in after making a purchase.
Second, using one feature 4 individual times a day is actually quite often for a vehicle. That’s 4 times a day that you are introducing a potential dissatisfier into the ownership experience. Why would you want that for Cadillac?
“Only to a few who are willing to get all butt hurt over something as simple as a horn or chirp. This little “meticulous attention to detail” will not be the thing that keeps Cadillac from being the standard of the world and certainly won’t be the straw that breaks Cadillacs back or holds back progress.”
At the end of the day, it is simply one “minus” against Cadillac. And to me, it’s a shortcut. I am sure others who are used to fine luxury automobiles will see it as a shortcut as well.
From a ideological standpoint, The Standard of the World should not take shortcuts.
Lastly: I will say these two things:
– First, I fully agree with the article that Cadillac is missing a pretty unique branding opportunity to create its own chime/chirp that would let people know that it’s a Cadillac. As a marketing guy, I would be all over this opportunity. Especially how quick, easy, and cheap of a fix this can be.
– And second, I am and have been an ardent supporter of Cadillac’s recent turnaround and I consider myself a true supporter since it’s people like myself who push Cadillac to fix such issues (and other dissatisfiers).
I rather for Cadillac to work on more and important details first like its engines, transmissions and offer more engaging models first before thinking about the audible chirp. The chirp argument can come later.
All of those are vital, too. But the chirp is very easy, simple, and quick to address. It’s not as complex or resource-intensive as rolling out a new engine, transmission, or model line.
You are so right.
GM has only 1 engineer working on Cadillac, so one thing per year will be the most they can work on!
Why bother with details that makes a brand a first tier luxury brand.
Just do just enough, and stay a second tier forever.
Two other things they need to fix would be to have proximity key standard as well to fix the interior startup sound (the ding ding ding part is getting old)
As a caddy owner, I fully agree… a more appropriate “Chirp” sounds more reasonable. I know I can turn off the horn, but I do LIKE to know my doors locked (with proximity key), but the loud, obnoxious, silveradoesque horn is just one of those reasons why I always have to joke with my caddy, “Its a luxury chevy, not a BMW!” Because the author is right- success is in the details.
Although with proximity keys, I always wondered why they just didn’t do haptic feedback. But after all the $13 a second chirp might cost might raise the Caddy’s out of most buyer’s price ranges?
I’d never chirp my car while at an exclusive party. Tasteless.
First off I too would like to see or rather hear a change in the horn of a cadillac. That way, much like the rednecks in this state with their loud exhaust pipes I could identify a moron more easily from a distance. I like how cadillac owners use words like “refinement” and “luxury”. Its a gm vehicle! Its irrelevant what vehicle they slap the cadillac emblem on its still a gm/american product. Having said that, I have always owned GM vehicles, 1500’s, 2500HD’s and most recently, a 2015 LTZ Suburban. But when I want refinement, luxury and reliability I’ll drive my 535i BMW. No one who knows automobiles thinks of cadillac when they think of quality or refinement. Yes, when the cadillac was first introduced in the early 1900’s it had some ground breaking firsts. But to think its any different than other american car is idiotic.
A horn alert is unnecessarily loud and inconsiderate. Electronic chirps, or just a headlight flash, should suffice for any vehicle model. Such is the standard in many overseas markets–we deserve the same consideration here.
http://www.silencethehorns.org
Reading the story, I couldn’t help but feel as if the group of people that attended that party, sits up on pedestals while glancing down at the common man! Talk about a group of stuffy shirts!!!
Yes I own the Cadillac CTS 2016, and I have had some people tell me what a nice car it is. Still, judging by the type of people that attended that party, I doubt seriously that anybody was staring at the Cadillac thinking what a beautiful car it was. I think most probably they were wondering why somebody would dare show up in a Cadillac when others are driving up in Mercedes, Rolls Royces, Ferraris and Maserati’s, HARDLY the company for a GM Caddy… I think this is one of those situations that your editor thought guests were staring at him for reasons other than he surmised.
But really, if your editor was embarrassed about his trip, perhaps he should learn how to operate the vehicle before he intends to show it off, as its so easy to adjust it’s not even funny.
A couple of pushes of a button and the chirp goes away, and you can just have lights. Or he can remove any option at all so that no one knows it was locking.
The function is not to impress people of its unique sound but to simply let you know the vehicle is locking. Anybody who is concerned about the tone because of the way they were embarrassed at a party seriously needs to get a life.
I know I would not ever want to meet your editor nor anybody who attended that party. They are a shining example of what is wrong with the world today.
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