Previously, we reported the Cadillac XTS will not see a second generation after it lives out its current product lifestyle, according to a report from GM Inside News. Now, it’s widely speculated Cadillac will not offer any vehicle suitable for coach builders.
The Cadillac XTS was a lukewarm stop-gap measure to ensure Cadillac had some sort of large sedan to round out its portfolio, largely based on the Epsilon II platform. It was quite clear this car shared its bones with its Buick and Chevrolet cousins, but the car appealed to Cadillac’s long standing customer base.
“Ultimately, a car like XTS when it reaches the end of its lifecycle will not be replaced,” Cadillac President, Johan de Nysschen, was quoted as saying.
This will leave the livery market high and dry for an offering from General Motors, where the XTS currently includes a stretch limousine and hearse option.
Currently, the only other major player in the livery market is Lincoln, which offers the MKT in a limousine and “MKT Town Car” format, but even that vehicle has been slow to adapt to.
Who knows, maybe it’s not so outlandish to think the POTUS will one day ride in a Buick limousine. One thing is certain, though. Cadillac is keen on reinterpreting its brand image, and a livery vehicle doesn’t sound like it’s part of that plan.
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Don’t quite get this at all cause the other Heavy Hitters do, I’m sure Caddy will come up with something!!!! 😉
The Escalade will still serve as a livery vehicle and I think the CT6 should too, just not on the scale of the XTS. The XTS currently floods the livery market but here and there you see several S Class livery vehicles, especially in NYC. I think many will switch over to low optioned CT6s if there is no livery option because liveries want the prestigious image, especially with their high end clientele.
You can’t impress the high-end clientele of your livery service with a “low optioned” CT6. That would be one step away from offering them a Town Car.
If you’ve see S-class lively cars, then you can bet that the people using them expect the best of what an S-class has, that means all the bells and whistles and doohickeys. No shortcuts allowed, and no “low optioned” or stripper models. You can’t have it look like a Cadillac on the outside, and then look and feel like a Mitsubishi on the inside. The same approach should exist for future lively Cadillacs; no exceptions.
If a lively service is going to entertain its high-end clients with a Cadillac, it better be a memorable and luxurious experience for them if the service would like to have the clients again. You don’t rip them off with a sub-par interior when they’ve paid more than the going rate for truly special service. They are trusting the livery service to deliver the best, and a stripped out CT6 isn’t the best.
If anything, a “low optioned” CT6 is like a fine dark chocolate shell encasing stale coffee grounds.
Well there are variation of Livery cars. There is no one car fits all.
Cadillac has played much in the segment left from the Town Car. This segment is mostly funeral homes and general driver service that you see used by many companies and in places like Chicago, NYC and LA. In other words these were a taxi service with a basic luxury car.
Also Cadillac has played in the extended Limo vehicles where they cut the cars and most are used for Bachelor /Bachelorette parties for drinking or Prom. Most rich people do not use these extended cars.
Now there is a segment where the real affluent that use the high end Benz and BMW in standard trim and quietly make there way around. This is the segment Cadillac will be in. The fact is you seldom see a extended Benz of any kind or even BMW for Limo use. In fact most Livery services do not use these high end cars unless they have a special client.
I expect once the XTS is gone in 2019 the new flag ship CT7 or 8 will be the car for this high end use. By then I also expect Buick to pick up on the livery service as they should have a larger car by then in the price class that most companies use.
Also note I am not sure if the Omega is able to be cut up anyways. The construction used on this car to make it light may not be contusive to make it longer. As we already know the many cars out there now a lot of them sag with age as they are not all that strong depending on who did the work.
I would not worry about this as the old Cadillac needed this fleet use sale. If things go as planned there will be no need for this fleet use sales as profits will be much better per unit on lower volume models they have just started on.
POTUS doesn’t ride in an XTS based or any other production based Caddy. While the specs are classified, it is widely believed that “The Beast” has the drivetrain from a Chevrolet Kodiak and everything else is custom from the frame up. Sure, they use Caddy headlamps and tail lamps and a few other odds and ends from the Caddy parts bins but it is most certainly not a production car based vehicle.
I offer this link as proof of my claims.
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1087845_taking-a-closer-look-at-the-presidents-beast-limo
Well the Beast as most of us know was not bases any stock Cadillac platform but it was a Cadillac and GM tech center project.
While past presidential limo’s have been farmed out GM did this one in house and had to meet major goad since 911. They do build these on truck frames and use bits and you are correct as pieces of trim from various Cadillac models. The Headlamps for example are Escalades lamps.
GM has built a group of these cars and keeps the bulk in DC but they do keep some in NYC and LA too. Generally they fly them in with a C17 and use more than one for back up and rotation of what car the POTUS is in.
But in the end this is a GM build model and was a Cadillac project. There should be new models in two years and I expect Cadillac will again get the deal.
Note the Secret Service is involved with this project from the start and works hand and hand with GM and the suppliers. Even Goodyear makes a special run flat truck tire for this car with white walls.
I have always loved to see these cars over the years and the special changes they all have received. The Beast is the most changed model for security we have seen.
Though in England it got stuck on a entrance that some one missed. The back up had to take its place as the primary car high centered.
Note too there are some majorly modified GM Suburban’s that are used often too for quick trips and moves in and around DC.
It would be hard to imagine a country without a hearse built on a CADILLAC platform. You mention the word hearse and most likley, a black CADILLAC comes to mind. While there are any number of LINCOLN based hearses out there, most are CADILLAC based. So it will be interesting to see what happens after the XTS is discontinued. Will GM just give the market over to FORD? Don’t hold your breath for FCA to offer a livery version of the CHRYSLER 300. They did that before and obviously that didn’t work out though they were sharp looking hearses.
What I never understood is why full sized vans never got over as hearses. They can be beautifully customized as hearses and if GM would be concerned about the stigma of having a CHEVROLET or GMC as a hearse, all they have to do is rebadge it as a CADILLAC or let the hearse builder put their own badge on it. Plenty of space in a van as well so no stretching needed and they may even consider side loading. I’m sure the ESCALADE would be highly considered too.