Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer, Uwe Ellinghaus, has already gone on the record to state fashion and lifestyle will play major roles in the brand’s marketing mission. It includes stunts like the 2017 Cadillac XT5 being airlifted over the New York Fashion Week, debuting the latest crossover in Dubai with Design House Public School and much more.
The New York Daily News feels the 2017 XT5 will be a step to further its fashion-focused direction, pointing out how the brand no longer needs to impress on the driving dynamics side of things. The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V bests its German rivals on the track, and the 2016 Cadillac ATS has been heralded for utilizing one of the best chassis on the market today.
But, the publication makes a good point. Despite all the improvements surrounding the SRX replacement, including more interior space, less weight and increased power, the competition in the luxury crossover segment is fierce. A base 3.6-liter LGX V6 will serve initially, but more power will certainly be needed in the future.
A Cadillac XT5 V-Sport should serve to fix that up accordingly.
Comments
Cadillac is on track; just need good prices, symmetrical and elegant interior designs, good fuel economy and a lot of comfort.
And Expands /V/ series
I agree, but if Mr. Ellinghaus doesn’t believe that he needs to tell the general public about Cadillac’s driving dynamics, he is sadly mistaken. Those of us who read car magazines and GM Authority are in the minority. The vast majority of the buying public get their automotive education from TV and print ads. They need to hear how well Cadillacs stack up against the German competitors in every respect. In 2014 the CTS was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year…it competed head to head with the E-Class and BMW 5 Series and won, a fact that should have dominated every TV and print ad for an entire ad, but instead it was kept a secret. WHY???
Mr. Ellinghause everyone knows that Cadillacs are pretty, you need to tell consumers that they are also excellent cars dynamically and are also an excellent value when compared to the German competitors. You can not expect them to figure it out on their own. Its marketing 101 !!!
It was the Daily News that said the focus should not be driving dynamics. It was just auto press jabbering.
Both sides of Cadillac need to be showcased.
Realistically, these cars would be selling fast under a German banner; these weak sales are all about GM not messaging what Cadillac is today. It’s going to be hard. Look at the challenges faced by Jaguar, a far more globally iconic brand.
I agree they really need to expand the vsport line asap. All vsports should be released with productions cars and the V a year later. No more of this 2-5 years
I couldn’t agree more. Release the V-Sport with the initial vehicle launch and the V-Series no more than two years later. Make minor improvements throughout the product lifecycle. Luxury buyers don’t want wait around long for the next big thing. If they want more power, they aren’t going to wait long for a new engine trim to arrive. They will move on to the next brand offering. Powertrains are a becoming a large decision factor in the luxury segment. Next year, I think Cadillac needs to launch a V-Sport with the 3.0TT with 400hp as well as a plug in version of the vehicle using the new powertrain from the CT6 plug in setup.
Agree with the continual improvements during the product life cycle which I think Cadillac has started doing.
You can see this with the 8 speed automatic and the LGX engine upgrades that filtered down to the ATS and CTS before any mid-cycle or complete model makeover.
I’m glad you guys agree, the purpose of a these flagship models like the cts-v and ats-v is to help promote the brand and help sell more regular models. The ats came out in 2012 as a 2013 and we just got the V and still waiting for a v-sport. By the time these come out the car is need of a mid cycle refresh anyway.
I hope this is all because of previous management and before Johan got here. Going forward id like to see a better release schedule and improvements like you said (transmission, wheels, colors etc.)
I agree that every Cadillac should have a V-Sport version but 1 year after initial introduction. Full V model within a year after that.
You talk about other stuff, like fashion and air lifts, when you have little of real consequence to talk about – ‘it’s got a 3.6L V6, but have I shown you our sweaters? We’ll have the cars sorted out by 2020. In the meantime, check out our cruise collection.’
Also – wonder if they’d have chosen Dubai for the unveiling if they knew the state of things in the Middle East.
Yes, Dubai is run like a police state, but it seems like sales from Crusader car makers are gonna be rough in EMEA, at least in the near term.
I am not sure the right path is Fashion.
Cars in this group just need compelling design inside and out and it is all about the image they project on the driver.
Today Fashion can be a very fickle thing and to me it is a limiting factor. To say fashion to me limits you to just a single track of style where in Design it keeps the door a little more open. I know it sounds like just semantics but there is a difference.
We have seen auto makers take this route before even with cars named after the designer. Lincoln has done it, GM has done it and even the 300 from Chrysler did it last year. How many can remember the Fashion inspired models names? How many are still in play today.
The only real fashion Model that had any legs was the Eddie Bauer Explorers and it was more the option package that made it a success than the name.
Anyone see a Bill Blass Mark VII lately or even remember one?
Even BMW has tried to take the Artistic approach with mixed results on their cars but it still comes back to good solid compelling cars with top design and engineering.