In what has to be one of the most progressive moves from Cadillac in some time, the brand has announced a $1,500-per-month, in-house ride sharing subscription service (plus a $500 registration fee). It’s called Book By Cadillac, and it gives users access to the latest and greatest models of the lineup, for a flat rate, with insurance and maintenance covered. So long as they can afford it.
GM Authority initially reported that Book By Cadillac was in the works back in May of 2016.
$1,500 a month is sure to weed out a lot of potential customers that could otherwise afford the payments on higher-end Cadillac models, but it’s the convenience that subscribers will be paying for. Things such as:
- Insurance costs
- Maintenance costs
- Doorstep, white-glove vehicle delivery
- Accessibility to every Cadillac on the market today
No waiting at the DMV. No worrying about that next oil change. No need for multiple parking spots – the entire Cadillac family is available at your disposal, via the mobile phone app. Take the family upstate in a 2017 Cadillac Escalade during the week. Book a 2017 Cadillac CTS-V for some backroad driving during the weekend. There’s an affluent, urban customer base that’s going to enjoy Book By Cadillac – provided they live in New York City’s five boroughs. Yes, Book By Cadillac will only be available to NYC residents for now, with other locations to be announced as time passes.
For those interested and eligible to register, the Book By Cadillac website is up and running.
Comments
This is BRILLIANT! Think of the possibilities once the $12B Cadillac portfolio hits the market. The newest cars, impeccably trimmed and insured. As an enthusiast and “milllenial” this is ultimate luxury. This is a big move for GM; first time “Dare Greatly” rings true for Caddy!
I shouldn’t bother to ask as I know that this service won’t be available here for some time…
But I quite like the idea of having some variability in the cars I drive. Having the some of the ugly expenses out of the way is also quite nice.
And there’s also a big ‘C’ word here that Cadillac should take on and promote after ignoring the market for so long: Concierge. If I want to order expensive scotch while in a booked CTS, my monthly $1500 should demand a competent concierge to do it on my behalf without any objections. That would be perfect!
If only there were more body styles on offer in Cadillac’s range though.
Then Cadillac’s concierge should do your exercise for you, order your food for you, cut your food and feed it into your mouth. And if you see some attractive woman at the restaurant, the Cadillac concierge should politely approach her and have her join you at your table. After your tiring meal, the CC should drive you home, give you a sponge bath, and of course tuck you into bed on freshly laundered sheets, teddy bear provided by CC as well. Hey if that’s what it takes to sell Cadillacs, clearly Uwe and Johan are on the right track. And to think there was a time when building great cars that the public wanted to own was enough.
“And to think there was a time when building great cars that the public wanted to own was enough.”
That’s the thing. It ISN’T enough to simply make great cars anymore; the buyer wants more than just the car. The luxury buyer wants that icing on their cake too, and if Cadillac won’t do it, the luxury buyer will take their money elsewhere (as they’ve done for over half a century at Cadillacs expense).
See, Drew, this is your problem. You’ve been raised on the flimsy idea of post-war luxury of simply making something bigger without adding any soul or ease of living. You’ve never actually owned or used a luxury product in your life, and therefore you’d have no appreciation of what a luxury lifestyle includes.
For example, a smartphone is a luxury in the sense that your life is made easier by not having to use a phone book or to be beholden to a desktop. In your eyes, you would shun the smartphone because it circumvents hard work or daily routine that you’ve otherwise become used to.
May I remind you that if your understanding of the word ‘luxury’ differs from the definitions below, then your understanding of luxury is wrong:
“a material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity”
“free or habitual indulgence in or enjoyment of comforts and pleasures in addition to those necessary for a reasonable standard of well-being”
We’ve been through this before, Drew. The longer you continue to think of a Cadillac as simply a maker of big cars and with nothing else to offer, the worse off your understanding of a luxury product will be. Continue on, and you simply won’t be able to see Cadillac in the way you have done so in the past.
No amount of argumentum ad antiquitatem is going to help here if you’re not willing to see what others want in a luxury product.
Grawdaddy, it’s a bit weird that you’ve apparently been spying on me for my entire life, to the point where you know that I’ve never owned or used a luxury product, ever. But I guess you are benevolent in your spying, like Santa Claus, because in this case your gift to me is telling me what my problem is. Thanks a bunch, Santa. Yes we’ve been through this before on this board, otherwise I might not have responded to your post with such sarcasm.
There’s a line – not a particularly fine line – between luxury and laziness, or perhaps helplessness. You are obviously way past that line. So you can’t even buy or order your own scotch? Someone from Cadillac has to do that for you? Oh boo-hoo, you might break a nail using the phone yourself. What else can’t you do for yourself? Never mind, I don’t want to know.
A basic car gets you from here to there. A Cadillac – traditionally – gets you from here to there in style, comfort, roominess, power, interior amenities. Vs. the basic car, a Cadillac is (should be, used to be) bigger, roomier, more comfortable, more prestigious, more powerful, and with the latest gadgetry (which once meant electric windows vs. the hand-crank ones that were more commonplace). I’d always expect a Cadillac to have a top-notch stereo, plush leather seats, etc. There’s your “luxury” vs. basic car. But I don’t expect Cadillac to order me expensive scotch, make my airline reservations (1st class of course), turn down my bedsheets, shine my shoes, or wipe my nose.
Grawdad, you sound so “entitled”, it’s pathetic. Yet you don’t sound particularly smart (Latin phrasing does not impress me, critical thinking does), and I doubt you have anywhere near the income or wealth that I have. I could buy a Mercedes S class or even a Rolls Royce Phantom, cash now no financing, if that were important to me. It’s just not how I choose to spend my money. My self-worth is not wrapped up in status symbols.
You think it matters to have status symbols, exclusive to just a few people, and you expect to be pampered and treated like royalty. Well good luck with that, your highness. It matters to you to feel like you are “better” than most others. You can sit there in your gold-plated pampers while you expect Cadillac to wait on you, hand and foot. Hey, you want a car, go buy a car. Or assume they’ll just give you one, since you are so wonderful and so entitled in your magnificence. “Jeeves, order me an expensive scotch”. “Oh yes, your royal grawdaddyness, serving you is my greatest pleasure in life”
You know, it’s because of people like you that the French Revolution occurred. It’s people like you who are an embarrassment to other Cadillac owners. It’s just pathetic that you refuse to do even minor tasks for yourself. So now that you’ve read this – have your butler turn off your PC, tablet, or smart phone, and tuck you in bed (a snow white pillow for your big fat head). I’m sure you’ve had a very trying day.
This is sweet! Should prove to be quite lucrative! I always hoped that auto manufacturers would provide a service similar to this. It’s like an alternative to leasing a car but with more options and less commitment!
If this program gains traction, could is spawn a Cadillac truck, or maybe extend to GMC Denali trucks to fill out the function of the program? Food for thought
It’s a novel approach, to be sure.
Not exactly sure how $1500 a month includes one-size-fits-all insurance, though. Especially in NYC.
Nevertheless, an interesting way to get affluent influencers behind the wheel.
PS – hard to tell if the website is fully functional yet – tried two different devices and nada.
Maybe it’s mobbed with first-time visitors?
Anyway, I couldn’t click through to any links.
Agree that this is brilliant. While I live in NY, I don’t live in NYC – 60 miles away. The minute it is available to me, there will be CTS-V in the driveway. Next up for GM should be a lease sharing program for the Vette. 5.5 month in the North and 5.5 months in the South. One month for transport, cleaning, etc.
Easy way to get in a V.
Just drive, what a great way to enjoy a beast.
Simple to budget for as well.