Despite all the talk of the sedan and coupe’s impending demise, they’re still kicking. It’s easy over-generalize consumers; not every single buyer is looking for a crossover. With that in mind, automakers are still pumping out fresh sedans and coupes to our delight.
BMW looks to recapture a bit of its “Ultimate Driving Machine” mantra after it revealed the 8-Series concept. And, guess what? BMW is going to build it.
The stunning concept debuted at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este competition in Italy and previews the production car to come in 2018. Bulbous wheel arches, sleek lines and fluid shapes define the ultimate expression of BMW.
So, Cadillac. What’s up? The CT6 is great, but the 8-Series justifies the fact that halo vehicles mean something. And for as much of an icon the Escalade is, it’s not a halo vehicle. The fact German brands continue to invest in these cars means something: there’s a market. People want them—maybe not a ton of people, but buyers are out there.
BMW isn’t fooling around, either. Potential powertrains for the 8-Series include a 3.0-liter turbo inline-six, a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, and even a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12. The 8-Series will be undeniably luxurious, but capture a sporting spirit missing from BMW for quite some time.
This brings us back to Cadillac. The brand needs a halo, flagship car. For as much buzz as the Cadillac CTS-V creates, it’s a different kind of hero vehicle. We’re talking opulent, posh and exclusive with a sporting character. Hopefully, the $12 billion earmarked for Cadillac’s expansion globally births such a car.
Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen has promised such a car is coming—though it won’t be a sedan. The Escala concept is a good start, but only time will tell.
Comments
The ElMiraj is STILL BETTER.
The Avista is MUCH better
I can’t buy either, instead my only choices are the ATS coupe which is significantly less resolved than the ATS sedan, and the child’s fantasy toy Camaro6, which has zero sophistication for those over 7yo.
Take that Alpha and put the Avista on it. Then sell it to me at whatever price you want.
We all morn for the Avista. Sad. It really is.
GM doesnt have the cojones to do something like the Elmiraj. Bean counters running that company out of styles. For as many models as GM has very few excite, ctsv atsv camaro corvette the end.
Cadillac has the engineers, knowledge and tech for built a Flagship super luxury sedan.
What he does not have; Is the group of company managers willing to do it.
So sad
Well they did make the CTS-V coupe during that model’s second generation.
That is a hot car with some halo juice in it’s fuel tank.
But my question is how many people bought that vehicle (I did so I can ask the question!)
My point is: It’s easy to make declarative statements while you’re eating Doritos and sitting in your 1-room studio.
But would YOU go out and buy a six-figure halo car if Cadillac did make it?
You and I both know you wouldn’t.
Cadillac should build a CTS size specialty coupe and call it the Eldorado. Not a 2 door CTS but a much more stylish “Personal Luxury Coupe”, there are NONE out there. The Germans or Japanese coupes are more “GT” Coupes vs a Personal Lux Coupe. Caddy should not do a car to mimic this they should draw on their own heritage. Had Cadillac built the Ciel, El Miraj and the Escala they would be selling everyone of them. Its a huge shame this “vision” is not making it to the show room, those are “gotta have” cars vs whats currently available. Nice but not “gotta have”.
You might have gotten a CTS Couple but lets face it, that was a love it or hate it design so, polarizing.
Oh, and make sure the new Eldorado has the Corvette base V8 w/400bhp as standard… with a price around $60K…. it will sell! Tell me at a minimum market focus of a 40++ empty nester, or couple w/o kids that would not want a car like that? Challenger, no thanks to cheap inside, Camaro, kids stuff, Corvette to hard to get in or out….Eldorado… yes please.
Cadillac needs to move way from the watered down A&S design theme and make real Cadillac designs like the Elmeraj and Ceil concept designs…the 2008 CTS coupe looks like a turd and it just looks like race car knock off.
Those are dialed up A&S designs.
I agree, the Elmiraj and Ciel concepts are real sharp and hansome, and shouldve been the direction the brand is moving in, but are you sure you’d be ok with that? You criticize it all the time.
If it were up to me, Cadillac’s future coupe lineup would be almost as robust as Mercedes-Benz’s.
They’d ultimately have:
A compact sport coupe, your typical compact coupe (vs. 4 Series, C Class Coupe, RC, A5, Q60)
A midsized personal luxury coupe, a more affordable grand tourer, (vs. E Class Coupe)
A full-sized grand tourer, a production Emiraj featuring best-in class interior room
A Cadillac supercar based on the C8 Corvette, with a top-level “affordable” hypercar that can compete with the Bugatti Chiron, McLaren P1, Ferarri LaFerarri and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz hypercar for a fraction of the price
I’d also be in favor of a subcompact 3-door hatch/shooting brake, but I’m not sure the sedan is still coming, let alone a coupe.
Perhaps in the virtual reality world of unlimited ressources. Have a spare 100 billion, double the market cap of GM?
Cadillac has a fraction of the sales of MB. You need massive worldwhide revenue to achieve such a wide product line. You also need decades of success and discipline which isn’t common from American companies.
maybe the upcoming flagship will be called a CT7 coupe.
Put the upcoming ZR-1 powerplant in it and give enthusiasts the option of a manual and my cheque will write istself. Lol
Looks like an Aston Martin!
if Cadillac decides to build a holo car….I hope would still have the upright squared off treditional roofline and have the classic lines of the glory days..
1 the BMW 8 concept is ugly to my taste.
2 the CT6 is too much like a bigger CTS and is not a true holo car.
3 I hope they will make the a true holo CT7 coupe= Elmeraj coupe.
CT8 sedan=Elmeraj sedan.
Glory days, seriously? The consumer would need to be 55 years or older to even associate Cadillac with the 1950-60 golden era. GM would need to set up dealerships within assisted living facilities.
Both BMW and Benz are forward-looking companies not running in circles chasing some supposed “glory day”. These brands focus on every new product role out representing a golden era all its own.
GM fans must look forward. You can’t recreate the successes of yesterday. Instead, a new gokden era is possible with vehicles like Avista, Ciel, Avenir.
I don’t mean the exact cars from the golden years….your right about moving forward with competing with the S class and other Germen brands….I don’t mean they should retern to the crappy land yachts that flippity flop all over the road or the cheap FWD cars of the 1980s- 90s…..Cadillac should move forward with the classic lines but in a modern way.
Meh. The existence of the BMW 8-series would never dissuade me from buying a real Cadillac. If Cadillac does want a halo car, it should not be cramped and hard-riding; they can always build the Escala, which much better represents the elegance and roominess of the brand. Leave the “toys for boys” image to the Germans. Or to Corvette and Camaro.
right here with you Drew….a true luxury Halo car should have top riding and comfort and power…..the CT6 falls short of….. styling, ride and comfort, quality and power….thay really cheaped out on the CT6 inside and out.
GM may produce high quality vehicles but Cadillac and Buick will always be “damaged” brands competing with Lincoln and Acura until GM starts building cars like Avista.
Halos define a brand. Even though they may not be the most efficient (shirt term) allocation of capital these cars are the ultimate advert. They make a brand cool, desirable, sexy and aspirational.
The Germans understand this. Wall Street may love Barra but she is killing GM with too much focus on the maybe of Maven-style ride sharing instead of the necessity of building desirable cars that people actually want to own.
I’m now in favor of anything with the power to push GM onto a different path including merger with FCA.
a rebirth of the El Dorado or the Sixteen with a V16 with +1000hp as a hot halo car
Well we have to look at he details here first before we say just how bulid a low volume expensive coupe.
First off BMW have their line up in good order. They have their sedans, SUV’s and even their sports cars in good order in each of their segments and have the rest of their house in order before doing the 8.
Now look at Cadillac. They are still short on their SUV models. They still lack the details inside their sedans Coupe and SUV models that prevent them from competing with the other brands head to head on core products.
How many reviews do you need to read that state Cadillac has the best chassis but lack the details and refinement before you get it?
JDN is now addressing these details and we will see the results in the next couple years with dash new model roll out.
Once the house is in order I expect a coupe that will stand tall but till ten the view product needs completed.
Just building a expensive low volume coupe has no value till you can use it to draw people to the core product that most of them are going up buy vs the coupe anyways. Flagships are to draw customers in and if you do not have core product to impress them the flagship is a wasted effort.
We will see the first JZN product this fall and on a regular basis over the next five years.
Things will change and they will change fast then but it takes time to start over as they have had too.
There is no brand out there that can change their image and status with one model and 2 years. Also revisiting the past to restore image is a fantasy and is just right delusional in this market.
I want to see a coupe too but what good is a low volume car when their sedans are still not class leading and the volume SUV model are still being driven as miles.
As for the show cars they are great but take a reality pill and understand they are show cars that are not close to production form. If they would build them you would have many more complaints on ergonomic and durability.
Just look at how bac cars like the SSR and Prowler were. The first Vipers were show car quality and they sucked as they had half ass roofs and not even a crank up window.
GM is not in a desperate state and can take the time to do this right and bake the core cake first and then add the frosting to finish it off.
I want Cadillac to build me a two door coupe no more than 190 inches long–about 55 to 57 inch roof height so I can get in it and SEE out of it unlike the Camaro–a V-8 with about 425 to 450 hp and a very nice high quality interior–a stop/start system I can turn off–it–all wheel drive–a Camaro Z-28 or Corvette could blow it off–that doesn’t bother me–it would be a nice touring car I think they call these–but the interior and exterior looks would set it off with a nice smooth driving experience–Cadillac was close with the CTS coupe a few years ago–but headroom was lacking–still driving my hot lava 2008 CTS sedan from April 2008–600 were built in this color.
Are you smoking crack?
Cadillac did build the XLR and made a V version.
It was discontinued.
Wake up–that’s ancient history–I want something new.
Unless GM CEO Mary Barra fires current Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen with someone like GEN 6 Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser, the chances Cadillac designs and builds a sports coupe that can compete with BMW’s 8-series concept car is remote as this is why the Escala is a concept that will never be built as you’ve got to wonder whether the Escala started life as the CT8 or CT9.
Imagine if Cadillac had decided to build the Escala as a high-end luxury coupe featuring engine and components from Cadillac’s CT6, the Escala would have been ready for production as a 2018 model year with the top engine being the LF4 464 hp twin-turbocharged 3.6L DOHC-4v V6 at least until Cadillac’s new V8 is ready.
+Bob White, but I also agree with ACCAD about those who critics but not buying! I currently have an 09 Pontiac G8 and love it, but I have also driven both the ATS-V & CTS-V. I am deciding which one I truly want! These 2 vehicles have beaten their European competition. See Youtube (Head-2-Head) ATS-V vs MB AMG s63! I am shopping 2016 pre-owned prices and they look really good!
Cadillac must put their house in order before considering another low volume vehicle, otherwise it would be another Allanté & another XLR.
They have to get the crossovers & the next generation cars out first. With refinement being the top priority for them. And GM beancounter should be barred from entering Cadillac’s facilities & interfering with the development process… Especially when it comes to Interiors.
Once all the pieces in play, only then they can consider a low volume car.
_____
As for the BMW. I was looking forward to the new 8er (The original is one of my favorite cars), but I’m disappointed in the new one. It could’ve & should’ve been much better.
CT6 Coupe…Enough Said.
the CT6 is no halo car.
This is just another shot across the bow of Cadillac or GM. . Cadillac is so behind the market demands of just about every product you can think of . Cadillac does need a halo car but now is not the time for one . A halo car does many things for a car company and Cadillac is stuck with long in the tooth cars ( minus the CT6 ) and holes to fill in the SUV segment . As nice as it would be to see a gorgeous coupe come out of Cadillac , you can’t get ahead of your skis ‘ .
The 12 Billion allocated to Cadillac is probably all spent on JDN’s portfolio that we will start to see this summer or fall .
What GM could do in the meantime is get Buick involved in this . The concept of a couple years ago wetting the appetite of bring back a Riviera would be perfect and Buick is in better shape than Cadillac is . Buick could pull this off because they have vehicles to offer the consumer that they could sell if it wasn’t the luxury coupe ( halo car ) .
I don’t know if GM even has the interest in doing this anyway . Back in the mid-80’s they started cutting out the coupes from most divisions , the Olds 98 and 88 and Cadillacs Coupe deville etc . Some of them were better looking than the sedans .
GM needs to start leading again instead of chasing the German brands to stay relevant in the auto industry . But it all comes down to keeping the stock holders happy .
How is this a “shot across the bow” of Cadillac or GM? Because Sean says so!
Worldwide 8 series sales totaled 31,062 (U.S. 7,232) before cancelation, pretty weak “shot” first time they took aim, on GM!
Mercedes must be happy they’re not in the cross hairs!
I can tell you’re being facetious.
This is a tiny market but a profitable one. Mercedes owns a chunk of it with the S class Coupe.
Such a car (halo) is built to bring people to your showroom to look at your other cars. Cadillac isn’t there yet and as a result, such an effort would be wasted.
Facetious, as if this article is of serious subject?
My point is, in my openion, BMW was not going after GM specifically when resurrecting the 8 series. Even if Sean wants you to think so.
If they were, as you yourself stated, this is a tiny market.
Can’t go after GM when Cady isn’t even close to be a player. The Germans and their British brands own that market.
Cadillac is building it’s base first, they have too build there base first, they can’t just build flagship model’s with out a base, that’s what there doing now. Next down the line will be these flagship model.
we could expect a halo flagship coupe and a halo sedan in the 2025-27 timeframe the latest.
Cadillac should leave the Omega platform to the future ATS, CTS and CT6 and ditch the Alpha platform or have the Alpha and Omega platforms into one platform….and have a bespoke Halo platform that would sit above the Omega and underpin a CT8 and CT9.
O2XX=compact to CT6
Z2XX=CT7, CT8/CT9.