General Motors insists all is well with its current production capacity and inventory levels, but the United Auto Workers union believes otherwise. According to a revealing report, six GM passenger cars are at risk of being discontinued. These include the Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Sonic, Chevrolet Volt and Buick LaCrosse. All by 2020.
UAW President Dennis Williams told Reuters he’s had continued dialogue with GM over the potential job losses that may occur as vehicle sales continue to slow. Specifically, Williams is worried about the market’s lack of love for sedans—GM builds several sedans in the United States.
“We are talking to (GM) right now about the products that they currently have” at underused car plants such as the Detroit-Hamtramck facility in Michigan and Lordstown, Ohio plant. The discussions have surrounded whether they might be replaced by crossovers to hold production capacity in the U.S., according to the UAW president.
“We are tracking it (and) we are addressing it,” he added.
GM has already scheduled more downtime than usual and cut shifts at its manufacturing facilities across the U.S. Analysts predict the plateauing car market may lead to more job risks, especially at plants where compact and mid-size cars are built.
GM must “create some innovative new products” to replace slow-selling sedans “or start closing plants,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions, in the report.
Analysts also peg the Detroit-Hamtramck plant as most vulnerable—it builds sedans exclusively. The Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Volt and Buick LaCrosse are all assembled at the facility.
While some nameplates may be retired at the end of the current product lifecycle, others may be reborn as a crossover. Specifically, the Chevrolet Volt could be replaced by a plug-in hybrid crossover in 2022, if the name isn’t replaced entirely.
GM estimated its days’ supply of vehicles would fall to 90 vehicles by July 1, but instead, inventories rose to 105 days supply. The automaker insists it will reach a 70-day supply by the end of this year. The inventory buildup is on purpose, per GM, as various plants go offline for retooling and improvements.
Comments
The CTS and ATS should be combined into 1 car, no need for both. One nameplate in sedan, coupe and convertible would be plenty.
Cadillac needs a proper 3/5/7 Series sedan lineup. An A7 type model would be great as well.
Then a whole bunch of CUV/s
Thats a great idea. Cadillac should keep CT6 and unveil CT4 as exactly what the 2nd generation CTS was, with Sedan and Coupe formats.
Was curios to read this. I owned 3 CTS’s (first and second gen) and SRX. when I went to lease new CTS in Feb 2016
the price of the vehicle well equipped as my previous ones was over 10,000 more plus I did not care for the new gen styling.
I migrated to Genesis and will stay with this brand (G80) which continues to make strides in the near luxury area.
Cadillac’s president is arrogant and they totally abandoned the more traditional buyers in an effort to compete with Euro luxury. How is that working? The CT6 was supposed to be the turning point for this effort. Too bad that clown doesn’t get paid what he deserves…….nada.
Sorry to bash Caddy and GM but maybe my experience was in part similar to others which has caused Caddilac’s apparent decline. I was a lifetime GM guy (Pontiav, Olds, Caddy) and thought the first generation CTS’s were a great designed vehicle (my first CTS Sport Model drew many appreciative thumbs up). Third generation pricing, inconsistent CUE, abandonment of larger displacement engine (the V-6 normally aspirated was always balky in my opinion) , and the less attractive styling (IMHO) turned me away. Genesis Ultimate at 54,000 is a technology tour de force at a price significantly less than Cadillac CTS. Quality ranking 2nd, home service, best warranty, etc. etc. Love the styling and have seen people taking pics of my ‘Bentley’ when I first got it.
Agree they need to combine ATS and CTS but these styles getting old in the tooth and I see some more sales declines coming . Funny that Escalade is their only successful vehicle- they design playing to old schoolers.
The design team at Cadillac couldn’t get a job at Hyundai mopping the floors. The Genesis is a home run and the brand hasn’t even set up shop yet. The CT6 is an answer to a question nobody asked. The longer Cadillac stays in business the more out of touch with the market. BTW, Just fell to 7th place in luxury vehicle sales. Most people can’t even name 7 luxury nameplates. That’s how bad this is!
That’s interesting. The designers are at least overqualified to do a janitorial job. The Genesis looks like a pretty good car, and everyone has their own tastes and preferences. I’ve never been inside a Genesis, so I had to google it. In my opinion for my tastes, it kind of looks like a Detroit big 3 luxury knockoff, Cadillac included. Maybe it’s just the pictures that I compared, and my experience with being in numerous types of vehicles including GMs. I’m not trying to insult anyone or anyone’s vehicle choice, that’s just what the car looked like to me when I saw the pictures on Google. One issue still for a lot of their cars are their package options, however that’s the case for almost every manufacturer, they want the big trim levels advertised, because they want to upgrade your buy to the nice appearance of the high end model.
LFX323HP, The second Gen CTS was a combo of both the current CTS and ATS and sold quite well, IMO it was the perfect mix of German sports Lux. and American comfort Lux.
Like I had said in as previous post, the ATS should be downsized to a 2 door coup/convertible, the CTS should return to 2nd Gen. size and the XTS and CT6 should stay the same to accommodate both German and American Luxury buyers of that class.
As a buyer of 1st and 2nd gen CTS/s I totally agree. When I got these vehicles I was excited about them.
Size, styling, and value proposition were at a high level. The third gen left me lukewarm and the price made me look elsewhere. Genesis does a feature comparison with CTS on their current website.
They have a new sport model with V-6 turbo power which is probably my next target car. That plus the affordable v8 (did not buy because of no four wheel drive) gives buyers some real options in mid 50 range.
I am sad at Caddy’s decline. They still had some cachet of luxury and US pride and I think they had taken steps with the ATS and CTS to grow this into an edgier marque while retaining their core base (clearly the ATS and CTS while decent cars were just too similar).
Their president in my mind thumbed his nose at the caddy loyal in a misguided effort to become a second class euro copy car instead of restoring a vibrant American brand.
euro copy car. I don’t see
Cadillac need a convertible to compete with E-Class Conv.
Cadillac need a lot of stuff to compete not to mention significant upgrades to their existing products.
But what Cadillac (and GM) needs the most is to combine the Alpha and Omega platforms into one fully-modular RWD/AWD platform.
The article points out Hamtramk for producing only sedans, but I see another potential problem:
There’s a low-volume product (CT6) mixed in with products meant to sell at higher volume (Impala, LaCrosse, Volt). The CT6 is actually selling well for the segment. Four products, but only one is pulling its weight.
A fully-modular platform could change the conversation: If the sedans aren’t selling, the platform and plant can still be kept profitable by a CUV.
The unfortunate thing about this is that sedans, coupes, and the Escalade are the only areas Cadillac is building a reputation in. Cadillac is having to rely on the upcoming CUVs; which ATP, performance, and image wise, isn’t as competitive with the rest of the luxury-performance market.
To sum it up, Cadillac and GM as a whole needs:
-A RWD platform that’s as modular as the E2xx and D2xx that can build upmarket utility vehicles for Cadillac and possibly GMC. That way GM can easily adjust production as the market changes, while remaining competitive at much higher price points than the other brands.
-To separate low-volume, high profit products from high-volume, low profit products. That way the profit drivers aren’t endangered by a drop in sales from a completely different brand as we’re seeing at Hamtramk.
Cadillac’s current lineup is competitive but there just isn’t enough of it. Besides they can’t win for trying with certain audiences.
If they push upmarket, then there’s ‘Who does Cadillac think they are?… nobody wants to pay blah blah blah’. If they stay where they are then ‘That the problem with Cadillac, they’re current lineup sucks, they should go back to building big luxo-boats…’.
While I’m not the biggest fan of JDN, I do like his stance that Cadillac’s repositioning may entail selling fewer vehicles and so be it. Can’t go back to what almost previously killed the brand of selling half baked models or luxo-barges to a fading demographic group.
Save for what is considered a mish mosh of interior materials, the CT6 gives up nothing to its competitors. Even the very soon to market new Audi A8 will follow a similar track of not initially offering a V8 until a later date and there is no 12 pot planned to ever go in its the engine bay.
Disagree. Caddy had moved very positively into a younger demographic with first and second generation CTS, They seemed to be modernizing the fleet and still had product for their loyal demographic. JDN decided (arrogantly in my opinion) to blow things up and go after euro lux overnight which was the downfall. NOW they are in no mans land with high priced vehiicles , no market niche, crappy resale, and widespread discounting (JDN promised no discounting yeah right). IMHO their brand has less elan than it had ten years ago. It’s almost as if Harley decided they would abandon their hogs and start competing with BMW. Change is good and necessary but it has to be planned rationally as part of a marketing strategy. Cadillac IMHO is less relevant than it was before JDS took over.
If we’re talking Cadillac then crossovers should have full priority right now. Caddy needs at LEAST two more crossovers asap! Caddy also needs to lock in an attractive design language for the brand as well (I’m sure that’s already in the works) as art & science is hit or miss. An alpha based and omega based suvs would be wishful thinking and would recoup ROI on the platforms faster but I’m sure it won’t happen.
Chevy needs to axe the impala, it and the Malibu are nearly the same size and the impala doesn’t sell as well as the Bu. An alpha based replacement would be nice but if they cannot utilize the global market for decent sales volume then it would be a pointless investment. GM as a whole needs to work on design improvements..especially the interiors as it seems that the same designers are working for multiple brands (similarities in interior design). The market has shifted to crossovers for the foreseeable future so adjustments must be made accordingly. A rwd performance crossover would be an awesome idea as well!
Chex should have moved production of the SS to the US and named it Impala and offered it in trims from mild to wild and sold it to the PD and other emergency services as well as other fleet services. they could have also used a stretched version as the Buick Lacross. I imagine they would have had to reengineer it to make it lighter and more efficient. I know I am dreaming but I thing GM would much better of if some of their people do a little dreaming also.
There are three types of lies. Lies. Damn lies. And statistics. The numbers show Malibu impala about the same size. I am American sized. I have driven both. the IMPALA is huge compared to the Malibu. It’s more than the numbers tell you.
Sedans still have a place in this world. We just don’t need ALL of them. If the Impala is not selling, “deep-six” it and return to yesteryear. Offer a re-engineered Malibu/Chevelle (just slightly smaller than the Impala anyway), with a 4/6 or 8 cylinder engine. Those that primarily want economy/power will purchase accordingly. Offer it in a hatchback. Toyota/Honda, etc., doesn’t produce anything as large as the Impala – do they? There are ways to win this game.
I test drove an top level Impala a few months ago. I did it solely for a free 50 Amazon gift card but also to see if the impala was as nice inside as it was outside and to see if I could overlook no AWD and move away from the Charger when its lease was up.
To my disappointment the Impala I drove was awful.. It felt cramped inside, the drive and road noise was more rough then my Charger and the car felt very underpowered. I also could not get over how cheap the car felt. I know that I am not driving a Cadillac anymore and we make fun of how out of date the old Chrysler LX platform is, but both my old and new Charger put this car to shame in almost everything I saw and touched and least on the inside. I now see why Impala sales never took off and I am sure now that no AwD had little to do with it.
Obviously to each their own, but the stuff you are saying about thebImpala you drove surprises me. My wife and I have a 2014 Impala 2LT and absolutely love it. It is incredibly spacious, the interior looks great and, for the most part, feels great and is very comfortable for long trips. I know it’s a Chevy and the the interior is NOT luxurious compared to higher nameplates (there are definitely some hard plastics in certain places), but it’s the nicest interior of any car we’ve ever owned. we bought it for the space and how comfortable it was.
As for performance, what engine did the car you drove have? Ours has the 3.6L V6. It actually inpresses with how well it moves such a big car. We drove a four cylinder when we were looking and it was GROSSLY underpowered. Plus, handling is very respectable for a big car. It’s no sports sedan, but it doesn’t float, feels tight in the right places. My only complaint is that the steering doesn’t have nearly enough feel.
I’m actually disappointed at the idea of the Impala going away, but I do understand why, if it does.
You lost all credibility as soon as you said “It felt cramped inside”. I love my Chevy, but talking about being a fanboy.
Do me a favor Greg. Sit in a Charger or 300 or even the new CT6 even though that car is on a much higher level then all the cars mentioned. These cars have a wider track and stance then the XTS, Impala and last gen Lacrosse. The XTS feels just like the Impala and of course there all under the same platform. On the test drive the salesman felt like he was only a few inches away from me, where as in my Charger the passenger actually seems and feels like they are a good distance from you. I am a smaller guy, only 5.8 150 and I am stating my opinion that the car felt cramped. Whatever that has do to do with your me losing all credibility statement is beyond me.
Now the back seat of the LX sedans leaves something to be desired in terms of headroom and the back seat of the GM siblings seems a bit better. I am a GM fan like everyone else on here but I also have no issues stating my opinion or not buying a GM product if I don’t like them. Again its all personal taste and opinions and EVERYONE is entitled to theirs.
Charger? Charger is one of the most cramped full size sedans out there. Yeah, any credibility you had left was lost bringing up Charger.
I have a Charger and it is anything but cramped. But to be fair, neither is the Impala. They are both nice, spacious sedans.
Cramped? It’s one of the largest car interiors on the market. You sure it’s the New body style Impala and not the limited? Was it the V6 versions too? I have a 2015 2LT and it’s one of the more powerful, smooth driving and quietest cars around. It’s 0-60 isn’t the fastest because of how heavy the car is but it has plenty of highway power. Your post is contrary to almost every professional review out there. Obviously like another said to each their own but saying the car is cramped, loud and underpowered seems like you were in a Cruze not an Impala. No AWD as is unfortunate but I live in New England and really never needed AWD. I remember the days of rear drive only and if you learned how to drive in the Winter back then, FWD is cake. And your comment on a cheap interior is also off. Not sure what you are talking about there
If anything the Charger has the cheaper feeling lesser interior. The difference between it and the 300 are big. The Dodge is drab and all black with little contrast, bright work or warmth.
This is upsetting news, as someone that currently owns two of those nameplates (Lacrosse and Sonic), and would like to replace them with something comparable. I hate crossovers. One of the worst feelings in life is having your choices stripped from you because they aren’t popular enough to the masses. It’s been pretty progressive since I have started driving, losing Oldsmobiles, large coupes, bench seats, now sedans. Not only am I a lifelong GM fan and buyer, but I successfully converted my wife from a repeat Toyota buyer. It stings a little, that we may be forced to shop elsewhere to get what we want. Fiesta and Continental perhaps…
why not a cruze hatch? they arent much bigger, same drivetrain, and look even better lol
I, and the three other people or so in the U.S that DONT want a SUV or crossover or pickup the size of the “Titanic”….There is still a market for sedans, etc. The ‘trick’ for car manufacturers is to adjust to the current trend. As for trends, the car industry has always gone through cycles, etc. It would be great if the industry had a ‘crystal ball’ to forcast what the future holds. A great challenge for the industry.
I drove a 2012 Volt quiet often and it was a great little car. Quick and for around town trips, no gas was needed. I can only imagine how practical the new Volts are with their even higher extended electric range. Using .4 of a gallon to go on a 50mile round trip highway speeds was also very nice. New ones can do that all electric.
Shame, despite the flaws of some of these cars mentioned, they’re all good products. And the Volt? God they’re thinking about killing that???
This will be a continual issue for all Cadillac sedans–tiny volumes can’t absorb fixed costs of plants. Unless they can be incorporated I large volume facilities probably shouldn’t produce!
There’s also the matter that Cadillac and other luxury brands have older customers who really like the seat position of SUVs.
For perspective, Lexus sold over 160k RX and NX SUVs last year. Their old bread and butter sedan, the ES, may have trouble clearing 50k sales this year, the IS is nowhere near 50k, and the LS is selling at a glacial pace.
Similar stories are true elsewhere – Mercedes is blowing out the crossovers, Lincoln’s recent sales growth is entirely attributable to what is effectively a rebadged Ford Escape, BMW 3 & 4 series sales are moving to the X1 and X3, etc.
The real question I have for Cadillac is why on earth they don’t have a compact SUV given the success of the NX, MKC, X1, and small Mercedes products. It’s definitely not why are you willing to kill off giant sedans that no one on earth is buying.
The Sonic is a pretty decent car, however I’ve been wondering about its importance lately. You’ve got the Sonic slotted kind of between the Spark, and the Cruze. With the Bolt, maybe the Spark should be the one to go, and the Sonic maybe replacing the Spark? The Impalas problem is more of an identity problem, they have it slotted as a bigger and nicer Malibu, however as many have stated in the past, that’s not the nameplates legacy. If they replaced the SS with a performance Impala, then you’re kind of running into a similar issue between it and the Camaro. On the other hand, there is probably some market of people that want a performance Sedan over a Coupe, and the market appears to be treating Dodge well between the Challenger and the Charger. The Lacrosse would be a surprise to see discontinuation. They could probably use the Voltec technology elsewhere in their lineup, however the Volt being discontinued is kind of a surprise, but not as much as the Impala and Lacrosse. With Cadillac, I thought the original plan was to discontinue the XTS when the CT5 came out? I’m not too sure about Cadillac, however there’s ways to make all of this work if necessary.
You can hate, refuse to accept, deny the market trend but it is here and only growing stronger.
It used to be you could own a mid size Chevelle and use it as a daily driver, school bus,pick up truck and everything between.
My father never owned a truck or 4×4 and got along just fine. He had a new Chevelle every year and used it for everything. I just recalled the other day how he hauled home a large ping pong table on the roof with no issue. Building a deck strap the wood on the roof and out the windows.
Snow never an issue with good tires and posi the RWD car went anywhere in the snow and ice with no nanny items helping.
Today many think you have yo have awd to get around in the rain no less the snow. The have cars with room but are so small in trunk openings you can not get a square box in the opening.
Put a ping pong table on the roof? Forget that ad the metal would be damaged and there are no chrome bumpers to tie the cargo down anymore.
So people moved to a mini van. This worked for a while till the SUV took command. Now we have discovered the CUV that can do most things a car, SUV or mini van did in the past.
This is more than a trend as while the sedan will not vanish it will never return to be the prime mode of transportation ever again. Heck the CUV may be replaced by a pod next with all this autonomous stuff.
I see consolidation here. It could be each brand as two sedans one mid size and one small with 5 door variations like we are seeing at Buick if it proves popular.
The Volt was always my understanding a limited time model. The technology would be moved to other model as time went on and it would die. Let’s face it the Volt could really be a Cruze variant today.
We will see CUV models in all sizes and shapes continue. Also look for GM to do a CUV based truck below the mid size for people who hate trucks but could still use an open bed.
Today prople have left style and elegance behind for the most part. It us function and utility that rules the market. Cars are expensive and today they need to earn their keep in doing more than to impress the neighbors or make you feel hood about yourself.
I see Buick and Cadillac be the lines with the nose sedan leverage as they do not need volume at their price points. On the other hand Chevy lives or dies on volume.
Buick and Cadillac will both load up on the CUV models but they will remain with 2-3 car lines with some variation.
The scary truth is the coupes are dying fast. The Honda Accord coupe is going away and if sales do not get better for Ford, GM and Dodge how long will they hold out? Sales have been dropping fast.
Ford adding a mid size truck will only take away more car sales as the Fusion and Taurus are losing sales. Lincoln may be their only larger sedan left.
Right now being a sedan fan is tough and it is not going yo get much better. I trust they will work hard to keep at least a few viable but it is up to the market to respond.
My advice is if you want a sedan is to stop complaining and buy one. That is all that will save the segment. Selling more is all it will take and I think there are enough fans to make a dent.
This is the CUV effect as just about everyone who is in the market wants a crossover and General Motors should have realize this a couple of years ago when Chevrolet introduced their version of the Buick Encore, the Trax; while some thought it would cannibalize sales from the Buick Encore, it didn’t as GM is selling over 6,000 of both Chevy Trax and Buick Encore each month (one has to wonder why there isn’t a GMC or Cadillac variant of the Encore).
They each have multiple CUV models coming very soon.
why does the crap sedans from japan sell —
Because American buyers are brainwashed and stupid –if these other sedan are so great why do all of them have warranty repair shops and recalls same as all the rest
In major markers like NYC you hear constant adds from dealers on the radio for Honda, Hyundai, Nissan etc and almost never an add for chevy. Come in for a cheap lease etc. A Chevy is a rare sight. God, the only chevy dealer I know in Brooklyn is in a terrible neighborhood that people would never go to. All you see is Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Nissan.
I agree James, I live in Southern California and I see more promotion for Lexus than for all the GM brands combined. I don’t get the justification of spending hundreds of millions on new products and then insufficient promotion. Typical GM thinking.
I guess when you run a product line along time your customer goes elsewhere for something new. When your evolutionary design updates are stale your customer goes elsewhere. When your customer likes the seating in a truck and crossover better than your sedan you should consider a new seating package for sedans.
If this is correct, I can only term GM a ruderless ship! Why you spend all time and money on an autonomous feature for a vehicle you are going to discontinue makes zilch sense! Possibly as an alternative they can offer as an option in the Cruze! Mary you get plaudits but a lot of work still needs done. Glad I don’t own GM stock!
Ever heard of Fiero? GM launched it as an underdeveloped two-seater in 1984 and over the next four years addressed all its flaws. When they finally got it right, they promptly ended production.
Ever heard of Oldsmobile? GM let it whither away for years, only to embark on an ambitious plan to remake it after realizing the error of their ways. When the lineup had been fully reimagined and recreated with competitive products, GM shut down the brand.
That’s their modus operandi. They absolutely will spend billions on the high-tech CT6 platform and its Super Cruise feature and then kill it off immediately; that’s just how they roll.
Well the Fiero had a lot more going on than just this.
I have been involved with the Fiero since back to 1980 and have been an original owner for 32 years this week.
While there was under funding issues the inter division rivalry and some risk Pontiac took killed the car.
Even the 88 while improved still was not a perfect car.
The 1990 was going yo get a Quad 4 and DOHC V6 and both were troubled engines that would have been a disaster in this car.
The stories of the Corvette people being behind the killing has been confirmed. They feared if the lost sales to the cheaper Pontiac they would be canceled. The fact the Corvette was killed in the early 90’s accept for their manager ignoring GM kept it alive. This information was just released a couple years ago.
Olds was dead when they made everything a Cutlass. The last models were better but far from great.
The problem with much of what went on was GM was broke long before 2008 and they just could not afford to do much right out of the box. They had too many models and brands for the cost of development. This left us with half a$$ look alike cars that took years to get right.
Today we have less divisions and they are working yo try to keep them from completing and more complementing. The less models and divisions gives them more money to do it right. But we are still in a span of transition from old GM to New GM. They are on the right path but ever changing markets are making it difficult for everyone today.
Toyota and Honda just dropped new sedans in hope of stablizing sales but I expect noth to still decline in the near future and their CUV sales to continue to increase.
The CUV is a global move as it dogs neatly anywhere.
By 2020 GM will be a shell. Morgan Stanley says to spin off Cadillac; already Europe, Russia, India are gone which may be great on terms of capital yet VW and Toyota soldier on globally while competing in the shakey sedan space.
GM is acting FCA: Killing new product like Volt due to competitive anxiety.
GM must produce a compelling and well rounded line up. If anything, kill Malibu and sell Impala as a supersized Accord rival.
CT6 it’s an excellent product that has been ignored by shoppers. Lincoln may yet bestthe Wreath and Crest if Lucid Air becomes a premium Lincoln offering. Such an acquisition should have been at the top of Barra’s list as Caddy one again struggles to reinvent itself after billions of wasted investment less productive than money spent on Opel.
By 2020 GM will be be headed backward as a company lacking fuel efficient solutions, the sort that were developed by Opel and sold yet poorly promoted in the US.
This news coming from Dennis Williams who has diarrhea of the mouth, nothing but a wind bag. The CT6 rumor mill had it cancelled then on again and then built. Having said that, producing the Impala at two assembly plants? Why? The XTS will eventually go away and that dose not bode well for Oshawa.
Drop Impala? I would hate to see an iconic name disappear. Ford dropped Taurus then brought it back. When I think Ford, I think Taurus, When I think Chevy, I think Impala.
Okay, my 2 cents idea.
Malibu-4door, Chevelle-2door. RWD/AWD. Turbo4, V6, maybe a V8. Most of the parts could be shared between the 2 and 4 door cars. I could never see the advantage of FWD over RWD except in the winter, and AWD takes care of that. A V8? Why not, just because some of us would still buy one (SS anyone?). Make them a decent size, about the size of the old Chevelles, with a decent sized trunk. There are many styling cues from the past that could be used while still looking new, it doesn’t have to be “never been done before” or “everyone else is doing this” styling. Make a decent base model (with the bigger engine) that can be optioned up, I don’t need built in WIFI or a touch screen for everything. Colours! Make them colourful. Ah, we can dream.
Voltec Drivetrain is going on SUV’s and Crossover’s. Gm’s future:: Dedicated chassis/ batteries plug in drivetrain, hydrogen fuel cells. Cadillac future :: PHEV’s crossover’s/model’s and Dedicated chassis with batteries plug in electric drivetrain’s.
Gm is not going any where. These full size sedan/midsize sedan and compact car market is getting smaller and will not stop anytime soon. SUVs and crossovers will be around for some time, and if you think other manufactures aren’t going throw these same thing your crazy.
Well the demise of GM is a little premature.
Ford and FCA are in worse shape as are a bunch of overseas companies like Mitsubishi.
Ford stock is 1/3 that of GM and dropping.
Rudderless? Hardly. The market is tough for everyone. GM is now a smaller faster missle Frigate vs a large battleship test was a sitting duck.
The Asian companies are finding sedan sales a struggle and are working to catch up in the CUV market.
First before anyone gets their pantys in a bunch lest just see what is canceled. First and see what the follow up action is.
To continue low proft model is a death sentence in today’s market. Also predicting fuel prices, the economy and future customers wants is extremely difficult at best.
I can see a realinement of Cadillac from the three models they have now to merge the CT6 and CTS into one model with a larger model over it. The CT6 and CTS see the work of two different managers or two other administrations. Both conflict a bit and are not products of those in charge now.
Let’s just step back and see what happens then debate reality.
General Motors can use the technology developed in cars like Cadillac’s CT6 and the electric-hybrid system of the Chevrolet Volt in new vehicles like a CUV that is 20-percent lighter than the competition with a hybrid variant which borrows technology from the Volt.
CT6 is a new from the ground up platform. With that in mind, can’t see the investment going to pot after one model run for the CT6. That platform if anything will spawn a few other vehicles-think CUVs-and if it is discontinued, that means not being produced here in the states but only in China and if anything being imported from there.
Killing off the CT6 is a typical GM move. As I’ve said many times, GM is not a company that lets a product stay in production just because it creates an aura for a brand. Not only will there be no CT8, now even the still promising CT6 will die. Very sad.
They kill the CT6 but add more FWD Chevrolet-based crossover that will be best characterized as fake Cadillac’s. GM is hopeless; this only reaffirms my decision years ago to abandon them in favor of the little car company from Bavaria. I did some day hope to come back but it’s unlikely that day will ever come.
Just wait until gas prices surge again. Then we’ll see how really popular those CUV’s/SUVS are. Mwahaha.
Crossovers and SUVs will still sell even went gas price goes up, that’s were the market is to day and for some time, they will have a electric drivetrain on them (PHEV ).There will be more models on these alpha and omega chassis, more crossover’s ,suv’s, on them, and Cadillac will have a flagship model too. CT6/ATS/CTS were all build before JDN was even here. CT6/CTS will most likely merge into one large sedan on these omega chassis.
The CT6 is going no where. JDN just confirmed that at least that part of the Reuters report is absolutely not true. In fact he goes on to say that more money is being invested in the CT6 going forword and its here to stay long term as its the face of Cadillac. He also says a new engine is being developed for the CT6. His words make a whole lot more sense then what Reuters was stating.
The XTS and Impala really should be no surprise though considering both have rumord on the chopping block for a few years now.
I wonder how many people buys Avalon these days. If GM is considering to kill the Impala then wouldn’t Toyota considering to kill of the Avalon as well just because Camry sells more than avalon does? FCA sells a lot of their full-sizers just because they throw a bunch of money under the hood. Hyundai is killing the Azera but not Cadenza was something strange though. Unless they plan on adding the Azera to the Genesis brand. Honda doesn’t really have a full-sizer because Accord is count as the middle child of the Full-size Mid-size class.
I feel a big debate coming soon. If the only way to keep this segment alive is to export from China, would you buy one? The hybrid CT6 is already built there.
Gee the sky is not falling like some claim.
http://www.autoblog.com/2017/07/22/cadillac-not-killing-ct6-sedan/
It appears Cadillac is going to reposition all three sedans when the bring out the ATS, CTS replacements.
Sounds like at some point the XTS, Impala and Lacrosse may be at risk.
Do may the Sonic and Spark.
The Volt will just be trplaced with s newer and better model. The rptech will move to other models over time.
From my experience observing GM, once these rumors begin, it might as well be considered a fait acompli because they are usually true. Despite the protestations from JdN, who himself is likely getting close to the proverbial chopping block, GM is not a company with any sense of nostalgia that will keep a money-losing product or brand around for long. If CT6 can’t pull its own weight, contribute to the bottom line, and sell in significant volumes, it’ll go the way of the Fiero, the Allante’, and other halo models that weren’t supporting themselves.
Given GM’s past, I trust the rumors over the guy currently running the brand as he is a dispensable as any of their products.
I wish none of that were true but sadly it seems to be.
Sorry this is not the same GM anymore.
You had better let them be judge on their own actions vs. those of the past.
JDN is not even close to a chopping block. What has he done wrong we have yet to get his first product yet due to the fact it takes 5 years for new product and he is just now going on 3-4 years at Cadillac. The present line up are not his sins.
General Motors should consider promoting Chevrolet Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser to Cadillac President, his first assignment would be to save the CT6 meaning doing something current Cadillac President refuses to even consider which is to develop a V variant of the CT6 as while people love CUV; they love auto sex.. and that’s performance as while dropping the 650 hp LT4 supercharged 6.2L V8 is no guarantee to improve sales.. a CT6 with acceleration and handling equal to the C6 Camaro iLE ZL1 will make people give the CT6 a second look.
Cadillac (Coming up):: There is going to be three sedan’s:: ATS/CTS will be combined into one sedan, CT3 sedan/CT4 coupe ,convertible(Alpha II chassis/upgraded) CT6 sedan omega chassis( not going anywhere/stays), Replacement for XTS (CT5 E2xx chassis ELWB). Crossover’s/ SUV’s :: XT5 ,XT4, XT1,XT2,XT1,XT6,XT8(mid-size, compact/subcompact, large/larger), E2xx chassis/Omega chassis/ Alpha chassis. PHEV(EVT-Voltec drivetrain) electric drivetrain/ Future:: BEV plug-in dedicated chassis. Flagship:: won’t be a four door-sedan.
CT6 is not going any where and jdn is not going anywhere. So went is gm getting ready too announce Cadillac is gone and jdn is gone ? lol. I can tell you what’s going to be gone, buick lacrosse sedan (going to china/build), impala sedan, sonic and spark. Chevrolet volt voltec divetrain, will be on other models.
Corporations are fickle and very cyclical. I wouldn’t be shocked if JDN and the CT6 are gone by next generation. Surprises happen, constantly in business. Obviously Cadillac is going to deny the CT6 going anywhere, as it’ll cause confusion and a loss of confidence in the direction of the brand and current Cadillac management. However, it’s not to say it isn’t true, this happens all the time. They’ll deny until it happens. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see the CT6 go.
Scott, your going to have all kind people now, JDN is going to go, CT6 is gone JDN is not telling these truth, Cadillac is gone. These man is telling these truth about these three sedans and these CT6, and replacement or cts/ats(combined). CT6 redesign is on these street now, spy photos.
Cars as a collective group are being driven into consolidation mode. The big issue for GM and others is how to manage this transition, knowing that the current decline may still level out at some point, and not go to zero.
Cars may need to change in size and shape, in order become more of what potential buyers want in a vehicle.
Well the sky is not falling and the CT6 is not going to die.
Cadillac is going to invest more into the CT6 and replace the ATS and CTS in the next coming gens we should see soon. They both are being repositioned to better fit the msrket and live up.
If any Cadillac dies it may be the XTS if GM shuts down the Impala and Lacrosse.
Like I stated let’s just wait to see just what GM does and what they have planned to follow up.
This is just another example of fake news we all hear about and see much too often.
FYI JDN is the scource of the Cadillac line. Autoblog has it documented there.
Would that include the LaCrosse for China?
They could continue production there and even import a limited number for here if needed but that has not been disclosed.
With Opel gone Buick is a clean slate for anything that will sell.
What GM needs most of al is someone in charge who knows how to read the market,separate and market their different vehicles,make their vehicles the desired choice in their respective class and not do stupid stuff like haveing a better standard engine in the Regal than the Lacrosse but charging more for the lacrosse. Too much overlap, not enough separation,too much money for the minor differences they do have and not enough attention to detail. They have some great technology but don’t spread it across more products.
The base engine in the the Regal just may predict the future of the Lacrosse because someone in charge has read the market.
As nice as the Lacrosse is let’s face it gen numbers are poor and profits are not good.
Just making a profit is not good enough anymore.
Same on volume 60k cars a year is not enough anymore. They have to look at the same development money going into a Lacrosse for 60k units could go to a CUV and turn 200k units at the same price and profit per unit sold.
If you are in charge you look to the money coming in to decide. Customer purchases and ATP Tell the story.
The sky is not falling as Cadillac is not killing the CT6. JDN just stated to this fake news that Cadillac is investing in changes to the CT6 and will replace the ATS and CTS with new Alpha II models.
He said they all will be repositioned in size and price.
The only models that may be at risk are the XTS, Impala and Lacrosse. Also at risk is the Sonic and a Spark to ne smaller CUV models.
The only car on that list that is gone is Sonic. Even though it is probably the best subcompact on the market, it loses money and Americans don’t want subcompacts. The best thing for GM is to get rid of it or bring the Trax/Encore to the U.S. to take the Sonic’s spot.
GM has been the most OCD of car companies. Let’s run over here and spend a pile of money to make a better German car, oh never mind. Let’s run over there and spend a pile of money to make a better Japanese car, oh never mind. Let’s spend a pile of money on a better American car, oh never mind. Just make a better Impala and stick with it. Ford makes a better Mustang and Taurus compared to the older ones. Dodge makes a better Charger and Challenger than the older ones. One of the reasons that Dodge can sell the Chargers and Challengers at a discount is that they have stuck with them long enough that the design and tooling costs should be paid for. GM? After a couple of years, just throw the whole thing out. The Camaro is a better Camaro, the Silverado is a better Silverado, without trying to be something that they are not. Maybe Cadillac buyers didn’t want a better European car, they wanted a better Cadillac. Maybe Impala buyers didn’t want a better Japanese car, they wanted a better Impala.
This is so true
Just like in Australia, GM don’t listen to the buyers, they don’t watch the trends with intelligence.
Then they act too late but it is too late and they lose more market.
GM needs someone at the top that understands how buyers think. They do not appear to have that at the moment.
They try to tell the buyers what they want them to buy, not what the buyers are asking for.
Sooner or later GM will fold. Their own arrogance is slowly killing them off.
Jasmine, You hit the nail on the head. The shear arrogance of management has been killing off GM for years. They build what they want to build whether customers want it or not. The designs are plagued by in-house, in-bred designs that are not world class. Heck, they are barely competitive in their home market. Look at Hyundai and Kia when they hired German designers. They went from last to near the top because of a consistent modern design language. And then, look at GM interiors. Sit in a Toyota and a Chevrolet, a Cadillac and a Lexus, GM interiors are cheap plastic and fake wood. Compare a Mazda and a Buick, GM is not competitive.
I understand the point coming across as they can do better, however the styling isn’t that bad. I worked at a Toyota dealer, and I have a Camaro, I even drove used GM cars and other cars at the Toyota dealer, and GM is holding their own. Toyota is a pretty good manufacturer, but I saw nothing superior that would change me from a fan of GM products to a fan of Toyota products, or even the other manufacturers you listed. That was styling, I also witnessed my share of Toyota quality issues, some wouldn’t be any different regardless of brand or manufacturer. The foreign cars even have a higher resale values for the most part, because of the market. People think they’re getting a better, more reliable vehicle, which could be the case, but not always. So they’re willing to pay more, which then gives the sales team wiggle room to give new customers better values on their trade. I’m not here to say GM is perfect, and Toyota sucks. Toyota is a pretty good manufacturer, so is GM, both aren’t perfect, and GM could use improvements still. It’s more competitive than you think. I’m not putting Toyota or others on a pedestal. Since this article, I’ve seen where the Cadillac brand President stated that the CT6 is going nowhere. That may be the case for at least half the models listed. I could definitely see the Sonic,and or Spark, and XTS disappearing, they kind of don’t need those. Although the revised XTS looks pretty good, it’s probably not enough for sales because of the better CT6. It’s summer 2017, there’s 3 years for these models to stay or vanish, and the union president is probably just speculating based on market trends and sales at this point. The only car with the most question is the Impala, because even GM CEO Mary Barra has repeatedly questioned its modern day importance in the past.
FIX THE DAMN AMAZON GIFT CARD POPUP. OMFG I DONT WANT ONE.
GM still has to many “brands”, product overlap, and lousy dealers. Extend the 3 year / 36k warranties to at least 4/50k or better. EPA is to blame for disappearing V8’s. Currently looking to purchase a new Impala. Best styling in years. Drop the Malibu.
Okay, here’s a wild idea. Take a Camero platform and swap the sheet metal / interior/ etc for a limited production modern style Olds 442 / GTO / GSX / SS / Chevelle / etc. Do a different model every couple of years or licenses out the production to an aftermarket shop.
I know this dropping vehicles is just rumors and nothing has been confirmed. But never the less I would hate to see any of them go. I there is a market for all of them even tho it is shrinking. Gm need to find a way to design platforms that accommodate sedans and SUV’s. That way they could spread the cost and adjust the mix as the need changes.As far as the volt and volt technology goes it needs to grow across many more line and continue to improve. Don’t see why there can’t be front wheel drive performance vehicles also.With todays technology and with light weight material for body and drivetrains handling can almost match some rear wheel vehicles. I don’t mean the heavy hitters like the ZL1’s and so forth. But I do believe front wheel drive performance could satisfy many performance enthusiast.
GM’s number one problem is vehicle designers for both interior and exterior of their cars and trucks. I challenge anybody here to name one (1) GM product that is widely considered as the benchmark in its respective class for attractiveness, the answer is zero (which is sad and depressing considering the size of the company). The performance is there because of the engineers’ work, which is usually top-notch, but the designers always drop the ball. Only the current generation Impala exterior in LTZ trim (although the front wheel drive architecture is a shame considering the vehicle’s legacy) is somewhat attractive, or maybe current generation CTS. Both of them are compromised in other ways for many buyers, and definitely not their respective classes bench mark. It really pains me to write this, but GM vehicle designers over the last 40 years have destroyed its brands’ equity. I consider GM powertrain and chassis engineers to be among the best if not the best in the world, but the designers have consistently negated all their hard-work by saddling the vehicles with ugly, unimaginative, juvenile designs and in some cases just idiotic design choices. GM needs to fire every designer currently working for them and bring in new talents. I hope Mr. Welburn took his design staff with him when he retired because their sub-par work have really cost GM in vehicle desirability, quality perception, and brand equity.
You are so right Blaze83. GM has no world class designers. Heck, They are so bad, GM has had to retreat from every major market in the world, except the China joint ventures, and those are subject to the whims of leaders of the PRC. GM is continuing to lose market share monthly even in their home market! Cadillac fell to 7th place in luxury brands in June. The interiors are cheap Chevrolet with more fake wood. Luxury buyers are too smart to fall for half baked vehicles, they want quality!
While we can’t argue with the free market, it is troubling news that GM is considering discontinuing the CHEVROLET IMPALA and CADILLAC CT6. To me these are as close as you can get in GM’s line to traditional American sedans as you can get. FORD is vague as to the future of the TAURUS so the IMPALA would be one of my alternative choices when the time eventually comes to replace my current car(’04 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS). I love the new LINCOLN CONTINENTAL but I really don’t want to go into a lot of debt to buy one right now. The CADILLAC CT6 is very nice but I really question GM for having a 4 cylinder as standard equipment. I don’t care how much power they produce, they still have that buzzy noise even though they have gotten better now. At least with the IMPALA and CT6, you can have a V6 as an option.
Given this obsession with change that GM and FORD seem to have, I may very well look to CHRYSLER or TOYOTA at some point. I drove a DODGE CHARGER and TOYOTA AVALON as rentals a few years back and really liked them. At least they still have a V6 as standard equipment.
GM’s mess is due to there lack of a full Sized sedan and they continually try to push off mid sized as full size. They have forced every one into pickups and SUV’s f over to the dodge dealer for a semi mid-sized 300 or charger, albeit AWD as well.
Sad deal….
Great, I was totally looking forward to a next gen Sonic, and now the Fiesta is gone, too. Wonderful, I’ll have to settle for a small, very oddly proportioned, no larger on the inside than a compact hatchback, ridiculous skate on wheels called a CUV.