General Motors’ C1 platform, pronounced “Chi” and referred to as C1XX, made its debut in 2017 with the first-generation Cadillac XT5 and second-generation GMC Acadia. Since then, the architecture has proliferated across every GM brand. So much so, that by the first quarter of 2020, it will underpin a whopping eight GM vehicles across the two largest auto markets. Here’s a closer look at where the GM C1 platform is, where it’s going, and why it’s such an impressive exercise in automotive scale at just the right time.
First-generation Cadillac XT5 (C1 regular wheelbase, regular track)
The Versions
The GM C1 platform is available in four related, yet sufficiently distinct versions. First, there’s the regular-wheelbase version that debuted on the 2017 Cadillac XT5 and second-gen 2017 GMC Acadia. The second version is the big huge long-wheelbase variant that introduced the second-gen 2018 Chevrolet Traverse and 2018 Buick Enclave. And now, a third variant has made its way to market.
Second-generation GMC Acadia (C1 regular wheelbase, regular track)
This third variant is unique, as it’s related to the regular wheelbase version that underpins the XT5 and Acadia, but is modified to feature a wider track. This change resulted in several subsequent changes to the platform (stay tuned for that in an upcoming piece here on GM Authority). This particular flavor of the GM C1 platform, coupled with a short rear overhang, underpins the likes of the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
The fourth variant features the same wheelbase and wide track as the third one, but has a longer rear overhang to accommodate a third row. This one underpins the 2020 Cadillac XT6, and two other future GM models – the upcoming three-row Blazer, which we expect will be called Blazer XL, and the “baby” Buick Enclave.”
| Vehicle | Model Code | Platform Variant | Production Facility 1 | Production Facility 2 | Intro Model Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac XT5 | C1UL | V1 – regular wheelbase, narrow track | Spring Hill, TN, USA | Jinqiao Cadillac, Shanghai, China | 2017 |
| GMC Acadia | C1UG | V1 – regular wheelbase, narrow track | Spring Hill, TN, USA | - | 2017 |
| Chevrolet Traverse | C1YC | V2 – long wheelbase, wide track | Delta Township, Michigan, USA | - | 2018 |
| Buick Enclave | C1YB | V2 – long wheelbase, wide track | Delta Township, Michigan, USA | - | 2018 |
| Chevrolet Blazer (2-row) | C1UC | V3 – regular wheelbase, wide track, short rear end | Ramos Arizpe, Mexico | - | 2019 |
| Cadillac XT6 | C1TL | V4 – regular wheelbase, wide track, long rear end | Spring Hill, TN, USA | Jinqiao Cadillac, Shanghai, China | 2020 |
| “Baby” Buick Enclave | C1UB | V4 – regular wheelbase, wide track, long rear end | - | Jinqiao Cadillac, Shanghai, China | 2021 |
| Chevrolet Blazer XL (3-row) | C1UC-S | V4 – regular wheelbase, wide track, long rear end | - | Jinqiao Cadillac, Shanghai, China | 2021 |
The Vehicles
The GM C1 platform is a unique piece of kit, but not so much when it comes to engineering or technical prowess. From that standpoint, it’s a transverse-engined crossover architecture that isn’t all that special or unique. But it’s special because it is almost unmatched from a business standpoint, particularly when it comes to scale. At peak rollout, C1 will underpin an entire eight models that are medium- or high-margin products assembled at four GM plants around the world.
Second-generation Chevrolet Traverse (C1 long wheelbase)
The only architecture that beats C1 in terms of scale economies internally at GM is the GM K2 body-on-frame platform that underpins all GM full-size truck-based models, including the Silverado 1500 and Silverado HD, Sierra 1500 and Sierra HD, Tahoe and Suburban, Yukon and Yukon XL, plus the Escalade and Escalade ESV. K2 will be succeeded by T1, a transition that will complete by the end of the 2020 calendar year. GM vehicles on the K2 and T1 platforms are the only vehicles to carry an even higher margin than those on the C1 architecture.
Second-generation Buick Enclave (C1 long wheelbase)
The only other GM vehicle platform that comes remotely close to the scale of the C1 platform is the GM D2 architecture, which at one point underpinned seven models, including the Chevrolet Cruze, Volt, Equinox, and Orlando, Buick Envision and Verano, plus the GMC Terrain. But unlike C1, vehicles based on D2 carry a significantly slimmer margin, hence the reason for their recent discontinuation (the Cruze and Volt have been discontinued in North America, but the Cruze lives on in China or South America).
But make no mistake: like vehicles based on D2, each C1-based GM model is well-differentiated, serving as a textbook example of automotive platform sharing done right, as opposed to the universally-hated practice of badge engineering for which GM was infamous in the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.
First-generation Cadillac XT6 (C1 regular wheelbase, wide track)
More importantly, C1 models are at the heart of GM’s crossover utility vehicle (CUV) portfolio, a market segment that’s growing by leaps and bounds at the expense of sedans as a result of shifts in consumer buying patterns in the automotive space.
The Volume
During the 2018 calendar year, GM delivered 345,394 units of vehicles based on its C1 platform in the United States, a decrease of 2 percent over 2017 levels.
GM C1 Platform Vehicle Deliveries - Calendar Year 2018 - USA
| MODEL | Q4 18 / Q4 17 | Q4 18 | Q4 17 | Q4 18 SHARE | Q4 17 SHARE | YTD 18 / YTD 17 | YTD 18 | YTD 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEVROLET TRAVERSE | +14.13% | 39,536 | 34,642 | 43% | 35% | +18.65% | 146,534 | 123,506 |
| GMC ACADIA | -11.83% | 25,128 | 28,498 | 27% | 29% | -20.68% | 88,621 | 111,726 |
| BUICK ENCLAVE | -15.93% | 14,420 | 17,153 | 16% | 17% | +2.23% | 49,647 | 48,564 |
| CADILLAC XT5 | -26.47% | 13,582 | 18,472 | 15% | 19% | -11.34% | 60,565 | 68,312 |
| CHEVROLET BLAZER | * | 27 | * | 0% | 0% | * | 27 | 0 |
| CADILLAC XT6 | * | 0 | * | 0% | 0% | * | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | -6.15% | 92,693 | 98,765 | -1.91% | 345,394 | 352,108 |
And in the first six months of 2019, C1-based vehicles saw 200,999 deliveries, an increase of 13 percent. That rate should easily exceed the 400,000 unit mark for the calendar year, since the two newest C1-based products – the Chevrolet Blazer and Cadillac XT6 – will hit their stride in terms of production and retail availability during the second half of the year (the Blazer should reach full launch capacity in Q3, while the XT6 should complete its launch in the November-December timeframe).
GM C1 Platform Vehicle Deliveries - First Half 2019 - USA
| MODEL | Q2 19 / Q2 18 | Q2 19 | Q2 18 | Q2 19 SHARE | Q2 18 SHARE | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEVROLET TRAVERSE | +6.30% | 38,152 | 35,892 | 36% | 42% | -2.31% | 72,375 | 74,090 |
| GMC ACADIA | +41.34% | 28,420 | 20,108 | 27% | 23% | +19.22% | 59,620 | 50,008 |
| BUICK ENCLAVE | +20.78% | 15,159 | 12,551 | 14% | 15% | +23.72% | 27,739 | 22,420 |
| CADILLAC XT5 | -23.04% | 13,118 | 17,045 | 12% | 20% | -17.23% | 26,396 | 31,890 |
| CHEVROLET BLAZER | * | 11,772 | * | 11% | 0% | * | 14,795 | 0 |
| CADILLAC XT6 | * | 74 | * | 0% | 0% | * | 74 | 0 |
| TOTAL | +24.65% | 106,695 | 85,596 | +12.66% | 200,999 | 178,408 |
But all that’s just the beginning. Up until this point, The General has only sold C1-based vehicles in North America. That is, with the exception of the Cadillac XT5, GM has not C1 models in the world’s largest market – China. That is about to change in a big way, as General Motors just launched the second C1-based model in China with the new Cadillac XT6. Over the next six to nine months, the XT6 will be joined by two other aforementioned C1-based vehicles – the three-row Chevrolet Blazer / Blazer XL and the “baby” Buick Enclave.
Chevrolet FNR-CarryAll Concept foreshadows three-row Blazer XL (C1 regular wheelbase, wide track)
Like the Cadillac XT6, the Blazer XL and baby Enclave will both be produced locally in China for the Chinese market – a huge competitive advantage that allows GM and its SAIC joint venture/partner to avoid China’s sky-high tariffs on imported vehicles. That ultimately enables GM to sell the vehicles at affordable prices, thereby driving consideration and sales volume. In other words, the volume of GM C1 vehicles should skyrocket over the next year as models for China – the XT6, Blazer XL and baby Enclave – launch in the world’s largest automotive market.
Upcoming “baby” Buick Enclave (C1 regular wheelbase, wide track)
GM sales volume, revenue and profit should spike as a result of these healthy-margin vehicles, giving the Detroit-based automaker the financial freedom to continue investing in its core automotive business, bringing to life passion-fueled projects like the mid-engine Corvette, while continuing to fund expensive long-term mobility endeavors like electric cars and the Cruise robo-taxi service. Let’s just hope that The General can spread some of that financial gain to make a next-gen Camaro.
We’ll have many more juicy reports on GM’s C1 platform in the near future, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more C1 platform news, GM platform news, Chevrolet news, Buick news, GMC news, Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
This platform is keeping the lights on at GM.
This and the 1500’s
And the Colorado/Canyon
And the Equinox and Terrain.
Very good, Alex. This is what I expect from GM Authority: well written, well researched content. Please continue to bring this level to your international readership.
One suggestion for this piece would be to offer a few words on the development of C1. For example, what parts were repurposed from Lambda or Epsilon? What parts from C1 are also used on other platforms?
Thank you.
Thanks Tomko 🙂
We strive to cover all things GM here at GM Authority, which sometimes involves long-form reports like this one, and at other times involves short-form pieces.
We’ll have more juicy stuff on the C1 in the near future, stay tuned and thanks for reading!
– Alex
Basically the A-body did in the 80s and W-body did in the 90’s-00’s
We are pleased with ours as it is a very stiff platform with great handling and mpg.
This GM platform is GREAT !!
In my opinion it is by far the BEST AVERAGE PLATFORM ever produced !!!
The GM vehicles with this platform do absolutely everything the average human needs to do, and it does it GREAT !!
But that is it !!!
It is an AVERAGE, EVERY PERSONS platform, period !!!
So you tell me how GM expects vehicles like the Cadillac lineup, to be a ” step UP ” with an AVERAGE GM BLAH platform ?
Just look at your image, eight GM vehicles, THE SAME !!!! just different badges !!!
Are the Cadillacs in the image better ? NOT IN PERFORMANCE !!!, and the rest of the vehicle is up to the individuals opinion.
So is this article an admittance of, the Cadillac is just another Chevy with a different badge ?
Like VW does with Audi, and Porche and Bentley.
CUVs simply don’t need super premium platforms are they aren’t built for fun like sedans.
Global Epsilon is a great platform, but too. Detroit is finally competitive globally may this be GM or FCA USCW platform.
The Q7 chassis seems to be under nearly every crossover at VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, etc.
VW Group is a horrible example.
The difference between VW Group and GM in this case, is that the VW Group MLB platform that underpins those models was engineered from the ground up to underpin Lamborghini and Bentley.
In fact, the Volkswagen products that are underpinned by the MLB are no longer being sold here. Why? they were priced in the luxury car range. All VWs sold here are underpinned by the MQB platform.
If VW group was doing what GM is doing, the Bentley Bentayga/Lamborghini Urus/Porsche Cayenne would be FWD/AWD with the VR6 as the top engine.
If GM does what VW group is doing, (I hope they do this with the VSS & BEV3 programs) Cadillac would be RWD/AWD, Chevy would mainly be FWD/AWD, and Buick/GMC would be a mix.
Is it really a Chevy? I don’t think so. Like the other 3, Chevy isn’t real either. It’s not like any of them are real companies or motor divisions any longer. It’s all just ‘GM’. Or New GM. Or technically I suppose they’re all really GMC (General Motors Company) with Chevy,Cadillac and Buick trims for marketing purposes.
I’m not saying this negatively. I just never understood the ‘It’s a rebadged Chevy’ thing when Chevy itself is just a badge now too.
With one exception: GMC does not stand for General Motors Company, or General Motors Corporation.
The days of “real Chevy” are over with exception to Corvette. They are all GM vehicles. The customer doesn’t care anymore, the industry knows it and the cost of engineering separate vehicles doesn’t make sense on any level. They are all differentiated enough today versus the 80’s when they had different grills and tail lamps.
Most customers don’t know (or care) what an MQB platform is, or that their Audi is a VW by another name. Does it look good? How does it drive? Quality? Lease price? What’s it going to look like when my lease is up?
I have to say that GM influence on or markets across all brands came from a big law suit around the 1980 time frame. I do not have the particulars but in 1977 when GM came out with a new smaller chassis for the full size cars, (Impala, etc) is when GM really started a more global sourcing of manufactured parts for economy of scale.
The problem started and I think it was with the Oldsmobile engines. Before then each division had their own engine variants and was marketed as an Oldsmobile engine. It was the same for all GM divisions with each having nearly identical engines with slightly different modifications, if any. After complaints and lawyers got involved is when GM changed the language that engines are made by GM. Now 40 years later the same language continues being used and it is called a GM platform, not Chevrolet, etc. It may seem it makes all vehicles to be the same but as this article stated here are a few variants to make a particular model different from all the rest.
So correct, lets take Audi then, as Steve and member12 have done !!
Sure the Q7 is VW and most people who want to, know this, do !!
The Q7 has an offering of TQ 325 @ 4100 and a 5.7 sec 0-60
The Cadillac XT6 has only one offering, GM average C1 with ONLY TQ 271@5000 and you watch the gas go at 5000 !!
Now I did not look up the weight of the vehicles or anything but the Q7 will do 0-60 in 5.7 at a lower RPM using less gas !
if you are driving the Q7 on a trip, with 7 people, you will notice the, ABOVE AVERAGE, advantage !!
If you GM guys want to stop me at any point to prove me wrong, go ahead !!!!
Look at the Q5 TQ 369 @ 3100, I said 3100, with a 0-60 of 5.1 sec !!!!
So sure MOST luxury vehicles on the road today share.
Platforms, switches, whatever, BUT GM is THE SAME, THE SAME, THE SAME, AVERAGE GM 3.6 – V6 BLAH !!!!
But today and nowhere in the future, that we know, is a Cadillac mid sized vehicle ( which we ALL AGREE most people want, mid sized SUV ) offer ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE to the AUDI offering, and for sure EQUAL $$$$$!!!!!!
So I’m still not following the EVERYONE SHARES PLATFORMS for luxury vehicles !!! And I AGREE everyone DOE’S !!
WITH MORE !!!!!
And I also AGREE with Matt,
ITS GM period !!
WHY is GM even wasting the money on the extra badges ? The only demographic that cares ore the boomers who want their Old Buicks back, their old Pontiacs back, their old Oldsmobiles back, and their old Cadillacs back, NO ONE ELSE EVEN CARES ANYMORE !!!
The AVERAGE buyer today, buys what they like to look at and drive, as long as it serves their needs.
They could CARE LESS what its called or WHO MAKES IT !!!
But one thing we know FOR SURE is !!!!!
IF the buyer is looking for a midsized vehicle, ABOVE AVERAGE, they CAN NOT BUY A GM VEHICLE !!!!
WHY, do you ask !!!!!!
Because GM DOES NOT MAKE A MID SIZED VEHICLE that is not the AVERAGE GM 3.6 – V6 BLAH !!!
NOT ONE !!!!
WITH ANY BADGE !!!!
I agree. The 3.6 LGX would be nice 10 years ago but not now. Take for example BMW X7 40i. It has a turbo 3.0L and the car does 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds. The fastest SUV GM makes it Escalade i believe, which is 6.1 seconds to 60. X7 is about the same in size but faster with half of the engine.
And like all BMW SUVs it will have half the life-span of a GM SUV, come back if you can find a X7 (or Xwhatever) with 3-400,000 mi+
And the current 10A/6.2 GM SUVs hit 60 from 5.6-6.0 seconds, next gens will be faster.
What’s the downvotes?, this BimmerAuthority?. Lol, most BMW trouble lights on the dash come on by 80k miles..
Lifelong – despite everything you write, the XT6 will outsell the Q7 once it’s fully launched (roughly by the end of the year). So I have to ask – does any of it really matter?
NO, NO it doesn’t matter to GM, because all GM wants is the money, money, money, money !!
So if you are finally admitting that Cadillac is just the higher priced Chevrolet, it DOES NOT MATTER !!
But if for some reason YOU and GM are STILL TRYING to make Cadillac SEEM like a better more luxurious, ” step UP” from any other C1 GM 3.6 – V6 average blah, then it DOES MATTER.
BECAUSE IT IS NOT !!!!!!!
The Cadillac SUV lineup is just a higher priced GM average vehicle, and nothing else !!
And outsell in the US, or China ?
And even if you are correct, and it does outsell all the other vehicles in the WORLD !!
Good for you, and good for GM, but it is still just another AVERAGE GM 3.6 – V6 blah C1 platform, sold for more money !!!
What’s this deal with anyone “finally admitting” whatever? I’m just a journalist who is delivering this information to you. I have no agenda. On the other hand, it is you who has an obvious agenda. What is your agenda anyway? Is your purpose to belittle GM whenever you can? Seems like you’re a disgruntled employee who got fired for incompetence and are flaming and trolling any chance you get.
“Money, money, and money?” Bingo! Profit making is the ultimate purpose of a for-profit corporation. Were you somehow unclear on that before?
Make no mistake about it – the XT6 drives differently than the Blazer, and than the upcoming three-row Blazer, has different NVH characteristics, has different infotainment controls, materials, cockpit design, etc.
But let me play your game: HAVE YOU DRIVEN ANY OF THE VEHICLES IN QUESTION?
Your response should include a list that says whether you have driven or even been in the vicinity of the following vehicles:
– Cadillac XT5
– GMC Acadia
– Chevrolet Traverse
– Buick Enclave
– Chevrolet Blazer
– Cadillac XT6
– Chevrolet Blazer XL
– mini Buick Enclave
A simple yes/no should suffice. Let’s start with that, and see where we end up.
And do keep in mind that the best-selling luxury utility vehicle in North America follows the formula used by the Cadillac XT5 and XT6.
Finally. Your comments don’t bring anything new to the table, nor do they add anything of value. Keep flaming and trolling, and see how quickly you end up on the comment blacklist.
THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND FINAL WARNING.
Did I make myself clear, or DO I NEED TO WRITE THIS IN CAPS for you?
Cadillac XT5 – yes
GMC Acadia – yes
Chevrolet Traverse – yes
Buick Enclave – yes
Chevrolet Blazer – yes I drove our 1972 in the 80’s
Cadillac XT6 – not yet
Chevrolet blazer XL – not yet
Never heard of a mini Buick Enclave – so nope
What is the best selling ” luxury ” utility vehicle in the US anyway ?
Thanks for the first and final blacklist warning, a practice GM is very good at !!!!
Never been fired from any job by anyone !
And I am a capitalist so I am well aware of money making and profit.
Good day sir, keep up the good work.
So you have yet to experience half of the vehicles on this architecture, and yet you’re attempting to argue that there’s something wrong with it. Do you not see the problem with that situation, at its core?
“What is the best selling ” luxury ” utility vehicle in the US anyway?”
The best-selling luxury crossover is the Lexus RX… it is and has been this way for almost two decades now, and by a significant margin:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/01/cadillac-xt5-sales-numbers-figures-results-q4-2018/
And in that regard, the RX has NONE of the unique features in powertrain, platformization, or other “content” you refer to. It’s very much analogous to the relationship between the Acadia and XT5, only its basis is the Highlander.
The fact that you had to ask that question denotes a major problem! How do you plan on carrying an educated and informed business- and product-level discussion without having all the facts? So all you do is compare specs and attempt to point out flaws in GM’s strategy, without really having a real understanding of the various market segments involved in this conversation, the purchase consideration factors, or – ultimately – the benchmark products in this category. Doesn’t sound like a good starting point for any conversation, especially one where you’re on the offensive and are trying to prove something.
I specifically provided links to the baby Enclave in the article. Here you go:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/05/5-ways-that-buick-enclave-and-chevrolet-blazer-xl-are-closely-related/
As for the blacklisting warning, it’s really quite simple: you latch on to a thread and begin to complain and complain and complain. But the problem is, your complaints are unfounded – as I just pointed above. So what happens is long-time GM Authority members explain this to you, but you continue pushing in a very flamboyant tone that borders on trolling. It’s like being the guy who goes to a town hall meeting and starts screaming every time a new topic is raised he doesn’t agree with, even though there are better ways to handle it… so you ultimately get shown the door.
Ultimately, this chain of events erodes the community GM Authority has so carefully built, and leads to nothing but dissatisfaction of said community. You’re welcome to discuss and share your opinion… but do eliminate the flame-throwing
Also, not sure what you mean by the following statement…
“Thanks for the first and final blacklist warning, a practice GM is very good at !!!”
GM Authority has only blacklisted a handful of actual people (as opposed to bots) over the years… and it was for major trolling that eroded the community. So in what way has GM Authority become “very good” at this practice?
I will be better, sincerely.
So to your first point,
“So you have yet to experience half of the vehicles on this architecture, and yet you’re attempting to argue that there’s something wrong with it.”
I said this platform is great, above, in the comments.
But it is my opinion it is not good enough for cadillac.
I again can not speak fact here but have the rest of the commenters even experienced that much?
Your second point,
Just wanted someone else to say what the largest selling luxury vehicle in the us was.
And you know my opinion why, customer experience.
Thirdly,
I have gotten out of hand on this topic, and agree that I don’t want to make this site a sh1t show like some others, so again I will be better.
As far as an agenda,
I have no agenda, and for the most part I comment on the cadillac topics, as I have personal experience with them ( not new ones yet, I agree ) yet recent ones.
And I strongly feel that gm should at the least tune the gm engines in cadillac a step up.
I just feel cadillac should be better, and think they are getting there.
And the only other thing I comment on is the, in my opinion,
False information on reliability and customer satisfaction.
You see, just as I like to point out, personally I have had troubles with, gm reliability, and customer service, others here have had troubles with reliability, yet praise the manufacturer.
So maybe its just the expectation of the customer,
I think when I buy a new gm vehicle, and the transmission fails, it failed.
No matter how it was fixed, gm would never get a 5 star on satisfaction.
Yet others here put down the competition for having poor reliability and recalls, and them, themselves have had the exact experience with their own gm vehicle.
But I guess that’s still opinion, so I am done with anything built on provable facts, not another word from me there.
I also don’t get the all caps deal.
Most of the engineers I worked with in the 90s and 2000s wrote solely in block print.
All capital letters, and I never once accused any of them of screaming or yelling !!
And without bold print or underlining how does one bring emphasis to a word or group of words ?
In reports today, you can use colors, underlines, bold print, different font, but here its only lowercase, black and white print ?
That’s the problem: some mainframes of the 90s only supported capital letters, but don’t live in that day and age any more. Today, using caps on the web is the equivalent of yelling. It’s a universal etiquette.
GM Authority restricts comment formatting for a specific reason – and that is so that we maintain a consistent user experience across the board. There is typically no reason for comment formatting, as it’s just text. Now, there are web destinations where it’s a free-for-all and people embed GIFs and colors and whatever else, turning the entire thing into a circus. We’re not about that.
Please change your name to “lifelong gm complainer.”
I do have to say, it was nice to get that far in the comments before the usual hate and negativity reared up somewhere.
Take your above average self on down the road an snoot it up with euro-phonies.
Bob the worker,
This is exactly what all the previous and potential US Cadillac buyers did.
They took there money and bought just that, anything and everything BETTER than the average GM blah Cadillac !!
WHY do you think GM is trying to bring Cadillac BACK.
Back from what ?
Back from the AVERAGE GM BLAH Cadillac !!
And just remember Bob the worker, Cadillac would be broke already if it wasn’t for China, and the China worker, because GM sells one h3ll of a lot more, average GM blah Cadillacs in China then in the US !!!
“And just remember Bob the worker, Cadillac would be broke already if it wasn’t for China, and the China worker, because GM sells one h3ll of a lot more, average GM blah Cadillacs in China then in the US !!!”
WRONG. Oh how woefully wrong. This is a myth that continues to get repeated as an accepted fact, despite it having no merit whatsoever.
Cadillac in China delivers slightly higher sales volumes than in the U.S. – that’s accurate… but very little when it comes to actual profit. There are various reasons for this that I can get into but don’t have time to right now, but those are the facts.
Here are some more facts: 75% of Cadillac’s 2018 calendar year global profit came from North America (you can pretty much replace that with the United States of America, since the U.S. makes up 97% of Cadillac’s North American sales volume). Meanwhile, China contributed the remaining 20 percent. The rest came from the other markets.
A falsis principiis proficisci. Go ahead and rethink your entire stance on the matter.
Alex,
I’m curious as to where the mass of the North American Cadillac parts come from allowing GM to make the largest profit here ?
I also am aware that the China government owns a large share of all companies in China, and that keeps a lid on the profit exiting China, through sales in the country of China itself.
Anyway one last question then, if you can answer,
If GM , and Cadillac did not have one operation in China, not one part imported, not one part exported, would GM or Cadillac exist today ?
Could GM operate without the influence of China ?
So now you want to get into parts content, but the point is that the overwhelming majority of the profit is derived from Cadillac USA on Cadillac vehicles built in the USA. The parts question is not even secondary, it’s tertiary, as Cadillac isn’t unique in its parts sourcing practices or country of origin, especially with the new NAFTA/USMCA deal.
So the bigger point is not where the parts come from, but rather that the U.S. market environment allows for the aforementioned profit generation thanks to a combination of the following factors: sales volume, margin per unit, and product type (there is no Escalade in China).
“If GM , and Cadillac did not have one operation in China, not one part imported, not one part exported, would GM or Cadillac exist today ?”
I’m not sure I follow the question, but I will answer this way: if China were not in the picture, then GM and Cadillac would continue being a viable business entity in North America.
GM in China and North America are pretty much separate companies that feed into a single parent and share some costs and resources (especially when it comes to sourcing and vehicle development). But the truly expensive stuff – assembly and stamping are duplicate on both continents.
So, Cadillac North America can just as easily operate independently if Cadillac China were to somehow disappear tomorrow. In fact, that’s exactly what was taking place pre-2010, when Cadillac China sales were a drop in the bucket compared to Cadillac North America sales. There was a time, around 2010, when Cadillac was luckily to sell 1000 cars a year in China… yet somehow Cadillac North America was highly profitable.
You don’t know the half of it. LOL!
Don’t think so, huh !
Again you know nothing about me !
I know crazy when I see it.
You have never seen me either ! SO….
So again scott3 has ABSOUTLY NOTHING to add, yet…….
One more personal attack !!
And I thought you were NOT going to respond !!
Didn’t you say that ?
No wonder GM/Cadillac can’t follow a straight line, if they are taking ANY advice or opinion from people like you !!
If I said I was going to do something, you know what I would do ? What I said I was going to do !!!
That is EXACTLY the trouble with Cadillac, they are just like you in this regard !!!
Cadillac says they are going to do this, WAIT we are not doing that , we are doing this, Wait we are not doing that either, WHAT, WHAT were we doing again ?
I can’t look at the front of the 2020 GMC Acadia, but I appreciate the good dynamics of the C1XX.
This is exactly my point Dale.
I like the front of the 2020 Acadia better than the current one.
So I like it and you don’t, so buy another GM you like the looks of.
BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL THE SAME GM AVERAGE BLAH !!!!
Please just stop. Your “screaming” is giving me a headache.
chevyguy20,
No ” SCREAMING “hear.
That is your interpretation of what I wright.
Others just see it as ” COMPLAINING “.
But in reality, I am a person just like you, stating ” MY OPINION ” on the internet !!!!!!
No troubles here.
That is it Dale if you do not care for the GMC there are a number of other models on the same platform with different styling and varying levels of trim.
That is hoe GM had a Equinox and Terrain that were polar opposites and combined captured more sales.
When a segment like this where you sell models in six figure volumes you can do this. But in the case of the Camaro where coupes no longer sell in Six Figure Volumes it is thought to do more than one model. Too often they have trouble earning back the investment.
I don’t see anything wrong with it as long as they look different and have their own personalities
I think there’s room in North America for the 3 row Blazer Carryall to slot between the Blazer and Traverse.
Maybe that’s what the Buick Envoy will be.
member 12: there isn’t really that much room between the Blazer and Traverse. The three-row Blazer would be priced like the Traverse, while cannibalizing a significant portion of the Traverse’s sales volume, thereby sapping it of the scale needed to turn a profit. The reason for the existence of the three-row Blazer is China, where the Traverse is simply way too big.
The Buick Envoy will end up being called Enclave in China. Initial plans included calling the model “Envoy”, from what we know, but those plans changed a few months ago.
The baby Enclave could be introduced in North America, since Buick doesn’t currently have a midsize crossover (like the Blazer)… but it still might take away much of the volume from the full-size Enclave.
I agree! But there’s still room for improvement in regards to better distinction and exclusivity among each brand. There’s still too much overlap in terms of features, engineering and capabilities! Yes the C1 platform is good at its intended purpose, but GM needs to take it a step further, especially with the Cadillac iterations!
VW does this well with their MLB-based SUV/CUV models shared across the Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini brands! Each vehicle has distinct engineering tailored to the badge! The Lamborghini Urus drives like a Lamborghini SUV! And has the power plant worthy of a Lamborghini SUV! Everything it does share is designed with high-end vehicles in mind!
Agreed, there is a lot of room for greater differentiation… but that differentiation won’t take place for this generation. Instead, they have something better in the works that will allow for so much differentiation, that the drive wheels will be different.
Stay tuned 🙂
I like the sentiment in your first paragraph. Maybe the Caddies should get an E-awd and acclimate crossover customer to electrification?
But, these things are really just palatable modern minivans. The MLB architecture is the engineering. The specific brand models are just like menu options for toppings on a sub.
I wish VW customers would tire of getting smoke blown up their butts. Those high-ends vehicles are like rewarding yourself with a doggy treat for being epigenetically neutered.
That Volvo XC90 er a I mean Cadillac XT6 looks nice in that color.
Volvo copied Cadillac.
The Swiss Army Knife of platforms
Just a point of clarification, the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave are built at GM Delta Township plant. Not Lansing Township.
Still they cant fix a 3.6L replacing 2.5L Hybrid in … or even a ported Voltec to replace a 3.6L. Again i dont think this is a big achievement as almost all companies as doing same or similar (example TGNA of toyota, M something of Volkswagen etc )
Its just for cost cutting..
Hi
What the third letter’s meaning in the achetecture? C1UL, what “U” stands for?
Thanks
Is anyone here in a position to recommend Thongs for Men? Thanks xox