mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

Mark Reuss Says Cadillac Has A Well Established And Modern Brand Identity

General Motors has received some criticism for its handling of its Cadillac luxury brand.

As we addressed in a recent article, Cadillac has been spinning its wheels for quite a long time now, reinventing itself several times in lofty attempt to compete with the better established German luxury brands. Cadillac is now in the midst of yet another transformation, moving its offices out of Manhattan and back to Michigan and placing a new-found focus on emerging technology and electric vehicles.

GM president Mark Reuss wants to set the record straight, however. He recently penned an op-ed for Automotive News in which he defended GM’s strategy for Cadillac in the wake of recent media reports, saying GM has now established the company well from a branding standpoint and is ready to capitalize on it with new products.

“Cadillac’s modern brand identity is well established, and we are building an arsenal of products and technologies that will differentiate Cadillac and take it to the next level in the marketplace, despite the slings and arrows of the pundits and naysayers,” Reuss wrote. In fact, by every critical measure — sales, quality, dealer engagement and customer satisfaction — Cadillac is making great progress.”

Reuss goes on to point out that Cadillac will be introducing a new vehicle every six months on average through to 2021, which will give dealers “new products in segments that represent 90 percent of U.S. luxury market sales.” He also noted that the next-generation Escalade is “on the way to round out the SUV lineup with an exclamation point,” and that Cadillac “has a stable of new and freshened sedans that will soon be complete with the arrival of the CT5 and CT4 and their V-series stablemates.”

The op-ed wouldn’t be complete without a reference to the brand’s upcoming electric crossover and subsequent EV offerings, with the long-time GM exec saying these products “will lead Cadillac’s journey to an all-electric future.” He also stressed that internal combustion engines will remain a critical part of its future, however, as Escalade and XT6 customers sometime tow trailers and V-Series buyers want access to the thrill and performance of an ICE motor.

Read the full op-ed for yourself at this link and let us know what you think of Reuss’ statements in the comments down below.

Subscribe to GM Authority for more Cadillac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. What a weak response to valid criticisms of Cadillac’s floundering “strategy.” This does not provide much confidence that Mark and crew can/will return the brand to what it should be.

    Reply
  2. He’s out of his mind… all Sr Mgt at GM needs to be fired… IMO luxury car buyers have nothing to buy from Cadillac they cannot get a better product and value elsewhere. The XT6 is just coming out and it already out classed by the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade let alone the fantastic Lincoln Aviator. GM is lost and repeating its bad decision making reminiscent of the pre/bankruptcy era. Actually Rick Waggoner was a superb CEO compared to this mess…

    Reply
    1. Honestly, I think everyone is being a bit hard on the XT6. Look, its clearly not GM’s best effort, but I sat in one the other day and I was blown away. Just sitting there it felt better than the XT5. The seat was more comfortable, and the materials felt much better. I didn’t get to drive one, and I didn’t get to sit in the Aviator, But I was definitely impressed (more like surprised) by the XT6.

      Give it the 3.0TT, and maybe more small item storage.

      Reply
      1. You see Henry, you already added to it !

        Its a different animal with a 3.0TT.

        But as it stands, today, have you sat in a Telluride ?

        Reply
  3. I don’t even know where to begin. How many times are they going to press the reset button on Cadillac. GM has been doing this since the 80’s ( It’s amazing how much one can learn from MotorWeek Retro review videos). The truth is Cadillac has no identity of its own. I do not see Cadillac around within the next 10 years. GM threw $12+ billion at Cadillac and what do we get? The XT6. It going to be hard to continue to make a strong business case for the Cadillac brand. The Escalade has been Cadillac’s life support for years now. However it will not be able to survive off of one product alone. They keep promising amazing class leading products only to deliver half baked excuses. There are always corners cut when it comes to the finished product. With promises of updates and improvement in the future. Why not get it right the first time. I sure do hope that I am wrong and I have to eat my words. But for now.. Rest In Peace Cadillac.

    Reply
  4. What I wish is that, first, Mr. Reuss would write a supportive commentary for each of GM’s brands, that way none of them – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, or GMC – would get shortchanged. He should be able to explain what each of those brands stands for, what he thinks they need to work on (whether sales, quality, customer satisfaction, or dealer engagement), and say something to each of those brands’ loyal customers to excite them about the future. Of course, it’s all about product (it’s always been about product and it’ll always be about product), so he should be able to say something, even if he doesn’t reveal specific future products, etc.

    Reply
  5. “Cadillac’s modern brand identity is well established, and we are building an arsenal of products and technologies that will differentiate Cadillac and take it to the next level in the marketplace, despite the slings and arrows of the pundits and naysayers,” Reuss wrote. In fact, by every critical measure — sales, quality, dealer engagement and customer satisfaction — Cadillac is making great progress.”

    That is a direct quote !

    So lets see,
    I’ll start by saying GM has driven Cadillac to the lowest point of all of the critical measures, so there is and was very little room to go anywhere but up for Cadillac !!
    So ” great progress ” for Cadillac does not mean much when you were at the lowest of almost all of those measures !

    And I can’t wait for the arsenal of products that will differentiate Cadillac and take it to the next level in the marketplace, because all I see, in my opinion, are GM average blah vehicles with a Cadillac badge on them.

    XT4 with the 2.0T GM average blah.
    XT6 with the 3.6 GM average blah.
    CT5 with the 2.0T GM average blah.
    XT5 with the 3.6 GM average blah.
    Chevrolet Traverse with the 3.6 GM average blah.
    Chevrolet Blazer with the 2.0T GM average blah.
    Chevrolet Blazer with the 3.6 GM average blah.
    Buick Enclave with the 3.6 GM average blah.
    GMC Acadia with the 3.6 GM average blah.
    GMC Terrain with the 2.0T GM average blah.
    And on and on, so how is Cadillac exactly differentiating from the other GM badges ?
    Or is this yet to come ?
    Wait, wait, wait, you will see !!!!

    Because the only thing different is the V badge, is that what he means ? Someone should ask him !!

    Otherwise to me a Cadillac is just another average GM blah vehicle with a different look.
    And looks are subjective, some like the interior of one GM badge over another.
    Some like the looks of the exterior of one GM badge over another.

    So there is nothing there that sets Cadillac apart, differentiates it, it is subjective, peoples opinion, nothing per say better or worse.

    So up to this point in todays Cadillac lineup, I see nothing that differentiates it from GM average blah.
    Maybe the new Escalade will !!! but its not out yet, so we will see, I hope it does better than the XT4, XT6, CT5, and CT4 have !!!

    I to agree that the ICE engine needs to stay around for a while, but Mark should not talk as if the ICE is the only way the Cadillac V series can perform !
    Other than the sound of a large CC ICE an EV-V series I’m sure would be able to outperform the ICE in a V series Cadillac !!

    To me the CT6 is a great vehicle, in and out, 3.0TT or Blackwing, great, great, great.
    But the rest of Cadillac, just another GM vehicle with a different look to me.

    And I am a Cadillac owner of five, and a Cadillac customer, and a future Cadillac potential buyer !

    So again to me this talking is just that, talking. Nothing yet to back up any claims, to me, in my opinion !!

    We will see !!

    Good luck Cadillac, I hope to buy another some day, but nothing you currently offer will be my next Cadillac !!

    A CT5 sized CT6 I’m buying.
    A CT5 with a 3.0TT and the CT6 interior I’m buying.
    Not a CT5 with a 2.0T ever ! Not a FWD Cadillac anything ever !
    Just my opinion.

    Reply
    1. CT6 is a classically ‘American’ car; well, as American as anything can be in the era of the word car compromise. And I suppose the SUVs are good enough but none of this matters when Cadillac is perceived as the Dacia of luxury circling the drain faster than Infinity.

      Instead of gimmicks, like being the technology company or more German than German, Cadillac must identify the genuine traits of luxury that have not been addressed like interiors and mice away from the focus group design best summed up with CT5.

      Cadillac can not be a copycat brand meaning that it gets to choose the segments it which it wants to compete. In 2020 this means primary CUVs/SUVs. Cadillac has done too many sedan segment relaunches and might be best ceding this segment to EVs and giving Alpha and Omega to Buick.

      Reply
  6. Mark is smoking Mary Bara crack.

    Reply
  7. So much could be said but I’ll repost my comment from yesterday for now:

    You know Cadillac is in trouble when Mark Ruess has to pen a laugh-out-loud editorial telling everyone there really isn’t a problem at GM’s once prestigious Cadillac division.

    Among the other grandiose claims, Mark brags that Cadillac sold more vehicles last year that at any other time in its 117 year history. That may be true although he didn’t state a number and I couldn’t find it. However, I did find Johan de Nysschen making a similar claim of “second best sales year ever” back in 2017. At the time, he cites 356,467 deliveries. It’s important to note, however, that the figures they use to make those boasts is “worldwide deliveries”. It now takes the entire world to sell what Cadillac once sold in the US alone. Forty years ago, in 1979, Cadillac sold 383,131 cars just in the United States at a time when America had about 225 million people. Today there are about 330 million Americans and Cadillac sold just 154,702 vehicles here, in their home market. To most people, that isn’t success; it’s failure. With a significantly more populated America, Cadillac can’t even begin to best its sales figures from 40 years ago and GM needs China and the rest of the world to be able to match what Cadillac did with just 50 states before they embarked on their mission to be BMW. That pursuit, which threw away Cadillac’s historical image began in 1981 with the Cimarron and continues today.

    They say the first step to recovery is to admit there is a problem. It sounds like Mark is unwilling to take that first step. I think he’s hiding the problem with the “best ever” sales rhetoric. I’ve called for GM to sell off Cadillac and in light of this op-Ed, I would renew that plea. Until they own the problems like new but lackluster, derivative products and bottom-of-the-list quality, they will never recover. All is not well with Cadillac, Mark.

    Reply
  8. Please compare Reuss’ comments and “vision” with those of the Ford executives described in this article: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/exclusive-future-ford-according-its-bosses . It’s actually pretty sad.

    One group of executives (Ford) appears passionate about their products and their customers. The other group (GM) appears either (a) clinically depressed or (b) just plain cynical about delivering enough to get a passing grade. Corvette is excepted from these comments – GM needs to learn what went right with that project, and apply it to the rest of the company.

    Reply
  9. This idiot couldn’t run a luxury brand if his life depended on it, just look at how he destroyed 15 years worth of work with the V line. He also undermined JdN at every opportunity and deliberately damaged the new products; he took his ball and went home just so someone else couldn’t play. Straight outta Detroit.

    Reply
    1. Ok…why don’t you apply for the job?

      Reply
      1. In Mary Barra’s GM, Men need not apply…

        Reply
        1. How so?

          Reply
  10. Here’s a better idea mr. President, fix your junk transmissions first before you worry about all the other frills. Brand new Colorado back to the dealership for a “fix”. Best of luck to me right mr. President?

    Reply
  11. So much of this is just laughable:

    Mark Reuss: Since being launched last year, the XT4 quickly became and remains the bestselling vehicle in the segment.

    Automotive News: The Automotive News Data Center classifies the XT4 as a compact premium crossover, and it was the No. 5-selling nameplate in the segment in the first half of this year in total sales. GM places the XT4 in a different category.

    Mark Reuss: We intend to exceed customer expectations in every aspect of the vehicle, no matter the vehicle, inside and out, from the driving experience to passenger comfort and convenience. No trade-offs, no compromises.

    Me: Compromises and trade-offs are precisely Cadillac’s problem. Case-in-point is the wonderful CT6 that was entirely let down by it’s compromised parts bin 2.0 and 3.6 corporate engines and low-rent cost cutter interior.

    Mark Reuss: Cadillac’s popularity isn’t limited to the U.S.

    Me: Cadillac really isn’t particularly popular in the US. They are the sixth best-selling luxury brand and only sell about 40 percent of the cars they did 40 years ago (383,000 in 1979 vs 155,000 in 2018).

    Mark Reuss: XT6 deliveries began in June, and we sold more than 1,000 units in July before its August media launch. We expect it to do even better based on the largely positive reviews,

    Car and Driver: The interior [of the CT6] looks like a scaled-up version of the compact XT4’s—itself notable only for seeming stripped down and basic compared to the mediocre-quality yet bombastically overwrought innards found in the rest of Cadillac’s products. Given more real estate to occupy in the larger XT6, the cheaply detailed, minimalist look doesn’t improve….It’s just too bad that, luxury of space aside, occupants in every row of seating inside the XT6 must touch and interact with decidedly non-luxurious materials and design. Cadillac has had a problem with subpar interior quality for years, and the XT6 doesn’t solve it. The car simply doesn’t feel very premium inside, even the top Platinum trim level. For the most part, everything plastic below elbow level on the door panels and dashboard is hard and poorly grained. The sliding cupholder cover in the center console and the useful storage drawer that deploys between the rear seats both operate with an audibly plasticky, low-rent action. That’s fine in a bubble, but Cadillac says the XT6 will go up against the likes of Acura’s MDX, Audi’s Q7, BMW’s X5, and Volvo’s XC90—all of which are vastly nicer-feeling inside and sweat the details better. Frankly, a high-spec Mazda CX-9 Signature’s cabin gives the XT6’s a run for its money—and that three-row costs less than $50,000 fully loaded.

    Me: Have you seen the Aviator, Mark? Personally I wouldn’t be expecting XT6 to “do even better” once consumers can buy an Aviator instead.

    Mark Reuss: When people ask me if we’re working on the future of Cadillac, I say, “We’re working on the Cadillac of futures.”

    As General Motors’ lead brand on electric vehicles, Cadillac will lead us to the future.

    Me: President Obama was derided for saying he was “leading from behind”. That’s an apt description of Cadillac too. As I understand it, they’ll be an electric Cadillac in 2023. Mercedes has the EQC now and Porsche showed its 2020 Taycan all-electric car today. Needless to say, by 2023, Cadillac won’t be leading anyone unless leadership occurs from behind.

    Reply
  12. It is clear that Ruess is Machete Mary’s lap dog right down to the BS lines she spews. Just like the GM of the 1980s and 1990s, creativity and free thinking are now allowed.

    Reply
  13. Cadillac had a legacy of being innovative and having the latest in technology; but as Porsche is demonstrating with their Taycan, the era of turbocharged engines might be over and it’s all electric as General Motors may need to bring their electric concept cars to production sooner than General Motors CEO Mary Barra had planned.

    Reply
  14. The arm-chair CEO’s are out in full force with their opinions on this one!

    Reply
  15. That and loser Lincoln fans

    Reply
    1. I want whatever those lincoln fans are smoking. Must be strong.

      Reply
  16. GM is so disillusion when it comes to Cadillac. It makes me very sad.
    Cadillac should be a Powerhouse in the Tier One Luxury Market.
    The Beancounters MUST GO from GM and ASAP too.

    Reply
  17. When you look at the product Cadillac is offering and pay close attention to their ads/marketing, they have shifted their attention away from the demographic that often dominates the discussion on these types of blogs. “Car Guy” (who could be male or female) is probably only interested in CTS-V, maybe CT6-V? or Escalade? Non “car guy” customers are much less concerned about what a vehicle actually is. It really only matters what it’s perceived to be, perception is reality.

    Another enormous disadvantage for Cadillac is they have essentially zero (less than 1000/yr.) business in Europe. Lexus by comparison sells 40-50K a year in Europe.

    Reply
    1. Reality is reality; perception is just marketing and buyers remorse!

      Reply
  18. To Geoff and LFX323HP,

    First Geoff,
    Is the CEO of Cadillac doing better than the armchair CEOs ?
    Look at all of the thousands of armchair CEOs that screamed the truck interior is $hit !!!
    I guess that the arm chair CEOs on that one had the right answer all along, but all GM did was spend money making $hit and now GM is spending more money correcting the GM CEOs decisions !!!!

    Look at all the arm chair CEOs calling for Cadillac to have more power than the average GM blah !!!
    Last I knew the watered down V series was doing just that !!!
    Again not to bad for the arm chair CEOs.

    How about all the armchair CEOs calling for the more engine options ( like the 6.2 in the lower trim truck, and the 10 speed instead of that piece of $hit 8 speed GM still sells ) !!!!
    I guess that is also a win for the arm chair CEOs !!!

    So this now is for both Geoff and LXF323HP,
    I do agree that more average buyers and not car guys buy more product, OK !
    But the average buyer is buying a Chevrolet, not a Cadillac !
    The Cadillac buyer is just a little more, you mite say, fussy, pays just a little more attention to detail, value, cost of ownership, the vibrations, the rattles, leaks, delaminated CUE screens, ETC. !!!!!!

    Why do you think Cadillac has been at the bottom of the barrel in satisfaction, quality, and reliability surveys ?

    When my wife goes car shopping lately, she now test drives more than a Cadillac, and she knows nothing about a vehicle !!
    However she does know it leaves a oil spot on the floor from a leaky rear end, she knows it needed a new CUE screen, she knows it needed two new rims, and GM/Cadillac was nowhere to be found, and she and I were treated horrible by GM customer support !!!!

    So even though I agree on some points, you are both wrong, in my opinion with regards to Cadillac !!!!

    Perception of junk is that it is junk !!
    Perception of cost is just that, cost !!
    Perception of no customer support is, no customer support !!!

    It will take years of good product, and good customer support to bring Cadillac back from the dead, in the US.
    And I still think if it wasn’t for the China market buying Cadillacs, GM would have killed it long ago !!!!

    Reply
    1. I certainly agree with you about China. If not for China, Cadillac may be dropped, or maybe just Escalade and a few CUV’s here??

      Regarding China, I was in Shanghai in Jan. and we saw a number of car carriers loaded with new Cadillac’s, mostly XT5’s. I discussed vehicles with locals incl. Cadillac. The impression I got was simple, it’s a fairly strong brand name there and……..”good enough” plays just fine there. From my perspective this is the reason why the XT6 is underwhelming to many here, because in China, it’s plenty good enough.

      Reply
      1. LFX323HP,
        What do you think then when I think the reason Cadillac is sought after or ” good enough ” in China is also do to what Cadillac used to mean in the US.

        When GM was first put together and then decided to buy Cadillac was it not to give the average GM blah some zing, luxury, a step up, WOW factor ?

        And when this took place the world took note, everybody wanted to drive a Cadillac !!!!

        And I think still to this day, do to the average depression of the average China citizen, they still want to drive that Cadillac, and Cadillac means something to them !!!

        So when the average China citizen finds out that the American citizen thinks Cadillac is average or below, will they still want it, and at that point nobody will want it !!

        Any way I’m still glad someone thinks Cadillac is the thing to own even though I no longer do !!

        Long live Cadillac !!!!

        Reply
  19. “We don’t make bad cars, we have bad customers!”

    Reuss is predictably mediocre as a legacy hire who holds his position due to bloodlines.

    If he really believe Cadillac is as great as he claims, then he needs to drive other cars besides GM’s. Perhaps what GM needs is a requirement for all the salaried employees who get company cars to alternate between GM products and GM competitors, so 6 months with a Cadillac alternating with 6 month stints in Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, etc. The experience might force the overpaid GM royalty to confront their failures.

    Reply
    1. @Jacked
      I think the main issue is not that GM Brass doesn’t realize that Cadillac cars are not up to par, it is that they won’t stand up to the Beancounters that are unfortunately running GM right now. With the engineering they have, Cadillac should be literally untouchable in the Luxury Market. It isn’t because they do not have the know how, it is because they are gutless to stand up for Cadillac. That is the issue.

      Reply
  20. GM’s approach for any new technology is to try and have it sell in volume in order to hit the bottom line. Why else would the vehicle known as the Volt be initially introduced as a Chevrolet? That should’ve been a Cadillac straight out the gate.

    With a person in the know, Cadillac would take a hint from Dodge which due to lack of totally new product, has successfully intro’d Halo editions of dated models in its lineup. And it has worked. Let me run Cadillac, there’d be a no holds barred limited run of extended wheelbase CT6 models with every kind of bell, whistle and accoutrement one could think of just for the purpose of the luxury halo effect. Can one only imagine the impression that would create for Cadillac in the market place!!??

    Every XT model should’ve been based off of the Alpha platform and a larger XT that would share Omega bones with the CT6. Not gussied upmarket versions of Equinox, Encores and what nots.

    Lexus can get away with selling reskinned Highlanders and RAV4s as RX, UX and NX because Toyota has the engineering reputation to support it.

    Reply
  21. I have a 2017 cadillac ATS Luxury 2.0T with 38k on it. My wife picked out this car and bought it. I am a car guy and I really don’t like the ATS. The 8sd. Auto shifts like it has 300k on it. Jerks and slams into gear at low speed. The dealer says it’s fine… It’s not. It rides Very Rough. The back seat is a joke.
    We are going to lose so much money when we trade it in…. It’s sad.
    I don’t guess we’ll ever buy another Cadillac after this experience. This car is basically a dressed up Chevy cavalier.
    The engine sounds like a tractor motor.
    Cue is unbelievably bad. We’ve had this car almost 3 years and my wife still can’t work it.
    I’ll bet you we won’t get $10k for this $45k car at trade in.
    Cadillac you should be ashamed… I know I am.

    Reply
  22. That’s right GM……..keep putting money into a brand that is dead. As the Senior citizens continue to pass and wages drop at GM plants, Cadillac’s brand continues to go extinct. Look at your sales records……..how many millennials do the sales records show are buying Cadillac’s? But as usual, as long as Mark can convince GM brass “HE” has a plan……….and they continue to pay his “Modest” salary and pour money into Cadillac all is good.

    Reply
    1. Ok…what’s your plan?

      Reply
  23. The last thing Cadillac needs to offer is a “Halo” car.

    They’ve diluted the “V” Brand which acknowledges they don’t know how to nurture “uniqueness”…and almost guarentees that if they did offer one, it would have the life span like the XLR. Respectfully, they just end up being Dealer’s wife’s cars and then ultimately be discontinued.

    Cadillac should:
    – Significantly improve the quality / feel of the interior materials.
    – Really Improve the Service “experience” at the Dealers.

    Reply
  24. Reply
  25. Read this in Motor Trend today, Lincoln vs Cadillac: Overall, I’m truly impressed with the Aviator,” Seabaugh says. “In one fell swoop, it’s done what Cadillac has tried and failed to do for years: build a distinctly American, no-compromises luxury vehicle that competes with the foreign luxury marques on its own terms, not theirs.”

    Reply
  26. all gm division were great brands with individual designs and loyalty , but all with too many series. Today GM is not listening to its buyers and loosing to foreign brands never to return . from the top down to the penny pinchers GM has changed and its like a y in the road not knowing which way to go and most of the time its the wrong way . it needs another change from the TOP down . and I an a loyal GM customer and what ever choice I decide you take it away starting to rethink . you took away OLDSMOBILE -PONTIAC- _ AMERICAN MADE BUICKS AND THE LACROSSE – AND NOT EQUIPTING CADILLACS AS A CADILLAC

    Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel