Jaguar is set for a complete top-down rebranding, recently announcing plans to totally reset its brand identity and transition immediately to an all-electric lineup. By contrast, Cadillac has opted for a more gradual shift, balancing internal combustion engine (ICE) models with electric vehicles (EVs). Which begs the question – should Cadillac have embraced a complete branding reset like Jaguar?
Per Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover, Jag is returning its roots in producing “beautiful, desirable cars,” with a refocus on low-volume, upmarket models akin to Bentley or Aston Martin. This drastic rebranding effort follows dwindling sales for the British automaker, calling for a dramatic shift to reposition the brand.
Jaguar’s move to an all-EV lineup is ambitious, but risky, necessitating a complete overhaul in production, marketing, and customer perception. While some critics argue that Jag’s reset could alienate existing customers, it could also attract a new, affluent EV-focused demographic.
Cadillac, on the other hand, has slowed its EV ambitions, moving away from an earlier commitment to go fully electric by 2030. Instead, the brand plans to offer customers the “luxury of choice,” with ICE-powered models available alongside new EVs like the Lyriq and Escalade IQ. Indeed, Caddy’s strategy may ultimately prove more adaptable, as it retains a foothold in both the ICE and EV markets, mitigating risks.
If Caddy were to emulate Jaguar, it would involve a radical departure from its current brand image, focusing on high-end, low-volume EVs with exclusive appeal, similar to the Celestiq. Such a move could also end up alienating Cadillac’s loyal ICE customer base, who appreciate its legacy as a symbol of American luxury. That said, a more dramatic shift could potentially elevate the brand in the global luxury EV market. And as that market becomes increasingly competitive, all brands will need to consider whether a more aggressive EV approach would be better in order to secure a place among global leaders.
But what do you think? Should Cadillac follow Jaguar in aggressively pursuing EVs, or is a more cautious approach preferred? Voice out in the comments to let us know.
Comments
No, For God’s Sake
No, but it would’ve been far better off with only one or two EVs and NOT the hideous Celestiq. Some halo model. And more ICE sedans.
Well I mean, the Optiq is the prettiest car with a full diaper on the market. The Lyriq looks good in the flesh, even though it appears to be junky according to reports. The Vistiq is as boring as the XT6, and the Escalade IQ is a dull alternative to the original. The Celestiq is a waste of so many things, and looks so ponderous and ugly.
The “IQ” naming scheme is corny and forced, and will cause confusion among customers, exactly the way the CT and XT naming scheme did before. Lincoln also confused ppl with their MK naming scheme. Everything ran together and caused customers to disengage.
No matter which social media platform I use, I read so many negative comments about EV. The pro-EV ppl must really be quiet (they are SO quiet, perhaps they should be recalled, like the Equinox EV).
A second Trump term will test the mettle of the EV experiment. If EV in America come out the back end surviving on merit instead of DEI subsidies, EV will be stronger and more permanent. If not, oh well. Quite a gamble, globally. We’ve seen great companies stumble, betting big and losing big on EV so far.
Cadillac replaces 3 mediocre crossovers with 3 nice EVs and people lose their minds. We all see the freight train of market disruption that those Chinese EVs will bring, am Im happy GM is taking it seriously instead of burying its hand in the sand.
Except GM’s delivering three half baked EVs. All are doing is alienating those that are loyal for those who will never consider the new EVs from them. It’s obvious they’re not willing to play ball with the competition, the hubris is still in full effect at gm, and mega ego marry is all about flushing her pockets as quick as possible before she hits the mandatory retirement age! The backbiting she did on Trump will obviously come back to haunt her and the rest of gm. If you really look at it, Cadillac’s Ev push really was an 80% Jaguar move. Something they did in ’99 as well with the Evoq. gm doesn’t understand why people buy their vehicles, why they’re loyal customers. They’re going to have to figure that out if they’re going to survive the onslaught of the Chinese and then focus that and play it like a fiddle. Quite frankly they’re just worried about short-term stock markets until they all are out with retirement. They’re all approaching mandated retirement age!
China’s EV slaughter only exists inside Chinese, with subsidies against imports/foreign collaborations (no foreign ownership allowed in China. GM’s investment there is a “loan” the comm$es can pull at any minute with no legal recourse) they also do so with slave labor (BYU is under investigation in Brazil now for abusing workplace conditions in a BYD factory that’s under construction) and even now, barely manage to compete with western products despite lower cost of everything, and part of that is studies have routinely shown decently paid workers consistently outwork slaves to the point that a medium to decent wage returns a company better financial results vs low income/slave workforce. Even low income beats slave workforce in terms of productivity. Only way the Chinese will clean our clock is if we embrace slavery and they embrace freedom. It’s a law of nature.
You nailed albeit gently.When the subsides end the EV market will collapse.The point most people fail to make is that electric cars are a net loser for the enviroment.ICE engines are 300% more efficient than the 80s and manufacturers have eliminated 95% of the harmful tailpipe emissions.
This is completely untrue. Multiple rigorous studies show the net benefit of EV’s. Also, ICE cars are nowhere near 300% more efficient than the 1980’s when you factor in mileage numbers for the much heavier cars and SUV’s sold today. The main issue is climate change, which has been shown to be actually happening. CO2 is separate from the pollution issue. If you want to talk pollution, even with great strides in reducing tailpipe emissions, studies are still showing that people who live next to major highways suffer from higher levels of respiratory disease.
What on earth does “DEI” have to do with any of this? DEI means Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It has nothing to do with the environmental debate around CO2 emissions. It seems like you are just mentioning things that get one side of the political divide worked up, without even knowing what they mean. If you are really wanting to make a cogent argument, then debate the environmental pros and cons.
Never go full jaguar.
We have a Lyriq. Love it. Everyone I know that has one feels the same. EVs are here to stay whether you believe it or not. They are just better vehicles for everything except a long road trip.
I’ve had multiple 1,000 + mile road trips with my Lyriq. I selected free charging at EVgo.
If EVgo is not available then I use Tesla Superchargers which seem like they are everywhere. Road trips with EVs take a little planning which can easily be done with PlugShare
And price. Imagine if they built ICE cars with the amount of engineering they put into EV’s 🤯. The NOX EV for a 30-40K EV posts GM a 5-10K unit loss, VS a 3-4K per unit profit for say a Trax/ICE NOX. Image what kind of compact you could get from GM for 55K, half ton truck for 110K, luxury sedan for 150K. It be hella nice. In an environment where everyone considers the price of cars too high, EV’s are not in an adventageos position.
Jaguar over read the Cybertruck hype and election results from 2020 and its probably too late for them to change course. Their DEI morons has ruined the Jaguar brand.
>>>>> Both… to have better designs… otherwise both will have shorter lives to continue
They need to focus on EV and ICE.
Forget the $300k models.
We have a lot of the Cadillac SUV models here they are taking people from Tesla.
Remember when Oldsmobile tried the complete rebrand (“This is not your father’s Oldsmobile”), and alienated everyone? Good.
Not saying Cadillac shouldn’t shake things around occasionally with a styling rebrand (like when they adopted the stealth aircraft looks). But a COMPLETE rebrand? That’s a last-grasp move.
Problem was that Oldsmobile was selling “your father’s Oldsmobiles” (Ninety-Eight, Delta 88, and five flavors of Cutlass) at the time “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile” debuted…
Identity was truly the least of Jaguar’s issues. The sedan market isn’t there and that’s what Jag did best. Jag’s SUVs dont sell well because who wants to get a Jaguar when you have Range Rover on the same lot? There just isn’t space for Jaguar in the modern market. It’s a shame because their heritage is so rich.
Cadillac has both a strong identity and a space in the market.
Exactly my thoughts. Jaguars problem is their own doing. Eliminating sedans like the XJ and sports cars like the F-type. They have basically become irrelevant at this point with Land Rover in their same group.
No, Cadillac shouldn’t abandon a strategy that is working to emulate the desperation move of a failing brand.
Absolutely not. What Jaguar is doing with their newer and woker movement is going to kill them even more. What Cadillac needs is a return to its roots. Stop trying to be something you’re not like trying to out-German the Germans. The Celestiq is a nice start. A return to what Caddys were once. American luxury land yachts.
What is “woke” about what Jaguar is doing? Why do people keep throwing out these terms when they can’t even define what they mean? Woke means – being aware of others in society’s needs and concerns, and recognizing that some groups have been disadvantaged. If I read the room correctly, people here are saying they are misreading the concerns and issues people have, and so are actually the opposite of woke.
The brand cadillac should emulate is hyundai. They are releasing new sedans, SUVs, pickups, ICE, hybrid, PHEV, and EV models and letting the consumer pick. I personally don’t like their recent style choices, but at least they give me options and fresh tech.
They need to rid themselves of badge engineering. Their top of the line vehicle is a Chevrolet Suburban. A S-Class MB is not a re-badge on a lesser vehicle. All that said, people are still dumb enough to buy such a vehicle so why fix something that isn’t broken.
G’day Mate!
So nobody is buying Jaguars so their going to change the market strategy to not selling very many vehicles. I guess that’s one way to meet your goals?
Probably not a good idea for Cadillac.
Cadillac should be focusing on cars it can actually sell. If GM believes that Eletric is Cadillac’s future than it should a few electric cars but maintain a reasonable number of ICE vehicles for traditional Cadillac customers. Electric vehicle sales are not as brisk as anticipated, Cadillac seems to be ignoring that market trend, that combined with its “China First” strategy will eventually kill the brand. Finally, Cadillac should bring the next gen XT5 and CT6 to the US and update the XT6 for the US market.
They’d have to redesign the chassis for NHSTA regulations and update the assembly plants. The refresh did nothing for the XT4 sales (we can wait and see if CT5 sales improve) so that investment may not be worth it. They’ve invested a lot into BEV3, which underpins several units including the Acura ZDX and Honda Prologue.
Cadillac will still offer the glorious bread and butter ICE Escalade and the sedans for now. Not much more we could ask for.
The new Chinese XT5 appears to be a refresh the same way the ATS became the CT4. The hard points haven’t changed so in theory it should be relatively simple to apply the refresh (reskin, really) to the NA market-compliant XT5.
I don’t believe any corporation should ever attempt anything like the Jaguar rebrand. It’s a case study in self immolation.
Any make that starts at $100K will have a very low sales volume which means most of the Cadillac factories/models needs to be closed. That is not good for the labor, materials, suppliers, dealers and the nation as a whole.
Instead of closing Jaguar, they are just trying their luck with this rebranding which anyway is going to shrink the company volume.
What Cadillac should know is that the price of lithium battery for EVs have gone down to $97 / KWh which means more affordable, longer range luxury vehicles are going to hit the market. So high time, Caddy moves towards electrification. At least try the PHEV route which is what BYD, Li, Changan has done and are very successful.
I have read all the comments and pondered over a requisite reply but decided instead to just drive my 1979 Coupe deVille this morning!
I have been thoroughly enjoying my 2024 Lyriq for one year and 23,000 miles.
I like it more today then they day I got it. Have taken it on 6 significant 1,000 mile road trips and charging is very easy with EVgo and Tesla Superchargers.
Cadillac should continue with ICE models and EV models and let the consumer choose.
Rebranding Jag will not make it a better vehicle, if they don’t change their whole manufacturing and quality process the ship is still going to sink.
Cadillac has time to pull their heads out and listen to the buyers and not the investors. Cadillac has abandoned their quality and luxury status so time will tell how far the ship will sink before they give up and drown the company.
MARRY BARRA: Please steer away from Democratic EV’s; return to our Countries founding driver “[ “I”nternal “C”umbustion “E”ngine ]” vehicles! CelestiQ’s entire body.n.shape & the design plastic panel mirroring a former wrap-around rear window “Mirror’s” the generation around the 1980’s Pontiac Firebird with a boxed front clip. The front grill mimick’s the Camaro’s!
Um…huh?
The comments here are ridiculous. It’s fine if you don’t think Cadillac makes good vehicles or nicely styled ones. Fact of the matter is I think the lyriq is the most beautiful vehicle of its kind. The Escalade is an imposing amazing vehicle. Selling ice and electric vehicles side by side is smart. The ice vehicles fund the electric vehicle. The ct 5 V is an awesome vehicle. Cadillac has it all going on. Kia Hyundai vehicles are great but the styling is too out there. GM knows what they are doing. The lyriq is the best selling luxury electric vehicle.
The question for those of us who like (and have continually purchased) Cadillac sedans but won’t have $300k + to lay down on a Celestiq, what will I buy to replace my 2025 CT5 in a few years?
Probably the same answer they gave to generations of Buick sedan buyers.
Next gen CT5 built in the same chassis as the next gen Camaro?
Why no hybrid to cross the chasm? Hybrid demand is significant but gm ignores it.
And of course the beautiful celestiq, it’s gonna be the most beautiful full size sedan since the classic fleetwood, brougham and ct6.
“Should Cadillac follow Jaguar”
Absolutely. I want to see the black male models in tutus and feather boas. Do it Cadillac. It will give us all something to laugh about, and instead of a slow death, a sudden one.
Why can’t Cadillac come out with a Hybrid like Lexus and Corvette? We like our 2020 XT5. I’m disappointed that all future Caddies are going to be EV.
The deal with Cadillac is advertising which is not right. It acts like Pontiac instead of Cadillac. They need to get LUXURY right. Also ev or gas is irrelevant. It’s about the advertising and luxury. It’s too Walmart and not enough Lord Wellington.
Jaguar just became a laughing stock
There are many answers to your question, Tim. However they all require you to expand your horizons. If Cadillac doesn’t want to build a car for you anymore, just go buy one from somebody else who does. If you have a CT5, try a BMW. It’s the original that Cadillac has been trying to copy for years. You might like it.
I completely disagree with the direction Cadillac has taken with an all-electric lineup of boring SUVs and one weird hyper-expensive electric sedan. I also dislike that they’re all based on the same Ultium platform and parts as Chevrolets. Therefore, I wouldn’t buy one. Simple as that. I’ll shop elsewhere and I grew up as a massive fan of GM. As a kid I never imagined that I’d own anything but a GM vehicle but I was forced to go elsewhere long ago and I have no regrets. It doesn’t kill you.
Ronald Reagan once said he didn’t leave the democrat party, they left him. So it is with Cadillac – their buyers shouldn’t feel bad for abandoning them because the truth is Cadillac abandoned it’s buyers. They’ve been doing so for 40 years.
The Celestiq is a beautiful looking car—NO ONE ever said. And yet Mary and the whole board signed off on it.
Yep, it’s hideous. And the Lyriq isn’t any better. AND they signed off on the absurd Hummer EV when they offer NO small EVs. More arrogant gouging.
Crazy topic. Cadillac does not need a Jaguar type fiasco of a makeover. They just need to design develop and produce attractive powerful luxury vehicles.
Cadillac should offer a better balance of ICE and EV with the “Cadillac experience” rather then just an EV. The Celistiq is the best American sedan you can buy, just because it doesn’t go “vroom” means nothing.
Jaguar is in bad shape because they have nothing to sell,gas or EV. I’d be surprised if they can pull it off