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from XTS to ... ? an Autoextremist 2-for

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#1 ·
...from...................................
On the Table: Cadillac XTS Platinum - Autoextremist

Editor WordGirl's Notes: Large. Luxury. I'm in ... I like my luxury big and well, luxurious, and the XTS didn't disappoint. "The most technologically advanced production car in the brand’s history," according to Cadillac, the XTS replaces both the DTS and STS in the lineup. It shares the design cues of both the CTS and ATS, and presents itself as clean and contemporary. It is elegant without being flashy, and in the case of the XTS Platinum Collection, particularly distinctive - with its unique grille and 20-inch polished aluminum wheels. I did not experience love at first sight, however, because of its dreaded Crystal Red Tintcoat exterior. I think that color should be jettisoned from the Cadillac palette ASAP. It really cheapens the whole XTS experience...

Editor-in-Chief's Notes: I second WordGirl's emotion about the color of this car because it was completely out of character and a major league turn-off, and it should be purged from the XTS color palette immediately. The XTS is not sporty - it's a nicely executed large sedan but I wouldn't call it sporty - so the color is wildly inappropriate. And the reason this color thing matters to us is because it's symbolic of deeper issues, as in a lack of fundamental judgment somewhere. Not Good...

Editor WordGirl's Notes: ...as sleek and tasteful as the XTS is on the outside, it's the interior that really shines. Elegant and refined and at the same time sleek and sophisticated, the XTS interior looks and feels really good ... This is understated luxury but luxury nonetheless. Not as sterile as Audi and not as opulent as Mercedes but definitely a contender in that somewhat intangible 'luxury feel' department ...

Editor-in-Chief's Notes: The big news for me, however, is the interior. It's time to retire the recent industry adage that "Audi sets the contemporary standard for modern automotive interior design" and move on. There are plenty of outstanding interiors available these days (the Porsche Panamera for one) and this new XTS is right up there ... The XTS interior is simply elegant with a use of color, materials and textures that is very impressive. It's a first-rate cabin in every respect. Well, except for one thing. When you open the door on the XTS Platinum Edition the word "platinum" lights up on the interior edge of the rocker panel and it's about as cheesy as it gets. Shockingly so, even. I could see the word "Cadillac" lighting up, maybe. And that's a big maybe. But "platinum" - ? Ugh...

Editor WordGirl's Notes: ...Overall, I liked the XTS a lot. Was I wowed? No, but then I think my luxury bar is a fairly high one. I am definitely impressed - particularly with the interior. I just want to see more and more from Cadillac. Even more dramatic design (the CTS Coupe exemplifies this) and even more elegance and opulence. In other words, I want the XTS to be the Cadillac of luxury cars.-WG

Editor-in-Chief's Notes: ...set aside the aforementioned annoyances and make no mistake, the Cadillac XTS is an impressive piece of work. It's much more in line with consumer perceptions of what a big Cadillac should be in the way it looks and in the way it drives. Let's hope that the even bigger Cadillac coming in 2015 will take this direction even further. - PMD



...To...................................
Can Cadillac get there from here? - Autoextremist - Rants
Tuesday, April 9
By Peter M. De Lorenzo


After driving the new Cadillac XTS for a week (see our review in “On The Table” – WG) I found myself thinking about Cadillac - the brand - and wondering what was next for GM’s luxury division...

...Fourteen years into a calculated reinvention/rejuvenation, which involved embracing the German luxury car idiom note-for-note with a little American swagger thrown in for good measure, Cadillac is on the upswing. Newly impressive products, including the all-new ATS, the aforementioned XTS and with another all-new CTS on the way, have the brand firing on all cylinders again. These new models are noteworthy and to a large degree either approaching being dead-nuts competitive with select Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes models, or getting there, as in close.

With that said, however, where does Cadillac go from here? Is it really going to pursue the German automakers to the very end, or is it going to redirect slightly and embrace and project an American design point of view, taking historical lessons from the dominant Harley Earl–Bill Mitchell GM Styling era and translating them into today’s cars?

I think it’s pretty obvious that the latter has taken hold of Ed Welburn and his GM design troops. The new Cadillac models are crisply rendered and boast a distinctly American design flair. And it’s working. It has taken a decade and a half, but with each new model Cadillac’s design language becomes more a part of the American landscape. The look is contemporary, yes, but even more important is that Cadillac isn’t following anybody when it comes to its design aesthetic, its designers having carved out a distinct point of view that will burnish its brand image going forward.

But what about that brand image?

Cadillac lives in a strange retail landscape where its “traditional” buyers – the ones with the money – are rapidly fading to black, as in dying off. And as much as Cadillac marketers want to cling to these buyers as long as they possibly can, it’s readily apparent that their future lies in engaging a totally new buyer, one with a completely different mindset already heavily influenced by the impact of the luxury European brands in this market.

The recent television advertising campaign for the ATS, which flaunted a globetrotting, go-for-it perspective, is exactly what I’m talking about. Aimed squarely at buyers who wouldn’t even think of considering an American car, let alone a Cadillac, it at least moved the needle in the right direction for the brand...

...Cadillac marketers need to orchestrate high-concept spots like that for Cadillac every year, because that’s the only way they’re going to accomplish a shift in consideration for the brand.

Look at Audi. Perpetually riding the coattails of BMW and Mercedes, Audi brand overlords set about repositioning the German luxury make fifteen years ago. They believed that Audi belonged at the head table and they vowed that they would get it there by establishing a positioning of technical superiority. How? By winning at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the world’s most prestigious endurance race - which they’ve done eleven times in the past thirteen years.

Has it worked? Well, I should say so. Audi not only has bludgeoned the competition at Le Mans, it has raised its product game considerably at the same time and is not only at the head table, it is now considered by many in the industry as being ahead of BMW and Mercedes.

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times in this column, but it takes a focused consistency over time to accomplish what Audi has done. And it’s within this context that GM and Cadillac marketing overlords have to consider their next moves as well.

The reality is that Cadillac needs to completely walk way from its established customers - which I define as anyone who came to the brand before the first-generation CTS made its debut – in terms of marketing. The people out there in ConsumerVille who have lingering positive feelings for the brand will still show up, but it’s the new customer to the brand that Cadillac must attract and aim all its marketing efforts toward...

...I listen to the pronouncements from GM and Cadillac marketers and it’s clear that they not only think they belong in The Game, they actually believe they're going to succeed. That’s laudable because after all, everyone should have a plan and a goal. But they’re not there yet, not by a long shot. And the more they talk the worse it actually gets, because they’re not fooling anyone.

Yes, the Cadillac product portfolio is growing more impressive with each new model but as we discuss in our comments on the XTS, they still stumble with the fundamental details. And that is just flat-out unacceptable.

But the real issue is that I don’t believe GM as a company has the guts to really crank up the spending machine and properly nurture the Cadillac brand in a way that would get them even close to the head table...


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note: afaik/iirc current articles get moved for next week's article at Autoextremist, get it while you can...
 
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#2 ·
The XTS is a gorgeous, sexy car. The shape is modern, radical, almost fastback... and this is the "modest" Cadillac. Modest because is FWD and have no pretentions to take sales from the europeans. As a Ford-Lincoln fan, i`m jelous of this brand. Good job, Cadillac and GM!
 
#3 ·
The XTS is a gorgeous, sexy car. The shape is modern, radical, almost fastback... and this is the "modest" Cadillac. Modest because is FWD and have no pretentions to take sales from the europeans. As a Ford-Lincoln fan, i`m jelous of this brand. Good job, Cadillac and GM!
actuallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..............

this photo of the XTS strongly resembles the MKZ...IMHO

&
I happen to have seen/sat the XTS
and the proportions IN PERSON are no more sexy or gorgeous than the current MKS

it's actually a bit more bathtub-by ie very rounded/inflated looking
(which undoubtedly helps the interior roominess but give an UNyouthful appearance
IMHO)
 
#4 ·
The only thing I don't like about the exterior of the XTS is the short stubby hood. The interior is VERY nice.
 
#7 ·
Cadillac XTS 2014 - Media.GM.com

New for 2014
Cadillac Twin-Turbo V-6 with 410 hp (306 kW) – SAE certified
• Automatic Parking Assist (FWD models)
• Electric power steering (FWD models)
• Intellibeam headlamps
• Rear-seat entertainment system
• Front passenger seat memory feature
• Revised rear-seat armrest with wood trim, radio controls and sunshade control (if equipped)
• Opaque sunroof sunshade

plenty MORE...

...adding Unique “Twin-Turbo” grille and deck lid identification on models equipped with the 3.6L twin-turbo engine

1280x800 both are cropped & gamma/contrast adjusted

to the

Premium chrome/satin-chrome grille finish on Platinum Collection
shown in first post

&
notably imho

Six interior color/trim combinations: Jet Black, Shale with Cocoa accents, Medium Titanium with Jet Black accents, Caramel with Jet Black accents, Jet Black with Light Wheat accents and Very Light Platinum with Dark Urban and Cocoa accents.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

&
a crossreference to a multi-brand Lux Comparo thread
 
#9 ·
pre-disclaimer: imho every Lux vehicle thread is really more about LINCOLN...

Opinion: Cadillac Has Mastered Product Execution, But... - GMInsideNews
Unfortunately the brand's image does not match the product.

May 15, 2013
By: Nick Saporito

...Today... The execution of the brand’s latest products is as near flawless as a brand can get. The ATS, XTS and the 2014 CTS all show a level of precision that has never been seen in Cadillac product. This time, the strategy portion of the brand equation is questionable. We have a front-drive SRX that was produced to chase the volume leader of the segment, the Lexus RX350. We also have the XTS that is a modern day rendition of the Deville. Neither product fits in with a brand attempting to play with the high rollers of the luxury automobile club.

It’s interesting, really. While the argument behind having the XTS in the Cadillac portfolio is a completely valid one, there’s no denying the car has been executed flawlessly for what it is. It has a gorgeous, no-excuses interior. It has all of the latest and greatest technology, including hardware from brand names such as Brembo and Bose. It even has a real metal grille on the front.

And for 2014, the XTS gains a 410 horsepower twin-turbo V-6 and even more luxury features. On paper, the XTS could easily become Cadillac’s viable attempt at tapping into the corporate C-Suite, but there’s something missing.

Luxury vehicles do not sell off of value proposition or price. Luxury vehicles sell off of image...

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I see ^this^ quandry mainly coming from Push vs Pull strategies;
where what the customers want doesn't align with what the Brand wants to build
cough*TownCar*cough
not that I'd say either, purely, is best - imho usually a balance is better

thoughts?
 
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