...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...
MORE...
note: afaik/iirc current articles get moved for next week's article at Autoextremist, get it while you can...
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...
MORE...
note: afaik/iirc current articles get moved for next week's article at Autoextremist, get it while you can...