Detroit News columnist John McCormick's [undeclared] Caddy junket hath yielded a (gasp!) positive review of the new CTS. "Ready to confound your expectations," "pleasing evolution," "goes head to head with the best," yada yada yada. But before his paean to the brand whose "excellent progress" has resulted in a double digit sales decline, McCormick takes a few shots at potential Caddy customers who are unaware of the majesty that is the CTS. "The problem, as Cadillac general manager Jim Taylor acknowledges, is that even with brand new, competitive product, it is difficult to convey even basic information to buyers who are not knowledgeable enthusiasts." What was that about GM's $2.9b annual ad spend? Never mind. As far as McCormick is concerned, Detroit can't buy a break with the key demographic: German car-loving effete intellectual bi-coastal snobs. (Lexus doesn't get a look in.) "But with the launch of the all new 2008 CTS, Cadillac feels even more deserving of attention from the blinkered coastal sets." We repeat: there is no perception gap.
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Cadillac feels even more deserving of attention from the blinkered coastal sets.
I suppose I now live close enough to the east coast (central VA) to be part of the above group, although I grew up in Pittsburgh. I’m tired of such condescending claptrap; maybe the Detroit cheerleaders ought to take off their own blinkers.
The problem is that the CTS is the “best” that Cadillac has. Mercedes and BMW have the S-Class and 7-Series, respectively, out there upholding their brands’ images and prestige. Cadillac has…the also-ran XLR? The DTS?!
This is one big reason why Cadillac has less prestige among coastal residents – and virtually everyone else – than the German competition.
Here in the VA suburbs of DC, near the future headquarters of VWoA, I was at the elementary school open house last week and these announcements were heard over the intercom:
“Would the black Lexus and white Volvo drivers in the front parking lot please report to your cars? You are blocking someone trying to leave to go to work.”
“Would the grey Lexus blocking the basketball court exit please move your car?”
Later that morning, I drove by two black Lexuses which had collided with each other.
Yes, I think there’s a perception gap near this coast, except it’s depth perception.
Detroit doesn’t get it. GM in its glory days was built on the perception that a Cadillac was better than a Buick which was better than an Oldsmobile which was better than a Pontiac which was better than a Chevy.
When they were the beneficiary of perception gaps it was all good. They should have just built the best car they could for the general public and called it a Chevy and built the best upscale car they could and called it a Cadillac.
GM now can’t justify why a Buick is better than a Chevy. The kicker is how does GM think they can get Mercedes, BMW or Lexus customers to consider a Caddy when many of those same customers either fled Caddy or fled a lower GM brand for Toyota. If you can’t beat a Camry now why do you think you can get that customer later if he goes upscale?
Earth to GM… remember this.
Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me.
In other words, you blew your brand’s reputation so bad that no one is going to give you a chance to screw them over again.
My God… You don’t even realize how bad your reputation is. For all the money that you spending on marketing, perhaps you can get them to tell you the truth about how your are perceived.
Honestly, you couldn’t even give your car away to most people in the market you want to sell too. They view your product as nothing but a black hole of waste and frustration.
Cadillac is such toast it isn’t funny. There is no reason to buy a Cadillac instead of a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Lexus or Infiniti.
The fascination of the gangster rappers with the Escalade may have sold some tarted up Chevy trucks, but it also killed the brand image with the sophisticated high income conspicuous consumers who make up the core of the luxury car market.
GM can moan and groan about how they are finally competitive all they want, but brands are built over decades and GM has spent decades running the Cadillac brand into the dirt. It wasn’t all that long ago that GM ran the “Stuttgart, we have a problem” ads asserting that the front wheel drive STS was giving the Germans fits. A real knee slapper that one was. Check out resale values of a four year old STS vs. BMW 5-series to see how the free market has ruled.
Detroit has a perception problem visa-vis the coastal areas alright, but the mis-perception is happening in Detroit, not the other way around.
Reputation is one thing and a good product is another. Cadillac is not the Cimarron/Catera any more. I’m glad to see that they are moving forward this fast. I’m from Europe for crying out loud. We get the B*L*S***! They are not the standard of the world.. yet.. but they’ve got the sports sedan down. It looks American, but drives like the German competition. They offer 3 different suspensions to choose from, from granny to BMW with runflats! No, if they keep em coming, Caddy is far from dead!
“Perception Gap”
Perception Gap my A$$, this is the kind of crap that GM continously comes up with as a means of justifying their sorry state to themselves and any other fool stupid enough to listen to such crap.
TRANISHED BRAND IMAGE
This is the phase that those jugheads over at GM should be conceptualizing in their minds. Face it, Caddy is synonymous with poorly engineered and built faux luxury vehicles.
For most of the folks that HAVE been paying attention to Cadillac over the last QUARTER CENTURY, a caddy is nothing more than a tarted-up Buick, which itself is nothing more than a tarted-up Chevy. (Not exactly correct but this is the PERCEPTION)
Perception Gap, you say? I say name ONE single noteworthy Cadillac produced by GM since the 1950s other than the “Nova Serville” of the mid 1970s?
Cadillac is only a badge that GM has liberally slapped onto unworthy products, show me some outstanding products from Caddy produced in my lifetime and than maybe I too can see a perception gap!
The perception of a car enthusiast means nothing to the buying public. Absolutely nothing. What is the 60 Special? Umm… Series 62? Ummm. What is V16? Umm.. The Escalade is like the Cayenne; It makes money.. Who is the sucker, the buyer or the seller?
The product is what counts. Not what a margin group thinks!
Honestly, you couldn’t even give your car away to most people in the market you want to sell too. They view your product as nothing but a black hole of waste and frustration.
You must be talking about my Cadillac Deville, it sucks your wallet and sanity away.
Let me take Yakin’s good point one step further.
Assuming that those of us who have claimed we will never buy a GM again, actually won’t. The buyers they are looking for are the new young ones. Yet, we have already discussed how they can’t make money on small cars because of labor costs (the so called $1500 disadvantage).
I can’t claim to be an expert on what young kids want, and looking at what they buy now will not get you a sea changing miracle.
Frankly, letting the tuner culture switch was likely the last straw on the domestic camel’s back. The niche of people who fixed their own were likely the last group the domestics could lose.
I know a man who bought the last 2 door Jeep Unlimited rather than the new 4 door because he didn’t want to have to learn about a new engine. This kind of loyalty is tough to beat. Of course, he is retiring, and likely just bought his last Jeep.
There are going to be new Jeep buyers, and there were a bunch of neon kids for a while, but what else? Okay, trucks, but is that it? Will kids who are now tinkering on a completely Japanese diet ever switch to 2.8 vehicles? I doubt it.
People who actually fix their own vehicles are likely some of the most loyal to any brand. Someone who could gather them, and keep them happy could do well in the market. Even if they are a niche, they have to be one of the best to have.
Honestly, Cadillac is still enjoying an undeserved reputation as a high end brand. The “perception gap” is that people are looking at them as potentially competing with top tier luxury marques when they barely belong in the same conversation anymore.
The CTS is a step in the right direction, but it can’t carry the brand alone….nothing else in their line is worthy of mention anymore….but everything in their line COSTS MORE than their “best” car. Not a good spot to be in.
In North Jersey, the only people I see behind the wheel of a new Cadillac are the triple Gs — gangstas, geezers and Guidos.
Escalade ?
PONTIAC ?
I think it’s not old brand image. It is current promotion.
Lexus is selling a green 600h (actual environment friendliness tbd)
Honda/ Acura – Hell even the F1 cars have a clean earth paint job.
MB – eco-deisel
Munich – well, middle managers have to aspire to something
Who else? Does it matter? Caddy has what? Nice design. Who cares? Where’s the edge, where’s the newness?
“Maybe a Caddy is as nice as a Lexus, but a Lexus is ‘green.’ Let’s buy the Lexus….”
C’mon GM, you moved forward…so did the competition.
America has short memories (how we’ll get a Clinton for a 3rd term) sell the stuff and stop f ‘ing whining!
In some import markets Cadillac has no more prestige than a high-end Hyundai