Cadillac Announces Shield Owner Benefits Program

[Justin Bimmer]

Cadillac Announces Shield Owner Benefits Program

Highlights class-leading standard services and technologies

GM Media

DETROIT – Cadillac announced today a new program called Cadillac Shield designed to heighten the brand’s focus on customer service by tying together the wide-ranging benefits and technologies Cadillac provides its owners.

Cadillac Shield includes Cadillac’s class-leading warranty coverage and recently launched maintenance program as well as courtesy transportation if warranty repairs are needed. It also includes 24-hour roadside assistance for the first five years or 100,000 miles.

“Cadillac offers a suite of ownership benefits that makes the brand a leader in the luxury market,” said Don Butler, vice president of Cadillac marketing. “Cadillac Shield allows us to raise consumer awareness of these benefits. It’s also a commitment by Cadillac to our owners to continually look for ways to improve these services and technologies.”

All new owners will become part of the Cadillac Shield along with previous buyers of 2011 models. The ownership benefits covered by Cadillac Shield include:

* Cadillac Premium Care Maintenance, which provides scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, multi-point vehicle inspections and replacement of engine and cabin air filters for the first four years or 50,000 miles

* Five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty

* Four-year, 50,000-mile vehicle bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage

* 24/7 roadside assistance for the first five years or 100,000 miles

* Courtesy transportation during service visits for warranty issues.

* Standard one-year OnStar Directions and Connections plan, which includes automatic crash response, turn-by-turn navigation, vehicle diagnostics, stolen vehicle assistance and hands-free calling.

* OnStar smart-phone app, which allows owners to track diagnostic information, such as oil life and fuel-tank levels, through their iPhone or Android, as well as access common key fob functions, such as starting the engine, unlocking doors and turning on the lights.

* myCadillac smart-phone app that allows owners to set a reminder of where they parked, schedule maintenance services, locate a dealer and request roadside assistance through their iPhone or Android.

Cadillac dealers will begin promoting Cadillac Shield this month through a comprehensive marketing program.

[Drew Dowdell]

Yay for Android Support!

[Paolino]

This is good

[Croc]

Where's the Blackberry support? Blackberry is the #1 smartphone for corporate and professional users.

[Justin Bimmer]

Where's the Blackberry support? Blackberry is the #1 smartphone for corporate and professional users.

Who are over 40 and are not able to use programs like this.

[Croc]

Who are over 40 and are not able to use programs like this.

...and who are able to afford Cadillacs? Also, if you get a company phone, it's more likely than not to be a Blackberry--so there goes the over-40 stereotype.

It just seems stupid to me to develop apps for only 2 platforms, especially when the 3rd is the most likely to be a Cadillac buyer.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Croc

[vonVeezelsnider]

I think I can clarify JB's point a little...

In the corporate environments to which I have been exposed, those who are low on the totem pole (read: younger) understand the Blackberry and would benefit from such an app, however those higher on the totem pole (read: older, higher salary, more likely to have a new Cadillac as a personal or company car) have knowledge of the Blackberry that is limited at best and many approach them with almost an attitude of contempt, certainly frustration.

I'm not saying... I'm just sayin'

[Drew Dowdell]

Blackberry is also slowly becoming less relevant. Android (and I believe iPhone) has Exchange support natively which requires no go between like Blackberry Enterprise Server does. Blackberry Enterprise Server is VERY expensive and there is also a per-user license fee. Android and iPhone have neither. As far as Exchange Email Server is concerned, an Android phone is just another Outlook client.

Blackberry has also demonstrated, multiple times, their vulnerability since ALL Blackberrys using BES must pass data through RIM's datacenter in Canada. That data center has gone down multiple times and wiped out BB service worldwide during the outage. Why they don't seem to have redundent servers in geo-diverse locations, I don't know.

Anyway... the point is this. Blackberry is a dying platform. No amount of Apps can make up for that fact that their back end costs are too high. Once CTOs figure out that iPhone and Android are drastically cheaper to maintain than Blackberry, RIM's goose is cooked.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Blackberry is also slowly becoming less relevant. Android (and I believe iPhone) has Exchange support natively which requires no go between like Blackberry Enterprise Server does. Blackberry Enterprise Server is VERY expensive and there is also a per-user license fee. Android and iPhone have neither. As far as Exchange Email Server is concerned, an Android phone is just another Outlook client.

Blackberry has also demonstrated, multiple times, their vulnerability since ALL Blackberrys using BES must pass data through RIM's datacenter in Canada. That data center has gone down multiple times and wiped out BB service worldwide during the outage. Why they don't seem to have redundent servers in geo-diverse locations, I don't know.

Anyway... the point is this. Blackberry is a dying platform. No amount of Apps can make up for that fact that their back end costs are too high. Once CTOs figure out that iPhone and Android are drastically cheaper to maintain than Blackberry, RIM's goose is cooked.

I'm inclined to agree with you on RIM, I'll go one step further and make the prediction right here and there that RIM is the next Nortel, it won't be around in ten to fifteen years.