Cadillac News: Cadillac CT6 Reveals Itself In New Commerical

[Drew Dowdell]

It took BMW 35 years to get where they are today.  In 1980, they were selling really expensive, RWD VW Jettas that rusted into nothing at the first sight of snow.

[hyperv6]

I saw some interesting details on the CT6.

Rear Steering.

 

44 pounds less than the CTS.

AWD standard and a decent system at that.

 

8 speed.

 

10.2 dash screen.

 

Pad on the console so you can control cue and never touch the dash.

 

While this is not the end all be all car that some were expecting it shows that Cadillac is moving in the right direction and this will be a great replacement for the XTS and should do well in China. 5.5 inches in the rear seat more than the CTS. Now you know why we did not get the stretched model here.

 

The cars size is 8 inches longer than the CTS but it does bulbous in size.

 

The engines will be the 2.0 Turbo 272 HP not sure why?

 

3.6 V6 around 350 HP by into.

 

the Turbo v6 that will have over 400 HP by into.

 

And in about a year we should have the Turbo V8. 500-600 HP?

 

I do not expect a V series here but a sport at this time They may do a V later but I think they will leave that to the true flag ship that is to come.

 

[balthazar]

'rear steering'??

 

8 inches longer than the CTS but it does bulbous in size.

Clarify intent plz.

[G. David Felt]

Interesting info, I agree with Balthazar, please clarify does bulbous?

[hyperv6]

The car is larger but does not look as large as it really is.

 

To me it looks like a car that is right sized for what it is.

 

It is not like say a 60 Pontiac that looks like the Queen Mary with lots of wasted space. They made a large car here and did it efficiently but yet elegantly. Saving weight and making a stylish car today is not easy. One usually begets the other.

 

Bulbous to me was the 2003 DTS my in-laws owned. This car does not give me that sense of design. The proportions are right.

 

Now half of you will love this car. 1/4 will be ok and 1/4 will hate it.

 

The half who love it love the CTS and understand this car was done long before Cadillac was given the $12Billion Dollars to fix the brand right.

 

The rest will be somewhat disappointed this is not the Elmirage or other recent show car with out taking into account that they came along after this car was pretty much in the works.

 

As long as one views this car for what it is a step into the future and the full game plan you will be ok with it. The standard AWD and 4 wheel steering and other features will show where this is going but this is not yet the destination. Also this car will be a key piece for China as this car is what they are all about.

 

When all is said and done this is a good car but you have to take it in the context as GM has stated. It is not going to be the be all German killer but this is a car that will take Cadillac to the next step of recovery and the products that will benefit much from the new investment.  By far it is not a step back.

 

To me the XTS was a disappointment but under the conditions it was done I understand why it was done. The back stories on these cars tell the whole story.

 

The key here is GM finally went full in to commit the time, people and money to Cadillac they sorely needed for decades. We could be like Lincoln and have a pretty stolen Bentley design that will be adapted to an enlarged Taurus platform. I really feel for the guys at Lincoln that are trying to save them. They are just not getting the support they need.

The luxury segment will be an important one as with only 10% of the sales they can reap 50% of the profits of the auto sales. In the future as truck become more expensive to build and less profitable these models will be important to recover or grow profits. China the Luxury market grew 17% alone. That is where the CT6 will really pay off for GM.

 

Edited March 31, 2015 by hyperv6

[hyperv6]

Here is a good story on where Cadillac was, Where it is and Where they are going.

 

 

 

Bloomberg David Welch -- Johan de Nysschen was plenty skeptical when General Motors Co. asked him to run Cadillac.

De Nysschen helped make Audi a real contender in the U.S. and had recently joined Nissan’s Infiniti. Why jump to Cadillac, a brand that actually sold fewer vehicles last year despite a boom in luxury automobiles?

De Nysschen spent hours on the phone with GM President Dan Ammann to make sure this was no vanity project. The clincher: GM agreed to invest heavily in Cadillac, eventually budgeting $12 billion for the next five years, or more than a quarter of the sum being spent on new models companywide. Ammann & Co. also pledged to give de Nysschen enough time and people to get the job done as part of a plan to split Cadillac into a company that’s now based in New York.

 

GM is counting on Cadillac to drive profits in the next decade. Luxury cars make up just 10 percent of the 100 million cars sold globally every year but haul in 50 percent of the profits. GM will be less able to rely on fat truck margins to keep it solidly in the black because tightening fuel economy standards in the U.S. could push up production costs.

Making Cadillac a serious competitor to German luxury brands will be a heavy lift, but de Nysschen says GM has little choice but to try.

“The company needs to capture its rightful share of the profits available in the global luxury market,” he said.

Brooklyn Party

Tonight at a party in Brooklyn, de Nysschen, 55, will unveil a new CT6. Cadillac’s flagship sedan also will be on display this week at the New York auto show, where luxury vehicles traditionally take center stage. The CT6 was under development long before de Nysschen showed up, but he has ambitious plans to fill out Cadillac’s lineup to compete with other luxury brands. Three of the five planned new models will be crossover SUVs, a fast-selling segment.

When the South Africa-born de Nysschen became Cadillac president in August, he was surprised to find he had few dedicated product planning, marketing or sales people. Under GM’s centralized system, many worked for all four of the company’s brands. De Nysschen sometimes waited till the afternoon to get a meeting because the product planning and marketing people were toiling for Chevrolet, Buick or GMC in the morning. This doesn’t happen at BMW, Audi and Mercedes, he said.

De Nysschen now has 40 people in New York working in product planning and development, advertising and marketing -- plus a few dedicated engineers and designers. He expects the staff to grow to 150 people by the end of the year.

Cadillac Eyes

For too long, de Nysschen said, Cadillac product planners have looked through GM eyes. When he asked for engine options for a future model, he was shown charts comparing a four-cylinder motor to those made by Chevy rivals, not BMW or Audi. That’s why he insisted on moving Cadillac out of Detroit.

“They were not looking through Cadillac eyes,” he said.

Given Cadillac’s recent history, de Nysschen’s insistence on dedicated resources makes sense. In 2000, GM poured $4.3 billion into the brand and got momentum with the hulking Escalade SUV and the first CTS sedan. But soaring gasoline prices in 2005 and the financial crisis a few years later halted Cadillac’s progress, and GM spent little on new cars.

The result: Cadillac sales tumbled 6.5 percent in the U.S. last year, making it one of only three luxury brands to lose ground. Only the Escalade sold more vehicles. Cadillac still appeals to older folks, with the average buyer clocking in 64, 15 years older than the average BMW owner, according to San Diego consulting firm Strategic Visions Inc.

Manifold Problems

The brand’s problems are manifold, says Uwe Ellinghaus, a BMW vet who is now Cadillac’s chief marketing officer. The brand doesn’t have the crossover SUVs that luxury buyers are snapping up these days. And even though the CTS and ATS sedans have the sporty ride and handling to rival a BMW or Audi, many luxury buyers don’t know it yet, he said.

Cadillac sells six models and competes against 11 from Audi and 13 from BMW. Cadillac has just one crossover SUV. By 2020, Cadillac will add three more SUVs along with the CT6 sedan and renew four other models in the lineup. A bigger Cadillac that will be even larger than the CT6 is also in the works, de Nysschen said.

The CT6 will show the new direction, Ellinghaus said. Where some BMW cars have gotten bigger and heavier -- and in his view less nimble on the road -- the CT6 will be the size of the 7 Series flagship and as light as a 5 Series.

Hybrid Caddy

Next, Cadillac plans to offer a version of the Chevy Volt’s plug-in hybrid system in many of its cars, Ellinghaus said. The brand already has the ELR, which uses the Volt’s drive system, but there’s much more to come, he said.

With the right product, Cadillac can come back, said Eric Noble, president of The CarLab, a consulting firm in Orange, California. Boomers may have moved on, but younger buyers pay attention and the name still shows up in everything from Bruce Springsteen songs to hip-hop tunes, he said.

“Cadillac is surprisingly relevant,” he said. “It enjoys a cultural connection that few other brands have.”

Ellinghaus has been tearing up the advertising to try to carve out some space for Cadillac as the antidote to every boring rich guy’s BMW or Mercedes. That means no more images of Wall Street guys stepping out of a high rise and into their Cadillac or cars cruising the Pacific Coast Highway.

German Ubiquity

The “Dare Greatly” campaign features people who try to be different, like Steve Wozniak, the Apple Inc. co-founder who dropped out of college to build the first personal computer, and fashion designer Jason Wu, the high-fashion designer who dressed dolls as a young boy. The message: Don’t be a cliché, buy a Cadillac instead of a BMW, Audi or Mercedes.

“Cadillac will benefit from German ubiquity,” Ellinghaus said.

When he and de Nysschen arrived, Cadillac didn’t even have a tag line to compete with BMW’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” or Audi’s “Uncompromising.” The ads used to tout accolades for the cars and just close with Cadillac’s crest and script.

That’s a first step on what de Nysschen says will be a very long journey. As the German automakers try to be the largest in the world, they will take fewer risks and become more bland, he said. That gives Cadillac an opportunity to be individualistic and appeal to younger luxury buyers.

And what about styling? The edgy look, which GM dubbed Art& Science about 15 years ago, won’t go away completely. But there will be more curves in the cars.

Building a luxury brand takes time, de Nysschen acknowledged. But he said buyers will see a big difference in five years and vowed “Cadillac will be a powerhouse global luxury brand that will command the respect of its peers.”

[Z-06]

Another article on Johan and Uwe bong with some statements stretched and facts needed to be checked.

[hyperv6]

Another article on Johan and Uwe bong with some statements stretched and facts needed to be checked.

 

Put up or shut up. If you have proof then present it vs. sniping.  

 

Post storied and or links that tell a different story that would account for the failings at Cadillac. Also be fair nothing based on Opinion.

 

What they have to say her is legitimate and logical enough to let them do what they have to do. How long have we see Cadillac go with so little focus, little true identity of their own,  funding and even when  they get it right no marketing.  The problems they found here are similar to what Lutz found all over GM. His book points out case after case of a culture that just did not work internally. And some of the things they eliminated were shocking in the 90's let alone since those who were not the problems have taken charge.

Edited April 1, 2015 by hyperv6

[Z-06]

 

Another article on Johan and Uwe bong with some statements stretched and facts needed to be checked.

 

Put up or shut up. If you have proof then present it vs. sniping.  

 

Post storied and or links that tell a different story that would account for the failings at Cadillac. Also be fair nothing based on Opinion.

 

What they have to say her is legitimate and logical enough to let them do what they have to do. How long have we see Cadillac go with so little focus, little true identity of their own,  funding and even when  they get it right no marketing.  The problems they found here are similar to what Lutz found all over GM. His book points out case after case of a culture that just did not work internally. And some of the things they eliminated were shocking in the 90's let alone since those who were not the problems have taken charge.

 

 

My, my we are taking the things personally aren't we? I am asking that question to Johan and Uwe and the author of the article, not its messenger here. I have read Lutz book also and so of Car Czar to determine as an outsider what GM is. And GM's culture has been rehashed here million times so what these two highly intelligent people say about it is not genius. And while I am fan of Lutz because he did put up and earned the right to shut up, these two jokers are yet to do that.

 

For starters:

 

 

In 2000, GM poured $4.3 billion into the brand and got momentum with the hulking Escalade SUV and the first CTS sedan. But soaring gasoline prices in 2005 and the financial crisis a few years later halted Cadillac’s progress, and GM spent little on new cars.

 

Escalade came in 1998, and CTS in 2002 so $4.3B was not exclusively on those two vehicles. And gasoline prices didn't soar till late 2007.

 

 

But soaring gasoline prices in 2005 and the financial crisis a few years later halted Cadillac’s progress, and GM spent little on new cars. The result: Cadillac sales tumbled 6.5 percent in the U.S. last year, making it one of only three luxury brands to lose ground. Only the Escalade sold more vehicles. Cadillac still appeals to older folks, with the average buyer clocking in 64, 15 years older than the average BMW owner, according to San Diego consulting firm Strategic Visions Inc.

 

Didn't you and Micasa pooh pooh about how the loss of sales last year was due to lack of body styles? Not the economy? You cannot have it both ways. I agree with your assessments.

 

 

“Cadillac is surprisingly relevant,” he said. “It enjoys a cultural connection that few other brands have.”

 

Yet changing names into a alphanumeric garbage makes sense.

 

Most of development has happened before those two clowns joined Cadillac. What have they done yet? They better put up or shut up. Like I said before, I only comment when I know facts. Now you my friend on the other hand go back and put up or shut up and not snipe about oil and SS being production limited by GM rather than people not buying it.

[Guest hyperv6]

Z sorry nothing taken personal here..

 

Too often a comments are made with nothing to back it up. I just wanted you to back up what you said and see what your points were.

 

Sorry if it came over harsh but you posted what I wanted to see. I should have said "please expand".... Thanks!

 

 

[hyperv6]

Ok I am home now.

 

Here are the key points of the story. Yes you can nit pick subjective things here but the facts remain the same on the important topics.

 

#1 Cadillac has not been given the full support they really needed to take it to the top till last August.

#2 GM brass has interfered much to much in making Cadillac right. Just look at the fight Mark Ruess had over the GT6 door handles. These are the same people show wanted to cheapen the Cruze when it was on top as they felt they made it too good.

 

#3 Cadillac with their own engines? Did anyone ever think that was possible to happen again? Well it is.

 

#4 Cadillac with their own dedicated engineers in much larger numbers? Music to my ears.

 

#5 Cadillac with $12 Billions dollars to fix and build cars even better than what we have now!!!!!

 

#6 Distance from Detroit to keep the people who do not need to be involved out.

 

#7 Marketing. Real Marketing with a message, vision and purpose.  No more dancing robots or shooting arrows etc.

 

#8 The guys in charge now it is all on them. This deal is either going to make them or break them regardless of what they have done in the past. They have taken full control and if it works it will be all to the credit of them and their staff and if they fail it will be all on them and they may never find work anywhere else again.

 

Will they make Cadillac all we hope. I think they have a good shot. Could they fail? Certainly but we will not know till they try. The way things have been run it was not a total Lincoln like failure but it was not a full effort either. We have better cars but no one knows about them. While the cars are better they still have room for improvement. We still have gaps in markets that can and should be making money. As of now they are going to address these and I am willing to let them give it a try as at this point so much is being left on the table.  

 

The key point now that I can see is the CT6  was going to be the Flagship till the S African arrived now it is not good enough. That is a sign that some one is finally willing to admit they can do and should do better.

 

The key to the future of Cadillac is not to be as good but to be better. At this point it appears that is their goal and I am willing to give them a chance. They have been given all they have asked for and not it is their ass on the line. If they are willing to take that responsibility then give em a chance.

 

I am tired of the years of people who are not the problem being restrained by those who are the problem at GM. This is what has killed GM through the years.

 

Johann kind of reminds me of a Delorean in a way. Willing to push those at GM that were not always willing to be pushed. John was arrogant and broke rules. It worked well as long as he was in his element. Once moved to Chevy he was doomed as he was saddled with so many of Ed Coles projects that were half baked like the Vega and Wankel as he moved in to some tough early 70's years. They ate him alive once he show weakness. Johann will be in the same boat. He will own GM as long as he succeeds but if he begins to fail they will cut him off at the knees and he knows it.

 

At this point I see no one else what has gotten GM to buy in like this since Harley Earl.

 

We can give them a chance or we can just keep things the same and just slap a small block in the CT6 and say that is as good as we can do then get some robots to advertise our fall rebates.

 

 

 

 

[smk4565]

I get the feeling that Johan and Ewe are writing checks with their mouths that their asses can't cash.  We hear loads of talk from them, and Cadillac sales are down every month, while BMW and Mercedes go up.  Even Lexus has really resurged over the past couple years.

[balthazar]

Again with the report from the accountant's office??

[hyperv6]

I get the feeling that Johan and Ewe are writing checks with their mouths that their asses can't cash.  We hear loads of talk from them, and Cadillac sales are down every month, while BMW and Mercedes go up.  Even Lexus has really resurged over the past couple years.

 

They get there in August and we have yet to see anything of their work other than the Dare Greatly marketing that just started and it is all their fault?

 

I do not know if they will succeed or fail at this point but I am willing to let them at least try. They got GM to commit to more than anyone else has for years. Lets now see what they do with it.

 

We first should see how they change Cadillac to make it function better. Lets watch to see how their engineering and marketing improves. Then the new product that these folks are doing will be here in 4-5 years. Then you can pass judgment on them.,

 

You are like these folks that condemn a car while still in camo.  Oh wait you do that too.

 

Better to wait and have a informed opinion based on facts vs. voicing a clueless one and be found a fool.

Edited April 2, 2015 by hyperv6

[smk4565]

DeNysschen hasn't really done anything yet, but talk a lot, and sales keep going down.  Infiniti is doing nothing with their new naming scheme, and that was about all he did for them.  Audi is doing better now without him, than they did with him.    I am not convinced he is the guy to lead the turn around.  I think he is too arrogant and underestimates Mercedes and BMW.  It is good that GM is spending $12 billion, but I think Johan might just squander it.  Really Cadillac should be giving $2-3 billion a year forever.