What do you Dare Cadillac to do?

[smk4565]

Since "Dare Greatly" is the current ad campaign, I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to come up with one thing they dare Cadillac to do.  It can be anything, it could be to put the Sixteen intro production, to make a pure EV Tesla fighter, a mid-engine supercar, to changing the naming scheme to introducing a new marketing campaign, or anything you want.  

 

But you only get 1 Dare, people can up vote their favorite idea.

 

[smk4565]

I dare Cadillac to build a V12 supercar, something to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini and really stir up excitement.  This could probably be done with a twin turbo DOHC V8 and electric hybrid powertrain too.   Carbon fiber body, 200+ mph top speed, 3 second 0-60 time.  So really moving toward that hyper car territory.

[ehaase]

Rename the CT6 Deville, CTS Seville, and ATS Calais. 

[hyperv6]

To prove all these Online CEO's that big engines, old names and bench seats matter little anymore. 

[hyperv6]

I dare Cadillac to build a V12 supercar, something to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini and really stir up excitement.  This could probably be done with a twin turbo DOHC V8 and electric hybrid powertrain too.   Carbon fiber body, 200+ mph top speed, 3 second 0-60 time.  So really moving toward that hyper car territory.

 

And we can all assume you will purchase one of these cars? 

 

How about just having a car that dominates BMW, Audi and Benz in all areas at a price that is competitive with the others. You do that it will amount to a hell of a lot more than a car that few will buy. 

You have to earn trust first before you dream super car. 

[smk4565]

 

I dare Cadillac to build a V12 supercar, something to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini and really stir up excitement.  This could probably be done with a twin turbo DOHC V8 and electric hybrid powertrain too.   Carbon fiber body, 200+ mph top speed, 3 second 0-60 time.  So really moving toward that hyper car territory.

 

And we can all assume you will purchase one of these cars? 

 

How about just having a car that dominates BMW, Audi and Benz in all areas at a price that is competitive with the others. You do that it will amount to a hell of a lot more than a car that few will buy. 

You have to earn trust first before you dream super car. 

 

I am not in a position to buy a $250,000 exotic car, nor will I ever be unless I hit the Powerball.  From a practice sense, I was thinking Cadillac should build an Omega crossover with turbo V6 and turbo V8 power. People like the crossovers.  But my wish, or in this case dare would be more of a moon shot product, just so they can say they did it.   It isn't a car that makes financial sense, but I am sure VW loses money on every Bugatti sold, but they made it just to prove they could.

[balthazar]

I would like to see a really big coupe from Cadillac, at least 205" overall.
NOT the El Miraj, which I think needs refinement, but more like a Ciel coupe. TTV8 only.

[hyperv6]

 

 

I dare Cadillac to build a V12 supercar, something to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini and really stir up excitement.  This could probably be done with a twin turbo DOHC V8 and electric hybrid powertrain too.   Carbon fiber body, 200+ mph top speed, 3 second 0-60 time.  So really moving toward that hyper car territory.

 

And we can all assume you will purchase one of these cars? 

 

How about just having a car that dominates BMW, Audi and Benz in all areas at a price that is competitive with the others. You do that it will amount to a hell of a lot more than a car that few will buy. 

You have to earn trust first before you dream super car. 

 

I am not in a position to buy a $250,000 exotic car, nor will I ever be unless I hit the Powerball.  From a practice sense, I was thinking Cadillac should build an Omega crossover with turbo V6 and turbo V8 power. People like the crossovers.  But my wish, or in this case dare would be more of a moon shot product, just so they can say they did it.   It isn't a car that makes financial sense, but I am sure VW loses money on every Bugatti sold, but they made it just to prove they could.

 

And right now with them leveraging Lamborghini and Bentley to garner loans to deal with the diesel issues I bet they had that money back now. 

The reality is to challenge Cadillac to continue to make a profit, continue to improve their image and make their cars be the standard others are measured by. 

 

Wild ass ideas of super-cars and Bentley coupe challengers are just not smart moves till they fix the foundation of what supports the company and make these models the ones that are the best in their segments. 

 

I would dare to  take a CT6 and a Crossover that is profitable and best in class over the others  before anything else 

 

Large expensive coupes with  V12 engines names Eldorado  are not going to fix what needs fixed nor provide the profits. It may do some image work but it is a high price and a lot of risk as if it turns out to be another XLR then it would be a waste of money. 

 

[William Maley]

I would like to see Cadillac not play follow the leader with other luxury competitors - i.e. crossover-apoolza and subcompact luxury sedan.

[G. David Felt]

I Dare Cadillac to finally deliver a V Series Escalade ESV!

[oldshurst442]

I dare Cadillac to STOP taking 1 step forward 2 steps back!

 

Example:

 

Created a buzz with the FWD STS back in the early 1990s.

Made a worthy successor in that 2nd generation FWD STS.

 

Created a mess with the RWD Opel Omega Catera.

 

Decided to do a brand new Arts and Science CTS to replace Catera and finally realized that maybe Cadillac should be RWD.

Great start.

Escalade also debuts in a rocky start but gets improved by leaps and bounds each and every generation. Marketing for the Escalade is stupendously good excellent.

 

STS also goes RWD.

Cadillac now has 2 pretty good RWD sedans that are rough around the edges but great to begin a come back along with a SUV that quickly dominates the competition

 

Leaves the STS to rot on the vine. Cancels it.

Only to return to this segment a decade later with a new name, a name that once was beneath the STS in hierarchy.

Which was needless because the STS DID have pretty good name recognition, because the FWD version was actually a positive one for Cadillac.

Ironically, the RWD STS soured the people because of a lack of execution and left to rot.

Maybe the development money for the Evoq concept becoming a reality as the XLR should NOT have been spent (because that car also turned out to be a dud) and spent on improving a 2nd generation RWD STS along side the CTS instead of canceling it altogether.

We would have had what we have today in 2016 (ATS,CTS,CT6) a DECADE EARLIER with (CTS, STS and DTS but a DTS in RWD form)

 

Creates another big buzz with a second generation CTS. Finds a sweet spot as a 'tweener to the German sedan competitiors.

BMW adjusts their line-up to compete in that sweet spot as they grow in size their vaunted 3 Series..(yeah, bet you nobody thinks it that way!!!!!) and creates another model to replace the 3 Series spot.....successfully, unlike Cadillac.

Cadillac abandons that sweet spot and grows in size the CTS to compete with bigger cars, makes a smaller car with a new name confusing the crap out of its customer base.....

 

(Aint hindsight a beautiful thing though? Its easy to Monday Morning Quarterback, especially when sitting on a sofa, eating chips and playing with the internet)

Edited April 30, 2016 by oldshurst442

[smk4565]

Agreed with Olds hurst, but I like Balthazaar's idea of the full size coupe.  Something like the Phantom coupe that is just huge and over the top would be awesome.

[oldshurst442]

I would like to see Cadillac not play follow the leader with other luxury competitors - i.e. crossover-apoolza and subcompact luxury sedan.

 

This could be joined with my point of view to  really answer that triple dog dare.

Along with Hyper's suggestion of producing a profitable CT6 and XT5.

 

They took a step forward with the RWD SRX going FWD and Lexus competitor and hopefully dont ever change the formula of the XT5 which is a direct successor to the FWD SRX...

 

The 1st and 2nd gen CTS created its totally own niche that had a following.

One might even say BMW followed in Cadillac's footsteps by producing a larger 3 Series to be in that sweet spot...

Could one say that BMW followed Cadillac's footsteps? Wow...what a doozy opinion that is???!!!

Is that blasphemous to say if one was a BMW fanboy? I dont think so!!!

 

 

Well, maybe Cadillac should STOP selling itself short and not play follow the leader and have faith in itself.

Cadillac, when they take the 1 step forward, it really is a giant leap forward.

They should realize that they actually take the lead in the dance they are having with the competition and stick to THEIR formula of success...

The CTS, by being clever or by accident, invented the 'tweener  niche of BMW 3 & 5 Series...

They should have NEVER abandoned it....

 

Well, the CT6 is doing the same...by being a 'tweener in of short wheel base form S Class/7 Series by being the only one to be in this niche in North America.

And its a REAL and BETTER sports sedan in this league whether M-B, BMW and Audi EVER bring their short wheelbase fullsizers to North America.

The CT6 is re-writing the text book of how its done in this segment.

They should only NURTURE it and make it grow from here on out, NOT let it rot on the vine, or abandon it...

 

The STS commercial:

 

All they had to do was really work at it...

Not abandon it and abandon what the 1st and 2nd CTS did  and leave it to the 3rd generation CTS to pick up where the STS left off and create another car to replace the CTS, because the CTS replaces the STS and the CT6 replaces the XTS which replaced the DTS which kinda took the Fleetwood's place but it really was the Escalade that took the Fleetwood's place...and the STS was really not that far off to begin with to go into this stupid spiral...

[surreal1272]

I dare Cadillac not to worry about internet trolls who have absolutely no interest in their cars, in the first place. Oh wait. They already do that. Carry on.

[Suaviloquent]

I would agree with everyone here, there are valid reasons to go any way.

 

I would just dare them to continue the course, build vehicles with a consistent identity, and if you find a segment not worth pursuing, don't go after it.

 

I would though however find a way to bridge the interior quality differences with the CT6 and S-Class. Whether that is resolved with a separate model higher up or a refresh, that does not matter.

 

I would never forget that the V8 is Cadillac heritage. Keep it until it is no longer possible to do so.

[rougeriver]

Bring back the large body on frame RWD sedan that has a trunk capable of holding Billy Batts and six of his friends. The American pick up truck started life as a product leveraged off of the frames that were the foundation for large sedans. Sure, and Escalade is a truck. But why stop there? A frame, because it can resolve loads as a beam, rather than a lattice, is very amenable to both full and plug in EV drive systems because location of load points is not as constrained. As a result, a body on frame full size sedan with some from of E-drive would be large, powerful, well isolated, efficient and quiet. Sure, the poor torsional rigidity of a frame would not lend itself to canyon carving, but the mass centering and lowering by using batteries as part of an full or hybrid E-drive would counter some of that. The point is that not all luxury car buyers are into limit handling. I feel there is a market for a nice ride along with "presence". Capital costs are advantageous due to the immense manufacturing assets GM dedicates to truck frames. The market could be broad. Old timers with aches and pains and the millennials who dig the Ford Panther cars. Note, my suggestion could also be done with a conventional ICE drive. Cadillac has shown that they can do a "driver's' car, but, IMO, they did not need to abandon what they were already doing. 

[Cmicasa the Great]

ROUGERIVER!!!!

 

I Dare Cadillac to offer VARIANTS. I dare Cadillac to market their vehicles. 

 

Priorities are holding the car back. The ATS must come with the same hardware as its 5 most immediate competitors or it instantly loses a sale here.. a sale there. A Convertible at GM, other than at Chevy, should have been numero uno thought when the Alpha Platform was created. With the new Camaro already getting a convertible, it is proof positive that the Alpha platform can accommodate a ragtop. No way in hell a Camaro should have that option and the Flagship brand at GM doesn't have one to speak of in its entire line-up. Mercedes has a convertible C-Class, Eclass, SLK, SL, and S-Class coming. BMW has a convertible Z, 4series, and 6 series, Audi has an A5 Vert, R8, and TT.. Lexus and Infiniti even have a convertible in their entry level vehicle.. not one from the entirely of GM except at Chevy.. which are niche sports coupes mostly geared towards MEN.. the lower car buying demographic.

 

And that's the thing.. the needed product is actually here are coming soon. The ATS and CTS are the foundation of what is coming. They are the building blocks. The suggestion to include a convertible, coupe and wagon aren't about just wanting product for the sake of product.. but covering niche avenues without even having to invest heavily in multiple cars to boost sales and profits. The ATS and CTS should encompass 3 other vehicles within their own branding. There should be a CTS, CTS, CTE, and conversely a CTS-V, CTC-V, and CTE-V.. on top of that.. a CTX (CUV) wash, rinse, repeat for the ATS.

 

How does one get 13,000 3/4series sales? By having product avail for consumption. 

 

I've used this example to death.. but I Love Cadillac.. HATE foreign cars.. ALL of them.. but if I absolutely needed a convertible luxury car.. I'm not even able to put my favorite company on the list. I'd have to buy a Bentley, BMW, Audi, Benz, Jag, Lexus, or Infiniti. That's a fact

'

AT CADILLAC.. 3000 sales are just a piece of the puzzle that needs to be put together sure.. but most importantly it is a PIECE. No sale should be loss due to lack of product.

 

There in lies the problem.. I have looked at the numbers and voiced my reasons of WHY the CTS, arguably the best in its class.. the ATS..  are struggling in the sales race. I have said it time and time again. Sales are not the gauge of failure unless sales are the only thing one looks to achieve. Cadillac is in the middle of its first real attempt at taking on the leaders in the field. This is in both material and perception. Sales numbers are a gauge of success in the mainstream, more so in the Luxury segment. Personally I am not one who gets excited when they see another Cadillac pulling up resembling mine. I enjoy the inadvertent exclusivity. If I were a 3series owner who bought for the sake of luxury, or exclusivity I'd be pissed. Hell part of the reason why I was OK with getting rid of my Camaro was because I started seeing them too often. But Cadillac, above all others will be lambasted constantly until they go that route, ignoring the fact that they have Buick and GMC for that lifting.. and go into the exact same segments as the Germans as if.. like them.. they were a stand alone company. In fact I have said it on numerous occasions that GM should simply FOLLOW the playbook by VW concerning Audi in their product plans. They can not achieve 500K sales with 4 mainstream cars 1 mainstream SUV and 1 mainstream CUV. They can "niche" all they want, but that simply isn't the way the game or perception is played. The Press.. that is the media.. and even us supposed enthusiasts kno that Buick/GMC/Denali exists.. yet many of us still dog Cadillac out when we look at their numbers versus BMW, Lex, Benz, and Audi. As a 4 time Cadillac owner I have zero issue with them going the way of Audi.. as long as they still offer the kind of vehicles that I enjoy buying as well. 

 

 To gain traction... Cadillac has already jumped the first, second, and third hurdle. Cadillac is simply better at more things than the German rivals these days. The areas where it lags are fixable, and consistently coming, building.. moving forward. Point blank we are not talking about Lincoln here,, or Lexus. The issues with Cadillac normally can be summed up in lack of marketing, lack of product, and a reluctance to, up til recently, Dare Greatly. CUE is fixed. The larger backseat is coming in 2 years.. not that its a concern to me. Escalade, ATS/ CTS-V, and CT6 will prime the world for the CT7 and CT8. 

 

Anyone thinking that this would be a quick fix hasn't looked at the reality of things for a long time. Cadillac isn't just battling within the realm of the segment, but battling within the automotive industry because of its origin. The entire brand actually is a mimic of the Corvette. 95% better than the foreign exotics competition, but marred and historically held back because of where it originated. I hope Cadillac simply builds the better car... 

[rougeriver]

Cmicasa the Great

 

I think we share a common interest in cars. My family climbed out of the depths of the Great Depression due to their employment by the D3. For example, all those nice lines you see on an Impala from the 1960s were wood modeled by my uncle. He had a good business relationship with the Fisher brothers. 

 

Because of bad times, GM no longer has the brand that, IMO, is best for the ATS and CTS - Oldsmobile. In a better world, Olds would have the ATS, CTS as rocket cars and the XTS would serves as a modern Delta 88. 

 

Cadillac would get the CT6 and CT8, some SUVs, and the Escalade.

[regfootball]

i dare cadillac to actually get their sales up

[smk4565]

I like Balthazaar's large coupe idea best, and do agree they need a convertible.  I think they should do an Eldorado full size coupe/convertible, something big and over the top like the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead, but more along the lines of CT6 turbo V6 pricing, like $70,000 range.

[Drew Dowdell]

I dare Cadillac to look at their most iconic vehicles from each decade and try a reproduce few of those formulas with modern requirements. Pull from their history.

 

I would start with a '39, '48 Jetback, '57 Eldorado, '67 Eldorado, a '75 Seville, an '85 Seville....

 

I don't mean copy the styling... I mean copy the formula.  Most of the ones I listed were when Cadillac dared to be different in some way. 

 

That said... as I'm sure Balth would point out a pattern in my selection..... I would totally be in line ready to sign up for a long hood, short deck, swept back coupe or sedan from Cadillac.

[balthazar]

^ I have no comment other than : good selection & I get your point.

 

I personally prefer a 'short hood / long deck' car, especially after the drought of such in the industry. We have "coupes" out there with decks less than 12" long.

 

WTF.

 

Cadillac, between it's taking the industry by storm with fins, and it's hallmark vertical tails… should make a concerted effort to again direct the eye to the rear of the car. It's their heritage ands it's high time the rear end of cars gets attention again. 

[Drew Dowdell]

The majority of coupes we have today all seem to tumble forward rather than sweep back. None of the sedans seem to sweep back... That would immediately show up on my radar.

[balthazar]

Like this ? :

 

[Suaviloquent]

Mazda 6 kinda sweeps back. So does Jaguar XJ.

[Guest Carguy]

Rename the CT6 Deville, CTS Seville, and ATS Calais. 

I just LOVE this idea!!! The only difference I have is the Calais name for ATS. I think a perfect one would be the name Cadillac formerly used for their sub brand long ago. I think the name for the ATS should be LaSalle! But Calais would do though and return Cadillac to a wonderful and understandable naming scheme ether way. And they should build that large rwd coupe Eldorado and sedan Biarritz, both with an optional 6.0L Turbo V12 positioned to take on RR and Bentley! Cadillac can do this and return to their once premium and high end premium position they belong in!

[Drew Dowdell]

Like this ? :

 

 

That's probably as close as we got lately..

[Suaviloquent]

I think Cadillac just needs 2 coupes at any given time.

 

I think the next coupe they have should actually be a tweener in terms of size between the ATS coupe, and what the CTS coupe could have been in this generation of car.

 

And then the other one should be a top-line, perhaps have variants along the lines of Balth and Drew, SMK.

 

I would think that atleast have that show-stopper in terms of style that the Elmiraj was. But they gottta make sure the moment is still there.

 

But also, I would think of the end-game. Art and Science has done well for the past decade. What is the long term evolution? Will the fins become more pronounced, the higher in the model line you go?

 

I would love to see slab sides, with real defined fins once more, even if it's only really possible for the top-line cars. And then the lesser vehicles would get "fin-lets"

[Frisky Dingo]

I dare Cadillac to find their own identity and stop trying to build 10 year old BMW's. In other words, build a compelling product that follows their own ethos.

[balthazar]

^ I don't find any truth to that sound byte, IE; 'copying BMW'.

Anymore than BMW copied Cadillac by making their cars luxurious & amenity-laden.

[Suaviloquent]

Time will tell. But I can say this - there are automakers out there gunning for the same lunch money at this point. Cadillac has to take everyone seriously. And everyone better take Cadillac seriously.

[surreal1272]

I dare Cadillac to find their own identity and stop trying to build 10 year old BMW's. In other words, build a compelling product that follows their own ethos.

How in the world are they copying a ten year old BMW? They have, for the most part, met or passed them in the driving dynamics category and they sure as $h! don't look like any BMW.

Please elaborate.

^ I don't find any truth to that sound byte, IE; 'copying BMW'.

Anymore than BMW copied Cadillac by making their cars luxurious & amenity-laden.

This because some here forgot how absolutely craptastic German interiors were thirty years ago.