hyperv6

The Continental is a enlarged Taurus platform and will be AWD/FWD. Second the Continental is not competing with the German cars or Cadillac's going into the future. Ford has stated it is more a Acura/Buick/300 Competitor. This is only a step into the future and is not a part of the $12 Billion Dollar commitment of GM. I recommend reading the story in Bloomberg about how GM plans to spend the money and what problems they De Nysschen found when he arrived at Cadillac just last August.

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 PartyTonight 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 EyesFor 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 ProblemsThe 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 CaddyNext, 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 UbiquityThe “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.”

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.

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.

Yes the new engines are on the way but were only approved last summer. These will be their own deals and we should see some very advanced system. The V6 really is not even the first one it was just what was planned here. We should see even advanced and changes with the 6 at some point. In the mean time these engines will keep them going till their own stuff is ready.

While the basics of your statement are correct the torque range being flat and wide on the 2 is due to the combination of VVT, DI and a Turbocharger. The V6 engine will be closer to this but still not as low in the RPM. Racing means little here today than in the past as most racing engine while based on a OE concept some of the time are mostly made up of specialized parts or aftermarket parts. The reason people use them is they are paid. I have seen where Yugo races at one point but it was because they paid someone to compete. Generally most factory racing is all propose built and just not what it used to be. Case in point Cadillac would be no where with out Pratt and Miller just as Benz would have never gotten anywhere without Sauber. Porsche is one of the few in house team but even they relied on Penske, Hobert and other private teams for even more development work. Ferrari is one of the few in house deals left in F1 but even their road race cars have relied on the private teams.

To be better and give the customer more power. The 2.0T has only a 1 mpg advantage over the 3.6 V6, if the V6 is getting an improvement in fuel economy, then that advantage is gone. Most V6s are getting 30 mpg highway, which is all the Cadillac 4-cylinder gets. The 2.0T is good for the base ATS because the C300, 328i and A4 have a turbo 4. I see the CTS more in the spot of the Infiniti Q50, you have to give the customer more to get some sales. The Lexus GS and E-class have standard V6s also, as does the Acura RLX is you want to call that a competitor, it is about CTS size and price. What you are missing is the 3.6 has a narrow torque band. The Turbo 4 is a much more fun engine to drive. Also in my experience the Turbo will return much better MPG than the ratings than the 3.6. My 3.6 hits the posted numbers and the Turbo is at lease 5 MPG or better than the posted EPA numbers. Even if I remote start I never hit the 19 MPG as it will only drop to around 23 MPG. Summer city driving is 25-26 MPG. If I drive careful I can get a little better than the posted MPG on the 3.6 but you really have to try as vs. the 2.0 you can drive it like you stole it. The torque on the 2.0 is flat from 1800 RPM to 5300 RPM. The 3.6 really has no life till 3500 and you have to make the most with it to extract the power. The Torque never get near the 2.0 at 315 FT LBS. Most of the V6 engines out there are only getting 30 Highway and that is if you drive carefully. My 3.6 will do 22 City and 31 Highway but you have to use care as the MPG is not forgiving. This make the 2.0 that much more a joy to drive along with the added Torque. When I can set off the traction control at over 50 MPG with the 2.0 it should give you an idea of the torque on tap. The first time I had it happen I felt the loss of power and the light on the dash came on. I though I broke something.

There is no sense just offering a V6 CTS if you plan to go to Europe. Now since GM really does not offer the gutted model like the others in Europe. I would only eliminated the NA 4 and keep the Turbo 4. I have driven one and it works well and will only become more important in the future. In this segment you need to let the markets determine what they want and supply it. Only one who is single market minded with no view of the future will not understand this. [not you Drew] A turbo 4 in Europe alone is as important as the Diesel. We may buy a lot of loaded up Benz and BMW's here, over there they are much less common and the lower powered models dominate. Gas prices and economy there are much different. At this point the whole Cadillac engine lineup will be tossed around so what we are arguing about today will be much different in about 5 years and on.

You may want to take the time to study this engine as it is not the same as stated and very advanced and compact. So a much more modern engine than the going backwards to cast iron I 6 engines that MB and BMW are doing together. There are benefits to an Inline but there are also issues. length, weight and height. Also you have to factor in that the Inline engine is somewhat a tradition just as a pushrod engine is to the Corvette. In some cases traditions have some issues that come along vs. a clean sheet approach but tradition also ties sales to them too. It is just more in some cases of what the customer expects than anything else. I think you will find in the long run a powerful more compact power plant will gain an advantage in the packaging and balance of the car. Also Cadillac has no such tradition or expectation of a Inline 6 either so no real gain in the eye of the consumer here. I think this is an advantage they can exploit and make it their own. Besides how often do we hear that Cadillac needs to do their own thing and not copy the other to the last mark? I believe a properly funded GM engine program with Cadillac can generate engines as if not more advanced in all areas of size, weight, power and refinement. We have not had that kind of engine program in years but today we are looking at them entering into one to do just this. Also with the pricing of future Cadillac's there will be no need to cut corners either. I think we can already see GM is really focused on the platforms and weight. Each new model and platform shed's more pounds. Even the Malibu is losing 300 pounds and increases it size. Yet they have not gone all in for Aluminum even yet. Hell even their trucks are right near what the aluminum Fords are. If and when they chose to go Aluminum it will really hurt Ford as they will be back at a great deficient. With Alcoa getting the government money not to increase capacity GM will be able to avoid the higher incurred cost with better supplies on the vehicles they chose to use it on. Anyways lets let GM do what they do best and show us what a properly funded high tech engine can do. I think many will be surprised at what they will do. The Ecotec Turbo is only a hint at what is possible and that engine even was underfunded in pre chapter 11 days. I think people just assume Germans have a lead on technology but the truth be said they been building pretty much the same damn car for nearly 40 years in a 3 series and have just refined it over those years. Really look at what they have as it is good but not really broken new ground.

Well so far no real back lash. Even dealers asked how things were going have indicated few people have issues with this or even bring it up. The fact is GM will get through this just fine. The engines and transmission for the most part are not an issue for them. Most of their drivetrains has out lived their cars easily with very high miles. The cars may not be pretty but they keep running. Also many of the systems on the engine are covered with the Emissions warranty right up to the plug wires and plugs. It is still 5 year 100,000 mile warranty as mandated by the government. Things that are often an issue like injectors or electronics are covered. Most people never even go to the dealers on these as they have no idea they are covered. I know some of you have your doubts but this one will work out with no issue.

You may want to take the time to study this engine as it is not the same as stated and very advanced and compact.

Come on you are smarter than this or should be since you hang around the rest of us that know better. The first car the XTS was started before the bail out shelved and then brought out to buy time. The Alpha was started before the bail out but was not far along. It was mostly completed after the bail out and the ATS and CTS were done pretty much together as much as they could. The CT6 was started about 4-5 years ago as a flag ship when GM was only willing to go this far. That all changed last summer so this is why GM now states 2020 as the start of the all in product they just approved and when they are willing to make a run at Europe. As for how you determine how they beat the others needs to be adjusted. This and most Cadillac cars are no longer volume cars as Lexus or Acura. These cars selling at higher prices and larger profit margins do not need to meet the same volumes we used to see. To measure their success is how much profits they return not units sold. The CT6 will be a car to take a step up from the XTS and will advance the CTS concept to a larger and more advanced car but not as far as GM has now set their sights. The fact is this car was as good as they were willing to go. In the last 9 months they have revised their goals and finally got the unprecedented support of GM for their future. As it is this car will not fail because there is really not a lot of expectations placed on it from GM. GM has down played this car and made no major promises of it taking Germany down. They have just stated that this car will be light and show new construction technics. It will feature many new uses of technology inside that will set the direction of things to come This is a preview car for many technologies and things will move on from here. This as I said is a stepping stone and it just needs to do as the XTS did in holding the line up. It will do a better job then the XTS as it is a better car. I am going conservative here and saying this car is a double not the home run. If it turns into a Triple all the better but either way this car will advance the efforts of Cadillac and will do no harm. You seem to expect Cadillac to return to form in 1 year and with one model but that is fools gold. For sustained growth in this segment it takes time and continued good product. Each model and each year will bring gain in the profit column and that is where we measure success. This is the segment you work smarter not harder. We are no longer selling Chevy and Buick bases Cadillac's anymore. If anything you should just sit back and watch the next 5-10 years as it for once will be a joy to watch for once. Something many of us have never seen from GM in our life time where they have gone about doing things right and not taking the easy way out. The other factor on the progress of the last 5 years is GM is doing more than fixing Cadillac. Even a company as large as GM can not revamp ever model and every brand at one time. The cost and the amount of man power needed would negate any gains they would make as they would have to cut corners like they did in the past. The thing to take to heart is this is the car that they argued over the cost of the door handles. That is something that should have never been questioned in a flagship car. And now it won['t be as this is no longer the flag ship. Now if you want to settle here for this then go back to Lincoln. As I clearly pointed out BMW and Audi took many models and many years to get were they are at. One model and one year did not do it for them either. Cadillac is at least competitive with them now and will have a chance to better them with the proper support. During this time they can repair the marketing that just changed and the dealers to better help win the public over. Also they can play a little in Europe to establish the channels needed to sell cars there and get it ready for the future.

In the higher classes they are taking more and more high HP Turbo engines and combining them with electric drive or assist. Uber high MPG is not always a must have but if they can take a car improve the MPG but add to the performance these companies are going to do it. Not all Hybrids are the same or out for the same mission. The 3.6 I expect will be for Limo's and hearses. At least it makes more sense than the 2.5 NA in the CTS.

So this is another stop gap product? This is Cadillac's problem, the savior vehicle is always 5 years away. This is shaping up to be a pricier XTS. What the hell do you think it is when GM did not fully commit to doing the right thing last summer? Even a fool would understand that. Ehhh well never mind. Well let me explain what the rest of us understand. The old guard still had a presence at GM after the bail out. These people did not go away over night. Now they have been systematically retired or moved on as the new management has been taking over. Lutz called these people Those who were the problem and those who were not the problem. Today those who were not the problem have gain control. While this is not the home run it is not the XTS. The XTS was all they had planned at the time of the bail out and it was a car that was pretty much done. GM plowed what money they had left into finish projects they had started like the Malibu,Cruze, Nox, XTS, ZL1 ETC as they did not want to go 5 years with no new product what so ever. This is what has happened at Chrysler and now they are how many years down the road with only updated old products and a couple rebodied Lancia. It is also part of the reason why FCA is trying to find help today as they just do not have the money to do it at all. GM stepped up and advanced their idea of where Cadillac was to have been places. That was beyond the FWD future but even Mark at that point could not get full backing to go beyond that. So to get to the next step Mark and the new people at Cadillac got GM to fully commit to go to the next level the one they needed to be at if they want to survive. This is not a easy transformation or a cheap one but they finally have stepped up to the plat and offered to do it right. Sorry but it will take more time as you do not make the kind of cars they want over and this is a long term game. Anyone with half a mind and a little knowledge knows that Cadillac is not going to turn around over night with one model. It will take years of new models, good marketing and then they can build the image they need. BMW did it in the 70's and 80's as they were crappy cars coming our of the 60's. Audi did it in the 90's and 00's after making crappy cars in the 70's and the set back they suffered in the 80's. Even Benz had up and down years in the last three decades with stellar product and cars best left forgotten. Anyone remember the small Cosworth 2.3-16. Nasty. The problem is not that the savior car is 5 years away the good thing is that they keep advancing where they are going. For you my friend your short sightedness is a glass half empty while mine is half full. Unlike Lincoln and others that remain stagnate and either not advancing or regressing Cadillac has been over the last 5 years been given the keys to it's future and they are now set to build the cars that they really could build if given the chance. This is a rare opportunity and they will be ok as they have the people to do it and the backing buy people willing for once to support it. The new car will still advance the cause as while it is not all that they wanted or needed it will still be the best car they have built in decades and will still do well. While the present models are not perfect they are far from being poor cars. You would have a case for hating 5 more years if we still were building 8-6-4 models or any of the product of the 80's.

First thing we need to make clear is the CT6 is not going to be the Audi 8 or BMW 7 killer. This car was the flag ship of those at Cadillac 5-6 years ago that thought this was enough to be the flagship or Cadillac. Well that all changes when the good guys won last summer and got GM to go all in and do Cadillac right. So at this point this car will be a the best car they have offered yet but not yet all that they need. GM has stuffed it with a lot of techno gadgets to make it a sort of a showcase for future tech we will see coming in all new models. The CT6 is just another stepping stone to the future and will advance the cause but it is still not the destination. We are 5 years out on the all in GM Cadillac products that will compete head to head with the best. We will like this car but there is so much more yet to come now that those who are not the problem are in charge. Keep in mind this is the car Mark Reuss had to argue over the door handles and those inside GM thought the cheaper ones were good enough. Mark and those who backed him have won but we will only see the patches they were able to do here. I am really excited for the future as GM said this car is not meant to take on Europe head on. That is their way to tell us that this car is not where we are going to stop. They loaded up many tech features here but the same will be said for the Malibu as it will have many new tech features you never expected in a Chevy. So you can get in a pissing match over names and features but lets really wait to see what the product GM finally fully committed to doing for Cadillac turn out to be. I find it exciting as GM has not really fully committed to a division like this in decades. Ford is still having the battle of those who wanted to kill Lincoln and those who want to save it. They have yet to get that full commitment from Ford and will suffer till they do or die. Doing revamped FWD Fords marketed by a semi crazy actor is not going to advance them much. I think those that want to save Lincoln are pulling for Cadillac as it may just get Ford to support them when Cadillac pans out. There is too much money to be made in this segment and finally those inside GM have understood this. 12% volume and nearly 50% of the auto profits are hard to ignore.

What is not to get? You build a better car market properly and people will buy it. In this segment people are reaching out to the latest and greatest. Ford went from a even more forgettable car to the Fusion with no issues and GM will do the same. The present car is not really dragging it down as it is a good car but it is an older design than the others and just not as good as the best. This by all means is not a 2004 Malibu we are speaking of. Get with the program you are smarter than that..

And the first to the second Equinox and the Cobalt to the Cruize etc.

I have heard little on this car for 2016. Have wondered if it may have been moved back to 2017. Also is it a Lacrosse or a Regal as we have one of these coming in some where too.

Yes the Cutlass was the so called flagship and leader of the entire line. It was a very popular car and it is sad how they took the name and slapped it on various FWD cars that just never lived up to the name. The RWD Cutlass was a top seller and even a top car for theft as they were that popular. Things just never recovered after the loss of that car. This was a perfect example that a car makes the name not the name makes the car. Just slapping Cutlass on everything did not sell many cars that were not so great in the 80's. Now have a good car with the name and it sold. This is a perfect model for the name number debates raging. If you do not have the car it matters little what you call it.

This is one program GM has grown and it has paid off for them and the Customers. The moving of older models to fleets brings in needed money to GM as they can sell these cars that have already paid off their development and tooling years ago and make a good profit on them. The customer does not see his new car dumped on fleet sales that get dumped in about a year or two on the used car market killing their resale value. The tail end buyers are not hit as bad as often the end of an old model gets a lot of incentives to start with do they got their deal upfront. Lets face it the Captiva and W body Impala brought in a lot of money and did not hurt the customers of the new models in any way. The guy who did buy a last year W body Impala did not Pay much for it to start with anyways. My buddy got a loaded 3.8 model for $17.999. I saw lesser models new for $16K. The Nox will join this soon as the new one will be here in 2017. When you see a late refresh you are looking at the next fleet car.

Marketing I agree is poor but if everyone who asked and begged for a Cruze Diesel bought one it would still be here. The fact is Americans right or mislead do not like diesels as a whole and until they understand them will care less. Also the added emission the EPA has slapped on is a non starter for prices here. It adds so much more to the price here vs. what they pay in Europe for a Diesel.

Some folks are sharp enough to understand the whole picture but some can only focus on one part. Over the years there have been a multitude of issues that have plagued Cadillac and GM. Today things are being sorted out. We have seen Cadillac move from a Morbid Lincoln like brand to a brand that can now be mentioned as a competitor of those considered best in class. Is Cadillac at the final destination? No but they are well on the way and making better progress with each and every model. Cars like the CTS Coupe I was just in Is a great car other than the rear leg room but hey it is a coupe what do you expect? It is a better car than the sedan as it has seen improvement over that recent models. We will see more improvement with each and every coming model. These things are done in steps.. The fact is that CTS Coupe is great but how did GM Market it? They had some geeky Waldo creature driving around imagining that the super models were looking like him? This commercial just basically called Cadillac customers geeky Waldo's and that the car was cooler than him. While it did provide proof the car could enhance your image it really was given in a poor way. You want the customer to feel good about himself and that the car only makes him look even better. The message here is buy a CTS coupe and get laid but not in these so many words not that you are some freak and girls will look at you if you get out of your basement and buy this car. I have hope with the new marketing and I will know if they are on the right path if they continue to build on it and advance it as time rolls on. They appear to be telling a story of change and what it means. They have hinted at the new car and what it stands for. Next I suspect they will reveal the car and then show us what it means and does. Just no more dancing robots and commercials on massive rebates as this just kills you when you are rebuilding an image. Marketing is not going to solve all the problems but it was one of the major damaged areas. If you have something good or great you need to get the message out. Today many a great things is over looked because people just do not know as so much info is tossed at them anymore. In this day and age you have to say what you mean and show what you have.

Has the marketing been bad all 13 years? Well hell yes! And was it GM's Fault? Yes! What I can see is you have no concept of what has been going on at GM all you want to look at is the cars in the show room. Lets fill you in on what most of the rest of us know and understand. GM has had money issues and leadership issues for a long time. You may have at least seen that in the news? The fact is GM for years never could commit to the full plan to make Cadillac right. For years they had people inside GM that wanted to fix them properly and then you had folks who said good was good enough. This left us at first with cars like the STS N Star FWD. As you can see there are two groups inside GM at that time. As Bob Lutz calls them there are those in GM that are not the problem and there are those who are the problem. So those who ware not the problems got the car to a Sigma platform to advance the model but yet those who are the problem still made them cheap out in many areas. While a much better car it was still not what it should be. GM then entered the state where they really did not have the money to even pay attention. We had to roll though those years with what was in hand as they had to wait for the new funding to move ahead In this time what little money that was left was poured into the XTS and Alpha platform. GM wanted something for when they came out of the bail out. The XTS was only a car that was mostly done back in 08 that was shelved so they had something to offer while they retooled. It was better than nothing like Chrysler did for 5 years. As the CTS and ATS progressed the folks who were not a problem started to fight back agains the evil people who were the problem. They fought for better quality interiors and other things to advance the brand. This left the cars still short of what the people who are not the problem wanted. Today we have the New CT6 that was also a car those who are not the problem fought to get more with, They fought for everything they could and were even challenged on even the door handles buy the evil folks who are the problem. They could not see the wisdom of paying a couple bucks more for the first thing a customer touches in the car. Well the battle of those who are not the problem was finally won by them last summer. They finally overcame the issues given to them by those who were the problem and now have full control. They first moved Cadillac away from Detroit to keep those who have been a problem from medaling. They have now funded Cadillac to build the cars they wanted all along. They are going to get the Door Handles they wanted as well as things like their own engines and other parts not shared with a Chevy Truck. They have just now finally gotten away from the Marketing that has done nothing for decades. New firms new plans and the will try to sell Cadillac as a Cadillac not as just another GM car on rebate. While these changes are not fully installed we are on the right path. With that said are todays cars perfect no. Are they at least on part with some of the models from BMW and Benz? Hell Yes as neither of them are perfect either. The fact is Cadillac is a much improved company but many have no clue as there was no concise message put out by someone fully in charge of the division. Like Johann or not his ass is on the line. When was the last time you heard that one guy was responsible for Cadillac? This deal either works or it is all on him. I like that at he will make the calls and do what is needed without people looking over his shoulder over riding his plans. To win at this GM can not just be as good as in many areas they have to be perceived as better all around. While a CTS may drive and ride as well as the other two they need to make it better than the other two in all areas not just most. You have to earn you place in perceived image as you can not design it or engineer it in just one model in just one year. This takes years of work in engineering, investment and marketing. Right now Cadillac is about where BMW was in the late 70's were the cultist knew of them and others were beginning to discover them. When they became the ultimate driving machine they still had work to do. Note the marketing motto that was started then carried them up the ladder and even yet today graces their advertising. It tells their story and presents their image. You get it right you do not have to change the plan ever couple years. They never had dancing robots. They put the car out doing artistic donut's in a parking lot to tell their story. Not a word is spoken in the ad and every one gets it. This is a big picture deal. While you focus on the little things you are missing what is going on in the big picture. This is a division that went from Near Death like Lincoln to full support and backing that will take them to the next level. Today we can see how well they did with programs that were compromised by those who were the problem to now looking at the start of a uncompromised future where GM is not going to quiver over cheaper door handles and if they will use a $50,000 Camaro engine in a $100,000 Cadillac. I would just recommend sit back and enjoy the ride as this will be fun to watch. The CT6 is not going to be the car to fix the issues as it is still a product of infighting. Will it advance the brand? Yes but the real change will be here once they get the product they have just started on once they were given the keys to the division. I expect the models from 2016-2021 will all show marked changes for the better and buy the release of the product they want in 2020-2021 it will reflect a one vision product not compromised by any insider who is trying to save a buck here or there. In the mean time they need to get the marketing fixed and sell the products they have as they do have some damn good cars out there now. Good marketing will get the message out and people will discover this is not grandpa's Cadillac anymore or even the short changed product of the 90's. With out good marketing it is easy to think a ATS as nothing but a new Catera. You have to get the message out on all that is good and great.

Lack of style is subjective. Lack of hybrid is irrelevant for 95% of the customers. Cue is not a bad system just initial user unfriendly. Once you spend a little time with is it works fine. Many long term magazine articles have pointed this out. Build quality is as good or better than the others. While Cadillac still has room for improvement Benz and BMW are no where near what they used to be. Why is it not selling better? The key points of Cadillac at this time are lack of Image. Image has to be earned and you have to travel the tough road of critic before you can earn it. We are on that road. Marketing Sucked. The fact is we are just now getting a cohesive marketing plan that will usher in a new sense of style, luxury, technology and safety in the minds of customer. The marketing is what has sold the other brands for the most part It is not what you are but what people think you are. Right now the public has really not gotten their minds wrapped around Cadillac being more than a fancy Chevy. Finally You have to earn your place with cars refined over years. If you can make a market winner and sell it at a higher price than more people would do it. You have to grow in this segment as you can not design or style your way over night.

Styling is subjective and perceived quality and reputation is just that perceived. These are two points that GM can not design into a car as it is public. Both are things that have to be earned with time and continued good execution. Lets face it the Benz and BMW styling is pretty much a similar theme that has been refined over and over and over through the years to the point they have tweaked ever Millimeter. Same can be said for the 911 as nothing under the body is the same as the first model but the styling is just a ultra refined styling of many years of the first car. lets face it the German styling is not world class or leading in any artistic way but people see it as being superior just because they are Benz and BMW. If Chevy had used their styling first it would have been panned by the critics. The same can be said for the rest of the CTS and ATS. Both are very well built cars and well engineered cars but they are first gen and new to the market. Cadillac as time goes on will refine these and advance them fast to more than meet and match anything the others have. In time people will catch on. So in the mean time Cadillac will just need to continue to refine and improve the product. Increase sales a bit and remain profitable. By doing this they will remain strong and a reliable source of income for GM. Now to increase sales we will not worry about selling 250K CTS but we will see more SUV and CUV models, The larger sedan and coupe and maybe two sports cars in the future. This is what Audi has done to control volumes but to expand sales. Like I have said before BMW in America took time to build up as well as Audi. Both had some pretty crappy cars in the early 70's and who would have though both to be were they are now. Audi only was slowed to the party with the 60 Min hack job. It cost them ten years but they made it to the party. GM with their resources and their support from the other brands they have may be able to close ground a little faster but it will still take time.