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Comments
When I start seeing more Cadillacs and less BMWs/Mercedes in rich suburbs in my region, then I will know that something "very good" is coming from GM and Cadillac.
Do some executives, small company owners and celebrities buy Cadillacs and other American branded vehicles strictly to make a statement about their patriotism and also to not offend their US business clients or fans?
Well you have to also realize that there is a snob appeal with BMW and Mercedes. Many people of those will buy a Yugo if it had a BMW or MB label on it. My point is that if something very good is coming from Cadillac (and in my opinion there is) it won't make a difference to many BMW/Benz owners simply because its not a BMW or a Benz.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
And it isn't a false comparison. Just deal with the fact that a current model Caddy is in fact within reach of whatever is left of the middle class.
Perhaps BMW and Mercedes "earned" that snob appeal over the last 4 decades with continual improvement and refinement while Cadillac cars deteriorated in actual quality and prestige. Yes, Cadillac is better over last few years, but still has a way to go.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
It seems in my area that it is more likely that a fogey is driving a Caddy than the younger (30s-40s) set. I will see fogeys (look like retirees) in Caddys in middle-class suburbs and younger people and some fogeys driving BMWs/Mercedes in the richer suburbs.
Think that there are still "American vehicle branded only" people of modest means who "treat" themselves to a Caddy when they retire.
lessfewer BMWs/Mercedes in rich suburbsI'm not sure that's a good measure. Many buyers are peer-controlled. They buy what they perceive will impress their peer group.
In this area you'll see as many Caddies as you will the equivalent luxury foreign brands. However there are many cars that are garaged and don't come out for easy visibility in daily use to and from the office. Purchase (registration) figures for a state or county would be better. On the other hand there are many old boat Lexuses in this area driven by greyhairs. So the registration changes from year-to-year would be a better measure.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
$16-$18K for a loaded one is - well, it's built better than any Corolla to begin with, so 4 years of use - and it still drives and feels better.(same with most luxury cars).
Or you could get a new Grand Marquis LS for $17K.
Yes, 17K - NEW. Check out cars direct if you find it hard to believe. Gotta love rebates. A one year old model with 15K on it(rental) goes for $13-14K as a result.
Yeah, it't big. But it's so much better than something like a La Crosse or Hyundai if you're looking for a box to get from point a to point b.
Rocky
Not anyone in my circle. Must be punk kids. Who the heck cares about a gussied up Tahoe. Just a glorified suv/truck.
Some may indeed desire an Escalade...but there's a good contingent that sees through the hype. I'm (barely) still in that demographic, and my peers aren't in awe. It is a cult vehicle of sorts though...preferred by thuggish or ostentatious athletes and entertainment people, rich soccer moms/kept women, and fat old white guys. Probably the oddest mix in the industry. It's been a smash hit and is the force behind Caddy's rebirth...but image is everything.
They are in need of a transition to a company that truly serves the market they claim to be in. If the new CTS is as competent as an A4, 3 series, G35 or others they can begin to make the transition. When they add some sportiness to the STS they can begin to make the transistion. When Cadillac offers a vehicle ready to compete with an X3, RDX, or other vehicles that will soon crowd this class they will begin to make the transition. When the DTS is not a disgrace for anyone under 60 to drive they will begin to make the transition. Until then. No Thanks! I'll keep buying foreign luxury brands that hold their value better. Note to Cadillac...young buyers turn into old buyers so offer them something other than a $65k Escalade. The escalade is a very nice vehicle but everyone doesn't want an extra large SUV. Thanks.
You can lease one of these for what? 499? Doesn't say rich to me.
Ask Lexus if entertainers and athletes can build a brand. They'd know more then anybody what Famous people can do for a brand. Cadillac now sells 200k units a year, and a lot of that is due to Escalade floor room traffic.
I do not understand why people try to knock the Escalade by comparing it to the Tahoe, Suburban, or Denali. All of them are perfection on wheels compared to their competitors in that segment. Thats like saying a Ferrari aint nothing but a dressed up Lamborghini. Ford, Chrystler, Toyota, Honda or any other major automaker can only dream locking down the large suv segment like the General has. GM is as dominating in suvs as Toyota is in Hybrids.
Which famous people drive Lexus and flaunt it? Lexus is a success because it has offered most of what was good about a Mercedes with little of what was bad about a Mercedes. It's a very understated car, bland styling, cushy interiors, nothing flashy.
A lot of people are suspicious of badge engineering (a classic GM issue), and maybe people feel the Escalade looks too much like its siblings. I won't deny these are excellent SUVs, but there's some hype involved. I think a lot of us would like to see Caddy in a position where there most popular model isn't a big SUV.
Ferrari and Lamborghini aren't really related.
Sources please.......
The DTS is so misunderstood its crazy. GM couldn't have built a better boat for the segment their after with the DTS. If your into old school (boats) there's not much out there to choose from. That car was designed for the over 50 crowed and hit the nail on the head. It's easy money for GM because people who like driving cars like the DTS don't have any other choices. Even Lincoln doesn't build anything that says old school anymore.
I do have one question about badge engineering. Don't most Lexus's share the same under pinnings as common Toyotas? Thats common practice in todays world.
The Detroit News has an article about the new James Bond movie, and Lexus offered millions to be the only cars in the movie.
In today's world I think it's more important how many rapers sing about your brand on the radio then who is actually seen in them.
You'd be surprised by how many people that would die for a Lexus, Cadillac, Benz, or BMW that have never been in one.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Compare a 1960s Cadillac to a 1960s Chevrolet Impala/Caprice - just from looking at the car on the outside, it is obvious that the Cadillac is better built than the Chevrolet. There was substance to back up Cadillac's image.
The problem with the Escalade is that it doesn't strike me as a better deal than the comparable Chevrolet products. The workmanship isn't any better; the interior looks almost exactly the same; and the performance isn't all that different.
The Escalade's good qualities spring from its corporate platform - not anything inherent in the Cadillac nameplate, or even anything that the Cadillac Division did to that corporate platform. Realistically, the comparable Chevrolets are a better deal.
Sooner or later, that will catch up with the Escalade. At least the CTS is uniquely Cadillac, and offers buyers something different.
Oh, and some dumb athlete getting a drug bust in a Lexus isn't exactly star power. Maybe if a future Janis Joplin could sing about one or something...
Like it or not, the society we live in is all about hype.
I don't see lots of people running to old white Broncos today.
Not always, sometimes it is pure image and no substance. Case in point is how much money is spent on bottled water?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Right now? You mean there was a time when it wasn't dumbed down?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Ahem....I resemble that remark! And besides, I drove Navigators......so there.
Better example: Gm would be happy to pay Lebron James 50 Million dollars to get pulled over in an Escalade with a kilo and Uzi. With no affiliation to the company of course!
Speaking of these dempgraphics, the middle aged well-to-do male was originally intended as the primary consumer, I am sure. Anyone know why the younger sometimes criminal ostentatious set fell for these things? Their ability to take 24" wheels?
Nobody complained when Toyota built the Prius for a certain crowed. I think we would be pretty spot on if we profiled the average Ferrari buyer.
I'd love to know what "input" they got and which of it they used.
I see a pretty wide crowd in Prius, maybe only having political leanings in common.
You have to admit the Prius could have been made a lot more main stream then it was. The Camry hybrid is mainstream. The Prius is built to say I'm an Environmentalist, and your not.
On a funnier note: Everbody knows Tony Saprano doesn't roll in anything but GM's suvs.
To me, a Prius says I don't care about cars. Then again, a Camry says little different. An Escalade says some things too.
Well, there you go (fintail), input from the main customer. Funny how fat old white guys are villafied for their "wasteful opulence" when they drive one of these sleds, but Rappers certainly need a truck like that don't they? Double standard at the least. That's the problem - and a good reason to get an LX-470 - the anti-rapper SUV.
CAMRY - I don't care about cars, but like the least possible trouble and good economy in my car.
FUSION - I got a better deal on the Ford than the Camry.
MALIBU - I don't care what the hell I drive.
STRATUS - I don't KNOW what the hell I drive.
ALTIMA - I like the looks of this car better.
ELANTRA - Cheaper than anything else, and the warranty is great.