Is Cadillac's Image Dying and Does Anyone Care?

rockylee · April 2007

Rocky,
My wife does not like the angular lines on the Cadillacs. I guess it appeals to a younger crowd. I drove the 2007 Escalade which was very nice. Except the seats are so much harder than the 2006 and older models. The one I drove was near $70k and the 2006 with 21k miles was $40k. Too big of a hit for me to accept. That is what I am seeing with all the big luxury SUVs. Including the Lexus that is supposed to have great resale.

Yeah, that is a heck of a drop in one MY :surprise:

Rocky

poncho167 · April 2007

That is the way it used to be believed that company's with quality problems went with the longer warranties, but that is not the case with GM. The longer warranty in GM's case is to help win back customers who feel that foreign cars have better reliabilty and to show better value for their money. GM doesn't have a engine quality or reliability issue and based on GM's warranty claims the last 10 years they felt that this would not effect their bottom line because there haven't been to many warranty claims in this area.

Isuzu, Suzuki, and Chrysler are others who extended their warranties without the Hyundai fine print making the warranty void if selling or trading in before the 10 year powertrain warranty expired.

I see the trend continuing with Toyota joining the field in the next couple of years. Could it be that Toyota's recent slide in reliability/recalls have given them reason to not implement right now?

rockylee · April 2007

You are allowed to transfer Hyundai's warranty to "1" owner and the transaction has to take place within' 30 days.

I talked to a Hyundai, customer service representative a few days ago asking about the Genesis, and asking about discounts I might be elgible for if I were to ever buy a Hyundai, product since my father's company Delphi Corporation builds Fuel Injection systems for Hyundai.
I was told that's the warranty rule on Hyundai/Kia brands.

Rocky

poncho167 · April 2007

I am not sure I know what you are saying. A Hyundai owner after buying their car has 30 days to decide to sell to another buyer and the 10 years powertrain warranty stays in effect?

All I know is the Hyundai/Kia powertrain warranty is only good for the original owner or immediate family member only. That is what it says, and that is what Hyundai had counted on thinking that people don't keep vehicles that long.

rockylee · April 2007

No, What I'm saying is if you buy the car and drive let's say 30,000 miles on it over 3 years. You can sell it to whoever and then the next owner has 30 days to get the HPP transferred into his/her name and they have to pay a small fee for transfer cost. I think it's like $30-40 bucks.

The car's HPP is only allowed to be transferred once.

I will try to get you a link, so hold on....brb

Okay here it is......
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/global/contactus/faq_warranty.aspx

Rocky

poncho167 · April 2007

Only the Hyundai Sonata ranks at the top for initial quality. Hyundai as a whole is no where toward the top.

rockylee · April 2007

10 YEAR / 100,000 MILES POWERTRAIN PROTECTION Covers most engine & transaxle components.

Covers repair or replacement of powertrain components (i.e. selected Engine and Transmission/Transaxle components), originally manufactured or installed by Hyundai that are defective in material or factory workmanship, under normal use and maintenance. Coverage applies to Original Owner only effective with 2004 Model Year and newer model year vehicles. On 1999-2003 Model Years, coverage applies to Original Owner and immediate family members (i.e. wife, husband, daughter, son, stepdaughter, stepson).

Second and/or subsequent owners have powertrain components coverage under the 5 year / 60,000 mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Excludes coverage for vehicles in commercial use (i.e. taxi, route delivery, delivery service, rental, etc.).

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/global/warranty/warranty.aspx

5 YEAR / 60,000 MILES NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY Covers nearly every new vehicle component

Covers repair or replacement of any component manufactured or originally installed by Hyundai that is defective in material or factory workmanship, under normal use and maintenance.

Following components covered for time and mileage limits indicated:
- Radio And Sound Systems (i.e. radio, cassette tape drive mechanism, and compact disc player): 3 years / 36,000 miles
- Paint: 3 years/ 36,000 miles
- Battery: 3 years / unlimited miles (100% covered 2 years / unlimited miles; after 2 years and within 3 years, 25% cost of battery and 100% labor cost covered)
- Air Conditioner Refrigerant Charge: 1 year / unlimited miles
- Adjustments: 1 year / 12,000 miles
- Wear Items: 1 year / 12,000 miles (e.g. belts, brake pads & linings, clutch linings, filters, wiper blades, bulbs, fuses)

But this one says only the original owner has the powertrain warranty and once he sells the warranty ends. They customer service guy I spoke to told me the warranty could be transferred once. :confuse:

The 5/60K warranty can be transferred to the next owner.

If that is true I'd rather have the GM, warranty as the next owner can get any of the remaining coverage left and their is no restriction on transfer.

Rocky

rockylee · April 2007

Are you sure ? I though last year Hyundai, ranked right next to Porsche and Lexus :confuse:

I know Cadillac and Buick was ranked up there also.

Rocky

snakeweasel · April 2007

I will say this, my Elantra has been the most reliable car I have ever had.

rockylee · April 2007

So your Elantra, was the "Cadillac" of reliabilty. :P

How reliable is your CTS-V ? Any problems with it ?

Rocky

snakeweasel · April 2007

So your Elantra, was the "Cadillac" of reliabilty.

Well nothing went wrong with it for the first 120+K miles (except regular maintence).

How reliable is your CTS-V ? Any problems with it ?

Well in reality its to early to say how reliable it is, the car rarely gets out. Its pretty much a date car for me and the wife. So it usually just gets out on the weekends, this week I haven't driven it but will take it out today going to the daughters house. So far we have a little over 11K miles on it, at this rate it will take about 20 years to get to 100K miles.

So so far no issues.

rockylee · April 2007

Well that is good to hear......

Rocky

gagrice · April 2007

I would like to invest in more companies with problems like Toyota

Investing in Toyota today would be like buying a house in CA at the current over inflated prices. A losing proposition. I would buy back some shares of GM that I sold a few years ago, before buying TM. You should have bought Toyota 2 or 3 years ago at half the price of today.

Here is the CNN Money take on Toyota stock.

Running out of gas?

Investors willing to get behind the wheel of Toyota's stock aren't likely to lose their shirt. But it may be like taking a drive in a Corolla, an efficient but relatively unexciting ride.

It is hard for me to understand with your background, how you can get excited about an appliance car like Toyota builds. I rented a Camry and a Malibu recently. I can not tell the difference. They were both just cheap cars to use on vacation. Neither was as nice as my 18 year old LS400. They will both be recycled at least 3 times in the next 18 years.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

That's what I meant...I bought it years ago and I'm very pleased with Toyota's success. No, I wouldn't buy the stock now as Toyota is at the top of its game. But I wouldn't buy GM stock either. I have zero faith in GM management at this point.

I'm not "excited" at all about Toyota products, I'm just impressed with their success. They are rolling over everyone like a freight train it seems. I don't see anyone stopping them in the immediate future.

But as you say, the auto business is like the Wild West, you never know when you're going to run into a faster gun and end up in the dirt. Many of the mighty have fallen in the past.

Which is, of course, kind of the subject of this topic.

sls002 · April 2007

my dishwasher runs silently. far quieter than the Seville at cruise.

sls002 · April 2007

why everyone thinks the Cimarron was so bad. I don't think it was a bad little car for the time. I will agree that it was not much of a "Cadillac", but it had a much nicer interior than the other 4 versions. The Cimarron's interior may have been nicer than the CTS's.

sls002 · April 2007

that the 8-6-4 engine was a maintainence hog, not unlike a Mercedes 600. The 4100 engine was, I think, much worse though, until they finally (after a few years) figured out the problem and fixed it. The Cimarron may have been the only Cadillac without major engine troubles in the 1980's.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

Great Question!

Let me ask you, if you don't mind---were you old enough at the time to sort of witness or experience the Cimmaron in "real life"? It was really an embarrassment of a car, not only to Cadillac, but to the American auto industry. When it came out, everyone knew it was just a tarted up Chevrolet, and the styling, appointments, ergonomics and running gear---it was all hopelessly outdated.

Cimarron was almost a National Lampoon parody of an American car at its worst.

And just so you know I'm not making this up, the legend of the Cimarron lives on to this day:

Check out this website on "crap cars":
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/12.07.05/rev-0549.html)

Or this one on "automotive atrocities":

http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Atrocities-Cars-Love-Hate/dp/customer-reviews/0- - - - 760317879

The car was heavily ridiculed in the media at the time of introduction. It was a sad, sad commentary, and I didn't enjoy watching it happen either, as an automobile enthusiast and as someone who remembered the glory days of the American car in the 60s, and Eisenhower in his 50s Eldorado or Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio cruising down Wilshire Blvd in their Caddy convert or Elvis giving away Cadillacs to his roadies and toadies.

I remember being really PO'd at GM for doing this. It looked to me at the time like deliberate murder of a famous brand name. It seemed like a senseless decision, or a desperate one.

I can still remember talking to this old used car guy named Herb Zisser. Great guy. He had a little lot in San Francisco. One day about two weeks after the Cimmaron "debuted", we were sitting around talking and we heard sirens in the streets. He turned to me with a sly grin and said: "Hear that? That's an ambulance going to another Cadillac dealer".

True story.

And amazingly enough you still see Cimarron comments, even in 2007, in blogs and auto magazines whenever a car company decides to come out with a cheap re-badged model.

I don't think enough people appreciate what a fatal blow the Cimarron was to Cadillac prestige and how it is STILL rippling out there in people's consciousness.

It was to my mind Cadillac's "Pearl Harbor", only difference being the fleet was scuttled by its own admiral.

gagrice · April 2007

My folks got rid of their Cimarron very quickly. Actually I think it was repossessed.

It is my understanding that much of this rebadging etc is a result of the CAFE rules on mileage averages imposed on each brand. I could be wrong. That is the only reason I can imagine for the Cimarron, "C" MB or the IS Lexus.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

Possible, but unlike Benz or Lexus, to make a Cadillac into a Cavalier seemed like a very desperate act---provoking the question: how could GM have put itself into THAT kind of situation?

I really don't know why they did it. CAFE sounds like the theory of apologists, but no answer is simple, so maybe there's at least something to it...one of a combination of factors?

You might find this website interesting. I really enjoyed reading it.

http://web.archive.org/web/20001217123800/http://www.rideanddrive.com/disasters/- disasters.html

The author posits that Cadillac was trying to lure BMW 3-Series buyers with the J-body/based Cimarron. Now that is pathetic if true.

imidazol97 · April 2007

> to make a Cadillac into a Cavalier

That's very dark humor.

>CAFE sounds like the theory of apologists

IIRC CAFE was an import part of marketing a small, fuel efficient car--anything to increase the sales of more fuel efficient cars to avoid CAFE penalties. A friend of mine had a Cimmaron, manual trans IIRC and it had a 1.8 motor? But I believe the motor was different than the OHC 1.8 motor I had in a Skyhawk '85 at the time. He loved the gas mileage it got.

The hope was that a small, perky car would keep some buyers from going to small cars from such as BMW. I don't recall it was vice-versa.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

I doubt too many BMW buyers were cross shopping for 1.8 liter J-cars, no.

Marketing a Cadillac for gas mileage makes no sense. That's what Chevrolet was for. Cadillac should have gone UPSCALE to challenge Mercedes, not DOWN. GM just gave Mercedes the high end on a silver platter. Even some GM execs were apparently appalled at this decision. But typically gutless nonetheless, to protest very much.

The early 90s Cadillacs should have been the early 80s Cadillacs....that would have changed everything.

gagrice · April 2007

If memory serves me. GM was the largest corporation in the World at that time. It is difficult to make changes in that size of a company. I make no excuses for the cars that GM builds. At that time in my life I would not set foot in a GM store. I was not happy with any of the Big 3 after they squeezed my Studebakers out of business. That was one of the reasons I bought a Toyota LC in 1964 instead of a Jeep. That and they were a lot less expensive than a Jeep. After looking at Buicks, Cadillacs & Lexus cars recently, I do not see where one is that much better than the other. Mercedes I find nicer than any of the above 3. The MB dealers are what I would worry about. I know that I would never deal with our local Lexus dealer again. So that leaves Cadillac which I found most pleasant. GMC/Buick which are great to deal with. From a dealer standpoint in San Diego Cadillac trumps the competition. The Mercedes dealer North of us is trying to get out business. I have yet to go up and visit them. I hate having to take a car 40 miles for service and repair.

gagrice · April 2007

At least I gave the year and models of Toyotas and Honda that caused me grief. I would still consider either one if they had something that I liked the looks of. Or fit my wants and needs. I agree that most of the GM bashers are living in the 1980s. As recently as the early 1990s I was renting cars for 20 plus weeks per year. My favorite was the T-Birds from Hertz. Then the Pontiacs. I stayed away from the Japanese cheapo stuff because I did not want to be stranded out in the desert. I have not seen any compelling evidence against buying a recent Cadillac, presented in this thread. Nice vehicles best warranty in their class.

imidazol97 · April 2007

>GM was the largest corporation in the World

If I recall correctly GM was hated by the hippies because it was the 9th largest country in the world in terms of GNP or some term like that. CR hated them because of, well, just because, I guess. They could do no right. Anything from another country was wonderful. Everyone should be driving econoboxes to save the environment. And the beat still goes on... bong...bong...bong...

62vetteefp · April 2007

2006 3 year VDS-Hyundai well below industry averge.

2006 initial quality-Hyundai #3 behind Porsche and then Lexus. This bodes well for Hyundai in the future. Great improvement.

gagrice · April 2007

Ralph Nader was part of CR at the time. He was spewing out his anti Corvair crappola. I liked the Corvair. It was a good move to bring down the size of cars. That was not good enough for the likes of some folks. It handled better than many of the cars built today by Toyota and Honda.

GM was not lily white by any stretch. They were a big greedy company. I got news for folks. Toyota is a big greedy company. At least GM workers in this country will have a decent retirement, until Toyota drags them into the dirt.

62vetteefp · April 2007

But I wouldn't buy GM stock either. I have zero faith in GM management at this point.

That was the talk a little over a year ago here. I have doubled my money in one year and plan to double again in another year.

Again, as I have said before, the press and comments here are about a year behind. Yes it was bad a year ago but the turnaround is happening and will be much better in one year.

sls002 · April 2007

I will be sixty this month, so I will let you decide if I was old enough. However, I did buy a new 83 Buick J-car, the Skyhawk. I bought it for 3 basic reasons: 1) got better fuel economy than the 78 Olds Diesel I had; 2) had digital electronic fuel injection; 3) had automatic climate control. I also got the 1.8 OHC engine. The Cimarron would have had a leather interior, which the Skyhawk did not have. The Cimarron did not have automatic climate control.

I have in my hand a September 1985 Road & Track, a magazine you are somewhat familiar with I think. There is an article titled Cimarron update. Their consensous opinion: "It's a well appointed small Cadillac" - "love it or leave it on that basis"

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

I think the point is that regardless of how far in the past all this happened, the media is still featuring it in books, commentaries and magazine articles, so GM still has to deal with Cadillac's past even if the car is nothing like it was in the past. Think of the Cimarron as Richard Nixon rebabilitated as a Buddhist monk doing good works. He still has Richard Nixon's reputation to deal with, reborn though it might be. (silly analogy but you get the idea).

The Corvair was a horrible mistake and so was the Cimarron---I can only hope GM learns from its mistakes and better yet, learrs how to RESPOND to its mistakes (which are inevitable in business). What else could we wish for a company's future?

As for Cadillac:

1. Keep hammering away at the "old man" image. Track down and arrest dealers who sell landau bars and vinyl roofs.

2. Build a BMW 3-Series competitor. This is your "entry-level" Cadillac for new buyers

3. Ditch the XLR and use its resources elsewhere

4. Build a highly credible flagship car but not "over the top".

5. Conduct a massive re-organization of the Cadillac service network.

andres3 · April 2007

Very funny, but last I looked Toyota was like #15 in vehicle reliabilty, and that is based on 2006 models. Buick and Cadillac both bested Toyota, while Lexus was at the top with Porsche and the other two mentioned.

Last you looked where or at what misinformation?

Toyota still has all the red circles anyone could ask for, for all of their many models. Porsche is not known for anything but black circles when it comes to reliability.

andres3 · April 2007

been in the shop once in its life for a broken sensor, which is pretty routine on a car with almost 80K miles on it.

Uh, routine for domestic cars maybe. If my Japanese Honda or Toyota didn't get to 100K miles w/o costing me a penny other than regular maintenance, I'd be pissed.

nwng · April 2007

should double the jail time for dealers who install the bars and roofs on CTS. Triple time if the roof installed was white.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

This kind of nonsense just murders Cadillac's image. If this is an infringement on free enterprise, it would be worth it for GM to buy all the dealer's stock in vinyl roofs and stick-on landau bars and burn them.

andres3 · April 2007

My guess is that your bad GM cars were all over a decade ago and you're living in the past.

Those who forget the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them! :mad:

gagrice · April 2007

You are very lucky. I have receipts for about $18k in repairs and maintenance on our LS400 and it only has 88K miles. I won't even bother you with the horror stories on the 1964 Toyota LC, 1978 Honda Accord and 1995 Toyota PU truck. I'll take my GM domestics any day of the week. You would think with all these GM bashers we would get one that had a Cadillac that caused them problems in the last 5 years. Not their aunts 3rd cousin removed that was married to their sister.

andres3 · April 2007

I agree....It's like buying a electronic device or an appliance. If the company stands behind it that means it must be good.

I'd agree to a certain point. If a company has historically for a long period of time stood behind it's product then it means it must be good. Since GM has only recently offered a "decent" warranty (the bumper to bumper coverage still sucks, for lack of a better word) then its really just a marketing gimmick.

Wait 10 years from now and see if the warranty remains the same.

imidazol97 · April 2007

Too often is only of Cadillac and GM's past.

Let's have people post about Hondas and Toyotas from their first years here. I can start with the 70s, early 80s model a buddy had in Charleston with CVCC that required premium, quit running if you hit water on the road in rain, showed rusting real fast, jumped to the next lane when you accelerated quickly in a lower gear due to torque steer.

Sometimes our views are tunneled without the broad view that lots of these cars had problems. Even today I can list a bunch of Camry discussions with _lots_ of problems, right here,now, on Edmunds, live. A couple-a-years-ago it was the Avalon. Even CR had to downgrade their rating with a small comment and a picture on the bottom of a page.

Cars do change. Hopefully they improve.

andres3 · April 2007

I think the main and single reason Toyota and Honda won't Beef up their warranties is because their dealers don't want them to. There are a lot of idiots out there willing to spend an extra 1K to 1.5K on extended warranties for Honda and Toyotas that will NEVER need them. Since dumb people are high in number in this country and are willing to pay extra $$$ dollars for extended warranties that will cost Honda and Toyota nothing to provide; it's basically pure 100% profit for the dealer and Toyota and Honda.

The dealers probably make more profit from having this exist than they can afford (or at least) want to lose. They will not let Honda raise their warranties "for free" for this purpose.

imidazol97 · April 2007

Has been around a while

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

The "straw man" defense doesn't really work for Cadillac....it has to OUTSELL Lexus. Everything else about this anecdote, or that good review is irrelevant to a car company. The bottom line is: "will Americans buy it or not?"

Some of our most magnificent collectible/classic American cars were made by companies that soon after went out of business.

RE: PROBLEMS PER 100 VEHICLES:

do they define what a "problem" is exactly?

Is my Lexus window regulator problem equal to your Cadillac transmission problem or somebody else's Mercury with the bad dome light? How does this work?

andres3 · April 2007

Good point on problems per 100 vehicles.

My Honda had a power seat that acted up a bit, window moldings/trim that rippled, and a rattle in the center console pocket storage door. (of course all of these we're covered under warranty and didn't cost me a dime)!

My Dodge had transmission failures, head gaskets leak, broken serpentine belts (for no reason and well maintained), bad corroding battery terminals and starter cables, wires), bad parking brake, bad Orings and seals, leaky gas tank, (all of which cost me big time $$$ money after warranty).

Which problems are worse?

Mr_Shiftright · April 2007

I tried to look this up at JD Power but their website is malfunctioning...LOL!

plekto · April 2007

2. Build a BMW 3-Series competitor. This is your "entry-level" Cadillac for new buyers

This would be like Bentley making a $100K entry-level car. There's no practical reason for Cadillac to try to compete here.

First off, all it does is cheapen their image. Mercedes won't bring their A class to the U.S. for precisely this reason. They learned the hard way with Chrysler that you need to protect your niche and learn to live within your means.

Secondly, if they want to move themselves UP into the luxury market, they need more top-end cars and less filler for the masses. The idea of every make being a full line is very 1970s/1980s thinking.

Third, GM knows it can't make a better car than the M3 - it's a waste of money, R&D, and effort, because it would have to be twice as good at less cost to win BMW owners over.

So they just don't bother. There will BE no small Cadillac in the U.S. If you want a small GM luxury car in the U.S., buy a Saab.

imidazol97 · April 2007

>The "straw man" defense doesn't

I don't understand straw man reference. I posted the problems per 100 vehicles or whatever the rating system is.

People can kvetch as much as they want over what a problem is rated by JD Powers. I suspect they are intelligent enough to consider a rattle different from a transmission failing at 1000 miles as in some recent vehicles.

lokki · April 2007

The Cimarron fiasco:

Here are excepts from two extemporaneous Time Magazine articles about the Cimarron; I apologize for the length of the first, but it tells the story

Detroit is fighting back (page 2 of the article) May 1981

1. Like the successful X-car series that GM launched in the spring of 1979, the J-cars (Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac J2000 and Cadillac Cimarron) are designed for the new era of scarce and expensive energy. The four-passenger subcompacts, which replace models like the Chevrolet Monza and Pontiac Sunbird, fall in size between the bigger X-cars and the smaller Chevrolet Chevette. Powered by four-cylinder engines, the new autos are expected to get about 26 m.p.g. in the city and 43 m.p.g. on the highway. While the economy and styling of the J-cars are appealing, the prices are likely to be shocking to buyers who have not recently been in an automobile showroom. The Cavalier will carry a base sticker price of about $7,000. The J2000 will cost several hundred dollars more.

The most startling version of the J-car is the Cadillac Cimarron. For years the Cadillac name has equated luxury with size, and buyers have spent $20,000 or more for opulent, lengthy Fleetwoods and Eldorados. The Cimarron represents a bold attempt to transfer that 78-year-old image to a car that is 4 ft. shorter than the now standard Cadillac and nearly the same size as a Toyota Celica. The mini-Caddie will carry the expected gewgaws and gimcracks, including electric remote-controlled side-view mirrors, an array of interior lamps and leather upholstery. But it will also have some unusual features for a Cadillac, like a tachometer, usually found only in sports cars. Price of the car: about $13,000.
The Cimarron represents a major gamble for Cadillac, which hopes to sell 30,000 of them in the first year. Asks one skeptical competitor: "Can you hang a Cadillac name plate on something as thinly veiled as the Cimarron? I doubt it." The new model is designed to appeal mainly to a new Cadillac customer: well-heeled younger drivers who can afford a $12,900 BMW 3201 or an $11,100 Audi 4000. But will a sports sedan customer be attracted to a car that has traditionally been synonymous with conspicuous consumption? And will he pay several thousand dollars more for a Cadillac than for a similarly equipped Pontiac J2000 that is built in the same plant? Admits one GM executive: "It will be a real test for the Cadillac name plate."

Mr. Smith shakes up Detroit May 1984

2. When the company began building smaller modelsthe X-, J-and A-carsin the late 1970s, it ordered its divisions to use the same basic models to save money. The most egregious instance was the J-car, which was forced into service for all five divisions. Recently a Cadillac engineer was asked to explain the principal difference between the Cadillac Cimarron and the Chevrolet Cavalier, two J-cars. His reply: "Oh, about $5,000."

louiswei · April 2007

First off, all it does is cheapen their image.

Cheapen the image? In my eyes (I am in my mid 20s) Cadillac is about as luxurious as Acura and Infiniti. It isn't as prestigeous as BMW, MB and Lexus.

plekto · April 2007

And how much worse would their image be if they came out with a half Saab/half Cadillac joke like the BLS?

Right - it would slip down instead of rising upwards like the new CTS will help it do.

louiswei · April 2007

No, it won't slip a bit. As matter of fact its image will stay where it is with the additional capability to lure in younger buyers.

The new CTS won't help to raise Caddy's image because its flagship is still the pathetic DTS.

Caddy will be in the win-"no loss" situation with an entry model serves as the 3er/C fighter. Move the CTS up to mid size (which the new one apparently is) and redesign the next STS to be its flagship.

Then what happen to the DTS you ask? I got two words for you: Buick Lucerne.

lokki · April 2007

While digging through the Time Magazine archives for the Cadillac articles I quoted in my post above, I stumbled across this article

The Rattles in the Engine
G.M.'s Chevrolet division has been in trouble for some time, and last July G.M. turned it over to ex-Pontiac Boss Elliott ("Pete") Estes for some quick fixes. Chevy's styling was a bit bulgy, and its workmanship gave rise to widespread customer complaints about ill-fitting upholstery, rattling doors and leaking windows. Estes visited every one of Chevy's assembly plants, test-drove cars straight off the assembly line, and ordered repairs on the spot.

Quality control is an old and chronic industry headache. Ford, which works at quality control more conscientiously than any other automaker, has 11,000 people directly concerned with it. There are up to 15,000 parts per car, and some of them have as many as 100 "critical" characteristics. Human error is as inevitable as sin. Ford had to recall 3,218 cars to correct "brake-fluid contamination" because one worker confused a brown barrel of windshield-washer fluid with a yellow barrel of brake fluid. The company thought it had ironed out bugs in the electrical system by teaching workers to marry red wires with red wires and black with black and then had to repair many cars because an assembler was colorblind. It is a fact widely recognized in the industry that cars made on Mondays are prone to defects. Reason: plant absenteeism runs high on that day, and managers are obliged to put second-string men on the line.

Care to guess the year? 1966

Is Cadillac's Image Dying and Does Anyone Care?

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