True Cadillac flagship in the planning stages?

[GTOlover]

Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ

I agree completely, I find the current system of letters asinine. I understand Cadillac wants to shed the image of "grandma driving her Deville to church" but I really wish they'd come back with a FEW actual names like "Eldorado" or "Fleetwood" instead of "XLR" and "XTS". Lincoln is having the same problem with the "MKS" and "MKZ"...they don't MEAN ANYTHING!

And the STS-V definitely was a bad attempt at a flagship...the quality of materials was more like a $30K vehicle than an $80K flagship. The XLR-V was pretty cool, I definitely wouldn't mind having one of those in the garage...but the pricetag was ridiculous.

yeah but the Corvette Z06 was still a few grand less and offred alot more perfromance per doller then the XLR-V ever could of..

Plus the styling was almost just a base C6 Corvette convertible tricked out with Cadillac body/fenders, Retractble metal folding roof over the standard Corvette folding softtop and a northstar V-8 for $25-$30K more than a base C6 Covertible that offred pretty much the same performance and features..

It was just a bad design by Cadillac and GM but if they offred a Mid engined Cadillac sports car with the northstar V-8... It would of been a good option and made it stand out against the Corvette as a stand alone product.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by NJGOAT

If there is going to be a Cadillac flagship it will be on a shared platform with the next-gen CTS. I don't see how they can do it any other way without watering it down to be affordable enough for a mainstream offering. The ATS on Alpha already is planned to share with other vehicles and Zeta simply isn't good enough for the high end market, but works for the Caprice variants.

I was pretty sure in reading that the next CTS will be on a stretched Alpha and that a bigger car will have to be on something else. It seems you can get either a small to medium car on one chassis or a medium to large rather then one platform for all three. FWIW, I think the newest BMW 5 series moved to a shortened 7 series platform rather then being a stretched 3 series like it used to be.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by GTOlover

yeah but the Corvette Z06 was still a few grand less and offred alot more perfromance per doller then the XLR-V ever could of..

Plus the styling was almost just a base C6 Corvette convertible tricked out with Cadillac body/fenders, Retractble metal folding roof over the standard Corvette folding softtop and a northstar V-8 for $25-$30K more than a base C6 Covertible that offred pretty much the same performance and features..

It was just a bad design by Cadillac and GM but if they offred a Mid engined Cadillac sports car with the northstar V-8... It would of been a good option and made it stand out against the Corvette as a stand alone product.

I don't think it was a bad design for the reasons you state. A Z06 is very hard core and I do not believe luxury car buyers were looking for that level of performance. I think the XLR just didn't offer a nice enough interior along with its high price. Plus the car had some fit and finish issues particulary with the top that made it no match for the cheaper Lexus SC and the more expensive but higher calibre Mercedes SL in sales.

[bmwguydc]

I have heard of the GM Performance Division, though I never put them on the same level as the in-house division at Mercedes. That, and the press release about disbanding, sort of, the performance division a couple of years ago added confusion as to what direction GM was moving with respect to special development. As long as GM does not return to the old standby of an options package that is largely window dressing, not a true performance package, to attempt to compete in a given segment, or at least boot the sales price, without truly competing in the product class.

The Cimarron! What a disaster that car was on so many levels, but I actually saw one the other day, and it looked to be in reasonable condition. I wonder how they keep it on the road.

[SpeedyAZ]

Originally Posted by GTOlover

yeah but the Corvette Z06 was still a few grand less and offred alot more perfromance per doller then the XLR-V ever could of..

Plus the styling was almost just a base C6 Corvette convertible tricked out with Cadillac body/fenders, Retractble metal folding roof over the standard Corvette folding softtop and a northstar V-8 for $25-$30K more than a base C6 Covertible that offred pretty much the same performance and features..

It was just a bad design by Cadillac and GM but if they offred a Mid engined Cadillac sports car with the northstar V-8... It would of been a good option and made it stand out against the Corvette as a stand alone product.

Like a different poster said, the Z06 really caters to a different audience. The XLR was supposed to be an SL fighter but obviously that just didn't pan out. It was a nice vehicle, I rode in one and I liked it quite a bit! Outdated interior for the price but not a bad vehicle by any means.

Not sure if GM should try a mid-engine vehicle, quite a bit of expense and engineering with a proposition like that. Maybe a low-volume, exotic like the Cien would be appropriate in 6 or 7 years once Cadillac gets the rest of their lineup in order.

I have heard of the GM Performance Division, though I never put them on the same level as the in-house division at Mercedes. That, and the press release about disbanding, sort of, the performance division a couple of years ago added confusion as to what direction GM was moving with respect to special development. As long as GM does not return to the old standby of an options package that is largely window dressing, not a true performance package, to attempt to compete in a given segment, or at least boot the sales price, without truly competing in the product class.

I doubt GM will ever return to the post-2008 style. The new GM has their act together and the current performance division is really trouncing the Germans. With the current CTS-V, I have no doubts that Cadillac and GM as a whole will continue to experience success with their products.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by bmwguydc

The Cimarron! What a disaster that car was on so many levels, but I actually saw one the other day, and it looked to be in reasonable condition. I wonder how they keep it on the road.

The Cimarron was a hot mess.

I had the same 2.8L V6 in a jeep. : smack::s mack::sm ack::sma ck::smac k::smack :

[GTOlover]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

The Cimarron was a hot mess.

I had the same 2.8L V6 in a jeep. : smack::s mack::sm ack::sma ck::smac k::smack :

You must of had one of the last AMC versions... just before they sold the Jeep brand to Chrysler..

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by GTOlover

You must of had one of the last AMC versions... just before they sold the Jeep brand to Chrysler..

You're right. '85 Cherokee. Top speed of 63.

[GTOlover]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

You're right. '85 Cherokee. Top speed of 63.

had a 1986 cherokee in the family so I hear ya about the GM 2.8 2-bbl V-6