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I know i was not completely fair, but largely, it is a rebadged Volt. The fit and finish aren't that much different, certainly not $40,000 different. Normally, there's plenty of justifiable cost differences between a Caddy and a Chevy. That's simply not the case with the ELR. have you seen it in person yet?
yeah, I have, and sat in it. I can compare it directly to my Volt and it might as well be from another brand, it's that much different. The Volt's plenty nice, but the Caddy materials are top notch.
It's not a rebadged Volt. The Volt is a 5 door hatchback with no shared body parts. The ELR is a 2 door coupe with trunk. The Cimmaron and Cavalier shared sheetmetal and glass, and only had different taillight lens covers and grillework. But you could literally bolt the doors, hood, trunk, and fenders from one onto the other. There is no such interchangeability between the Volt and the ELR. The drivetrain and front suspension is the only things that are shared, and even that is slightly different for the ELR. It's more like the difference between the base V8 Camaro and CTS-V: they share a bit of the platform and the drivetrain, and even that's changed slightly. But the V8 Camaro bases in the $30s and the CTS-V is a $70k car. Where is the $40k difference there? Same thing: unique body, interior and slightly changed drivetrain.
I didn't even see this ad (didn't watch the Oscars either). But I do own a 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe and pay some attention to Cadillac's product line.
My opinion overall? The company had a happy accident when it came out with the last generation of the CTS series of cars. Finally, it made a vehicle that appealed to a younger buyer and didn't look like "grandpa's car". The CTS-V is a legitimate sports car, and the fact that some parts from one can be placed on a regular CTS Coupe (such as the upgraded wheels), and there's a bit of an aftermarket of performance parts for it means even those who can't afford the "V" badged variant can still make a potent performance car out of a regular CTS.
Since then, it hasn't really shown any sense of direction. The ELR copy-cats the look of the CTS Coupe pretty closely (as though Cadillac couldn't think of any better body design to give it?), and the price is WAY out of line for what it delivers. (If you're into all electric vehicles, you can buy a Tesla in the same price range and own the "cutting edge" of electric vehicle technology instead of a fancied up Chevy Volt.)
The ATS series muddies and confuses the product line-up too, IMO. On one hand, it's a much more agile, lighter-weight car with some better technology on the interior (primarily the "CUE" computer/navigation system - which is superior to what came with my CTS). On the other, it doesn't do much in the looks/styling department to look aggressive or unique at all. Instead of offering it as the "entry priced Cadillac" product -- it looks like Cadillac should have never released it at all, and instead, rolled most of its design ideas and improvements into the next generation of the CTS lineup?
Bottom line? I think I don't earn enough money to really fit into Cadillac's concept of the people interested in their cars -- yet the CTS I bought (slightly) used was priced right at the upper end of what I could afford to spend for a "nice, low mileage car". I like the car a lot, but doubt Cadillac has anything else to offer me by the time I'm ready to trade this in and get something else.
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Originally Posted by no kudzu
This is an interesting article about that ad. Personally I would work less, have more vacation time with my family instead of a image car like a Cadillac.
Why even advertise an $80,000 car? I was similarly confused by Maserati spending millions to advertise during the Super Bowl. What's the point of a commercial for something 99.9% of your audience can't afford?
The problem is there is very little of the chassis it's based on (Cruze) in it. VERY little. Most of it was binned to get the electric drive and batteries in it, and then the suspension was changed to support the mass (so it's actually a better suspension than the Cruze has). Then, the electrification costs a lot, enough that the Volt is not a profitmaker for Chevy (though not the loss leader it's made out to be). The ELR actually will turn a profit on the drivetrain. Then, the tooling for the limited edition bodywork costs a LOT (the ELR isn't just a Volt or Cruze with different badging, unlike the Cimmaron or the Cygnet, it's 90% new). And in the luxury materials for the interior and you get a substantial increase in cost, and Caddy still wants to turn a profit on it.
Hey, I wish it was closer to $50-60k. If it was $50k, there would be one in my driveway instead of the Volt. But in the price range it's playing in, it's going to sell the predicted numbers easily. And maybe, it'll cause people to buy more Volts, seeing them as a relative bargain in comparison (of course, that would mean there has to be marketing for the Volt, which just isn't happening, except in ads for OTHER companies...).
What's the predicted number? 1,000 per year? They moved 58 in January and 41 in December, so they're not going to hit that number unless sales roughly double. I mean, everyone knows it isn't going to be a volume seller, but just how niche are we talking? They'll be lucky to move as many ELRs in the entire nation in a year as Tesla can sell in one state in one month. Most people are projecting that GM is projecting somewhere between 2-3k a year, which I think is definitely overly optimistic.
This is an interesting article about that ad. Personally I would work less, have more vacation time with my family instead of a image car like a Cadillac.
This is my first time seeing this ad, and it actually made me think "why do I work"
Not for a big fancy house, or a shiny car to show off to my friends. Not for the two weeks of vacation a year. These things are meaningless to me.
Second thought I had was, clearly Cadillac is trying to rebrand themselves. Every rap song I've heard in the past 20 years is some guy bragging about driving his Cadillac, cruising in a cadillac, smoking up in his caddy, getting a "candy painted 'lac"
They're trying to pander more towards the CEO types and less so the rapper types?
When all is said and done, it is just a commercial.........some people will like it and some won't. I was in advertising for awhile in my career, and that ad did exactly what Cadillac and their ad agency wanted it to do......it got noticed and people are talking about it.
There is a Kia dealer locally who is the most obnoxious person on earth, and he does his own commercials, using the term HUGE !!!!! over and over again. I can't hit the remote fast enough when his commercials come on, but every other Kia I see in traffic has one of his license plate frames on it, and he is the biggest Kia dealer in the world, so I guess he did hit his target audience.
Personally, I like and drive Cadillacs, so I get the commercial and think it is pretty cheeky.
Since then, it hasn't really shown any sense of direction. The ELR copy-cats the look of the CTS Coupe pretty closely (as though Cadillac couldn't think of any better body design to give it?), and the price is WAY out of line for what it delivers. (If you're into all electric vehicles, you can buy a Tesla in the same price range and own the "cutting edge" of electric vehicle technology instead of a fancied up Chevy Volt.)
Actually, the Volt is more cutting edge than the Tesla, which is simply a big car with a LOT of batteries in it. No special battery energy density, no thermal management for the battery pack, nothing. It literally is just an electric city car scaled up with nice materials. The Volt and ELR are cutting edge, with better battery tech and more energy density for the size of the battery pack, thermal management of that battery pack to minimize fluctuations in range due to temperature, and of course, the range extending gas generator that means you're not limited to the battery range OR the placement of charging stations to get you where you need to go. I use electricity to commute with exclusively, BUT I was also able to take the same car and drive to Main and back through PA and southern upstate NY missing the I-95 traffic. That same trip could NOT be made with a Tesla yet.
Tesla also doesn't have enough dealerships and service centers, has not turned a profit yet and many people are concerned that they, as a startup in a mature market, are not going to be around in the future. That makes the ELR a better fit for them. They can drive on electricity when they want to, and drive ANYWHERE in the country if they have to. And get service at any GM dealer. And as nice as the Tesla is (and I love them, don't get me wrong) I thin the ELR looks better (and it doesn't look like the CTS coupe, it looks like a baby Lamborghini with a Caddy grille).
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The ATS series muddies and confuses the product line-up too, IMO. On one hand, it's a much more agile, lighter-weight car with some better technology on the interior (primarily the "CUE" computer/navigation system - which is superior to what came with my CTS). On the other, it doesn't do much in the looks/styling department to look aggressive or unique at all. Instead of offering it as the "entry priced Cadillac" product -- it looks like Cadillac should have never released it at all, and instead, rolled most of its design ideas and improvements into the next generation of the CTS lineup?
Actually, have you looked at the new CTS? It takes in a lot of the ATS improvements, but moves up a tiny bit to compete directly with the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class, with the ATS competing with the BMW 3 series directly and the Mercedes C class (and Audi A4). Caddy is aiming directly at the Europeans, and as such needed to do so with directly competing products, not some weird "tweener" product that competes with no one. I'd take the ATS over any BMW 3 series out now, and can't wait to see how the V version shakes out.
In addition to being obnoxious, I haven't a clue how this ad makes sense. The ELR isn't going to sell well, and drives unlike anything else in their line. So I don't think it will work well as a halo. No one's going to buy an ATS because they really want an ELR.
This said, the ELR's interior is far nicer than the Volt's.
But Tesla changes things even on the scale of how automobiles are sold. Concepts like letting people shop for and buy their new car in a regular store in a mall, and then take delivery from a parking garage nearby where the inventory is stored? That's innovative, IMO. The only people who seem to strongly dislike all of it are the established auto-makers who don't want competition with the existing business model.
The Tesla's battery tech. might not be as advanced as what GM uses, but at least in theory, that was done to help cut battery production costs. (Not saying it did so in the short run, but in more of a long-haul view, it makes some sense. Tesla is essentially using off-the-shelf batteries, made the same way they're made for notebook computers. The GM solution is much more costly to do, with the temperature management of the battery core and so on.)
I agree that the on-board gas generator GM uses is superior for right now. But again, Tesla is a vehicle I see as being mainly for the "all in with electric" crowd who simply doesn't WANT a car that uses gasoline anymore. Tesla owners I know also have solar panels on their homes and charge their cars directly from those. They don't even try to use the car for a long vacation trip ... It's a primary ride to get to and from the job each day, to run for groceries, and so on.
Anyway, regarding the newest CTS? Yes, I looked at it. Again though, it speaks to me about GM's disjointed and confused business plan for Cadillac. You can buy the latest model only as a sedan. If you ask for a CTS Coupe (or wagon) of the same model year, you get a car that's really just the last revision! Will you be able to buy the new version of the CTS Wagon or Coupe next year? Not really clear, as rumors keep flying as to whether or not those will get revised or dropped.
I understand the logic of trying to pair up the various cars to match what BMW or Mercedes offers. But at the same time, I don't know if that's really the best way to go about things? I'd rather see Cadillac worry about offering attractive, feature filled, reliable and good performing vehicles across a range of prices. Don't directly aim at matching cars up with the competition.
For example, I've never really met someone who said, "The BMW 5 series is the exact size of car I'm in the market for, plus it's priced right at my ideal price point. So everything else I look at needs to match those parameters." I think buyers approach things more from a standpoint of, "I have X amount I can afford to spend, tops, on a luxury car that impresses me from a brand I have some trust in. Let me see what everyone's offering right now."
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Originally Posted by Merc63
Actually, the Volt is more cutting edge than the Tesla, which is simply a big car with a LOT of batteries in it. No special battery energy density, no thermal management for the battery pack, nothing. It literally is just an electric city car scaled up with nice materials. The Volt and ELR are cutting edge, with better battery tech and more energy density for the size of the battery pack, thermal management of that battery pack to minimize fluctuations in range due to temperature, and of course, the range extending gas generator that means you're not limited to the battery range OR the placement of charging stations to get you where you need to go. I use electricity to commute with exclusively, BUT I was also able to take the same car and drive to Main and back through PA and southern upstate NY missing the I-95 traffic. That same trip could NOT be made with a Tesla yet.
Tesla also doesn't have enough dealerships and service centers, has not turned a profit yet and many people are concerned that they, as a startup in a mature market, are not going to be around in the future. That makes the ELR a better fit for them. They can drive on electricity when they want to, and drive ANYWHERE in the country if they have to. And get service at any GM dealer. And as nice as the Tesla is (and I love them, don't get me wrong) I thin the ELR looks better (and it doesn't look like the CTS coupe, it looks like a baby Lamborghini with a Caddy grille).
Actually, have you looked at the new CTS? It takes in a lot of the ATS improvements, but moves up a tiny bit to compete directly with the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class, with the ATS competing with the BMW 3 series directly and the Mercedes C class (and Audi A4). Caddy is aiming directly at the Europeans, and as such needed to do so with directly competing products, not some weird "tweener" product that competes with no one. I'd take the ATS over any BMW 3 series out now, and can't wait to see how the V version shakes out.
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Hmm...
