Does Cadillac moving its HQ to NY NY signal something?

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

I do not want GM to leave.....but lets be honest....GM has been "leaving" little by little for decades. Just ask Flint. I am a advocate of Detroit and Michigan....why would I want them to leave? Why, when GM has divested so much from Michigan and invested so much elsewhere.....is this a "sky is falling" proposition? I am bullish on Michigan.....it has a lot of things going for itself.....but GM is a company that I see as "insecure"....and more and more it seems to be looking to run from itself....or the old GM....with is Detroit.

If I didn't spend 50-60 hrs a week balls deep in dealings with GM I might have the same impression. They are investing billions into facilities in Michigan. Manufacturing yes, but the biggest investments are coming in the R&D and Engineering sectors which are very favorable. They aren't faltering at all, business has never been better. They aren't leaving Michigan, you are interpreting this move wrong.

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by mjlo

If I didn't spend 50-60 hrs a week balls deep in dealings with GM I might have the same impression. They are investing billions into facilities in Michigan. Manufacturing yes, but the biggest investments are coming in the R&D and Engineering sectors which are very favorable. They aren't faltering at all, business has never been better. They aren't leaving Michigan, you are interpreting this move wrong.

Time will tell.....I hope you have more sense than I do on this one....lol.

[detwahDJ]

The industry has never had any allegiance to Detroit and apparently many people chose not to recognize that.

GM

[leroythelion]

For people like me who moved to Metro Detroit from elsewhere, you realize that Michigan is a unique car market. I think that the car makers here have lost touch with what Americans really want in a vehicle and I think some outside influence will only help. The foreign vs import car mindset doesn't exist elsewhere in this country.

[313 TUxedo]

Am I the only one here thinking that the new Cadillac Headquarters in Soho will be a Headquarters in name, but in reality will be something between an exhibition hall and a boutique?

I think that Cadillac's problem is that in styling their vehicles to look more like the German and Japanese luxury marques, and giving their products meaningless three-capital-letter names more suited to slide projector bulbs, they are producing products with no image of their own. Perhaps some people out there really want an Eldorado or a Sedan DeVille, only with high performance, high quality, and all the latest technological gizmos.

[Retroit]

I agree with you on the three letter identifiers. I preferred the names, especially when they were written in fancy cursive. I used to be able to identify the models, but not anymore. I'm also not a fan of the sharp angle Transformer look.

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by 313 TUxedo

Am I the only one here thinking that the new Cadillac Headquarters in Soho will be a Headquarters in name, but in reality will be something between an exhibition hall and a boutique?

I think that Cadillac's problem is that in styling their vehicles to look more like the German and Japanese luxury marques, and giving their products meaningless three-capital-letter names more suited to slide projector bulbs, they are producing products with no image of their own. Perhaps some people out there really want an Eldorado or a Sedan DeVille, only with high performance, high quality, and all the latest technological gizmos.

You're pretty much spot on. The whole point is to give the appearance. In terms of the 3 letter Identifiers, pretty much everyone has gone to that scheme. Lincoln with whatever MK bs variants they have, and Chrysler with the 200, 300 and soon to be 100. I've even seen protos where the town and country was called the 700.

[Retroit]

Turns out we are not alone: Cadillac's Marketing Boss Isn't A Fan Of The Three Letter Names - Cadillac News - CheersandGears.com

[Bimmerfanboy]

The Cadillac division really is in flux right now. Their sales are down as a whole, and their newest models (the ATS and CTS) are down double digits in sales YTD (by percentage). On the flip side, the German competition and Lexus are up double digits. Add that to the relocation of their HQ and the new naming convention and you have a brand that is a bit lost.

I believe I read this is being done mainly because the guy they poached from Infiniti simply wants to live in Manhattan instead of metro Detroit. The explanations they've given to the press about "being in a more cosmopolitan city that knows luxury" is all marketing fluff.

GM has had a lot of potential with Cadillac but as typical of GM, their management and bureaucracy is getting in the way. Let's just say that my family and I have a lot of history with GM and have learned through first-hand experience what a crooked company it is. I'll never touch anything they produce in my lifetime (though I may consider a Ford). There's no reason to either given how good our German and Japanese vehicles have been.