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Originally Posted by DerekS
I assume that you meant to say "have been (losing) their fair share of competitions lately" ?
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Yes, that.
Dammit, I proofed that post like 3 times and still missed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DerekS
Your statements are all fair comment and true. But I do not think I could ever get my head around Cadillac's past reputation, both for the product and for the GM dealer culture. IMO, these remain the biggest handicaps for Cadillac to overcome.
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Having worked in the service department of a dealership that sold Pontiacs and Hondas during the late 80's, I can definitely relate. GM has serious work to do here.
Service is definitely part of the ownership experience, but what I find impressive in the short-term is that Caddy seems to have made impressive strides in performance. Recent cars like the CTS and ATS seem to be light years ahead of the Catera and (ugh)... the Cimarron.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DerekS
The initial ATS sales are apparently mostly coming at the expense of CTS sales, which have plunged by 40%. GM has responded by cutting CTS production. I doubt that cannibalism within the marque was GM's sales objective.  |
It'll take time to judge whether Caddy can be successful. GM needs to build awareness of the new car since the average consumer probably doesn't even know that it exists (the SCCA racer from the video initially didn't). Sales success isn't just about converting owners of German marques, it's also about putting the car on "John Doe's" shopping list.