Originally Posted by Lil4X

There is no shortage of auto enthusiasm or engineering talent at Cadillac these days. Styling . . . well, you either like the F-117 look or you don't . . . but you have to admit it's "unique" and an alternative to the SC's melted bar of soap.

My question, as I suspect that of many others is, "Can Cadillac actually produce a quality vehicle?" Design and engineering are one thing, rolling quality products out the factory door with consistency, quite another.

A second question relates to the dealer network. Lexus has been successful by differentiating their dealer culture from that of Toyota. They understand that their buyers demonstrate willingness to trade money for luxury; we expect to be treated more like customers of Tiffany's than the fish market, and these expectations travel from the showroom all the way to the service bay. We don't respond to hyperactive sales promotions, nor to the old tug-at-the-white-belt, golf shirt with checkered polyester pants, "Hey! Waddle it take to put you into one of these beauties today?" sales approach.

Cadillac suffers terribly from a lack of exclusivity. The old business model of collecting a number of brands under one roof leads to serious sales and service problems. If you are selling an $11,000 Cavalier and a $100,000 XLR-V on the same lot, or even within the same business culture, you will likely offend buyers of both vehicles. They have never understood that they are serving entirely different customers. Rather than shoving as much iron as possible through the showroom, premium car dealers should concentrate on serving each and every customer who walks through their door, treating them with an attitude of helpfulness and respect.

If GM will isolate their Cadillac dealerships, specializing them in strictly the Cadillac line, institute a CPO program for premium pre-owned vehicles (wholesaling the rest instantly), and staff each of their sales and service centers with professionals that understand the difference between selling a fine tailored suit and pedaling a cartload of fish, they may have a chance.

Until Cadillac can develop their sales and service structure with the same evident skill as they have their products, the outlook for the Division will continue to be bleak.

Originally Posted by Lil4X

A second question relates to the dealer network. Lexus has been successful by differentiating their dealer culture from that of Toyota. They understand that their buyers demonstrate willingness to trade money for luxury; we expect to be treated more like customers of Tiffany's than the fish market, and these expectations travel from the showroom all the way to the service bay. We don't respond to hyperactive sales promotions, nor to the old tug-at-the-white-belt, golf shirt with checkered polyester pants, "Hey! Waddle it take to put you into one of these beauties today?" sales approach.


If GM will isolate their Cadillac dealerships, specializing them in strictly the Cadillac line, institute a CPO program for premium pre-owned vehicles (wholesaling the rest instantly), and staff each of their sales and service centers with professionals that understand the difference between selling a fine tailored suit and pedaling a cartload of fish, they may have a chance.

Until Cadillac can develop their sales and service structure with the same evident skill as they have their products, the outlook for the Division will continue to be bleak.

Originally Posted by Bean

$100k for a GM? ROFL no thanks...

Originally Posted by doug_999

Funny, remember back in 1989 when people said $35K for a Toyota?

Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX

Don't even start mahn. Clearly, history proves that idea worked. Caddy cannot sell the 85k XLR now, they are no where near sales goals and they have cut production.

Originally Posted by mmarshall

I agree to an extent , but it is also true that an oil change is an oil change and an alignment is an alignment no matter what dealership you are at......giving " exclusivity " to a line of dealerships will not change that. You can screw on a gold-plated oil filter trimmed with diamonds and what do you end up with?...the SAME thing....an OIL change. In fact, many Lexus owners (and I am one of them) have service done at Toyota dealerships (what we cannot do ourselves) because it is not only a lot cheaper but you get the same fluids and filters.

Originally Posted by Iceman

Gotta disagree. An oil change is not just an oil change. At a Lexus dealer, it's as close to an EXPERIENCE as you can make something so mundane. From the friendly greeting at your car to the nicely appointed waiting area, from the complimentary snacks and drinks to the courteous explanation of everything done to your car... These are just a few of the elements that Lexus adds to make it worth (to some of us) the premium price of services that could be legitimately performed elsewhere.

It's a proven fact that it's much easier to maintain high standards of customer service with a smaller, more easily trained and managed workforce. And I thought the OP was very insightful to point out that the buyer of a $100K Caddy and a $10K Aveo are both probably going to be disappointed with service levels intended to bridge that gap.