All Entries Tagged With: "CADILLAC"
GM Webcast – Product Technology
The way of the future…
By Gunnar Heinrich
CALLING all blogs.
GM’s set to announce it’s latest and greatest efforts in developing a relevant march into the uncertain future.
The General will appear armed and ready with product brimming with new potential (we pray) including but not limited to the following:
- A new, smaller Cadillac 3er/C-Class/ A4/ IS fighter called “ATS”.
- Much anticipated by the Sunshine State’s pensioner set – the Cadillac DTS (née Sedan DeVille) successor XTS will also be formally announced
- Buick will showcase a brand new midsize saloon
- And there will be news about the 2011 Chevy Malibu
Lock it here for the press conference with GM CEO Fritz Henderson which will go live at 08:00 EST.
If the embedded player functions as reliably as an old Chevy Citation, tap this link >>> GM Product Technology
ADL TV | GM @ 100 Yrs: Cadillac
“MISTER EARL”
There’s nothing quite like having the man who designed the Corvette Sting Ray tell you, the interviewer, that you’re not giving GM’s larger-than-life chief designer Harley Earl enough respect.
My question: “Did you ever work with Harley Earl back in the day?”
Bob Veryzer: “He was around. It was never Harley Earl. It was always Mister Earl.”
To which GM’s VP of Global Design Ed Welburn added, “It was only until recently that people started calling him Harley Earl.”
Apparently, GM’s artistic duo hadn’t seen any of Buick’s “My name’s Harley Earl” TV spots. Nevertheless, at this gala in honor of Cadillac, clear respect for an icon was the order of the evening.
Last summer we drove up to Saratoga Springs, New York where instead of placing bets on horses we braved the worst tempests that the Hudson River Valley could throw our way to tape a story about Cadillac’s past and where it might fit in GM’s tomorrow.
GM had turned 100 years old and the Saratoga Auto Museum threw a party in honor of Cadillac. Many GM big wigs were there, including GM’s G.M. for Cadillac, Jim Taylor.
As grim as Caddy sales looked last July, the financial markets had yet to crash and the General was still almost a year away from filing for bankruptcy protection. We were in, if you like, the eye of the perfect storm.
In this segment with a T.R.T. of 07:15, we watch some of the best and worst of Cadillac’s past; hear comments from the marque’s fans; and get a real sense that in the midst of the celebration, GM’s top brass knew what was to come.
“This is a new world we’re going into,” Mr. Taylor notes, “Quite frankly I don’t think anybody realizes how big a difference there’s going to be. Until you wake up in four or five years and realized what happened.”
_
_________________________
Credits
Executive Producers: Gunnar Heinrich & Neil Rogers
Editors: Michael Russell | Neil Rogers | Kevin Kusina
Camera: Joshua Schnitzer | Gregory Dwyer | Neil Rogers
Writer | Host: Gunnar Heinrich
Special Thanks: GM | Saratoga Auto Museum | Dres. Ward Heinrich, Sr. & Jr.| J.M. Ficca
GM Bankruptcy & Cadillac
By Gunnar Heinrich
THERE’S just no replacing Cadillac.
As GM files for bankruptcy today, it’s worth noting that the second of four divisions that GM intends on keeping is America’s last true luxury car maker.
Yes, Mercedes-Benz builds ML and GL-Klassen in Alabama. And true, there is still Lincoln whose Town Cars ferry America’s big shots from one city block to the next.
But neither count, really. Lincoln has no soul. And Mercedes-Benz is still very German. It doesn’t matter where they build ‘em.
So, Cadillac is “ours”, for better or for worse. And in recent days, it’s been for better.
A quick recap of recent stock.
The CTS is the sharpest midsize luxury sedan on the market. It’s just too bad that only the limited production CTS-V truly performs.
And the Escalade still has its over-sized thumb on the pulse of the luxury SUV market. Everyone else (the Europeans, in particular) can’t match the large truck’s big pimpin’ cred. We should also be mindful that this is the only Caddy that still makes into pop culture’s lexicon.
The SRX and STS are both due for an overhaul. Hopefully, they’ll get just that. The DTS just keeps on tickin’ for Florida’s senior citizenry.
For its part, the General sees a certain value in a strong Cadillac and has sacrificed stronger divisions – Pontiac – to ensure that the crested wreathed logo lives on to float GM through another day or another bond(s).
Let’s hope in this brave new GM to come, the company in its leaner form will be able to further Cadillac by building fewer cars of greater quality that will exceed their rivals -not merely hope to match them.
What else should we expect from the “standard of the world?”
Pontiac Succeeds Despite GM Playing Favorites
Pontiac has become one of the General’s stronger performers.
By Gunnar Heinrich
SHOULD General Motors survive from… pick possible cause of impending doom:
- Chapter 11
- UAW
- The Obama Administration
- Act of God
it would then be wise for the good folks at GM to reconsider Pontiac’s future.
That the General intends to keep Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC as part of a focused core of four comes as no real surprise when you consider how company management lavishes those divisions with extra-special love and affection.
Such is the top brass’ favoritism that time and again the company’s resorted to taking R&D limelight away from other divisions (ex. Saab) to benefit the cherished ones (ex.Cadillac).
Meanwhile Pontiac which didn’t make the final four cut, has been treated more like the redheaded step child.
Yet for all of GM’s bad parenting, the present-day sales numbers tell an illuminating story.
Year to date sales in March for both of GM’s upper market divisions – Buick and Cadillac – have been dismal. Cadillac sold 8,209 units while Buick parted with 7,369 so far this year. That’s down from last year by 53% and 40%, respectively.
But, you say, it’s the economy!
Well, consider then the dreaded foreign competition.
In the same period, Lexus sold 14,239 L-Badged Toyotas, Mercedes-Benz parted with 15,602 tri-stars, and BMW – 17,520 roundels.
And those figures were down from last year by 43%, 25%, and 24%, respectively. This tells us that Cadillac and Buick sales weren’t all that strong to begin with.
Pontiac, on the other hand…
GM’s sporting division which has produced the most-excellent G8 GT (can I get an Amen?) was down 30% from last year with sales to date adding up to…drum roll please… 17,583 units.
Nice.
Pontiac sales have so far eclipsed all of GM’s luxury competitors and are still more than all of this year’s Buick and Cadillac sales combined. So much for playing favorites. In GM’s American family, only GMC and Chevy have sold more cars this year.
So, should GM survive, Detroit would do well to consider giving Pontiac another shot.
Not Your Dad’s Caddy. But It Might’ve Been!
If only GM had given the N.A.R.T. the green light…
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via fastcar.be
ONE of automotive history’s numerous ox-bow lakes in conceptual design, this Ferrari badged, Zagato penned, mid-engined, rear wheel drive car is actually a Cadillac concept from 1970 called the N.A.R.T. – short for “North American Racing Team”.
Ferrari USA importer Luigi Chinetti teamed up with General Motors and Italian design house imperiali Zagato to produce a Cadillac that could compete on the European race circuit against the likes of Ferrari.
Trouble was, the concept was so far away from the typical mile-long, liquid chrome Eldorado that even GM’s most adventurous balked at the idea. This despite the fact that the concept shared the Eldorado’s gi-normous V8.
So the plans to build the concept for real life use were scrapped and the few orders taken as a result of the NART’s circuit in Turin and New York were pushed back.
This pictured concept, therefore, is the only example of the one-off idea. This Zagato Caddy just changed owners recently and had gone through a stem to stern restoration.
And you thought you’d seen it all!
R.I.P. XLR-V
The Cadillac XLR-V at Lime Rock
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG by Larry Henrikson for ADL
WHEN GM sent us an “Elektra Blue tintcoat[ed]” XLR-V last July, I thought we’d been the recipient of some kind of joke. We just had 10 days with two BMWs which at half the XLR-V’s absurd $108,000 price, seemed to do everything 10 times better. Asking a number of people to guess how much they thought the Cadillac cost…
Barry’s New Ride Is Better Than Its Predecessor
Just is.
By Gunnar Heinrich
LOOKING through today’s footage of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, the thought occurred (as it only could to someone truly obsessed with automobiles) that the new Cadillac limousine carries its weight in armor far better than its predecessor.
This is chiefly due to two factors.
One is that like any well constructed bespoke limo, there’s little space between the front and rear doors; this simple design feature showcases the vehicle more like a stretched sedan than a low riding van.
The second is that the new limo’s bonnet line starts higher (by four inches?) than the predecessor’s hood and slopes upward toward the windshield -this allows for a smoother more aerodynamic shape as opposed to giving the appearance that there’s a tall box separated by six feet of engine bay from the grille.
Like the presidency itself, the aims of the new limo remain the same as the old- to preserve, protect, defend, and transport the nation’s interests. That the new tank does the same job with more grace speaks to the importance of appearance and perception in the land’s highest office.
Security is life’s insurance, not its virtue. The same can be said for presidential limos and adminstrative goals.
[Linked: Obama's Inauguration]
Obama’s New Cadillac
President Obama’s “Beast”
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG via BBC
THIS is another reason why Cadillac cannot fail.
What would the world think if the president of the United States were to parade around in a limousine from a defunct marque? What would be the future alternative transport for POTUS, a Mercedes-Benz limo made in Alabama? Would that not project that USA, Inc. couldn’t keep up with the rest of the world?
Anyway, the net was abuzz recently with the news that President Obama’s Cadillac limousine will make its grand debut at the inaugural parade in Washington. This is in keeping with tradition as the most recent presidential limo – again a Cadillac – made its entry onto the world stage for President Bush’s second victory parade.
The last presidential Caddy put security well ahead of beauty. Visually the limo came off like an armored truck on steroids with DTS styling cues. That said, all the heavy armor in the world didn’t keep the limo from breaking down in Rome. That’s why, owing to classic Jaguar tradition, it’s good to travel with two of the same car.
President Bush’s tank
The Bush tank’s predecessor, the Clinton-era stretch (which the Secret Service still widely employs for lesser higher-ups in D.C.) was far more graceful. Essentially that series limo was a heavily armored stretch Fleetwood Brougham from the mid-1990s.
The latest Cadillac limo, expressly made for the new president, looks to be based more on the Escalade. Indeed, its chassis is that of a GM truck which explains the taller than usual stance.
There were some who suggested that due to armor’s heft, the new limo’s top speed would be limited to 60 mph and it would likely average 8 mpg. The former point’s hard to believe considering that your average Mack can do 80 mph or better when trucking tons of cargo.
Berry doesn’t weigh tons.
Still, the truth is a national secret and the Secret Service is right to keep the car’s particulars under lock and key. Apparently such is the agency’s guarded nature that the out-of-use Fleetwood limo sitting at the Clinton Library in Arkansas is locked so that the library staff can’t even get inside to clean the interior.
The party van
An aside: one sunny afternoon in Washington, yours happened upon one of the old navy blue Fleetwoods with a Secret Service man taking a moment to wash the windshield in front of the White House. I paused on my way to advise that the car needed a coat of wax as the finish showed spider lines. He smiled and nodded in agreement.
A smile from a Secret Service agent? It was an unusual moment to say the least.
GM’s Power of Four
Long live the G8 GT!
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG by Elizabeth Murphy for ADL
FOUR core marques, divisions, brands, what-have-ya; following a comprehensive, Federally mandated restructuring plan, that’s all that’s going to be left of the great and powerful Oz General Motors.
They are: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC.
Progress In Passive Cell Safety
General Motors crash test circa 1968
By Gunnar Heinrich
BACK in the 1960s, General Motors conducted crash tests in much the same methodical manner as GM does today using cars (duh), full-scale anthropometric devices (crash test dummies), and cameras – mounted on, in, and around the test vehicles.
The results in the following video serve as a chilling reminder in how far the industry has come in passive safety technology. It doesn’t matter that these 60′s Plymouths are the width of two Volkswagen Jettas or the length of a Chevy Suburban -they crumpled, crushed, and ejected their hapless occupants in most any impact.
While the industry has further to go in protecting vehicle occupants, the enormous progress that’s been made in vehicle safety is laudable.
