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CTS the key to Cadillac's export future


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OPINION: General Motors' luxury flagship marque has tried to crack the export market several times, but this time it may have struck gold, writes Dave Moore.

In recent years several Europeanised versions of domestic Cadillac models have ventured across the Atlantic to take on European luxury and executive models, with little or no success at first.

Despite some green shoots of interest in the previous CTS model, distribution of the brand in Europe stalled altogether in 2009, when Kroymans, its local distributor, declared bankruptcy.

That could change now. Not only is Cadillac sensibly looking at its own distribution, but it could now have the product that could tip the balance in its favour with the latest, generation III CTS, a longer, lower and leaner sedan that drives into the heart of the midsize luxury segment.

Read More: http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/features/motoring/8571831/CTS-the-key-to-Cadillacs-export-future

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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They have to change attitude also and give good service. My STS 2005 needed a Xenon Headlight assy. It costs 900 usd in USA, Here they want 3800 USD for an unit ( I live in Sweden). When I wrote to them they said I was wrong and that it might be better to buy a BMW or Lexus as those brands might have better service and workshops in such an area as Sweden

"We note that you are living in a remote area of Sweden and the closest Authorized Repairer for Cadillac will be found in Jönköping (128 km away) and the closest selling dealer will be in Stockholm (227 km away) and we recognize that this may as well have an influence on your future decisions. We assume that Lexus and BMW have local represantation in the city of Linkoping."

I live in one of the most populated areas of Sweden ( ok it is like saying you live in one of the most populated areas of Wyoming!)

So why are GM trying to sell cars here?

But I like America and American cars, but it starts to get hard!

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Clearly whoever you got a letter from did not have a very good customer service orientation. Exactly who did you write to, and who was that who wrote back?

Your point is, of course, valid. If anyone expects to sell and support durable goods in Sweden, they must be able to support customers in Sweden for the life cycle of the products. The message of the letter as you describe it is that there is no product support..

A headlight assembly increase in cost from $900 to $3800 implies that somehow $2900 in additional costs have been accrued in supplying the headlight assembly. International shipping of individual parts can be staggeringly expensive but I don't see $2900 in costs to supply a small subassembly in Sweden. You need to find a supplier that ships to Sweden so that you end up spending on the order of $100 in shipping instead. To sell a lot of cars in Sweden, GM must warehouse parts in Sweden or Norway so that the prices of maintenance and repair parts is about the same as in the USA.

I feel sure that GM realizes that they must provide reasonable and affordable life-cycle support for their products to be a good option for buyers. But your perspective on this issues is a bit of a revelation to those of us who have not owned and driven US cars in Sweden.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Of course, keep enjoying American cars, and speak up if one of the US members can help you get parts. :grouphug: Team Cadillac

Meanwhile, Good advice for Cadillac! I think their export pricing is wrong, wrong, wrong. If you buy a German BMW here in the US, it costs LESS than in Germany!! If you buy a US made Cadillac in the UK, it tends to cost the same in British Pounds as it does here in the US in Dollars; that means it is much more expensive in Britain. Cadillac needs to learn how to export so that their prices are more consistent everywhere. That may mean that export costs can't simply be allocated across export models, or similar accounting until their export numbers improve.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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Everything is expensive here in Europe, including European cars. But the car must be good and the service must be on the same level as the competitors. This car costed 70 000 usd as new. For that kind of money you could get a nice loaded BMW 530 or a wonderful Lexus GS300.

"Normal" customers (not like me that are one of the last supporters of America here in Europe, driving American cars and the proud owner of two HD's) won't go through any extra hassle or pay extra high costd just for the sake of driving red white and blue. Actually an American car must be slightly better in all aspects than the best from Germany and Japan. This is because American cars has a terrible reputation in Europe, somewhere between Pakistanian and Nigerian cars ;-)

This is an advantage for me as I for example bought this car from a dealer for 25700 USD at 24000 miles (talk about depreciation!) and it was like new.

Now I have 55 000 miles on it and has been driving it for 2 1/2 year. Issues so far:

Front left hand handle had to be replaced (keyless entry) at 2000 usd only for the handle.

Right hand side, see abow!

Steering column had to be replaced as the electromecanical lock was out of order, only the steering column was 3800 usd +work.

Left hand side head light assy, parts 3800 usd+work

Power steering pump, this was not expensive only 428 usd+work.

This is NOT good enough for a 70 000 usd car, and then the spare parts prices and a bad attitude from GMs customer service!

I mean I can buy a new KIA and get 10 year unlimited garantee.

In order to convince European buyers that American cars are now good maybe a 10 guarantee would work, if GM have enough trust in their products to give that.

Even if the new CTS and the new ATS are great cars it won't work. Sorry.

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In surveys of owners Cadillac 4 year quality has been very good -- near the best of all brands.

The prices you list are symptoms of the same sort of faulty accounting -- they all seem a factor of 10 too high to me. Cadillac has to sell and support vehicles in European markets in an affordable manner.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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@ Bruce: Ok, I'm wrong. Cadillac makes great cars! Only Europeans ignorance stops Cadillac from beeing a sucess. You sounds exactly like "NAV Support Manager
Cadillac Customer Assistance Center Europe"

They wrote as a response to me:

"As a matter of fact statistics show Cadillac as well as other GM North American Brands as beeing high quality products well above industrie average and superior to many other luxury brands. As well has Cadillac (ATS) been recently awarded with "Car of the Year 2012" for outstanding performance."

But statistics don't make me happy. And we will see after 10 years if the ATS is a good product.

I've owned approx 30 cars during approx. 30 years. When I was young and poor I bought some 100 uds and 200 usd old wrecks that caused me less problem than this Cadillac.

I have also owned three brand new Toyotas, very boring but very good!

I really hope that Cadillac and other American manufacturers can get their act together.

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All Chinese walk single file. At least the one I saw did.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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It's a metaphor about making generalizations from inadequate data.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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@ Bruce: Ok, I'm wrong. Cadillac makes great cars! Only Europeans ignorance stops Cadillac from beeing a sucess. You sounds exactly like "NAV Support Manager

Cadillac Customer Assistance Center Europe"

They wrote as a response to me:

"As a matter of fact statistics show Cadillac as well as other GM North American Brands as beeing high quality products well above industrie average and superior to many other luxury brands. As well has Cadillac (ATS) been recently awarded with "Car of the Year 2012" for outstanding performance."

But statistics don't make me happy. And we will see after 10 years if the ATS is a good product.

I've owned approx 30 cars during approx. 30 years. When I was young and poor I bought some 100 uds and 200 usd old wrecks that caused me less problem than this Cadillac.

I have also owned three brand new Toyotas, very boring but very good!

I really hope that Cadillac and other American manufacturers can get their act together.

I am not trying to invalidate your experience -- I accept that you had these problems with your Cadillac. I wanted to share that this is unusual.

If I judged from my driveway, my Wife's Toyota has been recalled so many times we can't keep up with it. My Cadillac has been trouble free.

So will Toyota go out of business in the US based on our experience?

I agree that Cadillacs need to be trouble free, and that they have to work from the disadvantage of an impression that they are not reliable.

I agree that the pricing structure and the high repair cost need to get fixed for Cadillac owners in Europe to more easily be able to enjoy their cars.

If you do have any more problems with your Cadillac let's talk about them before you go back to your dealer -- that's an expensive trip!

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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I also think that you may have been price-gouged and we need to work on getting you a better parts supplier for do-it-yourself work.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Thanks for the support. Yes I can get parts form USA on the internet from different sources. And I can do many things myselves. I can take some extra effort to be an owner of an American car, to some extent. But 99% of the customers would never accept that. They are considering BMW, Lexus (not so successful here in Europe as in the USA), Mecedes and Audi.

They expect the cost for any of these cars to be similar.

It is indeed a nice car I have when it works and it is worth some to have an unusual car, BMWs for example are so common.

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The cost of ownership for an equivalent car is far lower for Cadillac than for BMW or Mercedes in the USA. Dealer experience with Cadillac is better than most other makes here in the USA too. But it is clear that GM must have better dealer and service support in Sweden to do well there.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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