Part of my dislike is for the money Caddy gets to develop and spread worldwide to markets that don’t need it. Some of that money could have landed us a 9-5 already. I honestly believe that, and I’d much rather see that.

The other part of my dislike is what Caddy represents to me – very conspicuous consumption. It’d blow Clarkson’s cockometer off the map in most instances. Some people like that, but I’m not one of them.

Funny though, as that’s what Cadillac’s supposed to be. Why don’t they take it to the limits and leave it in America, where it belongs.

Cadillac has never been a success outside its own market and evidence seems to indicate that this latest push is failing as well.

It’s well-covered that perhaps GM has too many brands. Isn’t the effort to expand these brands into markets where they’re not going to succeed just compounding the problem? There’s no economies of scale in having to develop a brand from scratch in 30, 40 or 50 new markets, regardless of its name.

Keep Caddies in the US.

Having said all that, hopefully I’ll get a chance to drive one, or ride in one next month. Then I’ll feel more qualified to say all this.

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I’ve heard a guy at Saab USA say a similar thing to that said by Frank A – if Caddy do well it’s good for Saab. Actually, the guy at Saab said it more like “GM can’t be considered successful without Cadillac being successful”

That scares me, because it makes Cadillac’s success almost seem like an obsession for GM’s head honchos. If that’s really the case then we’ve got some problems.

Saab need some investment, not crumbs from Caddy’s table.

…

That isn’t to say that I’m not happy that other people agree with me and can see past their bias. I mean, jeez, if you don’t like Cadillacs, that’s cool, I understand, they’re not for everybody, but don’t say they make crappy cars, because they most certainly do not.

But that’s just me.

Also, I tend to disagree with the conclusion that just because GM is selling big trucks with gas-guzzling V8s this is necessarily the future of Saab. GM is a diverse, global corporation that wants to cater to every market niche. Perhaps Texans don’t give a rat’s ass how much a gallon costs and all they want is their V8 400 hp blinged-out pickups and SUVs. As market dictates, if there is demand for a product, there will be supply, too.

In a somewhat silly comparison, VW produces vehicles as far separated from each other as the Bugatti Veyron and the VW Lupo. One runs out of gas quicker than a road train, the other one can probably last on a tank for weeks on end. But this does not mean all VW products are gas-guzzling monsters.

Swade – That 6.2L V8 was already offered in the GMC Denali, a Tahoe variant. I think that makes it ok that they put it in the Tahoe, since they’re variants of eachother. This same thinking begat the 9-7X Aero, which I think is an awesome SUV, as far as SUV’s go.

MarkoA – Anyone that says “just another GM piece of crap” doesn’t know what they’re talking about, anyway. At this point, GM as a whole is definitely the most reliable, overall, of the Big 3, and their cars are much, much nicer than any comparable Ford or Chrysler. Actually, “doesn’t know what they’re talking about” is too harsh. Your friend can’t move past the 80s and 90s. GM cars as a whole were pretty crappy then.

RHS – “Inexplicably expensive, unimaginatively designed, cheaply appointed”

They’re expensive because they’re worth it, the DTS and STS are old and are on their ways out and will be replaced in the next few years by a single, new model so it’s not fair to trash their designs, and I have no idea how anyone can call the CTS’s design “unimaginative”, and I don’t really know what you mean by “cheaply appointed”. Every Cadillac I’ve ever been in has been comfortable as hell and has had great bits of trim, especially the newer ones.

I don’t try to hide the fact that I love Cadillac, and I don’t expect everyone else here to hide their disdain for it, but you’ve gotta have a better reason to hate them then “I don’t like how they look”. That’s entirely personal taste. Give me a better reason. Also, don’t you tell me Cadillacs are obscene, have you seen recent BMWs? THAT’S obscenity.

One more thing, dammit, I’ve ridden in an Escalade, and it was soooo comfortable. The first-gens were kinda crappy, but all the other ones serve their purpose well. And I’m tired of hearing about how “blinged-out” Escas are. So it’s got a chrome grille. It’s no more ostentatious than a new 9-5 or a new BMW.