Cadillac BLS Hits European Dealerships
2007 Cadillac BLS
By Jim Taylor
General Manager, Cadillac
First, let me say, that I am very excited about the pending launch of the Cadillac BLS in the European market on April 8, 2006. It will be distributed via a network of 164 dealerships and 17 experience centers in Europe. The Cadillac BLS is an appealing and dynamic addition to Cadillac’s global portfolio intended for Europeans who prefer luxury vehicles with stand-out design and precise handling and we’re confident that it will be well received by the public abroad. So, much to my dismay on April 1st, The Detroit News published a story by Neil Winton titled “Cadillac slashes European sales targets as little BLS goes on sale.” Funny thing is, they never said it was an April Fool’s Day joke.
There must have been some confusion in the numbers presented so I’d like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
The European Cadillac sales target for the full portfolio of Cadillacs is 20,000 units per year by 2010. This is Cadillac’s target for full portfolio sales in all European markets and it remains unchanged since we first communicated it in 2004.
With regard to the BLS specifically, Cadillac plans annual sales of 10,000 units globally once production is fully ramped up.
The story also stated that the Cadillac BLS is the first Cadillac available with a diesel engine. Actually, Cadillac has offered diesel engines before, but the BLS is the first Cadillac available with a direct-injected turbo diesel engine. Aside from the stand-out styling of the BLS and its precise handling dynamics, the availability of a diesel engine in the BLS for European and other global markets makes it a great addition to our portfolio.
Finally, I look forward to hearing from those of you who test-drive and/or purchase the Cadillac BLS in the coming weeks and months!
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Considering what a disaster the GM 350 diesel engines were (you had lost many longtime customers permanently), you would probably be better off NOT reminding people about your previous diesel Cadillac offerings.
With all that’s going on with GM this week, why talk about this B.(L)S.?
Delphi labor problems, poor first quarter sales, worse March sales, and the sale of GMAC…
On second thought… I guess if I had to submit content for Fastlane, I would ignore the U.S. and write about the BLS too… Good job Mr. Taylor.
Let’s see the BLS in the States. This is the PERFECT entry level Cady. With it’s smaller size that the CTS, it would easily perform well with the 2.8 V6. Not to mention, I think it looks much better than the current CTS. Smoother lines, less “scientific” interior.
I’ll take mine with the 2.8 V6 and a 6 speed stick.
We in the “colonies” would like to hear from drivers of the BLS, too, since it remains unlikely we will ever see this car on American highways. From what I have read I think you have a winner, just bring it here in turbo-diesel trim with hydrid-drive and watch teh profits climb.
Too much blitz here, but when are you selling them here in the US, does it make sense you sell them in Europe when the USA backyard is on fire? Wake up, GM, sell them here and you will tell Lexus that you are serious. If GM only talks about thing in Europe, they will never improve their business in the US. Good luck, folks!
I would like to be the first to say I want the Cadillac BLS here in America where it would be an awesome entry-level luxury car for Cadillac. I’ve done the numbers and found that it would sell in the mid thirty thousand dollar range. This would allow Cadillac upscale the CTS to a more competitive mid level car against the 3-series BMW.
Just a thought, but I would love to have the BLS’s diesel engine in some of our American Epsilon cars, like the Malibu for example. Nothing better than a Chevy that gets better real world MPG than a Purus.
we shouldnt even have to tell them this.
they get paid to know this stuff.
reminds me of fema and katrina.
Love the styling of the BLS.
Love the direct-injected turbo diesel engine also.
Wish it were RWD though. Or at least AWD (that would compensate somewhat). You have got to be better than BMW or Mercedes to win in the Euro-market. And that means RWD.
Power is far below expectations and the competition as well.
Dislike the BLS moniker however. Sounds too much like BLT sandwich. Caddy should set itself apart from the rest of the menagerie and re-introduce the old tried and true nameplates:
SEVILLE
DEVILLE
ELDORADO
and how about LASALLE instead of BLS? You’re throwing away a great history and heritage, if you don’t.
20,000 units a year just doesn’t cut the mustard. You should be shooting for 120,000 units worldwide, or forget it. Yeah, it gives you another product to run on your excessive downtime in Trollhattan. Boo-hoo. If the 3 series can sell 120,000 units annually, why can’t GM compete?
I am sure this baby would sell in America too, if you had done your homework properly. The numbers just don’t jive. You are putting too much emphasis on minimal niche products that add very little if anything to the bottom line.
Up the ante some more, and hit the competition head on. Go for the gusto!
Its really sad when you guys at GM have to spend so much time doing other people’s work.
Over and over again the press is wrong on so many topics, GM’s financial situation, product portfolio, product stats and quality figures.
Lets hope that people find out information on their own and not just take information from one source when deciding to buy a GM vehicle.
Thats GM for giving us a sneak peak at a new cadillac on 60 minutes, I for one am very excited for the new cadillac products along with the new saturns, lambas, pickups and zetas. Lets hope the press gets their facts straight on these new products.
Why launch a front wheel drive Caddy in Europe to battle BMW and Mercedes? You have RWD Caddy’s that would make a more sensible matchup. The BLS is basically a Saab with a caddy grill. Makes no sense to me. The next generation CTS should have been the one to take them on. The current generation CTS has an unacceptable interior.
Wednesday Snippets
I received an email from Hirsch last night about Saab Performance upgrades and to put it simply (I’m a simple man), you can get Hirsch here in Oz, but most likely due to the tiny market here and freight costs etc it’s deemed too costly to be worthwhile…
When you will bring the Caddies oficially to Brazil? Hey, the CTS, the STS, the XLR and the SRX, if treated properly, would do great here in my country.
Just think that until 1994, Audi was completely unknown for the majority of Brazilians and now is one of the preferred luxury brands here.
Hey, don’t tell us that the Aussie Omega is the only thing close to luxury that we deserve. If Porsches, Ferraris, Mercedes, Bimmers, Audis, Jags, Rolls-Royces, Maseratis, Land Rovers, Volvos and even some Lexuses are sold officially here, why can’t Caddies? Hey, for a long time, Cadillac was sinonymous of luxury here (we even have some songs about them). So, why can’t be now? You got the rapper crowd to buy Escalades, we got the soccer players crowd to buy the Caddies that you sell, if well managed. Think about it, Bob…
this car is very boring, it may do well in europe but i doubt it’ll make much of an impact in the states looking like that.
people will assume its the cimmeran or whatever it was all over again. i know when i first saw it i thought it was built of the malibu’s platform.
ps… i love that caddy that Bob Lutz preveiwed on 60mins. now thats a caddy worth getting excited about! i hope the rumers of a coupe version are true!! i have’nt gotten that excited about a future GM car since the camaro concept!
I thought GM needed a global strategy map, an electronic one that can pull up up to the minute data on every county in the world. Sales declining the country is in red, sales up the country is in green, no sales the country is in white. Accessible information also available on each brand.
“Hay Cadillac sales in this big spot in South America is white. Oh that is Brazil, oh let’s get some sales there.”
I am counting your blessings.
1. A win-win for GM with GMAC with GM retaining control of the auto loans business but parting for now with assets that are not pivotal now. Now send the money to Lutz for product development.
This is another one of Rick’s finest plays.
2. A sexy 60 minutes. (Who woulda thunk it?) Hay nice CTS and ULC, I think
3. Blazing new GM commercial with the hot new products that shows without saying why we should believe.
4. Sales in USA were down 14% but up 49% in South Korea making the sales between the US and SK a wash +/- 60,000. After the most open and competative market the other markets GM has far less resistance.
5. Hummer sales up 175% Wow.
6. How about that ethanol, Kroger will sell it now and with over 200 new ethanol factories on the drawing board soon we could have had more ethanol factories than stations. GOOD WORK GM.
7. Cobalt at the top of the quality game. Great job Lauri Queen and Lordstown! It’s just a matter of a quick and consistent face lift strategy for the Cobalt and a G4/G5 mix that is going to enhance sales.
8. Tahoe is taking over the road and with the best hybrid coming! 30% increase on your newer models. Sales incentives on the decline and no longer the highest. Sales incentives increasing for others.
9. Saturn is on deck. This is going to be the best NY Autoshow ever. Thanks Lutz for being a man of your word. I hope what you are teaching GM will last forever.
Holden FJ Efigy should be in NY at the Buick stand and GM will own the show. Bring the BLS we will kick the tires for you over here. Come on Lexus is doing a supercar, Buick should too with the Efigy’s lines.
10. Alpha, GXP(nice), V-series, SS, Denali, Redline, Greenline, Turbo and now a Buick Super. Awesome!!!
When the interviewer said Toyota beat GM in quality well not really. Buick beat Toyota in the last JD power servey and GM also beat them with 1, 2, 3 plants ahead of everybody else.
Just one last mountain to move I think, I hope and then we can get from the posture of retrenchment to an offensive strategy.
I say, GM you are almost there, you are on your way.
Chris trolled the following comment: “Considering what a disaster the GM 350 diesel engines were (you had lost many longtime customers permanently), you would probably be better off NOT reminding people about your previous diesel Cadillac offerings.”
Contrary to popular belief, the GM 350 diesel is a Wonderful Engine! Still have one with 232,000 miles used as a daily driver. Rebuilt the engine at 215,000.
Although it was built in 1983, it gets better fuel economy than any gas engine of today.
The early models of these engines were trouble-prone. However, the customers’ lack of knowledge is primarily what killed them.
Bring the diesel engine back to your cars, please!
I’ve read a few European reviews of the BLS. They are giving it passing grades, but it’s nothing special dynamically speaking. The handling does not have precise handling dynamics as you state. This according to Autocar, which is a British on-line automobile magazine.
The only way to directly compete with the big dogs is RWD. Until this happens, you won’t be more than a predender. Good luck in Europe, as you will have your work cut out for you. I’ll be surprised to see more than just a few BLS’s running around Finland. To date I’ve seen only two CTS’s.
So far the Cadillac BLS faced a positive feedback at German mass-media over here. That’s already remarkable, because in many other cases German newspapers try to put down American GM-vehicles, also by writing a lot of bulls**t, which simply is not true. When I remember the negative review about the Alero at “Auto Bild” a couple of years ago, now I have to say, after owning that model for nearly five years, the Alero is a very reliable and convenient car. I hardly can remember such a ridiculous review. Sharing the same platform with the Opel Vectra shouldn’t be a disadvantage, in the meanwhile the Vectra is looked upon as one of the very best sedans in its class, that money can buy. That’s for sure. My only suggestion: Offer the turbo-charged 2.8 V6 (255 hp) with an optional LPG-tank. For premium gasoline in Germany we pay up to 1.75 Dollars (= 1.40 Euros) per liter, LPG is about the half of that. The Chevys (by GM DAT) offered over here are available with LPG through the whole lineup and it seems to be successful. By the way, no competitors model (e.g. the Audi A4) has an LPG-tank from factory, consequently the BLS would have a big advantage, because it simply could be run very inexpensive that way. Please, think about it. All the best!
Jim-
Why not mention its a Saab 93 built in Trollhattan and yes speaking of perpetual April Fools jokes…what would be wrong with getting that Saab (or Caddy) turbodiesel over here? (I did) 40mpg is a bit of freedom no?
I work with color.
Gray seldom evokes strong emotion responses. I’m sure it’s a fine car and all. I’ve noticed with all of these new GM cars, different shades of gray.
I guess it’s the corporate culture. Gray suits are part of the uniform of the corporate world. The sky is red and the Red Line is even gray. Today the sky is gray. The new Camaro, another gray another day. I remember Hugger Orange. Bright, bold and fast. Orange power, before the corporate black 5.0 liter powerplant days. Now we are down to the 2.0 liter. You want a Coke with that?
I rememember the old orange 454 C.I. and the legendary 396. Then Pontiac was calling the 400 a 6.6L. It was blue, until the black paint squad changed all of that. Out of the way, it’s a busy day.
The 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ posted on Feb. 8 was a burnt orange.
You might want to use more color or use color in a more effective manner to get the company out of the sea of red ink. How about a green Corvette from Bowling Green?
You go here
http://www.bowlinggreenassemblyplant.com/
and find another gray Caddy.
I guess it was more of a silver or graphite. Maybe it was golf club driver gray.
There’s no escape.
It’s like you guys are in mourning, having one big company funeral or golf game. Did you exchange a walk-on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage? The Sunset Orange Metallic Corvette is depressing. It’s like bright burnt orange. It’s better than all the gray? The sun is setting at GM.
Looking at the colors here requires Flash Player
http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette/colors/
Make everything more complex.
Color is too simple.
Color is communication.
Find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Good luck!
hey Jim,I live in Poland and I am very excited about the launch of the BLS.
But the dealership we have is too small if Cadillac wants to add a few new cars in future.
Secondly there is a complete lack of ads on TV,in the press and on billboards.Do something about it!
It would be great if GM would provide consumers with colors to paint their car with. Maybe that would set new color on the Cadillac that now hits European dealerships.
I still think that you’re making a mistake by not bringing the vehicle to the U.S. as well.
The BLS, with the turbo diesel engine is just the vehicle we need right now for our daily commute.
I currently drive my 2004 GTO and my spouse has his 2004 RX8. I also ride both of my motorcycles on my commute, but the BLS would be perfect for our purposes.
I saw the BLS at the stockholm car show and what can I say…
The build quality of the BLS did not impress me. Clearly inferior to Audi, Volvo, Lexus and Volkswagen.
Sorry! You have to try harder than this….
The Cadillac BLS is the right car, but for the wrong market. The BLS should be sold in the U.S. Americans are bored with sloppy and uninspired driving experiences. Sure, cup holders are nice, but GM just does not build much excitement into their American Cadillacs. They are overpowered and non-precise driving beasts when compared with sport luxury cars from Europe. Americans need a Cadillac that can compete on the road with BMW and Audi and the BLS is just the car to do the job—to change the way Americans view Cadillac. I wish you good luck with the BLS in Europe. I know that the workers in Trohattan are proud to produce it and I am sure that they have excellent quality in their work, but the place for the BLS to be sold is right here, in America.
I liked the Catera, it was a good start, but you should have left the Opel badge on it. If GM wants success in America, it can’t come from brand names that have had their reputations driven into the ground, it needs to come from a European friend, Opel.
I dream of a high end GM dealership in the US which offers Cadillac, Saab and Opel. Too bad GM didn’t buy of the MG Rover name before the Chinese got it. They could made tiny little sports cars with amazing gas mileage and high luxury prices that the masses would have lined up to buy.
GM needs a total image change. Chevy can stay, but the Pontiac name has to go, as does Buick. These brand names are so tired and have little if any brand equity behind them. Wake up GM, get agressive, take some chances. relying on the old ways has not worked well for you. Cheap gas isn’t coming back, so let go of the gas guzzling luxury mentality. Make cars that are smart, full of technology and that get excellent gas mielage. How can it be that over the past 20 years, average horsepower per cubic inch of engine size has doubled, but fuel economy has remained the same? It happened because GM chose for it to happen. That increased efficiency could have been channeled into improved fuel economy, and it wasn’t. Now GM is paying the price. March sales are down and GM’s lineup looks thoroughly uninspiring.
Make more cars like the BLS, bring the BLS to America, bring Opel to America, don’t compete with Cadillac in Europe. your money is better spent trying to defend your home turf in the USA.
Make some simple but decisive decisions for once. GM has a history of making steps that are too small or insignificant and making them too late. If you don’t change your ways, GM may very well go out of business and that would be a horribly sad day for me personally, as well as for America in general.
Best of luck to you….I’ll support you by buying a new SAAB 9-5 this year, but you guys really need to get your decisions in gear and change the way GM approaches things.
Very sharp styling, and great engine options – keep moving the Wreath and Crest in deliberate and steady increments back to Standard of the World
If I had the money and thought I could make more money, I guess I’d open a bigger Cadillac dealership in Poland. I doubt that more billboards or TV ads will help the situation. A little good press couldn’t hurt.
Almost everybody likes a Polish’d Cadillac I guess.
You can’t please everybody.
The BLS is going to rank right up there with the Jag built on the old Ford platform, a failure in Europe as well as the US. The CLS platform is much more suited to compete with BMW and MB. another big waste of time and precious resources.
Dear Mr. Taylor,
Glad you posted this topic on the BLS. Its very important for GM to ignite car sales. GM can leverage profits in the luxury market. GM is missing a ton of business in luxury.
I’ve been saying an important action for GM to take to lure more Gen Y buyers is to have an entry level Cadillac below the successful CTS.
The BLS may be too conformist. Guys are going to have to be falling all over it. It needs to be a bit more raw and a bit more American, nice fog lamps and grille treatments.
It wouldn’t hurt to offer a version that gets high fuel economy or offers flex fuel.
You’ll see success.
are we ever going to see any deisel cars here in the states?
i think a small 2.8 or 3.0 deisel would be great in a malibu or impala sized vehicle…
Exceptional kudos to GM:
1) It looks like ethanol is going to take off. Production facilities are springing up rapidly, and distribution will follow.
2) The GMAC deal looks like a great move.
3) The direct-injection 4cyl in the Sky Redline and the direct-injection diesel in the BLS. YAY TEAM! Now… please whip me up a direct injection +6.0 liter LSx, and watch the competition cower in fear.
Exceptional no-no’s:
1) Quit cutting your engineering staff in the US only to staff up in India. Bad, bad, bad move. Nothing against Indian folks – but you are replacing experienced engineers with inexperienced ones, and we ALL know how well that worked out in the early to mid 1990’s, don’t we?
Engineers ARE NOT commodities. You cannot rely on beancounters to accurately assess the value of an engineer, simply because a no beancounter in the world can quantify the expenditures you avoided because of that engineer NOT making mistakes due to his/her experience.
You’re going to pay through the nose for this one… mark my words.
It’s another example of GM’s greatest failing – the inability to recognize the mistakes of the past and avoid repeating them. GM did the very same thing in the mid-late 1980’s – and you paid dearly for it.
2) The “30% of your business must be sourced to low-wage countries” note from Purchasing.
Dear Lord. Tell me, PLEASE that these people are not that dumb.
Listen carefully: If there’s very little labor in a part, such as a cold-headed fastener or a progressive stamping, THERE’S NO COST ADVANTAGE TO SOURCING IT ACROSS THE PACIFIC. The shipping and warehousing costs offset any piece price advantage due to labor because the labor content is so small.
Artificial modifiers to that business case – such as Chinese subsidies for material and currency – WILL end or be offset by tariffs, and when they do you’re going to get hit right between the running lights – and sooner rather than later.
The BLS should be brought to the US, but only when it’s RWD and has 6-speed auto and manual trans options. Lexus asked their customers about E85; most didn’t like it. Wealthy US customers want status, even in hybrids; diesels done give status by themselves. It’s terrific styling, waiting for RWD and the right transmission.
One thing to improve: resale values. My Bravada is a terrific vehicle, but has no resale. Neither does a Trailblazer or Envoy. Stop the incentives!!!! This may get vehicles off dealers lots for a couple weeks, but when those buyers come to trade in and find they’re still underwater while their Honda and Toyota woning friends have equity. That stinks.
Final thought, your sales targets: dont listen to those who whide you for aiming low. Every marathon starts with a single step.
It took Lexus almost 20 years to reach close to 20k units a year in Europe. Audi had a hard time with FWD, but they had also quattro…
But more important. You should consider to work day and night to get your euro diesel engines to our shores. They are great engines, as far as I know and you don’t have to play follow up with the japanese hybrid games, which works in city driving conditions only.
Take your advantage and be a leader again. There was an article about a survey about diesel engines and it was very positive for diesel engines! Diesel would be great for your SUV’s too, but I don’t think there is a suitebale engine available, on the other hand the torque from these new diesel engines is very high and that is waht we need here the most anyway.
Good luck!
Mr. Taylor: The BLS may do very well in the U.S. market with a starting price just under $30K with 2.8L V6 and 5-speed automatic. An optional 270 HP 3.6L with 6-speed automatic with AFL lighting, Stabilitrak and optional Magna-Ride in the mid 30’s would be a good compliment. Both these vehicles would be popular in the Northern areas where FWD is needed in the winter. A Hybrid version using the recently introduced BioPower system would help Cadillac’s image.
An AWD version is preferred but, it would be better to incorporate into the upcoming redesign of the BLS architecture.
Other next generation versions would be Estate (Wagon) and Hardtop convertible.
The BLS would give Cadillac a volume model that is larger enough to be considered a “Cadillac” in the U.S.
I would like to see a BTS RWD model based on the KAPPA architecture (Solstice) that could compete with the Mercedes C-Class. The BTS-V with the 320 HP 5.3L AFM V8 and either 6-speed manual or 6-speed paddle shift automatic would compete against the BMW M3.
This would be complemented with a BTC coupe and hardtop convertible models to go against the Infiniti G35 and Mercedes CLK. There would also be AWD versions of the BTC coupe, BTS Sedan and BTS-V.
I believe the BTC and BTS models would do very well in Europe and a SUV variant could be derived in order to compete against the Mercedes M-Class and BMW X-5.
Cadillac primary market focus should be against Mercedes Benz with lesser focus on BMW, Infiniti and Lincoln.
Division focus markets:
Chevrolet………FWD Value
SATURN……..FWD SPORT / Hybrids
Buick………….FWD Luxury
Pontiac……….. RWD SPORT / Value
SAAB…………AWD Sport / Turbo Diesel
Cadillac……….RWD Luxury /AWD Luxury
Division primary competitors:
Chevrolet…….. Ford / Toyota
Saturn…………Honda / Volkswagen
Buick………….Chrysler / Lexus
Pontiac………..BMW / Dodge
SAAB…………Audi / Volvo
Cadillac……….Lincoln / Mercedes Benz
CADILLAC…..Mercedes Benz……Lincoln
BLS………………………………………Zephyr
BTS……………C-Class…..…….…BMW M3
BTC……………CLK………………G35
CTS……………E-Class……………M45
STS……………S-Class
LTS……………SL…………………Town Car
DTS
XLR……………SLK
BRX……………M-Class…………..BMW X-5
SRX…………….R-Class
Sixteen…………Maybach 57
The Sixteen is the car everyone is waiting for, with the Lansing Craft Center available why doesn’t GM use the plant and most importantly the craftsman who work there. In order for Cadillac to make itself a legitimate world class luxury brand it must have a car like the Sixteen complete with 8.2L V-16.
Another vehicle missing from the U.S. market for too long is a RWD luxury sedan like the old Fleetwood, this car could be a shortened version of the Sixteen platform and offered with a 5.0L Northstar V8 with an optional 7.5L V-12 both with AFM. It could be the LTS although Fleetwood might be a nice change of pace and identify it as a top of the line Cadillac – the Escalade has a name.
Cadillac also needs to use the Tahoe Hybrid drive system in the CTS and STS, offered in both RWD and AWD.
Thanks again for letting me share some ideas on keeping the Cadillac brand fresh.
I would guess that the BLS will not be sold stateside because it would be too expensive to bring across the pond due to currency exchange rates.
If that is true, think in reverse!
Set-up “GM Global Premium” dealerships in Europe. (actually everywhere) Carry all the top brands from GM around the world as they make economic sense for that market. As the world changes the product mix and country of origin would change. The cars would be marketed as low volume niche products while the volume is supported from it’s origin country to keep economies of scale.
The risk is lower because you don’t need to engineer and set-up manufacturing. If you make a product mistake it can be easily pulled. If it’s a hit you already have the manufacturing in place.
Jim-
I am the guy that you want to sell Cadillacs to.
Professional, 44 years old, college educated.
I love the new DTS. Great gas mileage, great snow traction, lots of room.
Jim, I would not bring the new BLS to the USA. I fear that it will tarnish Cadillac exclusivity a la the Cimarron and Catera.
Here is what I would do…
Next CTS: Give me a reliable diesel on one end, and a Northstar to compete with E-class v-8s.
STS: I would love to see a freshening in the rear of the car, and some surgery to get more room in the back seat.
DTS: Please Jim listen to me.
Please produce a limited run DTS called DEVILLE.
Make it available in aggressive colors.. red, black, a real white, and silver.
Black out the grille, give me a little exhaust note, and some sport touches in the interior.
Advertise it in your ads as the HOT ROD DEVILLE. Lots of music, muscle and images!
Get a little non PC- do a burnout or something. Get some younger people in the showroom!
ULS-Please, before I die, give me an S-Class killer!
ELDORADO_ Any chance that you would do a Caddy Coupe on the Camaro chassis???
X3- My wife would love a small Caddy UTE!!
SRX- Can’t wait for the new interior. Current interior looks low budget.
ESCALADE: Factory Gold Package. Bling it out, baby !
Love to be in one of your focus groups.
Regards,
James Hulihan
Pennsylvania
Long-Time Cadillac Owner
Jim,
A way for Cadillac to take market share is to begin a dual styling strategy, a subtle his and hers approach. One with vertical headlight geometry, one with horizontal for the other folks. I prefer the current Cadillacs, but what about those who are chosing your competition, how can you lure them?
GM owners don’t just have one GM car, they often have 2 or more. Often they want two sedans.
Cadillac styling has a masculine appeal and it sells. Now how about the other customer? Why not add another sedan line incrementally to Cadillac that is more feminine. Buick is doing the job right now against Lexus, but the high end customer needs a choice. What if there were a cousin to the STS in the Cadillac line that were more feminine.
These are two different customers. Cadillac is missing sales to the “other” customer.
Cars are not trucks. Car styling follows personality.
At the risk of defending GM or Caddy “build quality”…gmo my 03 Saab 93 TiD (same plant) has been virtually flawless with 60K now. Amp for front speakers the only problem. And this car easily compares to any rear drivers…especially in bad weather with ESP and that ReaXs rear-steer. Tim G…total agree with the diesel in an Impala…but these ~2L turbodiesels should be able to push even that to well over 110. And 0-60 in 10 secs. And get 30-45mpg. Check http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/03/saab_unveils_e1.html. Will that shut your RWD/AWD pieholes?
We don’t need any more FWD Caddies in the US, so keep the BLS in Europe.
What Cadillac needs is a RWD competitor to the BMW 3-series. I know, I know, some people think the CTS is a 3-series competitor. And it is in price, but in size the CTS is closer to a 5-series.
Some of us have $$ to spend on nice cars, but we don’t want large cars. We need small, nimble, powerful cars with a dash of luxury thrown in! Hey, if the 9-3 was RWD, I’d buy one.
It was the bean-counters that decided to use the weaker, gas-engine headbolts on the early GM diesels that ruined GM’s credibility in the diesel car segment, probably permanently.
Blame the UAW all you like, but the rank-and-file just bolts them together, the real foulups have come from upper management and engineering, and even more so from accounting.
Back on topic, I don’t think selling the BLS here in the states could possibly do any more harm. It might even help sales of other GM brands.
Dale Jones,
Well said! We do not need a badge-engineered FWD car here. Cadillac needs to focus and make a proper response to each of BMW/Mercedes-Benz’s main offerings:
3-Series/C-Class
5-Series/E-Class
7-Series/S-Class
They need to up the quality of the interiors (BAN the hard plastic. Have a coherent and discernible interior style. What’s wrong with leather and real wood? What about new materials like stone, cork, glass etc.?), increase the number of amenities/features in your luxury cars. We want luxury. At least part of that is gizmo.
I am not sure about the size part though. But if you say so, fine. I do think that slightly bigger can work to an advantage.
I hope GM is listening.
I think Cadillac is gonna have a very hard time selling the BLS in Europe. First of all, Cadillac does not have the reputation in Europe, it has in the US. Secondly, the main problem will be that the media in Europe is going to let evryone know that this is a rebadged Opel Vectra or Saab. Hardly anybody will be willing to pay a premium for Vectra technology (which is essentially also the problem with Saabs).
If GM wants to take on the European makes (especially the Germans), it has to be a lot better than them. I don’t see this car being any better than a 3-series, or its closest competitor, the Audi A4.
I really wish GM all the best, but I think this car would have a better chance being sold in the US, than in Europe. The CTS didn’t even cut it there because of its styling and especially the interior quality. I can’t see the BLS appealing to European buyers any more than the CTS, so why should it be any more successful?!
To be frank, in my opinion, it would be wiser to improve the Saab brand in Europe, and introduce some proper cars there, than introduce another brand with the same technology that had problems selling before.
Jim,
What would it take, short of protesting outside GM offices, to get an interior like the one in the BLS in American Cadillacs????
If you simply have to rework SAABs into Caddys, then have a go at the SAAB Aero X – that really rocks !!
BLS is exactly right for US right now. GM will, characteristically, screw this one up, too. I’ll just have to be satisfied with my Merc.
I Sell Cadillacs in the U.S. and can’t believe with everyhting going on in this country with fuel prices that GM is once again missing the boat. The BLS would fly off the showroom floor in the U.S. What other luxury manufacturer offers a Diesel engine? Only Mercedes, I also sell VW’s and am desperately trying to put together a Phaeton deal for a client that was considering the Mercedes E320 CDI, my client commented that if only Vdub would drop their Touareg 10 cylinder TDI into the Phaeton, they would have something….when I mentioned the STS-4 as an alternative to the MB, he mentioned the BLS and said “when will GM wake up domestically”…my guess…probably when Kia or hyundai go luxury and buy the Cadillac division of GM!!
Mercury Milan/Ford Focus is eating your lunc GM. The BLS is mighty tasty!
Can you say Cimarron?
Europeans especially we brits have suddenly become a fan of medium size American cars. The Chrysler 300m is a case in point . Hardly a day goes by without my humble self spotting one on the motorway since it is also available in rhd.
Styling of BTS looks very similar to the 2008 CTS. Could they be the same vehicle except for local engine options for Eurpean markets?