Cadillac is a company with incredible brand equity. Named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French army officer who founded Ville d’Etroit in Michigan in 1701 – now known as Detroit – they can be credited with moving the car industry forwards in a number of historical moments. For starters, they were the first manufacturer to mass-produce cars with enclosed cabins, they invented the electric ignition and they pioneered the modern electric headlight system. They were also the first to begin developing power steering and they introduced automotive air conditioning too. Despite such an innovative track record, somehow, something went horribly wrong in the late 1970s and early 1980s because Cadillac, along with the rest of General Motors (GM), lost sales, income and credibility. In fact, the once self-proclaimed ‘Standard of the World’ pretty much became an automotive also-ran.
Fortunately, GM got wise to the error of their ways in the 1990s and they’ve been trying to correct the company’s trajectory ever since. It has proven difficult though and clearly, two decades of brand ruination is not something you can easily reverse. Still, they have gone about their business in the correct manner investing heavily while incorporating a bold vision (neatly captured in their latest corporate slogan – ‘Dare Greatly’) and that has at least made them relevant once again.
But recently, Cadillac has upped the ante by taking two incredibly bold decisions. First they distanced themselves from General Motors in 2014, becoming a separate business unit with independent financials (so as to allow the freedom to allocate resources as they see fit). Then in 2015 they dissociated themselves from Detroit. It’s a shocker we know: how could the company named after the founder of ‘Motown’ be allowed to pack its bags and move on? Well, it’s not quite that dramatic for Cadillac has (for the moment at least) just moved its marketing and sales operations to swanky new headquarters in the heart of New York’s hippest neighbourhood – Soho. The thinking behind this is that it will help add intuition into how to market the brand in ways that appeal to the buyers they want, rather than simply recycling their traditional consumer base of aging baby boomers.
Naturally, this recalibrated positioning has coincided with a fresh push for market share and in that regard they’re in the midst of a total product makeover, which we have been informed will include five new SUVs or crossovers by the end of the decade, a new subcompact car and three redesigned models that straddle the line between compact and midsize cars.
On a personal level, Cadillac recently invited me to two separate events and both were illuminating as to just how seriously they’re taking this daring greatly business. The first was the global debut of their new XT5 in Dubai’s D3 Design District, and I can tell you it was no ordinary product launch. Rather, I would describe it as an invitation-only party for a who’s who of local and international hipsters, preceded by the opportunity to witness the first fashion show to ever be held on foreign soil by the acclaimed New York-based fashion designers, Public School, whose finale was not some traditional wedding dress but rather a choreographed raising of giant LED backdrop video screens that allowed the 2017 Cadillac XT5 to take pride of stage.
“This is a new way for two American brands to join forces, share a passion for design and grow globally,” announced Andrew Smith, Cadillac’s executive director of Global Design, over the bassy speakers. To be honest, I still don’t know exactly what the arrangement is between Cadillac and Public School but they’re certainly lending new meaning to the term patron of the arts.
My second moment of enlightenment came with a certain V-Week event that Cadillac had organised in Abu Dhabi. This was essentially an opportunity for customers and the press to get up close and personal with their two latest sports models, the ATS-V and CTS-V. Both will never be makers or breakers of Cadillac’s bottom line (SUV’s and more specifically the Escalade constitute the bulk of the company’s business) but these cars will generate much-needed credibility and act as halo models to entice younger buyers to the brand.
After a day of wild-eyed, ear-to-ear grins and general tomfoolery on the Yas Marina Circuit, I can say that the ATS-V is impressive but it was the big daddy, the CTS-V that had me hooked. It’s an incredibly impressive car that doesn’t only take aim at the Lexus GS F and Mercedes E63 AMG, it admirably takes on the all-conquering BMW M5 too. Lighter, more powerful and more sophisticated than any of its predecessors, the CTS-V is, in a nutshell, a Euro super-saloon killer with just the right amount of American swagger.
What do I mean by swagger? Well, for starters, this thing has 640bhp. That’s right, 640 ponies. That’s such an insane amount of power that it actually puts it in a league with full-blooded sportscars like the Mercedes AMG GTS (558bhp), Porsche Turbo S (560bhp) and Lamborghini Huracàn (610bhp). The reason of course, is that the powertrain has been taken from a Corvette Z06. Yet we all know that line power is nothing without control, so you’re probably now wondering if it can go around corners.
It can, and surprisingly well in fact. Thanks to a beautifully sorted chassis and formidable steel brakes you can extract almost everything this car has to offer and not fear for your life. What’s more, the fit and finish is enough to give the Audi A6 a run for its money, and yet it’s priced around 10 to 20 per cent less than any of its German rivals. I think you’ll agree that when I said swagger I meant exactly that! This car is a kind of automotive rendition of LL Cool J’s ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’. “Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years. I'm rocking my peers. Puttin' suckers in fear.”
Seriously though, for all the applause they deserve for producing such a car, there’s still a rather large elephant in the room. You see, Cadillac has actually been making fine cars for around a decade now but that hasn’t yet afforded them the market share they deserve. To really do that we’ve always said they need to come out with cars that are both emotional and aspirational. This new CTS-V might be just the ticket.
“We know we have work to do,” says Mark Adams, Cadillac’s current design chief. “We have a lot more people to convert and bring them over to looking at us with a new level of respect. That takes time, consistency, and integrity. We’re doing the right things at the right time now, and we’re going to keep growing, building the brand, and being laser-focused on what’s next.”
We’ve missed you Cadillac. Welcome back.
Model Cadillac CTS-V
Engine 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Drive Rear-wheel
Power 640 bhp
Torque 855 Nm
Gearbox 8-speed auto
Top Speed 321 km/h
0-100 km/h 3.7 seconds
Price 85,000 USD
