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Cadillac chief marketer admits ELR is 'a big disappointment'

During the Cadillac XT5 global launch in Dubai, Automobile interviewed Cadillac Chief Marketing Officer Uwe Ellinghaus and got the CMO to touch on just about every major issue affecting the brand and the industry. After two years on the job, having come from 15 years at BMW, Ellinghaus naturally started with the "passionate Cadillac customers" and "iconic brand" spiel, then they got into a top-down look at where America's preeminent luxury brand stands. Ellinghaus said Cadillac is in a period of transition, lately focused on smaller and more performance-oriented vehicles, which has alienated a chunk of veteran customers and left others trying to figure out what Cadillac is about. He believes that "for a few more years, the products will probably be stronger than the brand," while he does his work of conveying what the company has to offer. But the brand had to make the switch, because "Generation X and Y will make 80 percent of all actual buyers in the next five years..." On top of that, he'll be working on making sure the customer and dealership experiences are where they need to be. Speaking of dealers, Ellinghaus thinks the future will not be brick-and-mortar shops, but digital pickup-and-delivery services. "Nobody wants to go to a dealership for service and maintenance," he says. He said the ELR has been "a big disappointment," but it has taught Cadillac that converting its existing line-up to plug-in hybrids is a better way forward. However, he characterized the plug-in hybrid as "the next all-wheel drive," in that everyone's going to offer it soon, so it will be "an entry ticket into luxury automobiles rather than a differentiating aspect." The CMO thinks the CTS is suffering because of the decline in the US midsize luxury sedan market in general thanks to the SUV and crossover craze, so the brand really needs another small SUV. Head over to Automobile for more of Ellinghaus' intriguing answers, like "I do believe that very long-term hydrogen is really the way," and "it's time to get real" in Europe. Taking a dig at Volkswagen on that last matter, he also said, "I think the absence of the diesel is not as much of an issue as it was eight weeks ago." Related Video:

GM design boss Welburn says Lincoln isn't a Cadillac rival [w/poll]

General Motors Vice President of Global Design, Ed Welburn, had some dismissive words for a certain cross-town luxury brand during an interview with Car and Driver. When asked about his thoughts on Lincoln, Welburn deflected, before saying, "I don't consider Lincoln to be a competitor for Cadillac."
"They're not a global luxury brand. I don't consider them a competitor. Are they a competitor for Buick? Quite possibly. But not for Cadillac," GM's head designer explained. Welburn, who's been at the helm of GM Design North America since 2003 and is the first to hold the position of VP of Global Design, has been instrumental in the styling renaissance at GM, so predictably, Car and Driver's interview with him focused on the design aspect of cars.
During the interview, Welburn explicitly denied plans for a reborn Cadillac XLR, even as a new Chevrolet Corvette is hitting the market and strides are being made with Cadillac's V-Series performance arm saying, "We have a lot of cars that we're working on for the Cadillac brand. The XLR is not one of them right now."

2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport

Not long after bombing around the Milford Road Course in the new CTS Vsport, Cadillac invited me to try out its other new-for-2014 Vsport model: the XTS. And despite using the same twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 from the CTS, the Vsport package takes on a whole new meaning here in Cadillac's softer flagship.
In the CTS, this trim perfectly bridges the gap between the standard models and the hardcore CTS-V, and is focused on being the best-driving version of the range without a standalone V badge. The XTS, however, has no proper V model, so the Vsport becomes the new range-topper for that line by default. But unlike the CTS Vsport, which uses rear-wheel-drive architecture and is focused on driving dynamics above all, the XTS is geared toward a much different customer.
The entire XTS experience is far more concerned with plush comfort than handling prowess, and while this Vsport model certainly ups the ante with more power and some mild suspension and steering tweaks, it's not exactly what we'd call a particularly engaging experience. But that doesn't mean it isn't good.