The luxury crisis

An interesting excerpt from slate magazine-

The Luxury Crisis: Pity the poor consumers of luxury sedans. They want to replace their 4-year-old Mercedeses and 7-series BMWs. They have a choice of a) the new Mercedes E-class, great but filled with glitches (see, e.g., this article if you're a WSJ subscriber); b) the BMW 7-series—same as Mercedes, except uglier (with 175 percent more problems than the average car, according to the latest Consumer Reports auto issue); c) the big Lexus, reliable and reliably boring, and d) the Audi A8—$70,000 for a bland-looking nose-heavy car with pig-in-poke longevity? ... The rich are in deep trouble here, trapped with nowhere to turn. ... P.S.: Here's a great market opportunity for Detroit—if, say, Cadillac had a solid rear-drive luxury model ready. The wealthy people I know are no more brand loyal than anyone else. If they were that stupid, they probably wouldn't be rich! Certainly they wouldn't have flocked to Lexus when that marque was concocted by Toyota a few years ago. ... A better description is that they flit from whatever brand is supposed to be good one minute to whatever brand is supposed to be good the next. They're ready for something new. ... Maybe Chrysler could build a high-end BMW-beater based on the 300. Or maybe Mercedes and BMW should bring out Special No-E Editions of their luxury vehicles without the balky, gratuitous German electronic gimmicks that cause them to spend so much time in the shop. They're fine cars underneath, so why not offer, you know, just the car! I bet they'd sell like crazy. These rich people are desperate. ... Update: Mercedes has actually admitted its errors and is removing useless electronic complications as fast as it can. But what to get in the meantime? ...

electraglide1 - 7/15/2004 6:12:50 PM

+1 Boost

I own a 2003 c kompresor sedan.. great car great price.. and no goofy electronics like say the s500 with retracting rear view mirrors?? SO FAR NOT ONE SINGLE PROBLEM!!! JUST SELL WELL BUILT CARS LEAVE THE VIDEO GAMES TO SAGA !!!!

janos2769 - 7/15/2004 10:32:29 PM

+1 Boost

This must be the Cadillac Edition of Auto Spies! THe thing is, its "aero" design is inspired by the F117 Stealth fighter which in turn take sits ugly flat surfaces from the need to reflect radar at discreete angles rather than continuous (To reduce the probability of detection). So really, it's not aero at all. This means the Cadillacs' design has no meaning whatsoever (unless cops carry heat seeking missiles???). Design is square and still booooring. I'd take a "nose heavy bland german designed" Audi A8 ANY DAY. Maybe Saabaru buyers will move up to the caddies!
It takes much more than a bigger old technology engine to convert many buyers. Sorry Cadillac ... try me in 40 years (But you would still waste your time). BTW, your awesome Caddies at the SCCA-WC were clobbered by the Audis despite your amazing power and grace!!! whatsup with that? Maybe your corp dollars can influence the SCCA some more to keep adding weight to the Audis. Cadillac = no class.

BobW - 7/16/2004 2:50:13 PM

+1 Boost

In the latest JD Powers long term quality surveys the Euro's come in dead last just behind domestic cars. The Asian brands (including Korean cars!!) are well ahead in the surveys.
No question, Euro cars are better looking and handle better than anyone else (the gap is closing with Infiniti and Acura leading the charge) but the reality is, even though all you BMW/Audi/M-B/Porsche pilots think you're Schumacher, no one drives modern cars to their limits on public roads. First because there's no space to do it in and second, performance limits are so high you would be a complete idiot to drive that way. Third, having test driven with numerous bucks up clients, it was the rare driver that could steer and brake a car properly (if I drove first and went through a curve half-fast most were knocked out by the great "handling") People with money are good at making money, not driving cars fast, they just want the image.
Having sold M-B's for nearly 15 years I can say that S-class drivers especially don't need good handling cars, most of them drive like my mother. I am no longer in the car business and I can tell you that there is not one European car on the market that I would spend my own money on, they're all junk (as confirmed even by the owners in this forum who like their German iron)! Euro trash indeed.
I steer family, friends and former clients to Japanese cars exclusively. And that's all I drive myself.
BW

mkk21 - 7/16/2004 5:22:06 PM

+1 Boost

Is it just me, or is this edition of Autospies really hyping up Cadillac. FOr some reason it seems like quite a few of the ariticles I've been reading so far have been putting down the top brass like BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, & Audi. And they've been totally praising Cadillac. "CTS-V beating an M3," "SRX better than the rest" Even in this article they are totally putting down all the luxury manufacturers and try to bring up the Cadillac name plate. Did Cadillac give you some kind of endorsement Autospies?

w211Benz - 7/17/2004 1:54:02 AM

+1 Boost

"Clive Potter - 7/15/2004 11:13:18 PM

Comment: I have a current Mercedes Benz E320 and have been experiencing "surging' throttle. Does anyone else have this problem? Of course MB say I'm the only one in the world! "

I have a E320 as well. When you mean surging throttle is it like as if the car was jerking while moving sometimes,while the car is slow? If yes then I have the same problem but not always. I told them the problem but they couldn't find any problems with my car.

w211Benz - 7/17/2004 2:01:39 AM

+1 Boost

American cars just suck. I would buy a benz,bmw or Lexus anyday over a caddy. YUCK, did you guys look at their interiors? Their new design is so rigid.

FIFlyer - 7/17/2004 2:10:06 PM

+1 Boost

If you describe the reliabilty of the Audi A8 as questionable ("pig-in-a-poke"), what does that make the Cadillac? It is a new model of by a maker that is not precisely know for high quality when compared with its European and Japanese competitors.

I have yet to hear someone seriously point to GM as the "standard of the world" in either fit and finish or interior quality. Did I miss something?

Your auggestion that the Germans should omit electronic gimmicks and make a simple car is contrary to my understanding of luxury. As I see it, they should make them work properly. If your point is that the Cadillac is better because it is simpler, that may or may not be so but it is hardly a credit to Cadillac engineering ambition or prowess.