Cadillac's New CMO Says Focus Is On Making Cadillac Relevent Again Not Turn It Into Another BMW

Cadillac’s new CMO, Uwe Ellinghaus, doesn’t even know where the washrooms are in the Renaissance Center yet and he already has identified the main problem for the brand that he just began helming: Caddy “has a relevance issue,” he told me.

And the solution, Ellinghaus said, lies in ignoring canards such as that Cadillac’s problem is seeming too “old,” and in repositioning Cadillac as a brand that is technologically elegant and forward.

“This is my biggest task,” said the 44-year-old Ellinghaus, who just joined Cadillac at General Motors GM +2.03% headquarters in downtown Detroit after a 14-year stint at BMW that included serving as head of brand strategy from 2010 to 2012.


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MattDarringer - 11/8/2013 11:26:11 PM

-2 Boost

GM hired an idiot! AGAIN!!

tattedtwice - 11/9/2013 7:56:42 AM

+1 Boost

Good luck. This new crop seems single focused and desperate to be BMW, like nissan was 2003-2006, with the g, fx and m, and we see where they've ended up. I see the same happening for govenment motors so they need to just stick to their core audience, tasteless value hunters with a misplaced sense of patriotism.

MattDarringer - 11/9/2013 9:01:23 AM

-2 Boost

The ATS and CTS have both been lauded for being 100% on game with the Germans and to have characteristics that make them BETTER. Automotive bigotry will maintain that Cadillac cannot succeed.

cidflekken - 11/10/2013 1:25:24 AM

+1 Boost

Lexus seems to be learning the same lesson.

dlin - 11/11/2013 2:24:59 AM

+1 Boost

In fact Infiniti will be already obsolete had it not positioned to be BMW fighter, therefore that strategy was correct from this perspective. What's restricting its advancement is the bean counting mentality within Nissan.

Lexus these days drives like previous generation BMW in terms of suspension set up, and that's a compliment. Nothing wrong to have a Japanese BMW that will last quite a while after warranty is up. You'll know what I mean if you've owned BMW.

At least GM doesn't try to be Mercedes or Audi.