Really? New Cadillac CMO Says ELR Will Be The Defining Vehicle For The Brand

Expect Cadillac to pivot pretty quickly to highlighting its ELR plug-in hybrid that’s due out next year. New CMO Uwe Ellinghaus believes the vehicle provides the key for the brand to solve the “relevance” issue he already has pinpointed after just a short time on the job.

Ellinghaus—who officially joins Cadillac on January 1 after a 14-year stint at BMW that included serving as head of brand strategy from 2010 to 2012—believes the key to elevating Cadillac in the accelerating premium-car wars in the U.S. and worldwide is the Tesla-fighter known as ELR.
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TheSteve - 11/11/2013 8:26:53 PM

+2 Boost

Just another lost hope for the brand.

skytop - 11/11/2013 9:54:32 PM

+1 Boost

Still looks virtually the same as Caddy's 2008 car. The geometric front end and grille are hugely tiresome and almost comical now.

klipprand - 11/11/2013 10:18:34 PM

+1 Boost

Nope - too expensive for a tarted up Volt. And the Volt has not sold well.

vdiv - 11/12/2013 10:28:49 AM

+1 Boost

It will be a defining vehicle if they continue evolving the Voltec drivetrain and put it in other models, particularly the SRX.

No signs of that yet.

MicrosoftUser - 11/12/2013 10:38:33 AM

+1 Boost

I hope it doesn't become the rebadged Chevy Cadillac Volt with that cost $$$ more just because it's a Cadillac :(

SuperTurtlePlus - 11/12/2013 1:29:37 PM

+2 Boost

Cars share underpinnings all the time. One example is the Porsche Cayenne, which is essentially a Volkswagon Tiguan.

What matters is how Cadillac differentiates their offering since very few people are going to compare the drive train and underpinnings of each car, especially if neither car looks alike.

This is why Cadillac needs greater performance – which is the way Cadillac seems to be going – to accompany its upmarket aspirations (even at the cost of somewhat lower fuel economy than the Volt).

scenicbyway12 - 11/12/2013 3:48:48 PM

+2 Boost

Why does this car cost twice as much as a Volt?

MicrosoftUser - 11/12/2013 4:04:35 PM

+1 Boost

For badge whores who don't want to be seen driving Chevys, just like people who buy Lexus because they don't want to be seen driving a cheap Toyota.

valhallakey - 11/12/2013 5:00:09 PM

+1 Boost

The Elmiraj should be the defining vehicle!

SuperTurtlePlus - 11/12/2013 5:30:03 PM

+1 Boost

The VW that shares underpinnings with the Cayenne isn't the Tiguan, but the Touareg.

SuperTurtlePlus - 11/12/2013 5:33:43 PM

0 Boost

That's ridiculous, MicrosoftUser (though considering your tag, your response perhaps makes sense). You can start with a shared platform, and with individualized design, power trains and interiors create totally different vehicles.

MattDarringer - 11/14/2013 8:32:25 AM

+1 Boost

The CMO is obviously an idiot. The Volt was made by duct taping batteries into a Cruze and then giving the genius that created the Pontiac Aztek something to do. Putting an admittedly handsome hat over a poorly engineered vehicle like the Volt and then charging double for it will be a defining vehicle for the brand. It will be a RESOUNDING failure and Cadillac will finally clue in that it needs the Ciel and Elmiraj. A conventional Prius-like hybrid sedan the size of the Lexus ES and priced accordingly would have been the money move.