CONFIRMED: Cadillac Is Developing An A3, CLA Competitor

here is an idea for cadillac: get out of new york and stop trying to sell poorly made gm dreck as luxury. only midwesterners believe in what you are selling. cadillac is the king of depreciation aside from FCA products.

Actually - BMW depreciates more in three years than Cadillac - currently along with FORD cars although they have stopped producing these.

Unlike Ford - Cadillac actually produced two World Class platforms for their cars - although under DeNysschen they packaged them small for the European market - which did not go over in the USA. Anyone who has regularly bought High End Luxury Vehicles knows that they have the most current features = and are more likely to need repair than those case that do not have those things yet.

Even then - several of the Cadillac models were well received- tested well - and the V class managed to be up to the AMG and M class competition.

Cadillac is now moving back to its "tweener" strategy - where they offer mre car compared to the competition. Certainly the CT6 - which I have - will compare well against an E class - which is markedly smaller inside.

Gm currently has a 2nd tier Luxury division - Buick - so there would be no place for Cadillac to go.

They need to stay in New York, precisely for the reason mentioned in the next sentence; "Only midwesterners believe in what you're selling". That's true, and Cadillac needs to change that

Look, luxury is about image and exclusivity. In the car world, that means design, tech, comfort/refinement, sport, or all of the above. But it also means the crowd you run with. I'm sorry, but a brand currently associated with midwestern farmers who don't know what real luxury or quality looks like, isn't something that's going to win in the luxury circles. Whether that stereotype (about Cadillacs or farmers, or both) is true, is irrelevant; it's all about image. They need to get away from that, not chase it further.

I disagree that Cadillac produces GM dreck. They produce decent cars that tick a lot of important boxes and do a lot of things well. But they still have their shortcomings. Their interiors are a step below the competition with poor quality leathers and too much plastic. Their exclusivity is hampered by the fact that they JUST got their own engine this year (i.e., too much GM part sharing). Their refinement isn't up to snuff yet either; yes, that means a better handling car, but the tradeoff is too drastic.

As far as this car goes, too soon to say. It's got some elements I like, but the belt line goes too high towards the rear, resulting in a chunky look that's not stylish. The RWD platform is encouraging, but the person buying in this segment is really just brand-hunting and trying to look as rich as possible for the lowest price, so they're likely more interested in interior space, which RWD will compromise.

I am not sure about the tweener strategy. Those looking for top tier luxury are not looking for bargains. granted, Cadillac has to earn their way to top tier, but being the bargain brand will stick with them a while.

If the CT5 were the size of an E Class with a C Class price, it would be viable.

I'm not sure a new Cimarron (Cadillac Cruze) is the answer nor would be a cut down CT5 because that would make it cramped and ridiculous like a BMW 2 Series.

Hopefully GM and Cadillac is learning some things in their what, 100+ years? Make these cars superb, make them "gotta have". Equip them VERY well, make sure the interiors are better than the competition but a good margin, make sure all touch points are a delight, make sure they look terrific, get the powertrains right and ensure they have a premium feel... then price them properly so the market responds.

Mary Barra said when she took over, "No more boring cars"... do it. Keep your bean counters on a leash. And for goodness sake get your dealerships to come on board. Where i live there is one are of the city that is where the $$ is, but all the dealers are in the suburbs. Perhaps get all 5 dealers to come together and put a new on in this essential area. I seriously see more Teslas daily than I do Cadillacs.

Our local Chevrolet dealer also sells Cadillacs.

When they moved from their old location and built a new dealership, they put it at the far back of the lot. Customers have to drive past row after row of used cars and then row after row of new cars to get to horribly inadequate parking. The Chevy show room is tiny. It's big enough for 3 cars. Next to the Chevy showroom in the building is the service entrance and behind the service entrance is the microscopic Cadillac dealer.

No one with a brain designed the layout at all. The dealer should be ay street level with massive window space showing off shiny new Chevrolets. Cadillac should have its own facility with present-the-goods-at-the-street-level architecture.

Behind such a dealer should be an inviting courtyard with fountains and all the cars in the line on display in a kind of an outdoor showroom. Beyond that, new stock should be available.

Let's just say plans were drawn up for just such a dealer layout, but those plans got shuttered.

GM really needs to step up and get their dealers to work harder. Hyundai and Kia have only really been viable for the last 20 years and I'm sure all their dealers are fairly new builds, certianly newer than alot of GM dealers. Building a great car is one thing but dealing with idiots at the dealer and driving thru a miazma of craziness once you arrive is just stupid. If you want to sell a premium vehicle the total experience must be premium... it just common sense.

I also heard this car was on a modified Alpha Platform but the one used in China, which is the ATS-L that has a longer wheelbase and bigger back seat... huh.. common sense prevails. If so this should be very competitive...

The reason why there is a LONG version of the ATS in China is that in China - most cars of this class and higher are Chauffeur driven - and without suitable rear seat room for the Boss - this car had NO chance at all.

However - the CTS is very similar in length to the ATS -long. ANd here - DeNysschen would not consider adding long versions of both - he should have done that and the cars would have sold more.

There are enough un-used dealership buildings in most areas that would allow Cadillac dealers to have their own buildings - although for most of my life - Cadillac was either stand alone or paired with Buick - Not Chevy.

However - the Cadillac dealers were promised this before - that they would get competitive product - and they didn't. THe packaging of the CTS and ATS was atrocious. And the leader OPENLY told the Cadillac buyer base NOT TO COME - they were not wanted anymore. ANd so they bought Lexus instead. Until Cadillac actually comes out with competitive product - that covers most bases - It would be like opening a stand alone Lincoln dealership - after Ford cancelled Mercury - without any Lincoln Product - a disaster.