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1966 Fleetwood

Started by marty55cdv, May 22, 2015, 04:11:21 PM

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marty55cdv

https://twitter.com/Cadillac/status/601478990721843200?s=03           

Cadillac has dared greatly again   Am I wrong ? This is a 68 Fleetwood not a 66
Marty Smith
  CLC #22760
41 60 Special http://bit.ly/1Wm0GvT
55 CDV http://bit.ly/1G933IY
56 Fleetwood
1958 Extended Deck http://bit.ly/1NPYhGC
1959 Fleetwood  http://bit.ly/1OFsrOE
1960 Series 62 Coupe
1960 Sedan DeVille  4 window Flattop
63 Fleetwood http://bit.ly/1iSz17J
1964 Eldorado http://bit.ly/1Wm17GA  (Living in California now)
1988 EBC http://bit.ly/1iSACKz

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Marty,

You're correct that it's a '68. Who's running Cadillac's promotional efforts?

Ralph
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

As it's already established that they don't know a '59 Series 62 from an Eldorado Biarritz, it should come as no surprise they don't know a '66 from a '68 either. 
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Eric,

I’d forgotten about that.. During my time in business, two errors like this would be considered “career altering events”. Promotional and advertising items are scrutinized by multiple internal functions including marketing, sales, and the law department.

I want to change my comment to “Who’s in charge at Cadillac management”. If this is an example of business excellence, I have some advice for high potential employees:
“The first five compartments are flooding. Follow Commander Lightoller and swim for the lifeboats.”
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621

Amen Ralph.

It's all over except the crying.
A Cadillac Motorcar is a Possession for which there is no Acceptable Substitute

Bill Young

I am 60 and have been into Cadillac's since about the age of 7 however I never dreamed I would know more than the source. By the way the roof looks curiously like it might be a Brougham not the Sixty Special however hard to see.

Blade

Even the license plate says '1968' ...  ::)

57eldoking

This is getting ridiculous, such a blatant disregard for historical accuracy.

Below is their May 14th post, wasn't the Eldorado Brougham Town Car concept from 1956, not 1955??

1957 Eldorado Biarritz #906
1957 Eldorado Biarritz #1020 http://bit.ly/1kTvFlM
1957 Eldorado Seville  #1777 http://bit.ly/1T3Uo1c
1995 Fleetwood Brougham  http://bit.ly/20YwJV4
2010 SRX Performance

1946 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup
1957 Buick Caballero Estate Wagon (x2)
1960 Chevy Apache 10 Stepside
1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (x2)
1992 Pontiac Trans Sport GT

Brett Baird

Fortunately for the suits that are running the show from Cadillac HQ in NEW YORK, the customer base they are going after don't know any more about Cadillac's history than they do.  The more things change, the more they suck.
B Baird
17764
'41 Fleetwood 60 S  http://bit.ly/1jwgEWm
'59 Sedan DeVille 6339 "Flat-top"  http://bit.ly/1jwgUF1

Alan Harris CLC#1513

In the early fifties, Mr. Nance became head of Packard. His first act was to throw away their archives and stocks of old parts. When he was asked why, his reply was that he wasn't concerned with those cars because they had already sold those cars.

That is the nature of the car business. Whatever money they made from the 1968 Fleetwood was spent a long time ago, so they are not concerned about it.

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Alan,

I respectfully disagree with your historically correct observation on Nance. It didn't work out for Packard.
Yes, a business should focus on future sales. However  the implications of these errors are deadly for any business trying to remake itself  and grow its market.  Such errors can only occur if:
1.   Those in charge have limited knowledge
2.   Those in charge think historical brand image and loyalty do not matter
3.   Those in charge think their current prospective buyers are ignorant of the product and its history
4.   Those in charge are trying to sell and image or life style, not the tangible features and quality of their product.

This may work for a short time when a business has dominant market share and strong financial footing. It could destructive in Cadillac’s current position.

Ralph
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Ken Perry

Back in the day,Cadillac would have never dressed up a Chevy PU and called it a Cadillac !!!!!!!!!The Cadillac we know and love is long gone :'( Ken Perry
Cadillac Ken

Bill Young

I sincerely believe that Cadillac in particular and the United States in general need to remember their origins. As Brett said , "  The more things change , the more they suck " Ralph's point is well made. I realize I am no marketing expert or even a novice however that said I feel sorry that Cadillac has elected to announce that they intend to " Abandon " their older customers. I for one could swallow more easily some of the things that the new models are if I did not feel that the Company could care less what I think or feel. A Cadillac is not just a Car to Me and also to a lot of folks. I have owned thirty of them since 1970 but the caring stems from the realization as a child that Cadillac was a special Car from a special company that had a motto they lived by " Craftsmanship a Creed , Accuracy a Law " and sharing design cue's from previous models within new one's and recognize the past customers and encourage them to be repeat customers. Oh well , hard come , easy go.

Alan Harris CLC#1513

I am not holding Nance up as a positive example. Unfortunately, though, his view is the way of the world. Packard was dying before he came and would have failed with him or without him.

I am 64 years old. Most of us here are probably at least 50. I am pretty sure that you would have to look pretty hard for a person under 50 who still thinks of Cadillac as an aspirational brand. That is a harsh reality.

The traditional Cadillac customers are going into assisted living, giving up driving, and, unfortunately dying off. The brand's sales are a fraction of what they were a generation ago.

All of us have read umpteen articles over the last 15 years about how each new management team expects to return Cadillac to its former glory. All of them have moved on and this new bunch will move on as well. All each new team is concerned about is giving the impression that they are doing something so the GM board will keep them on just a little longer. None of them care about the past or any future beyond the next quarter.

I don't know how this is going to end. The only chance Cadillac has is to become cool again in a retro, hipster, ironic kind of way, like Pabst Blue Ribbon, or cigar smoking, or Dean Martin.

Nobody wants to be like their parents, but there is a chance they might want to be like their grandparents.

Just a few thoughts.


RPangborn

This is a fantastic thread with all great posts about the current state of the automobile manufacturing business.  It should never be forgotten that the selling of automobiles is a business.  To those of us, in the hobby, that hold cars of the past in reverence, it's sad to see some of the ways Cadillacs are headed these days.  The powers to be, do what they think, will maximize their sales.
77 Eldorado
79 Coupe deVille

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

#15
Gentlemen,

All the references above to selling new cars are valid . But it is small part of a greater process to be successful. The primary objective of all commerce is to create a sustainable, profitable business for shareholders â€"emphasis on sustainable. Truly great companies create products that don’t have to be sold; customer’s want to buy them. (Think Apple’s i-products) For any given segment, the business needs to understand the customer wants and needs and the priority they attach to them.  Provide that product for a price the customer considers a good value and you’ll flatten the completion. The marketing and sales programs for such products focus on the quality, features and benefits. If you’ve done the research and development correctly, customers who couldn’t even verbalize their wants and needs will intuitively know they want that product. The term segment is critical in this process because a sports car buyer has a different hierarchy of priorities than a luxury sedan customer. “One size fits all” never produces memorable or market busting products. This was the foundation upon which Sloan built GM. Cadillac built its market and reputation on engineering excellence clothe in style and fashion…..Standard of the World.

Too many businesses today substitute  “Gee Whiz” technology for real improvements. Think about all the things in today’s car operated by touch screen or control. They are an  inherent distraction because you must take your eyes of the road to operate them.  What was wrong with dials and buttons the driver can identify  and control by feel? The hidden technology could still be digital but the human interface is analog. What happens when something goes wrong with all the technology and dealers are stymied for days. Worse yet, what happens out of warrantee? A reputation for problems destroys resale and consequently present value. Then there’s  the idea of a downsized luxury car. Does anyone think a CTS is a real luxury car? Until Cadillac has a model with a passenger compartment equivalent to an S Class, 7 Series or A8 they are not in the luxury market.  There are also subtle perceived quality issues. When the owner slams a door or deck lid it should sound solid like a bank vault. Even pennies add up when making many thousands of a product, but sound deadening may improve customer satisfaction, if not to the accountants. What about the exhaust note?  Most American V6’s sound like a  flatulent mule. BMW has a straight six with an authoritative note. I could write pages about navigation systems that have so much information on the screen that the driver can’t see the route, but this is not unique to Cadillac. Yes, you can alter the screen but it takes a Master’s in Computer Science just  to read the manual.

I can’t resist one last cheap shot at unnecessary technology: Please identify the customers who  requested multi-color mood lighting in the interior?

1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

RPangborn

Ralph Messina.......superb post.  Have you seen the cars that have outside lightning showing their logs? Lincolns have LEDs that bathe the exterior in soft accent lighting. You’ve gotta love the puddle light that projects the Lincoln cross on the ground!


Many agree that Cadillac has abandoned its customer base of the past.  So just who are Cadillacs target buyers?
77 Eldorado
79 Coupe deVille

Bill Young

Right on Ralph Messina ! I Love my Wife's 2014 Dodge Hemi Challenger for many reasons not the least of which is the three  good sized knobs in the middle of the dash that control the heat and air conditioning system. They are easy to memorize and with a quick glance you control everything not a bunch of small buttons with weird symbols on the  GM Cars  that are impossible for older folks to see and understand and safely operate while driving.