Who's the Cadillac of Hi-End Audio?

Avideo: quite right, but make sure you get a deal on any real production Cadillac product because I am sure the resale value is probably not the best. Cadillac still can't get that change of image right: the multi-faceted body design, supposedly reminiscent of stealth aircraft looks, is bad. When you look at the overall shape (that square front end with those horrible headlamps) and then at the retro touches in the taillights and trunk lift on the CTS, you have to head for the exit. The time when it could be said that nobody could go broke underestimating the taste of the American public is pretty well gone. Do you know very many people under seventy that want to be seen driving around in a Caddy these days? Oh, and don’t get me started on their SUVs and, oh mercy, Pickup trucks! GM has lost its way many long years ago and is still, pretty much, out in the wilderness.

I recently attended an auto show here in Indianapolis and Cadillac had some very nice products. The CTS and the Corvette based coupe (XLR?) appeared to be fully competitive with the best comparable priced Japanese or German offerings. So maybe, just maybe, my earlier comments about Cadillacs were out of line. But then again, there were crowds at the BMW or Lexus exhibits and the Caddy area was empty. It's going to take some time for Cadillac to change it's image.

Now that this thread’s direction is more car related than audio, I thought I would add my 2-cents.

Being fat, happy and maintaining the status quo, it could be argued that the U.S. big-3 were initially blind-sided by the compact vehicle invasion from the Far East. However, many years passed before their luxury car lines (such as Cadillac) were pummeled by the Infinity, Lexus et al.

Given the length of time it took for this to transition, even the casual observer – let alone Cadillac Management -- could foresee the inevitable. The question is, why wasn’t G.M./Cadillac capable of improving their product’s styling, engineering, fit, finish, etc. to be competitive with the anticipated Japanese onslaught?

G.M. has employed educationally, some of the best and brightest engineers in the world, with commensurately hefty salaries. Why couldn’t they change? For the same reason why they’re still playing catch-up. Too many old, country club belonging ready-to-retire-to-the-Hamptons Executives. Why would they care to change, and undergo the headaches of doing so? Their current 6 and 7 figure salaries and pensions are guaranteed! They’re still suffering from too little, too late, as exemplified by the comments responders have made to this thread, and by reviews on the www, in periodicals etc.

Instead of designing and building exciting, attractive, well designed, and fun to own and drive vehicles as their competition, G.M Divisions such as Buick are resurrecting dead engineers (ala the Harley Earl ads), and touting “port holes” (the ancient Buick symbol). How sad!! The dying off of their buying base is as obvious as was the aforementioned inevitable Luxury car confrontation. Will they be able to equal, or exceed their competition before this happens – so far they haven’t! Moreover, it’s doubtful they will be able to, before irreversible harm occurs to their once highly revered name plates (Oldsmobile is already dead, which one’s next?) – not so bad for the million dollar golden parachute owing executives or retirees that “have theirs”, but too bad for the remainder of the workers, and the U.S Industrial Base in general!

Interesting points raised by Mrmb. I think the failure of GM/Ford/Chrysler wasn't in the engineering, but instead was a fault endemic to their entire corporate structure(s). When Toyota first started the Lexus brand they imported dozens of Mercedes to the Japanese factory and let the assembly line workers use them. Management wanted the workers to know first hand the level of fit and finish that they would have to do better than. It's hard to imagine at any of the Detroit Big 3 management and labor working together to accomplish long-term goals. My observation is that in successful companies management and labor have a mutual respect and trust for one another.