"Cadillac (CT5) is such a waste of such a long body..."
A few days ago, I accompanied my friend to the Cadillac 4S shop for a walk, and after feeling the driving space of the CT5, the friend who has always had a strong interest in the car could not help but issue such an exclamation, with a hint of wavering in his words.
Indeed, compared with other luxury brands, Cadillac's performance in "space" can only be said to be unsatisfactory, especially in the compact and mid-level models, and the gap between it and the competitor models will be clearly felt.
Taking CT5 as an example, compared with the "peer benchmark" BBA, its length is nearly 100mm longer than bmw 320Li; the width is 83mm wider than that of Mercedes-Benz C-class; the wheelbase is also better than that of Audi A4L, and the overall body size performance is remarkable, but it is inferior in the actual space experience, especially the cramped sense in the longitudinal space of the rear (the author only has a net height of 173mm to sit in it and directly "overhead ceiling"), One wonders if the engineers (or designers) who built cadillac's interior spaces never sat in the back seat of a car.
As Cadillac's hot-selling luxury midsize car, the CT5's spatial performance is really surprising. However, today we are not here to "provoke" Cadillac, on the contrary, the author is more curious about where the Cadillac captures people's hearts. Because, in the past year, the performance of cadillac CT5 is not only not bound by "space", but quite eye-catching.
The "luxury second echelon" reshuffled, and Cadillac remained strong
Looking at the sales data of luxury brands in 2021, BBA is still riding the dust, and its position in the market segment is also rock solid. In contrast, the days of the "luxury second echelon" are not so comfortable. In addition to the daily competition of traditional opponents such as Lexus, Cadillac, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover and so on, Hongqi and Lincoln are also catching up at an alarming rate. What is even more infuriating is that on the sales list of traditional luxury brands, a new energy vehicle brand - Tesla has been inserted hard, making people wonder whether the definition of "luxury" is price or something else?
But this can not hide an indisputable fact, that is, the "luxury second echelon" is reshuffling.
Lexus rare negative growth, the strong rise of Hongqi to replace its "millennium old four" (traditional luxury brand) position; Lincoln also showed strong growth potential, and the arrival of the first domestic car Lincoln Z, but also for Lincoln's next performance to bring unlimited possibilities; in addition, the new SAIC Audi is also on the road to continue to exert strength, the future can be expected.
The most consistent of these was Cadillac.
In the past year, Cadillac set a new record for sales in China with a score of 230,000+, although it only grew slightly by 1.4%, but in the context of the year-on-year decline in Audi and Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac's performance is still quite eye-catching. The "ranking" also surpasses Lexus and ranks at the forefront of the "luxury second echelon".
It is worth mentioning that the above-mentioned CT5, sales are eye-catching, with cumulative sales of 62,098 vehicles in the whole year, an increase of 37.9% year-on-year, accounting for more than 65% of the entire sedan family. It can be seen that although the Cadillac CT5 is slightly inferior in terms of spatial performance and the texture is not as outstanding as imagined, it is still one of the most popular models in the mid-size luxury car market.
In addition, in the field of SUVs, the Cadillac XT6, a 400,000-class large luxury SUV, also performed strongly, with cumulative sales of 37,998 units in the whole year, an increase of 43.1% year-on-year, ranking the forefront of the market segment.
At the same time, Cadillac is also gradually making efforts to electrify and upgrade the transformation, and its first mass-produced pure electric model, Cadillac LYRIQ, has opened a domestic pre-sale at a price of 439,700 yuan. The new car has a maximum power of 255 kW and a maximum torque of 440 N·m, and is equipped with a battery with a capacity of about 100 kWh, and has a cruising range of 650 km under CLTC conditions.
The product is in its own right, and Cadillac still has challenges
Perhaps, "space" is not the part that Cadillac owners care about most. After a brief experience in the 4S store, the author briefly summarized several points of the Cadillac model to capture users, and still took ct5 as an example here, only to explore:
The first is what we often call "high horsepower rear drive".
Among the luxury brand mid-size cars, the Cadillac CT5 is one of the few models in the same class that adheres to the "front-facing rear-drive" layout, focusing on sports positioning, which is a huge temptation for young people. In addition to the "rear drive", there is also the "big horsepower" that Cadillac has always been proud of. At least from the perspective of power data, CT5 has obvious advantages over competitors of the same level.
The second is the price.
Compared with the BBA and Lexus, the Cadillac CT5 has a significant "cost performance" advantage, even compared with volvo and Jaguar Land Rover at the same price, Cadillac can rely on "back-drive" or stronger sports attributes, better.
Then there's the brand.
After all, in the "luxury second echelon", Cadillac has always been in the forefront and has a high brand influence in the domestic market.
Finally, back to the product itself.
Cadillac's highly recognizable brand design, solid chassis texture, rich technology configuration and even the heavy closing sound and other details of the processing, the inherent stability and atmosphere of the American car can also give those who prefer "American muscle learning beauty" a sense of security and satisfaction.
In short, the reason why Cadillac is Cadillac is due to its own product characteristics.
However, more details remain to be discovered, which is what we will explore next. Here, stay tuned for our next shop visit easter egg.
It is undeniable that Cadillac can make steady progress in the brutal competition of the crowd, and the powerful product force is indispensable. But if you want to build a business in a more complex environment, you still face no small challenges.
In addition to some of the brand's own "deficiencies" (such as space) need to be improved, the strong rise of Tesla, Hongqi, Lincoln and other brands has also posed an increasingly serious challenge to Cadillac.
Taking Lincoln Z as an example, after actually experiencing this car, you can clearly feel the painstaking efforts and sincerity of Changan Lincoln in the "first domestic car". Its design, texture, luxury, space and technology are impressive. It is no exaggeration to say that if the car is also a "rear-drive" layout (the whole series of front-facing front-drive), it will be a strong presence of the sniper Cadillac CT5. As a us-based luxury brand, Lincoln's rise in recent years, especially in catering to the needs and preferences of domestic consumers, is worth learning.
epilogue:
In the context of the continuous epidemic and the intensification of "lack of core", Cadillac has its own "way to success". But in the "luxury second echelon" with strong hands, each side is eyeing the limited cake, and letting down their vigilance is to give the opponent a chance. Therefore, we also hope that Cadillac can face up to and make up for its own shortcomings, continue to use better products, continue to create surprises for users, and give themselves more room for development.