GM to move Cadillac brand to New York City

**Hypestyles** · September-23-14, 08:48 AM

UPDATE: Dec. 4, 2014: Lowe Campbell Ewald loses $280M Cadillac account to Publicis

"The loss of the $280 million Cadillac account raises the obvious “what’s next?” question for Detroit-based advertising agency Lowe Campbell Ewald, which moved its 500 employees to office space inside Ford Field in January to work on the General Motors Co. luxury brand.

Specific answers are not yet available."

Jump to update discussion >>

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From the way this is looking, the design, marketing and sales will move to NYC, but the manufacturing will stay wherever it is now. I guess.

On a side note, it occurs to me that with this move, a lot of the employees will likely have to catch some type of public transportation [[bus or subway) to work, instead of, well, driving. Heh. We'll see...

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/bus...york/16084371/

**Bham1982** · September-23-14, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

On a side note, it occurs to me that with this move, a lot of the employees will likely have to catch some type of public transportation [[bus or subway) to work, instead of, well, driving. Heh. We'll see...

They're moving to SoHo, so I would bet almost no Cadillac employees will be driving. For one, there's almost no parking, anywhere, in that neighborhood.

**Detroitnerd** · September-23-14, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

They're moving to SoHo, so I would bet almost no Cadillac employees will be driving. For one, there's almost no parking, anywhere, in that neighborhood.

Oh, my GOD! How do they get around? Especially in the WINTER? I'm glad I live in Michigan! We need our SUVs!

**bailey** · September-23-14, 09:13 AM

sooo, when GM bought the Ren Cen the justification for dumping scarce resources into that white elephant was that getting as much as possible under one roof was going to create synergies and shift paradigms and help GM compete on the world stage by eliminating wasteful redundancy.....

now we're spinning off brands to separate HQs, yet keeping all design and manufacturing here?

Makes total sense.

Over/under on how many years it takes before Cadillac [[like Lincoln before it) announces it's closing of the remote brand HQ in SOHO and how many hundreds of millions is wasted on this stupid move?

**animatedmartian** · September-23-14, 09:13 AM

They just announced a few days ago that a new Cadillac would be built at the Detroit/Hamtramck Plant. Not sure where the other cars are built. But either way, I don't expect them to stay in NYC too long.

**iheartthed** · September-23-14, 09:22 AM

Waste of money.

**Bham1982** · September-23-14, 09:54 AM

I thought this would be a big hit with the DYes crowd. This is a good example of moving from an auto-centric environment to a transit-oriented one. GM finally gets it!

**mikeg19** · September-23-14, 10:44 AM

Because Cadillac employees need to immerse themselves in the NYC culture to understand luxury? Gimmie a break. Sounds like this new Cadillac guy wants to be in NYC and not in DET to me. Have fun driving in Soho and finding a parking spot.....oh wait....

**Scottathew** · September-23-14, 11:09 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

I thought this would be a big hit with the DYes crowd. This is a good example of moving from an auto-centric environment to a transit-oriented one. GM finally gets it!

This made me giggle. :-)

**Detroitnerd** · September-23-14, 12:07 PM

What? I thought companies moved near "decision makers" to thrive. XD

**Wesley Mouch** · September-23-14, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

sooo, when GM bought the Ren Cen the justification for dumping scarce resources into that white elephant was that getting as much as possible under one roof was going to create synergies and shift paradigms and help GM compete on the world stage by eliminating wasteful redundancy.....

now we're spinning off brands to separate HQs, yet keeping all design and manufacturing here?

Makes total sense.

Over/under on how many years it takes before Cadillac [[like Lincoln before it) announces it's closing of the remote brand HQ in SOHO and how many hundreds of millions is wasted on this stupid move?

The only constant in business is change. Do you think you know better than GM? Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. We'll never know, unless you do like Musk and start your own car company and do it your way.

If GM changes the thinking of the Cadillac execs, and changes their perception in the marketplace, 'hundreds of millions' will be insignificant. It would be a fair price to pay to keep the Cadillac brand strong.

I too suspect they'll move back. But the move and return might both be necessary and appropriate steps.

**1953** · September-23-14, 01:13 PM

Henry Leland is rolling in his grave.

**bailey** · September-23-14, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

The only constant in business is change. Do you think you know better than GM? Maybe you do. Maybe you don't. We'll never know, unless you do like Musk and start your own car company and do it your way.

If GM changes the thinking of the Cadillac execs, and changes their perception in the marketplace, 'hundreds of millions' will be insignificant. It would be a fair price to pay to keep the Cadillac brand strong.

I too suspect they'll move back. But the move and return might both be necessary and appropriate steps.

Call me cynical, but GM looks incredibly silly doing this.

It's interesting that the guys in Stuttgart and Munich can figure out how to mass produce an aspirational luxury product without the benefit of a NYC HQ.

As the article notes, this is the same silly gimmicky thing Lincoln tried.

Besides, I thought from all that press releases from ~~Fossil~~ Shinola... "Detroit" was a brand synonymous with quality and aspriational american luxury in and of itself now?

**iheartthed** · September-23-14, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

What? I thought companies moved near "decision makers" to thrive. XD

"This made me giggle. :-)"

**Bham1982** · September-23-14, 01:23 PM

Audi is HQ in "cosmopolitan" Ingolstadt, yet you will probably see 20 Audis on the streets of Manhattan or London before you see a Cadillac.

But, who knows, it could work. Infiniti is based in Hong Kong, specifically to separate themselves from the parent company in Japan.

**iheartthed** · September-23-14, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Audi is HQ in "cosmopolitan" Ingolstadt, yet you will probably see 20 Audis on the streets of Manhattan or London before you see a Cadillac.

But, who knows, it could work. Infiniti is based in Hong Kong, specifically to separate themselves from the parent company in Japan.

There are plenty of Escalades on the streets of Manhattan.

**bailey** · September-23-14, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Audi is HQ in "cosmopolitan" Ingolstadt, yet you will probably see 20 Audis on the streets of Manhattan or London before you see a Cadillac.

But, who knows, it could work. Infiniti is based in Hong Kong, specifically to separate themselves from the parent company in Japan.

Sure, but Infiniti was a brand created in the 90s out of whole cloth. If GM were inventing Cadillac TODAY...ok, I could see this gimmick having some cred.

It smells like panic and desperation...or worse, it's something some "consultants" came up with. Which doesn't make sense because the concept versions for Cadillac's "s-class" fighter flagship sedan are blowing people's minds.

**Gistok** · September-23-14, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

I thought this would be a big hit with the DYes crowd. This is a good example of moving from an auto-centric environment to a transit-oriented one. GM finally gets it!

Is this the same way that GM "got it" with Spring Hill Tennessee.....

**iheartthed** · September-23-14, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Sure, but Infiniti was a brand created in the 90s out of whole cloth. If GM were inventing Cadillac TODAY...ok, I could see this gimmick having some cred.

Also, Infiniti is one of the few luxury brands selling more poorly than Cadillac...

**bailey** · September-23-14, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Is this the same way that GM "got it" with Spring Hill Tennessee.....

Actually, GM did "get it" with Spring Hill and a lot of the Saturn Idea. What killed Spring Hill was the UAW and it's all out war against Saturn's labor reforms so as to keep them from spreading to other GM factories. It was a like a cult there... people really bought into it. they sold like 300k in the mid 90s... then Yochich took over at the UAW and made it his mission in life to kill the idea of "technicians", flex shifts, work rule reforms and the profit sharing for lower base pay system. GM caved and it killed Saturn.

**Danny** · September-23-14, 02:21 PM

Good riddance to Cadillac! Those goes the 'Made in Detroit' commerical sloggan! I hope they sell their cars to NYC people that usually take the subway.

I say boycott Cadillac!

**canuck** · September-23-14, 02:34 PM

There was another scary bit of news in an opinion piece in freep today. Silicon Valley is competing for design and production of high-tech parts in the auto industry.

The Cadillac move says what?

We will now look find our inspiration from a hyperurban artsy context rather than a suburban campus setting. We will get more grads from Parsons and less from CCS. It speaks of the restlessness of certain types.of American industry tied to design that a balance needs to be struck between actual.product design and the context.it emanates.from. The designer label age has swiped another iconic brand to add to New York's lapel. Fuggit.

**iheartthed** · September-23-14, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

There was another scary bit of news in an opinion piece in freep today. Silicon Valley is competing for design and production of high-tech parts in the auto industry.

The Cadillac move says what?

We will now look find our inspiration from a hyperurban artsy context rather than a suburban campus setting. We will get more grads from Parsons and less from CCS. It speaks of the restlessness of certain types.of American industry tied to design that a balance needs to be struck between actual.product design and the context.it emanates.from. The designer label age has swiped another iconic brand to add to New York's lapel. Fuggit.

Hmm, I don't really think this says that at all. I think it says that Cadillac is throwing shit at the wall and hoping it sticks. It's not like Cadillac is selling purses or shoes. If they really wanted to move the HQ to a location that has demonstrated it knows how to design a an attractive luxury car then they'd move to Germany.

**nain rouge** · September-23-14, 02:48 PM

By moving to New York, it'll make it easier for Cadillac to use attractive female employees to mock Manhattan bicyclists: http://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdn...1/10/gm_ad.jpg .

**canuck** · September-23-14, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Hmm, I don't really think this says that at all. I think it says that Cadillac is throwing shit at the wall and hoping it sticks. It's not like Cadillac is selling purses or shoes. If they really wanted to move the HQ to a location that has demonstrated it knows how to design a an attractive luxury car then they'd move to Germany.

That's what I think too, pardon the irony. In fact, a great car can be designed in Detroit if it is not muddled by lame decision makers claiming to know what the public wants. If you look back at the mid seventies and eighties and the boxy plastichrome trimmed shit they put out, its no wonder the big four lost out for awhile. The Japanese in spite of a great history of design are fairly timid and bland. The US brands are still too much into bigness and cheeky bulky trim. I would parachute a ton of Italian designers on US facilities myself. Fiat Chrysler is a good start.