Can America build luxury cars?

After ceding the segment to foreign brands, Detroit tries to compete again

For years, America built some of the world's most coveted luxury cars. Between the wars, marques like Packard and Duesenberg were driven by millionaires and movie stars. But beginning in the 1970s, increasing competition forced Detroit to concentrate on more high-volume cars, all but ceding the luxury segment to rivals in Japan and Germany. By the 1990s, Cadillac and Lincoln had become a punch line, the car of choice for retirees and funeral homes. It looked as though America would never again produce a world-class luxury car.

That may now have changed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17421521/

Its not can...its how well we ARE competing.
Caddy has stepped it up a long time ago and is considered a luxury brand that is moving very fast p that ladder..

this article is about three years late.:confused: :rolleyes:

They can build great luxury cars. The Question should be why Don't they want to build luxury cars.

Cadillac seams to be the only one that is trying, and even then they are staying away from the $70K+ market.

I think Lincoln moved too far for too long to get back to the top. Caddy is doing just fine though.

The next round of Cadillacs ....starting with the 08 CTS is looking like should dispell and doubts .

Lincoln ....I would class more as a mid-lux Buick type division now .

Lincoln ....I would class more as a mid-lux Buick type division now .

Hmmm, I was thinking more like "mid-lux OLDSMOBILE type division now. :)

Yeah, certainly it goes Jag / Volvo / Lincoln / Mercury / Ford.

Lincoln main competitors are now probably Acura, Saab, etc.

I think a fairly important point is being missed here.

No matter how good a current (or upcoming) Cadillac might be, it’s going to be very difficult to build a car that is the equal of a BMW 7 series or an A8 or even a top of the line Japanese luxury car.. I’m not at all saying it’s impossible for an American manufacturer to do it, just that they have some very stiff, and very entrenched, competition.

The biggest hurdle they face, may well be that people who buy a BMW for example, don’t just buy it because of its power or technological perfection or its interior; they buy it because it’s a BMW and because it says something about the owner.

Part of the appeal of buying a car like a BMW or Audi or Porsche is that it isn’t American; part of it is a bit more exclusivity. Owning a BMW or Porsche, etc, gives the impression, in the buyer’s mind at least, that is he/she is a bit more enlightened and refined than the more mundane, Cadillac buyer.

I guess what I’m saying is that at the level Cadillac want’s to play in, being nearly perfect in style, engineering, interior materials, fit and finish, etc. is almost the “minimum requirement” and it takes more than that to become truly desirable…to be a “got to have car”.

Buying a car in this level has a whole lot more to do with emotion than mechanical or technical superiority.

Part of the appeal of buying a car like a BMW or Audi or Porsche is that it isn’t American; part of it is a bit more exclusivity. Owning a BMW or Porsche, etc, gives the impression, in the buyer’s mind at least, that is he/she is a bit more enlightened and refined than the more mundane, Cadillac buyer.

Yep. In other words, they're snobs.

I wouldn't really disagree with your reasoning though. Cadillac just needs to keep doing what it is doing; it has come a long way just in 5 or 6 years. BMW and Mercedes are the established snooty brands. Lexus is the established boring but rock solid brand. Cadillac just needs to forge its own identity; the styling to do so has certainly been there.

Yep. In other words, they're snobs.

Well, I wouldn't say that Cadillac owners aren't.

But a Euro-Inferiority complex is a very old and deep element in the American psyche. Not just limited to automobiles -- fashion and other luxury products as well.

Well, I will say that Caddy is kinda disappointing me so far in the regard that they don't build a non-sport car nicer than the STS/DTS. Sure you could say STS-V but that's really nothing more than an E63 or whatever... they don't have anything to compete with the S-class, and the XLR is just a joke, especially on the inside, for a 100k dollar car, when you put it next to the Mercedes and BMW competition.

Aren't Cadillacs a sign of being rich/successful in Japan? I wonder if that's because of the same reason why a 5-series says "I made it" more than an STS, here in the US? They probably also cost considerably more in Japan than they do here - oh and I guess they're "big" and in Japan, especially in the cities,, driving a giant car costs a lot due to additional parking requirements.

But a Euro-Inferiority complex is a very old and deep element in the American psyche. Not just limited to automobiles -- fashion and other luxury products as well.

I disagree in part. Speaking in generalities which is never a good thing I think a small portion of the American population may suffer from a "Euro-Inferiority" but these people tend to be wannabees that are better off living in Europe. I think the rest of us are indifferent or think the Europeans can F themselves with regards to the automotive scene.

I disagree in part. Speaking in generalities which is never a good thing I think a small portion of the American population may suffer from a "Euro-Inferiority" but these people tend to be wannabees that are better off living in Europe. I think the rest of us are indifferent or think the Europeans can F themselves with regards to the automotive scene.
I guess we can disagree about the "why" but the sales figures for such nameplates as Audi, Porsche, BMW, MB, Infiniti, Acura, Lexus and the rest certainly bear out that American's are buying a lot of them.

the sales figures for such nameplates as Audi, Porsche, BMW, MB, Infiniti, Acura, Lexus and the rest certainly bear out that American's are buying a lot of them.

Then again, think of how many luxury (or semi-lux) brands you just named in that sentence. There's a lot more luxury choices out there for people than just the traditional American two (Cadillac/Lincoln) and the European two (MB/BMW). It isn't like it was even 10-15 years ago.

I disagree in part. Speaking in generalities which is never a good thing I think a small portion of the American population may suffer from a "Euro-Inferiority" but these people tend to be wannabees that are better off living in Europe. I think the rest of us are indifferent or think the Europeans can F themselves with regards to the automotive scene.

LMAO - and they begin with names like Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Automobile, Consumer Reports, etc, ect, ect. Whom unfotunately dictate to the sheoples which infest the US of A

I guess we can disagree about the "why" but the sales figures for such nameplates as Audi, Porsche, BMW, MB, Infiniti, Acura, Lexus and the rest certainly bear out that American's are buying a lot of them.

I completely agree that the above nameplates sell well in the US but that doesn't suggest "Euro-Inferiority" on the part of the US populace IMO. It will take much more than anecdotal information to prove that out not that I have offered as much. I'm a GM loyalist (Actually US loyalist) more than most just look at my sig, but my first love when it comes to cars is Ferrari. Trust me I do not suffer from a Euro-Inferiority complex. They are whom they are and I/ we as American's are whom we are. I could own a Ferrari today but it would mean getting rid of most of my GM vehicles. I'd rather not. I'll keep working at it until I can afford both.

LMAO - and they begin with names like Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Automobile, Consumer Reports, etc, ect, ect. Whom unfotunately dictate to the sheoples which infest the US of A

Agreed. I think as a consumer the "average" American is ignorant. It's a shame. At least I can go to bed at night knowing that I have reinvested much of my hard earned cash in the US and I've convinced my share of sheoples:) to move out of their imports and into a domestic.

I disagree in part. Speaking in generalities which is never a good thing I think a small portion of the American population may suffer from a "Euro-Inferiority" but these people tend to be wannabees that are better off living in Europe. I think the rest of us are indifferent or think the Europeans can F themselves with regards to the automotive scene.

If that's the small portion that can afford luxury goods, it's a useful generalization.

The idea of "Euro-Inferiority" goes back to colonial days, when America was settled by outcasts from Europe. Of course in other respects Americans (generalizing) believe in "American Exceptionalism", which is why we also love big huge cars and SUVs.

America has so much going for it when it comes to luxury cars. It's called heritage. Heritage is a huge advantage to draw from when it comes to design, style and marketing. It's just a shame that Detroit has squandered it's lead to imports like Lexus (a brand with no heritage but sell on the basis of luxury, quality and refinement) and the Germans which are the most revered luxury brands.

GM has done a terrific job of reinventing Cadillac when they were on the brink only a few years ago. Cadillac are still moving up. GM have no choice but to go head to head with the German rivals if Cadillac are to be taken seriously in the luxury car class.

Lincoln is in limbo atm, which is a shame given the Lincoln name has a lot of equity in American luxury. Ford don't really know what to do with Lincoln while they also have to worry about Jaguar/Volvo. I'm sure if Ford focused on Lincoln more they could do a 'Cadillac' on it.

America has so much going for it when it comes to luxury cars. It's called heritage. Heritage is a huge advantage to draw from when it comes to design, style and marketing. It's just a shame that Detroit has squandered it's lead to imports like Lexus (a brand with no heritage but sell on the basis of luxury, quality and refinement) and the Germans which are the most revered luxury brands.


The heritage America has/ had is worthless when it's own constituents are already sold on the import = better ideology. You have to be willing to be educated in order to understand the heritage that comes with 100 years of building automobiles. As common a commodity as cars are in the US and as more and more Americans choose to be ignorant heritage will mean less and less. In fact in many peoples eyes I'm sure they see Lexus as having more heritage. A grand experiment on the part of Toyota that has achieved more success than ever foreseen. Didn't you know that Lexus makes THE best cars in the world. I heard they are so far advanced compared to any other car that they actually think for themselves. Toyota has played the PR masterfully.

I think Lincoln moved too far for too long to get back to the top. Caddy is doing just fine though.

IMO, Lincoln's products in the mid nineties were a lot better than Cadillacs, they started to flounder when Cadillac started to rise.. Like the rest of Ford, they need direction more than anything.

I guess what I’m saying is that at the level Cadillac want’s to play in, being nearly perfect in style, engineering, interior materials, fit and finish, etc. is almost the “minimum requirement” and it takes more than that to become truly desirable…to be a “got to have car”.

Buying a car in this level has a whole lot more to do with emotion than mechanical or technical superiority.

Thats true, but thats simply the way the market place works. I don't think it has all that much to do with the fact that we are talking about luxury cars either.

There are plenty who will walk before they drive a Mustang, or Camaro, or whatever regardless of which is the better car at the moment. It even applies to grocery getters because there are plenty who see the "H" on a Civic and figure out thats the car for them because its "Oh so reliable and practical" and who will never consider anything else.

So I guess my point is "Who cares what nameplate people are stuck on" its simply the cost of doing business. Whatever segment you are in there is a champ which you will have to knock out to win, and if you happen to be the benchmark then you have to deal with everyone trying to knock you out.

Cadillac is for the most part doing exactly what they should do, which is everything they can do. They're making each product better than the last and as much better then the competition as they can without going broke. They're also riding the fine line of appealing to upmarkets without alienating those that are still paying their bills.

There is really nothing more to do other than make a profit and reinvest it in the product, its what Lexus had to do for years, and how Infiniti and Acura have managed to carve out a niche for themselves.

I believe the U.S. can make great luxury cars, Just look at the old school T-birds those were awesome, if they wouldn't have made them in such pita's to work on and to cramped of interiors they would still be here today. I myself enjoyed driving the last model t-bird more then the mn12 versions. but thats just me i love the classics more then the modern day cars.