When you think “Cadillac” dealer, you think of a man in a Western shirt and intricately-stitched leather boots wearing a cowboy hat the size of a Fiat telling you just how “top of the line” of a car you’re getting while he caresses the pleather driver’s seat in ways that would offend even the most jaunty of 50 Shades of Grey devotees.
“and would you like to add the $560 Lube Package to make the amount I’m about to screw you a little less painful?”
Worse yet, you’re looking at a vehicle teetering on the edge of $70k in plain sight of a 1992 Chevy Silverado being sold for the price of a Sonicare toothbrush.
nothing says ‘luxury’ like wading through a sea of future rental cars to reach the one Cadillac in the back
The Cadillac dealer experience is not a pretty one. You could put a Rolls Wraith in a Cadillac showroom with a $50k window sticker and nobody would buy it because nobody who could afford it would go there.
There is no excuse for this. Cadillac has everything going for it. It’s the Ralph Lauren of the car world, synonymous with American luxury. But imagine if you walked into Ralph Lauren and there were clothes strewn on the dingy-carpeted floor while sales associates popped out of corners spitting bear claw crumbs on you as they told you how nice the clothes were. You’d run, and you’d run *fast* down to Louis Vuitton.
Cadillac knows this, and knows that you, Baby Boomer or younger, would rather self-castrate with a Limoges box than buy a new CTS.
or ATS Coupe, the best looking new Cadillac in years. place this in a Mercedes showroom and see how fast it would sell
There are 900 Cadillac dealers across the US. 200 of those 900 are standalone dealers and therefore, avoid the problems of the typical dealership (e.g., sharing a waiting room and coffeepot with Chevy next door).
That still leaves 700 dealerships which have a chain around the waiting room television to prevent theft.
Chief Executive Johan de Nysschen (really could he sound any more European?) wants to create a “boutique” experience in those remaining dealers to clearly delineate the difference between buying an Escalade and buying a Suburban.
Here’s what this means:
Cadillac refers to a new model of “boutique” showrooms that will encompass new technologies, higher-trained staff and luxury amenities to give those attached Cadillac showrooms a more unique feel. The plan includes installing “virtual showroom” systems that will allow potential customers to configure a new car using interactive displays and “potentially even holograms.”
Fancy! A little gimmicky, but fancy.
All of that is fine, but the focus needs to be on the “higher-trained staff”. You need men (and definitely women) who know all the competitor specs, come from a retail (not car sales) background, and who drive the cars themselves to attest to the experience.
When you go into a Lexus dealer or a Tesla retail store, you escape the traditional dealer experience. You feel like you’re purchasing a fine watch, not an Aveo. If Cadillac can match that experience, the dividends will be well-worth the investment.
reminder: this car costs as much as BMW 7-Series