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Because individuals will have to survive as individuals, not as 1 Borg in the Collective. You have a much larger stake in how jobs progress and you can have more pride in your work because you made it happen. When a union feeds you work- there will always be work. When a union argues against job shortcomings, your personal accountability is diminished. I’m not saying ‘no unions’- some industries still benefit from it. But this elevation of unions like they’re this saintly defender of the downtrodden & oppressed is certainly fairy-tale-esque. NJ teacher union president makes more money than the president of the United States! $565,000 last I read. I would love to read an opinion on how that’s not outright corruption. The idea that all entities are evil torturers is not grounded in reality. Sure, before federal laws and practices, 100 years ago; there were real, and perhaps common problems. But its not 1901 anymore, and unions have become small governments; primarily concerned with revenue streams, not people.

"The end result is the quickest SUV we've ever tested. In 0-60 mph tests, the Urus smokes both the Tesla Model X and Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S fastback, accelerating to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds and running the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds at 120.1 mph. And, thanks to pizza-pie-sized carbon ceramic brakes and lightweight aluminum bodywork (despite its size, the Urus weighs just 4,931 pounds—believe it or not, that's pretty light for its class), the Lamborghini can stop from 60 to 0 mph in just 107 feet. That chassis, despite being the progeny of Audi, helps the Urus handle as a Lamborghini should, too. Aided by a hyper-responsive air suspension system and four-wheel steering, the Urus pulls 1.01 g average on the skidpad and laps the figure eight in 23.5 seconds at 0.87 g. To put the latter number into context, that's quicker than an Aston Martin Vantage (24.0 seconds at 0.83 g), a Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo (23.8 seconds at 0.85 g), and a BMW M5 (23.7 seconds at 0.84 g), and it ties the last Audi R8 V10+ we tested (23.5 seconds at 0.90 g). "

As pointed out recently; the base Escalade has 40 more HP than the base GLS.

On a job I was on a bunch of years ago, PSE&G showed up to install a new telephone pole at the road. They set up, bored the hole, unloaded the pole. Then they started standing around. I asked, 'Time to set the pole?' 'Oh no,' the guy answered. 'That's another team; union rules. They should be here late afternoon.' Mind you; they had the boom/grapple that lifted the pole off the trailer, well able to turn the pole 90 degrees and stick it in the bore. Why the F would you need independent, separate union bargaining to drill a hole than you would to backfill a hole? Corruption.

It only took 12 hours to fix that train pileup. Also, I've said it here and I'll say it again for clarity. The idea of unions is absolutely wonderful! They were put in place to protect the worker and for fair pay. They were completely necessary when they were originally established and probably decades after, as well. Today, however, they are garbage, corrupt, and don't make working hard beneficial.

I, once again, never thought downsizing of engine size was a problem during the 1980s. Gas prices were still high. But I see that complaint often enough. I thought more of a problem was going all in with FWD. Not that was a problem, but maybe GM could have eased up on that for Cadilllac. I thought that some of those models resembling too much like the other lesser GM brands with the badge engineered Cimarron being front and center was another big issue. Example: the 1986 Eldo resembling too much like an Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais and the 1988 Seville looking like a Delta 88 . I would have thought that was more the issue rather than the engines that powered them. It was the 1980s and most engines of that time were small in displacement with low HP numbers after all. But I could see as to how that was a problem with your examples. There was nothing wrong with the 1990s STS. It was a solid car. Solid quality. Solid luxury. I did put the blame on the gasket problems of the Northstar and that was just another huge step backwards for Cadillac as the 1990s progressed. The Catera had its own issues that did not help Cadillac either.

IM long-time studying O, Cadillac was sitting pretty thru the whole 1970s. Yes, there was a deviation from real wood to plood, but this was par for the luxury course then (MB SL's used 'wood' contact paper -shudder!!-). Cadillac's products were spot-on, advertising was frequent & consistent; hitting on all cylinders. But there came a few misfires; the (very rare) '78-up diesel 350, then the V8-6-4 of '81. Those, juxtaposed against a lifetime of rock-solid engines prior-to, were a real put-off. Then the '82 Cimarron, coupled with the next post-'81 engine; the too-small '82 HT4100. These closely-spaced scenarios put serious dents in Cadillac. The next salvo was the too-small downsizing of the '85 big cars, and the '86 Seville. You knew these specifics were too small once you saw them reverse by the late '80s; 4.1L went to 4.6L then 4.9L, and the big cars grew in length, as did the next gen Seville.

Coming up later..... Here's some pics. Was shopping for mom. I don't think MOM 'needs' the TWIN TURBO. HIGHS: Lots of extra ROAR and THRUST for the twin turbo vs. the AARP issue V6. Attractive car, take a look at the pictures. Comfortable seating and lots of girth, room, and space. This is how GM used to build a lot of their cars (they don't anymore unless you get a truck). Honestly the car could cruise all day (that must be why they offer Super Cruise). At the same time, it has steering and handling that isn't dead or slow. It has the right amount of reflexes for a non sport model. As with every CT6 I have driven, it drives lighter and smaller than you actually think it would. Big trunk, too. Again, like the way GM used to build em. Really liked the leather and trimming of the seats themselves. Still the glossy GM leather, but its perforated style looks cool here. Awesome dual moonroof, lots of light in the cabin. LOWS: Platinum Panaray sound system is hot garbage. I didn't spend forever tweaking all the settings and testing multiple sources, but seriously....hot garbage. Such a disservice to my Revolution Saints "Rise" album. Also, the bluetooth had stutters when you tried to pause it. I will give 2018-2020 models the shadow of a doubt as i am sure their interfaces were updated. It's a shame that one of the reasons for much higher price for the Platinum vs. lower models being the supposed top drawer sound system; and here, it sucks. Why would you upgrade to a Platinum? No bass, no separation, no highs, no power. I might need to find another one and see if it is as mediocre sound system as this one. I am not sure how much value a certain number of buyers would place on the extra power of the twin turbo vs the regular v6. The twin turbo has a racy snarl, and hauls ass nicely but that snarl will no doubt turn off grandma and grandpa. If they go easy on the throttle, the TT never lets on about its caged roar. The automatic transmission is clumsy at times and in research I have seen that some have had problems with the 8 speed. Just get a newer one with the 10 speed, and problem solved. Again, I question the value proposition here of the higher power motor vs the huge price jump to get it. The non turbo v6 does a pretty good job about being in relaxed mode all the time, so think long and hard about much more you are willing to pay for the extra power. It really is the deal, GM really needs to improve plastics and attention to detail in the Cadillac interiors. Because of the see of taupe, tan, beige in this particular car, it really highlights how blah the plastics are. I can't call them bad, but they clearly are not super luxury either. I like the interior layout a lot but the way GM assembles and details interiors rarely ever has special detailing or awesome textures. I have seen these tan interiors come to life a bit more with some of the pieces switched out to black for more of a light / dark mix, and i think that helps. Maybe the best things i can say is that its a really well done Camry / Avalon interior, or....and I can hear my mom say it......'it's not any different than my car already' (2002 DTS). Which, isn't true by the way....the CT6 interior is nicer than the old DTS and other Cadillac sedans but that is my point here. The two tone tan bath comes off as so much like the tan bathed Cadillacs of the 90's and 00's that it just doesn't make an impression of Cadillac having upped its game with interiors after all these years. Good to see from checking out the new CT5 this weekend that Cadillac has changed up its gauge fonts and touch screen fonts. These on this 2017 still are also the relics of the 90's and 00's. It's a good thing Cadillac has improved the touchscreen controls and interfaces overall on its very latest products. SUMMARY: I really do like the CT6 every time i have tried it. And it is a great car, I would love to have one. This platinum version to me did not ascend to another level of luxury that would be worth stepping way up the price chain for, IMO. Now, buying one used like this after someone else loses their ass on the depreciation? Go for it. Whether you need or want the turbo six is a personal choice dependent on how much you want to spend and if you like the racy sound under hard throttle. The sound system is a serious disappointment. I will need to give it another shot in the future to try to understand why i thought it was so terrible. The 'nice' but not awe inspiring interior you just normally learn to accept as a GM buyer (nice seats not withstanding). I am pretty sure I could drag mom out to test drive this since i have been trying to get her to get a new car for about 3 years now. I am willing to bet she would drive it, think its nice, and then say "I like my car, this isn't any different". Which would be infuriating because it is so much better... But then again, to her for the look and feel, with the usual GM plastics, its probably really not that different. WHich in some ways though, wasn't that the whole point of the CT6? Just give back the large sedan option that Cadillac drivers were supposedly looking for all along? Well it does do that, very well.

@dfelt It is, but I wanted to know if a particular cardholder's kitty's performance affected whether they extended "top offs" to them and what the P&L picture for an account looks like along the way that makes it feasible over the "holding period?"

Good to know, I have never had a loyalty card and have wondered what the interest rates are and how the program is run in comparison to other programs such as an airline mileage program. Seems here it is all about a percentage of money spent. Interesting web site, will have to log in and read more. https://www.mygmrewards.com/

Cadillac did not have to make an Escalade V with gi-normous horsepower upgrades. Even with the horsepower wars STILL going on. As an enthusiast, I think they should myself. As a business owner, Ill say: Hold on a minute! Easy profit YOU say... Ill say maybe? Maybe not. The small R&D money needed to engineer room to package the supercharged V8 in the Escalade engine bay. The small R&D money needed to create new body panels to differentiate it from the other lesser models. The small R&D money needed to safety crash it and approve it. All that creativity and energy and money spent may not have been enough and worthwhile to recuperate even with a higher price tag for a market that simple may NOT be there... The Escalade always sold well. Especially towards its competition. There was NO NEED to invent a new niche for it. Simply put, monies and energies were needed elsewhere...especially when the market deems 400 some odd horsepower ENOUGH for the Escalade... Like the independant suspension thing. It took long enough, right???!!! Well, there was no need to fix that aspect. But finally, for the next gen Escalade in 2021, Cadillac saw that the time is now for independent suspension. Maybe a hi-po V version is what Cadillac people are seeing for 2022? Maybe not... Like I said before, the Escalade engineers and marketers KNOW what the Escalade is and what its not. And if they deem that the time is right for a V version, then the market will see a V version... You could shyte on GM all you want for whatever reason you want...and you will probably have a good argument on your side, for your side. BUT...there are 2 models at GM that GM gets right each and every time. And nobody should question what they are doing with them. Those 2 models are the Corvette and the Escalade. Both the Corvette and Escalade engineering and marketing teams are really really dialed into their products.

Hello McFly, The Chassis can handle more than 300 lb-ft of Torque. GM just has not built the motor tranny combo to go above that as you pointed out, they have not exceeded above their potential yet! Valid point and thank you my friend you are right, I was thinking myself with my comment and should have clarified it. Many of us I think tend to think of ourselves and leave comments that are very wide open to interpretation. We all should clarify ourselves versus the market. They have Excitement that others will find, but for myself not yet!

OK- I should have assumed, but you didn't state you were talking about you as a consumer. I can easily say ferrari or lamborghini doesn't build anything exciting (because I have no intention of paying $100K+ for a vehicle).

Yes, Yes they are, just look at how well the NON-Union Auto plants are doing in this country. Yes companies have learned, does not mean we take our eye off of them, but we do not have kids working, no benefits and all the other crap that happened. Unions had their place but in a higher educated society, unions are not needed and that in itself proves why industries like the High Tech industry has not been unionized. Many others do not need it either. Unions feed off the lesser educated work force taking their hard earned money. We are already protected and covered by modern laws that give us the same rights the Unions want to take your money for saying they will secure.

That's just annoying. We've moved a handful of times at my current job and we have a moving team(the building is slowly being remodeled floor by floor) but I've never been told not to take things myself. I haven't heard of Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, or BMW plants having issues. OHSA is still a thing.

GM did make some colossal mistakes in the last 40 years. Not taking Japan or the Germans seriously enough was the biggest one. Saturn was created so that GM could actually learn a few things (and compete against Japan Inc.) without the ossified thinking that existed back in 1985. Now whether GM learned the proper lessons is a different question. Now if GM were really smart, Holden engineering would have been on US shores about 25 years ago and we would all still benefit to this day. As for Europe, GM needed to completely rethink Opel/Vauxhall and make them profitable for the last 15 years rather than waste money on Saab and (especially) FIAT.

That reminds me of a time a buddy of mine just started a new job and he needed to get his job done but before he needed something else finished by "somebody else", who wasn't there. He said "screw it" because he was perfectly capable of doing whatever it was so he could get to his own job. He got written up for it. Fck. modern Unions.

Isn't that already done being produced and the other one hasn't officially been announced, just assumed?

>>"GM... should have NEVER built Saturn, all those ideas of Auto's should have been done under the Chevrolet label."<< AGREED >>"Oldsmobile and Buick should have been merged back in the 70's to be one label."<< No way- this is the era when the Cutlass alone was outselling the Chevelle. Brand recognition & loyalty were at screaming highs - a merger there would've been catastrophic. >>"GMC and Pontiac should also have been merged as a mid level competition to Chevrolet."<< They were administratively paired... just not in brand name. Again; this was a period which was seeing GMC steadily rising in sales (thru today), and Pontiac returning to #3 in sales in the U.S.. Plus, we'd no longer have GMC if they had merged. >>"Hummer was correct in the packaging, but a mistake in that it should be like it is now, a package label under GMC."<< AGREED >>"Holden was an awesome engineering company that built some amazing auto's. GM FAILED to bring their version of the El Camino to the US along with other lines to help reduce costs. GM management failed to properly reinvest in markets around the world and failed to make Europe profitable when they could instead using it to off load costs and failures done in the US on Europe. Truly some piss poor mgmt. over the last 40 years at GM."<< I have never developed enough interest to look into Holden, but even tangentially I've never heard the company's products being called 'amazing/awesome' before. As much as some might wish to twist every facet of GM over the last 40 years to fit an assessment of 'idiotic', it's not supportable by the history.

Well here you go. Here’s a market opportunity to expand Alfa Romeo ??

^ but NOTHING is special anymore. ☹️

Oh but the Audis

Those big-ole body on frame SUVs dwarf the GLS and X7.

Yes we are. And now you have intrigued me. Although I do know Cadillac's downward spiral started in the 1970s, I didnt realize interior quality was an issue then. I thought it was a product issue as not the right product for the changing times rather than a quality interior problem. Unless of course the heavy velour, was deemed a problem then. I honestly dont think it was. Tacky? SURE! But I thought that was the definition of luxury then. Mercedes' interiors were cheap then. And if they had leather, it was thin leather. It was an interior that always seemed to be lacking in substance. I dont think it was a problem then. I think that was a problem. Yes. The CTS made inwards as sports sedans was the flavour de jour regarding econobox luxury. At that time though, the 1st gen CTS was also another case of too little too late, but more realistically, not enough. The interior of the 1st gen CTS was horrid. The BMW 3 Series was at that point in time, at its height of greatness on all levels. Had the 1st gen CTS' interior been more of a Cadillac's rather than a mid level Chevy, and Cadillac continued on that trend, then we wouldnt be having this conversation today about missed opportunities and market share and Cadillac image problems. I guess I answered this part opposite of your point of view. I think it was a problem and continues to be in the grand scheme of things. But I guess the bigger problem at Cadillac during the last 2 decades would be a lack of the right product to sell to the right people for the sign of the times. They got the idea of the sports sedan right with the Catera, except it was the wrong execution with the wrong car. The 1st and 2nd gen CTS was the right product but aimed at the wrong niche. It was marketed properly though. But the interiors were not worthy of a Cadillac. The German luxury triplet brands just capitalized on the shame and hatred that Americans had for the American automobile with marketing... The Ultimate Driving Machine Engineered Like No Other Both tag lines aimed squarely at the emotions of Americans towards their own automobile industry. There was no longer a party in the back of a Cadillac.

Starve a marque of new product and this is what you get. I must admit I miss Olds more than Holden. Then again, this has to be really sad for those down under.

Gotta love interesting engineering videos of tech that we will probably never see. Hankook adjustable on the fly tires.

This is where Cadillac needs to increase the Marketing as I saw tons of MB, BMW and Audi ads over xmas talking about the whole family. Yet I have yet to see any big marketing of Cadillac. Also, how about some realistic drive events for the masses, not just special by invitation only drive events. Cadillac is missing key marketing, ads, experience by having conquest drive events to see why they have superior auto's. So much can be done, so little is being done.

"Super luxury plastics" ? ? ?

The 'plan' is the same it's always been; to build well-performing, excellent driving luxury appointed vehicles. Simple.

I tend to think that a lot of this is because, Escalade aside, Cadillac does not lean into its American-ness enough. We all know what MB, BMW and Audi are and stand for. What is Cadillac's USP? Names matter too.

Union BS is what has happened to people wanting to be paid to wait around and do nothing till the person responsible for picking up one item does their job first before the second one does there. The inefficient unions have gone from the early days of helping people to making them lazy as costs go crazy up assigning a job to one person and everyone waiting for them first. It is pathetic how lazy basic manual labor has become in the last 40 years due to corrupt labor unions. I can believe that, dogs love even when you yell at them. Cats, too independent and focused on licking themselves.

Citroen suspensions seem to be their hallmark. I rented a C3 last summer and couldn't believe how responsive, smooth, and compliant the ride and handling were. It felt like a much larger car. No wonder they're popular over there.

Buyers see horsepower numbers- they don't race these. Power sells, mercedes is behind the times. For $76K, it should have a lot more base HP. Escalade V is coming, it will take the "segment leader" SUV and elevate it even more. I think mercedes should make a GLS designed in this millenium, with the powertrain from the cancelled AMG One, and advertise it as the most powerful Daimler vehicle ever. Even if it isn't any good.

And all those SUVs sell by the handful... BUT... Those SUVs are not sold because of their performance...they are sold BECAUSE of the badge and SUVs are the flavour of the month decade plus. And BECAUSE these are Porsche, Lamborghini and future Ferrari SUVs...then what are these brands gonna sell their SUVs as? Off roading? Porsche decided to do both. The Cayenne is a great off roader. Its an OK performance vehicle.... Its great for a big heavy thing, but as a performance machine...just good. Lamborghini had an off roading SUV in the late 1980s early 1990s. Didnt do too well in the market place. So...Lamborghini does the Urus in the image of Lamborghini...but that too...is just an OK performance vehicle. Its great as a clumsy heavy machine...but as a true blue performance thing? Meh by today's standards... Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Rolls Royce... They all want a piece of the pie because THAT is where the money is. And quite honestly...if these 4 last brands did SUVs 10 years ago, they'd all fail in the market place. Their conservative clientele would NOT accept SUVs from them respectively. Let's put it this way. A snobby, stuck up, Ferrari douce is not really begging Ferrari to sell him a high performance SUV...that guy is happy to keep on buying F8 Tributos, Super Fasts and 250 Lusso SWB classics. Ferrari is gonna try to get that high priced Hollywood hooker that caters to Charlie Sheen and Harvey Weinstein when he isnt raping...and trust me...that clientele doesnt give two shytes about how fast it will be. But Ferrari WILL make it fast and make it handle...it will have the prancing horse on the front...but it will NOT be as fast or as agile as its cars though...why? PHYSICS... PS: 603 HP on an AMG GLS? That is NOT the primary selling point on an AMG GLS... Like you said... Aston Martin, LAMBORGHINI AND FERRARI will reside in that niche. Then there is TESLA. Navigator, Escalade is on the other side of that SUV coin. That is the thing... (EQS you say?) Cadillac KNOWS what the Escalade is and knows what the Escalade is NOT!!! The way YOU describe it...and thankfully for Mercedes you are not in charge at M-B, the GLS would be one confused SUV? What is it? A Ferrari fighter? An Escalade competitor? A G Wagon playmate? Its gonna carve out a niche for itself to be faster than an Escalade but slower than a Urus and somewhere in between a full blown off roader like a Wrangler but not too much as to not step on the G wagon toes? The you make the GLS sound...its one convoluted mess... And that way...it will NEVER out sell the Escalade as the Escalade KNOWS what it is...and does what it does SUPERBLY!!!

Thank heavens it was never renamed. Cadillac needs more names, not fewer.

I am surprised that the Escalade wasn't renamed XT7 to better align with the current naming scheme and also position it better against the segment leader BMW X7. Because in GM thinking, an XT7 is greater than X7.

^ Go up & ring the bell, and ask! - - - - - MERC!