William Maley

Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen has a problem with the brand's dealers, specifically how many there are. According to data gathered by Autodata Corp and The Detroit News, Cadillac currently has 928 dealers in the U.S. A large number when compared to competitors in the luxury class such as Audi (281 dealers) and Mercedes-Benz (364). Factor in total sales for year and Cadillac finishes last with each dealer selling an average of 184 vehicles (170,750 vehicles sold for the year). This pales in comparison with the likes of Audi (648 vehicles sold last year per dealer) and Mercedes-Benz (978 vehicles sold last year per dealer). "With our very large dealer network … we so fragment the available volume, that many of our stores are unable to reach critical mass in terms of volume and their profitability to afford the investment in the kind of ... facilities that is the custom and practice for the sector," said de Nysschen. So what does de Nysschen plan to do about this? Well he isn't saying anything about cutting dealers at the moment. Instead, he is proposing smaller 'boutique' stores which will be separate facilities to have between 2 to 5 vehicles along with a virtual showroom with TV screens and 3-D images. The hope is that this will reduce a phenomenon de Nysschen calls "selling Cadillac out the back door of the Chevrolet store." "We want to create a concept that's built around the notion of a small boutique shop. The idea is you don't have to be a large, Taj Mahal mausoleum brand store to be classy and sophisticated and premium. You can do a small two-car showroom with an investment amount that is kind of appropriate to the size of the sales opportunity in their local market, and we harness technology to supplement then what we can offer," said de Nysschen. de Nysschen will be presenting this plan to dealers at the 2015 National Automobile Dealers Association conference in San Francisco this weekend. IHS Automotive analyst Tom Libby tells The Detroit News that de Nysschen's plan makes some sense as it allows Cadillac to build and grow a brand by separation. "It makes sense. It's a challenge to convince the retailer to invest a lot of money. It sounds like a compromise," Libby said of the idea. Source: The Detroit News View full article

Proven....how? How many people bought that? I'll take a guess and say high teens to low hundreds.

Just after a week of the madness that is the Detroit Auto Show, automakers are gearing for the next show on the schedule: Chicago. Honda is the first automaker to announce what they have in store for the show next month and it happens to deal with crossovers. First up is the 2016 Pilot. Honda has released a teaser shot showing off the greenhouse of the redesigned crossover. From this shot, we can see Honda has retired the boxy shape that has been part of the Pilot since the first-generation model and going for shape that is more in common with the CR-V and HR-V. Honda goes onto say the Pilot will showcase 'new standout technologies, versatility, and dynamics currently unavailable in the mainstream SUV segment.' Second is Honda's luxury counterpart, Acura announcing the 2016 RDX. The compact luxury crossover was redesigned in 2013, but apparently is up for a refresh. The updated model is expected to feature "a long list of styling and performance improvements plus desirable new luxury and safety features" along with "important improvements to performance, dynamics, comfort and NVH." We'll have more information and live shots when both vehicles debut at Chicago on February 12th. Source: Honda, Acura Press Releases are on Page 2 All-New 2016 Honda Pilot SUV to Make Global Debut at 2015 Chicago Auto Show Honda to fortify light-truck leadership on Feb. 12 by debuting all-new Pilot three-row SUV, and revealing the styling direction for future Ridgeline pickup Jan 21, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif: A completely reengineered and redesigned Honda Pilot SUV will make its world debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show on February 12 at 9:30 a.m. The all-new, eight-passenger Pilot SUV – completely designed, developed and manufactured in America -- will raise the stakes in the mainstream three-row SUV segment with new technology, advanced safety, class-leading fuel economy and enhanced family utility and versatility. The new Pilot represents a dramatic shift in design, while showcasing new standout technologies, versatility, and dynamics currently unavailable in the mainstream SUV segment. Further, the Pilot remains as family-friendly as ever, proving once again that driving the family truckster can be a joy. The redesigned Pilot SUV, launching at Honda dealerships nationwide this summer, will further augment a Honda light truck lineup that includes the recently redesigned Honda CR-V – 2014 Motor Trend SUV of the Year and the best-selling SUV in America – and the all-new Honda HR-V crossover, launching this spring. In addition to showcasing the completely redesigned Honda Pilot SUV, the company also will reveal details and styling direction for its forthcoming Ridgeline truck at the Chicago Auto Show. "Honda continues to fortify its light-truck lineup in 2015, this time turning our eye to the fast-growing family SUV segment," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. "The new Pilot will raise the bar in a segment it helped to create, with more innovation, style, premium features and family utility than ever before." The original Honda Pilot was introduced in 2002 as the first mainstream eight-passenger SUV to feature car-like unitized body construction, delivering more refined driving dynamics, better fuel economy and superior cabin space in a family-oriented sport-utility vehicle. The second-generation Pilot was launched in 2008. All three generations of the Pilot have been designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas, Inc. in Los Angeles and Ohio. The Pilot and its engine are now produced at the company's Lincoln, Alabama plant. The Honda brand's U.S. light-truck sales were up 10.6% in the fourth quarter of 2014 to 154,480 SUVs, pickups and minivans, including an 8.6% gain for Pilot, to 28,610 units, in the fourth quarter. Hot Winter Wind: 2016 Acura RDX to Bow at 2015 Chicago Auto Show Quick, luxurious, fun and practical new RDX to bring even stronger package to red-hot segment Jan 21, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif: Coming off a record sales year as one of the best-selling SUVs in its segment, Acura's RDX is set to move its already lofty bar even higher when the new 2016 model bows at the Chicago Auto Show on February 12. The new RDX sports a long list of styling and performance improvements plus desirable new luxury and safety features designed to further solidify its leadership in the compact luxury SUV segment. The 2016 RDX artfully blends numerous fresh exterior and interior design elements to further enrich its sport and luxury qualities, all with a cohesiveness that speaks to its new capabilities. Already one of the quickest and most fuel-efficient V6-powered entry-luxury SUVs, the 2016 RDX takes the position a step further, adding important improvements to performance, dynamics, comfort and NVH. Don't miss the debut of the newest Acura RDX at the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. CST in the Acura booth. View full article