It had potential . . .
i_rebel
05-10-2001, 12:30 PM
The Catera was a very noble attempt by Cadillac to appeal to younger, more discerning consumers. However, they failed to realize that their market niche consisted of consumers far too discerning to neglect more suitable transport in favor of a mini-caddy . . .
The last time they tried this they failed more miserably . . .
Any body remember the Cadillac Cimarron? That boxy Cavalier (?) knock-off from the 80's? It was like a pimped out Cavalier with a vinyl top, gold trim all over the damned place . . . pathetic . . .
The last time they tried this they failed more miserably . . .
Any body remember the Cadillac Cimarron? That boxy Cavalier (?) knock-off from the 80's? It was like a pimped out Cavalier with a vinyl top, gold trim all over the damned place . . . pathetic . . .
Euro19
01-06-2002, 02:08 AM
Yes I rember, they´re pretty silly.
However the Catera is based in the european Opel Omega, actually it is exactly as the Omega. They should have developed a real Cadillac to compit with BMW 3 series and Jaguar X-type (etc), with more edge styling and everything.
However the Catera is based in the european Opel Omega, actually it is exactly as the Omega. They should have developed a real Cadillac to compit with BMW 3 series and Jaguar X-type (etc), with more edge styling and everything.
pimpin4profits
07-24-2002, 02:15 AM
I see serious potential in the Cateras replacement though....the sigma platform based CTS is an awesome machine....
Correct me if I am wrong but wasnt the Allante(i think that was the name) also built to apeal to the younger generations? The Allante was an awesome car as well...definitly one of the better caddy's made in the 80s and 90s...
Seville STS's too, MMMMM, Big powerfull cars with the 295 hp Northstar! Hell yeah
Correct me if I am wrong but wasnt the Allante(i think that was the name) also built to apeal to the younger generations? The Allante was an awesome car as well...definitly one of the better caddy's made in the 80s and 90s...
Seville STS's too, MMMMM, Big powerfull cars with the 295 hp Northstar! Hell yeah
delamothe
12-01-2002, 08:54 AM
Yes, the catera was a good idea in that it helped launch a new philosophy within the division. The process of Cadillac's re-invention has been slow and steady for the past 12 years. But it has to be done as such because their bread and butter customers are very resistive to abrupt change. So the evolution has been deliberate.
The Allante was designed to appeal to the buyers of the Mercedes SL's. A noble attempt, and unfortunately they got that car dialed in nicely when GM pulled the plug on it. (1993)
It had the Northstar as well as some improvements in the suspension and interior by then.
The biggest oversight was not offering the car with a standard tranny. Of course, Cadillac stopped offering them by 1951 or so.
The car was very unique in that the bodies were assembled by Pinin-Farina in Italy, then flown to Detroit for final assembly to the car.
That was one of many previous partnerships Cadillac had with the Italian carrozzieri or coach builders. Ghia used to build the bodies of the 1959 - 1962 Eldorado Broughams. And many concept cars such as this one from 1953. (see photo)
The Allante was designed to appeal to the buyers of the Mercedes SL's. A noble attempt, and unfortunately they got that car dialed in nicely when GM pulled the plug on it. (1993)
It had the Northstar as well as some improvements in the suspension and interior by then.
The biggest oversight was not offering the car with a standard tranny. Of course, Cadillac stopped offering them by 1951 or so.
The car was very unique in that the bodies were assembled by Pinin-Farina in Italy, then flown to Detroit for final assembly to the car.
That was one of many previous partnerships Cadillac had with the Italian carrozzieri or coach builders. Ghia used to build the bodies of the 1959 - 1962 Eldorado Broughams. And many concept cars such as this one from 1953. (see photo)
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