Michael Emilio

Even though we’re still in 2007, Motor Trend Magazine has declared 2008 as the year of the Cadillac CTS, naming it the ‘08 Car of the Year.

How we can name a car of the year without actually being in the year is beyond me, but I digress.

The Caddy CTS actually beat out Car of the Year mainstay Honda Accord to win the top prize in this competition. What this seems to show is that Detroit is starting to get its act together and finally beginning to produce quality cars again. I’ve always heard Cadillac being a symbol of quality engineering but they really started falling behind recently. Perhaps this is a sign of improvement from American car builders? I hope this is the start of improved quality control from the American automobile market. It’s been really lagging behind the Japanese auto builders and to a smaller extent the European auto market.

Detroit had been focusing for years on sport utility vehicles (SUV) and trucks for the recent past - therefore this is significant because it shows a focus back in the car market. We all know that Ford and Dodge are big players in the pickup truck market - what surprises us is that an American car maker has produced a topnotch automobile like this. What most interests me though is the public perception that American cars have in the global marketplace. Read this quote by Angus MacKenzie who’s the editor-in-chief of Motor Trend Magazine:

“There’s really not a lot of difference at all between BMW, Mercedes, and Cadillac. The CTS obliterates the old man image of the Cadillac. This car will turn heads in the same way the elite European models do, but it is unmistakably American.”

Do you agree with this? Speaking with people that are car fanatics I can personally tell you that they do not agree with this statement. With older Americans, Cadillac cars still have a ring of quality. But with younger generations, Cadillac doesn’t quite have the same ring. However, the Cadillac public relations and marketing department has really been making an advertising push with younger generations. One example I can think of is the everpresent Cadillac car in movies and television. If you’ve seen The Matrix 2: Reloaded you might remember the Cadillacs used in the chase sequence on the highway.

The Cadillac CTS car is made by General Motors Corporation and won this competition from a field of 18 other vehicles of top-notch quality such as the aforementioned Honda Accord and Chrysler and Dodge minivans. The only automobiles eligible for this competition are those that are new or have been completely redesigned within 12 months of January 1st. Of course this eliminates many cars that have excellent quality ratings but that haven’t been totally redone, such as all Lexus model cars, Toyota, BMW, etc.

The Cadillac CTS has a base price of $32,990, which is about the same as the Lexus ES350 and the BMW 335i. Whether the public will prefer the Cadillac over Lexus and BMW remains to be seen. Car of the Year does not equal sales in the marketplace - only exposure.

If you’re curious about the 2007 winner - it was the Toyota Camry. Motor Trend Magazine also named the 2008 Mazda CX-9 as the sports utility vehicle (SUV) of the year.

Do you agree that the Cadillac CTS is a superior vehicle to the Honda Accord?