Can Cadillac’s New Chief Help The Iconic Brand Regain Its Luster?

Cadillac’s Johan de Nysschen is ready to fight to make the Cadillac name great once again. A fight for market share, a fight to get people to understand why they should pay a premium to own a Cadillac, a fight for respect in a very crowded luxury market. de Nysschen came to Cadillac this summer after working at luxury brands Infiniti and Audi. After just a few months on the job, he’s taking charge. He was central to GM's decision to cut production. Cadillac is a brand that Americans know. But, is it a brand they want to own? From de Nysschen’s point of view, the answer right now, is maybe. de Nysschen says the newly unveiled ATS-V will move Cadillac into a segment of the luxury industry that has been lacking. de Nysschen says, ‘we are now taking that further to embrace the concept of luxury performance.’ AMG, are you listening? As for the rest of the product portfolio, de Nysschen says there are big gaps in what Cadillac currently offers its customers versus the wide range of offerings from its’ German competitors. De Nysschen understands Cadillac is a brand with a lot of equity in the minds of American auto buyers. But, getting drivers to think luxury and immediately think Cadillac, will take time. ‘It’s going to be a full 10 years or more before we can say unreservedly, across the spectrum of opinions in the car market, that Cadillac is unquestioned to be the top contender in the marketplace. It takes time.’ TheStreet’s Ruben Ramirez reports from Los Angeles.