Buy a Cadillac XTS, Get a Free iPad
Cadillac uses the iPad and applications as training tools for its new Cue infotainment system.
Cadillac has a lot riding on the launch of its eagerly awaited XTS luxury sedan. The vehicle will also be the first with the brand’s complex new Cue infotainment system. To ensure that Cue doesn’t frustrate drivers the way, say, the MyFord Touch did, Cadillac is including an Apple iPad, with an application to help buyers become familiar with the system, with each car.
The iPad included with each XTS purchase will come with an app that simulates the Cue user interface, so that owners can become familiar with the system outside of the car. The tablet will also contain the OnStar RemoteLink and MyCadillac apps.
But Cadillac isn’t relying solely on an iPad and various apps to make sure owners are well-informed on how to use Cue. Like Lexus, Cadillac is investing heavily in dealer training to demonstrate Cue, and will use social media and other means to reach out to owners.
Cadillac will send 25 new “connected consumer specialists” out to its dealerships to help salespeople become familiar with Cue and other infotainment and safety features of the XTS. Dealers will also be required to staff their stores with two “certified technology experts” trained by the specialists.
Cadillac is also setting up a dedicated call center to educate consumers on Cue. And it’s even preparing to send a Cue specialist to XTS owners’ homes if they still have issues with the vehicle’s technology. Cadillac representatives will also be checking Internet forums and social media sites to answer questions, resolve issues and provide support.
Speaking with Wired at the CTIA Wireless 2012 show in New Orleans this week, Mark Harland, Cadillac’s head of customer experience, said, “We need to think about helping [owners] with the learning curve. Even if you get a walk-through at the dealership, you’re going to forget about a lot of the features. And we want the customer to learn about Cue on their own time.”
[Source: Wired "Autopia".]
You mean GM is now packaging one toy inside of another? Only the ipad is of much better quality than a Cadillac, even though both are foreign made.
You can get an ipad at Kmart but GM's quality didn't meet the Kmart standard of quality (which is way, way lower than the Toys-R-Us quality standard by the way).
Does this ring a bell? Sounds pretty childish huh?
Since when is Cadillac not "quality?" Overpriced maybe, yes, but their quality is on par with every other American car out there. And what is the obsession with iPads? If you want my opinion, iPads are garbage, and also overpriced. What does an iPad do that a Samsung Galaxy won't? The iPad will empty your wallet faster and charge for all Apps...
What's sad about this "offering" is that people jump to buy a car solely because they receive a "free" iPad. Because let's face it, morons these days believe that if it doesn't come with a [useless] App, it's not worth buying, right?
Europeans and Japanese are still making better vehicles....hands down.
That's a very blind statement to make. There are multiple categories where the Americans dominate over the import brands and that is a fact that seems to keep a lot of people up at night. However, that isn't to say that all imports are junk. It all depends on the type of vehicle or category you are looking at. Certain manufactures are better in others. But it is impossible to say that one country builds better cars then another (unless you base your statements on biased options rather then fact). Because unfortunately for those people, it just isn't true.
Non Google Guy,
You hit the nail right on the head. Cadillac's quality is on par with every other AMERICAN car out there and are over priced.
Are you implying that ALL American quality is sub-par? Because the last time I checked, German and Japanese cars are falling off the reliable wagon, while American cars are continuing to prove better quality. Look up the reliability of a Mercedes or BMW and you might learn something.
And Cadillacs may be overpriced (as a company, yes) - but when you compare a Corvette ZR-1 to a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, you'll find the same (differently tuned) drivetrain, except the Corvette has a price tag of about $50,000 more - so what's overpriced now? The Corvette gets 638HP, while the Caddy gets 556 HP - an 82HP difference. Is 82HP worth the extra $50K? A BMW M5 (closest CTS-V competitor) is about $13K more. For roughly $22K more than the CTS-V, you can get a Mercedes CLS63 AMG. You could spend more money to get the BMW or the Mercedes over a Cadillac, but all you'll get for the extra cost is the "pompous tool" label, which Cadillac has lost over the years.
So, in summary, saying Cadillacs are overpriced isn't really accurate when talking on an ACTUAL performance-related apples-to-apples basis... I think their lower-end CTS and DTS models are overpriced when you compare them to a Buick, but on a high-end model scale, they're actually cheaper.
Yes the gap has shrunken but the Europeans and Japanese are still making better vehicles....hands down.
You can't equate the word "better quality" to "more options." Europeans may offer radar-controlled cruise control, night vision, and stuff like that - but that's all "fluff" - useless, unnecessary junk to make the moron behind the wheel feel more safe, or cool, or important.
All that useless software-controlled touch-screen app garbage doesn't make a car "better quality." The only things that can describe a car's quality are how reliably and efficiently it functions as a whole.
In reality, MOST of the failure issues on cars nowadays lie on the electronics, not the mechanics - the stuff that makes the car go. So if electronics are the #1 failure in cars, and Europeans put triple the amount of computer-controlled devices and sensors in their vehicles, they're going to fail 3 times as much. Period. Maybe not severe engine failures, but failures nonetheless - ones that will annoy you when you're out of a car for a week because the firmware in your car's computer won't play with the firmware in your car's fuel injectors (not literally, but hypothetically).
You can get an ipad at Kmart but GM's quality didn't meet the Kmart standard of quality (which is way, way lower than the Toys-R-Us quality standard by the way).
Does this ring a bell? Sounds pretty childish huh?
EXPLORE NEW CARS
MORE ON MSN AUTOS
Chrysler relents, recalls 2.7M JeepsAutomaker recalls 2 Jeep models for fire hazards, but says they’re safe.
ABOUT EXHAUST NOTES
Cars are cool, and here at MSN Autos we love everything about them, but we also know they're more than simply speed and style: a car is an essential tool, a much-needed accessory to help you get through your day-to-day life. What you drive is also one of the most important investments you can make, so we'll help you navigate your way through the car buying and ownership experiences. We strive to be your daily destination for news, notes, tips and tricks from across the automotive world. So whether it's through original content from our world-class journalists or the latest buzz from the far corners of the Web, Exhaust Notes helps you make sense of your automotive world.
Have a story idea? Tip us off at exhaustnotes@live.com.
