Judging from the positioning, size, power specifications and estimated price, this new rear-wheel drive car is still quite special in the market, so that it was named "the first rear-wheel drive for young people" by many people before it went on the market, and it was regarded as the showstopper of the luxury brand compact car market.
Is the rear drive a mirror?
Compared with the predecessor vehicles, the front-drive and rear-drive vehicles have greater driving wheel load and better traction performance when starting and accelerating. At the same time, the axle load distribution of rear-drive vehicles is more uniform, which has more advantages in handling stability and riding comfort; In addition, the rear drive form can also match a more powerful engine.
When BMW abandons the rear-drive platform on entry-level models, BBA's rear-drive threshold should go up to mid-level cars, while for luxury brands such as Volvo and Lincoln, flagship models such as S90 and Lincoln Continental still adopt the predecessor form. Similar to the number of cylinders and displacement of the engine, from a certain point of view, the rear drive has a threshold.
According to the positioning and estimated price, CT4 is expected to compete with BBA's entry-level models. At this level, the BMW 1 sedan version, which has been advertised as a sport, adopts the UKL front drive platform and is equipped with the 1.5T three-cylinder engine that many consumers are afraid of. Mercedes-Benz A-Class adopts 1.3T engine and torsion beam rear suspension except the top model, and Audi A3 adopts the same MQB platform as Volkswagen Golf. At the same time, brands such as Volkswagen and Skoda in the Volkswagen system are also using the MQB platform, and all MINI models in the BMW system are also using the UKL platform. It has become a trend for companies to share costs through the platform, and cost control has always been the strategic core of BBA in the entry-level market.
The CT4 and CT5 are built on the same common Alpha(A2XX) rear-drive platform, with the difference that the CT4 is a short-wheelbase vehicle and the CT5 is a long-wheelbase vehicle. For Cadillac, only these two models are currently produced on the Alpha platform. For example, XT4, XT5 and CT6 were all born on the corresponding C 1XX and Omega platforms. In the general system, only one Camaro model can share the cost of the Alpha rear-drive platform.
When BBA's entry-level models occupy the market with mediocre precursor form, lower cost and sufficient power, Cadillac CT4 can also make a low-cost precursor model by using a precursor platform like General VSS-F, and enter the battlefield of entry-level models of luxury brands in the form of price exchange. However, CT4 chose the form of rear drive, and did not go with the flow. At the same time, CT4 may have more than one bright spot in rear drive. ?
1? The cheapest luxury brand rear-wheel drive?
When the BBA threshold corresponding to the rear-wheel drive rises to about 300,000 intermediate cars, a vacuum zone of rear-wheel drive type will be formed between 200,000 and 300,000. Combined with the new car price of CT5 and the terminal preferential price of ATS-L, the arrival of CT4 is likely to fill the gap in this price range. For consumers who have demand and feeling for rear-wheel drive, CT4 is the only rear-wheel drive vehicle available at this price.
2? Power parameters are on, and the whole system has unified power specifications?
According to the strategy of Cadillac's power layout, all departments have unified power specifications, which has no small advantage in the same class. The CT4 is equipped with a 2.0T turbocharged engine and matched with the 8AT gearbox. The maximum power is 237 HP and the maximum torque is 350 Nm. The official acceleration time of 100 kilometers is 6.9 seconds. According to the estimated price, CT4 is likely to correspond to the entry-level compact model of BBA. Comparing the power parameters of BMW 1 series cars, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Audi A3, the power of CT4 entry-level models can be described as rolling level. Even if it rises to the entry-level models of Series 3, Class C and A4L, CT4 still enjoys certain advantages in power.
3? Rich configuration, entry-level model, worthy of peer recommendation?
The cost performance of Cadillac models is often reflected not only in the price, but also in the configuration of entry-level models. XT4, for example, is also an entry-level SUV with richer standard configuration than its peers. For consumers who are very sensitive to the price of entry-level luxury brands, compared with BBA models that can only meet the configuration requirements by selecting or upgrading to mid-to high-end models, it is recommended that entry-level Cadillac models such as CT4 buy "beggar version" luxury cars.
4? After the listing, the sharp price reduction has become the norm?
It has always been Cadillac's practice to exchange price for quantity. Its models are not only lower than BBA models of the same level in guiding price, but also attract price-sensitive consumer groups in terminal concessions. Judging from past cases, for example, CT6, which locates medium and large-sized cars, can reduce the price to less than 300,000 after preferential treatment, while XTS, which locks its rivals into BMW 5 Series and Audi A6L, once reduced the price to about 220,000. In addition, ATS-L once reduced the price of entry-level models to about 6.5438+0.8 million when stocking in Wuqing. According to Cadillac's pricing strategy, CT4 is also expected to have a large terminal discount after it is listed for a period of time, which is undoubtedly attractive to the consumer groups of price-sensitive luxury brand entry models.
If the rear drive is a mirror, we can see that BBA has been compromising cost and market in entry-level products. On the other hand, Cadillac, a century-old brand born in Detroit, saw a kind of courage to go against the trend and heard a cry for sports and feelings.
Combination boxing?
As early as 2065438+March 2006, foreign media broke the news that Cadillac intends to give up the practice of lengthening the wheelbase of its models in the future, which also means that ATS-L will be the only product in China market to lengthen the wheelbase. In the context of BBA's continuous efforts to achieve "take all" in the market by lengthening the wheelbase of the model, Cadillac's approach is undoubtedly wrong.
However, when ATS-L, XTS and CTS gradually completed their historical missions, CT6, CT5 and the latest CT4 came one after another, and Cadillac's car strategy became more and more clear, that is, dislocation competition and dimension reduction. The body length of CT6 is 5223mm, which is close to that of BMW 7 Series long-axle model. After the discount, it overlaps with BMW 3 Series model in the price of 300,000 yuan, but it competes with BMW 5 Series in positioning. The body length of CT5 is 4924mm, which is close to the standard wheelbase BMW 5 Series, but it has obvious advantages over 3 Series in price.
As for ——ATS, the predecessor of CT4, this is E90? As a benchmark model, the original intention of the 3 Series sports car is to fill the F30? After the compromise on comfort of Series 3, there is no sports medium-sized car left in the market, so that the ATS-L that has been made in China and lengthened has no obvious compromise on motion control. Although the consumers of sports cars are not mainstream enough, the sales volume of ATS-L in the market is far less than that of BBA counterparts, but in the sales ranking of 20 17-20 19, the sales volume of ATS-L is second only to BBA counterparts, and continues to lead Volvo, Britain and finidi. Cadillac obviously doesn't want to give up the market base of ATS for many years, which is one of the main reasons for the arrival of CT4.
As an independent model, CT4 is difficult to fight alone in the highly competitive market. However, combined with Cadillac's consistent "dislocation competition" strategy, CT4 is not aimed at a single market segment of compact or medium-sized luxury brands, but more like long and short wheelbase models of the same car series as CT5, such as BMW 330i and 330Li, which can compete with BMW 1 Series /3 Series, Mercedes-Benz A /C and other models in the price range.
After the arrival of CT4, CT4 and CT5 will become a set of combination boxing of Cadillac, which is not only expected to open up a second-line luxury brand model behind it, but also expected to narrow the gap with BBA.
Summary?
In this confused era when power, rear-drive form and sports performance are becoming scarce resources, Cadillac is taking a different road. At the same time, from the figurative "new American luxury" to the unforgettable slogan "no luxury without rear drive", Cadillac seems to have found its own position. In contrast, it is a group of second-tier luxury brands that are scattered in the China market. At the same time, with the arrival of CT4, its product system is becoming clearer and clearer. It is reported that the new car will be officially listed in April.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.