29: Cadillac
The Cadillac brand has become a far cry from what it once was. There was a time when Cadillac was the pinnacle of luxury in America, but that has long since passed. Even with the initial success of the 2000s, the company hasn’t been able to build on that. Its unimaginative sedans are boring and overpriced, and you’ll often see the Cadillac relegated to the rental fleets. The brand does put a lot of effort into the full-size Escalade, but that’s about it. The rest of the cars are just rehashed GMs with a new badge or a different bit of sheet metal.
The actual heart of Cadillac has become stale and the brand could use a turnaround. There’s no reason why Cadillac shouldn’t be able to compete with Mercedes Benz and BMW. The company just needs to create a compelling car and it could do the trick. Just look at the success Mercedes has been having with the newly revised C-Class.