10.) Honda
9.) BMW
8.) Infiniti
7.) Acura
6.) Mercury
5.) Lincoln
4.) Lexus
3.) Buick
2.) Cadillac
1.) Jaguar

Jalopnik Snap Judgement: In this less-than-profitable auto market, dealerships are working harder to maintain ties with customers by offering a better service department experience. Makes sense to us.

Full press release below:

Overall Satisfaction with Dealer Service Increases

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 17 July 2008 — Overall customer satisfaction with dealer service improves considerably in 2008—with more than two-thirds of the 37 ranked brands demonstrating gains—according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM released today.

The study, now in its 28th year, measures satisfaction among vehicle owners who visit the dealer service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of ownership, which typically represent the majority of the vehicle warranty period.

After remaining relatively flat since 2005, overall satisfaction with dealer service increases to 882 on a 1,000-point scale in 2008—an improvement of 6 points from 2007. The improvement is primarily due to a combination of an increase in the proportion of maintenance work performed and improvements in satisfaction with repair work. Customers who visit the dealer for routine maintenance tend to be more satisfied (894), on average, than are repair customers (862). The proportion of customers bringing their vehicles to the dealer for repair work has declined to a historic low in 2008, averaging 35 percent. Customer satisfaction with repair work increases notably—improving by 9 points since 2007—with gains made by both premium and non-premium brands. However, satisfaction with maintenance work increases only slightly in 2008.

"Improved levels of vehicle quality have led to a decline in the need for vehicle repairs during the first three years of ownership," said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. "Despite the fact that the majority of service visits—65 percent—are for maintenance work, dealers are very focused on the need to satisfy their repair customers. Given today's market conditions—where dealers are finding it extremely difficult to achieve profitability—it is vital that they not overlook the importance of ensuring their service customers are satisfied. Not only does meeting and exceeding the expectations of customers through after-sales service result in increased likelihood that those customers will return for service, but it also results in increased likelihood that those customers will stay loyal to the brand when they are next in the market for a vehicle."

For a second consecutive year, Jaguar ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service. Jaguar achieves an overall CSI score of 923 and is closely followed in the rankings by Cadillac (922) and Buick (919).

"Jaguar dealers receive very high satisfaction scores among repair customers, particularly in the service initiation, service advisor and user-friendly service measures," said Sargent. "Cadillac improves by one rank position in 2008. This is also attributable to its particularly high levels of satisfaction among repair customers. Buick has strong performance among non-premium brands, and its continuing efforts to improve quality have resulted in a decreasing incidence of repair visits among the brand's customers."

The study also finds that communicating with customers after service work has been completed has a notably strong impact on satisfaction particularly through increasing customer perceptions of fairness of charges and the value of service received. For customers that receive an explanation of work performed or an explanation of charges, satisfaction is approximately 100 points higher, on average, than if no explanations were provided. Approximately 82 percent of customers report that they received explanations of the work performed on their vehicle, while 58 percent say they received an explanation of charges, when necessary.

"Many times, it is the quality of communication provided by service personnel that makes the difference between a satisfied customer and a true advocate," said Sargent. "When customers are provided with clear explanations as to why the work performed on their vehicle was necessary, as well as the reasoning behind the charges, it improves satisfaction with the value of the work performed, as well as perceptions of the fairness and honesty of the dealer. Consistently following these relatively simple steps helps to foster trust among customers, which is critical to building loyalty for future service work as well as future sales. For example, 78 percent of customers who rate the fairness of charges as 'outstanding' say that they will return to the dealership for routine maintenance after the warranty expires, while only 49 percent of customers who provide 'average' fairness ratings say the same."

The study also finds the following key patterns:

* While 5 percent of customers say that they would prefer to schedule their service visit with the dealer via the Internet, only 1 percent of customers actually do so. The vast majority of customers—74 percent—call the dealership to schedule an appointment, while 25 percent of customers just drop in.
* When vehicles are returned to the customer cleaner than they were when received by the dealer, satisfaction scores average 48 points higher than scores provided by customers whose vehicles showed no difference in cleanliness. However, there is a particularly large decline in satisfaction—202 points, on average—if vehicles are returned less clean than when they were received.
* Among customers who report speaking to a service advisor immediately upon arriving at the dealership, satisfaction scores average 927—224 points higher than among customers who say they waited more than 5 minutes to speak to a service advisor.

The 2008 CSI Study is based on responses from 87,302 owners and lessees of 2005 to 2007 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded between January and April 2008. J.D. Power and Associates measures dealer service in various countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

[Source: JD Power]

Among the initiatives Wagoner announced today were:

-Truck capacity reduction by 300,000 units, including stamping and engines
-Cutting sales and marketing budgets, particularly in motorsports and promotions
-Holding engineering expenses steady
-Reduce salaried headcount
-Eliminate health care coverage at 65 for retirees, but increase pension payments
-No base compensation increases for salaried employees through 2009
-No cash bonuses for executives
-Delaying next gen full size pickups and SUVs
-Delay V8 engine design developments
-Alternative and small displacement engine design budget increases
-Suspension of dividend payments
-Defer health care spending payments
-Explore sale of assets: Hummer under review, remaining brands focused on profit improvements
-Additional borrowing against assets

Prior to the news conference, an anonymous GM executive familiar with the plan said, reportedly with a straight face, "It will be a clear message on the ways we will restore our health, our measures to realign capacity. It's tough medicine, but it's real." Unlike every wave of job cuts since 1973, this one is REAL. Well, that should do it then.

10 - Corvette Carnage
Let's start off with a classic, this clip of a C4 Corvette streaking through the desert. Television host John Bunnell says the car is speeding down the road at 165 MPH, but we're not so sure the black 'vette was actually going that fast. Either way, it was fast enough for the driver to lose control while changing lanes, as the Corvette smashed into the back of a truck. The car spun out of control into the desert as it shattered to pieces, but somehow the driver came out unhurt. So, negative points to the television producers for the exaggerated speed, but kudos to the driver for smashing a Corvette and living.

9 - Off-Roadin' Ranger
It doesn't get much more American than a couple of guys runnin' from the law in a stolen pickup with a stolen air compressor rollin' around in the bed. Sure, they lose points for only using a little Ford Ranger, but that's outweighed by the kudos we give 'em for taking the truck off-road. The passenger is especially crazy, even jumping out at one point, running besides the truck, jumping in the bed, then climbing back into the cab all while the truck was in motion. And while we're more interested in the automotive chase, the passenger was pretty good at jumping fences too.

8 - Crazed Naked Woman
Sometimes the cops need a little extra help to chase down a fleeing suspect, as was the case here. But even with an off-duty officer driving his personal pickup truck, the evading SUV was proving hard to catch. An enthusiastic civilian joins the chase trying to help out the cops. We give the good Samaritan kudos for not being afraid to dent up his truck, but he ends up just getting in the way when he tries an improvised roadblock. After going through the dirt, on and off the highway, the SUV is finally caught. But if all that wasn't crazy enough, it turns out the driver being chased was a naked woman. We're not sure if that's hot or not.

7 - Backwards Limo
You'd assume a big stretch limo wouldn't be agile enough to evade the police, but this chauffeur was ready to prove otherwise. This stretched STS was pretty impressive, handling turns and blazing down the expressway. But major kudos go to the driver for slamming the limo into reverse gear after the transmission starts erupting smoke. He then leads the boys in blue on an impressive backwards chase, only coming to an end when the turning radius of the limo is miscalculated going around a sharp turn. Still, that's some serious Cadillac style.

6 - Tweaked Trucker
Anyone that's ever seen Steven Spielberg's film Duel has been rightfully intimidated by free-roaming big rigs. But you really get a new sense of respect for the trucks after watching this one plow through traffic at will. Even spike strips proved ineffective, so the cops had to pull out their guns and shoot out the tires the old fashioned way. Well, at least we learn that truck driving and meth don't mix so well.

5 - Raw Pursuit
This chase is an interesting look at raw, unedited footage from a police car's dashboard-mounted camera. There's no sound effects, no voice over, nothing but the original video. But what the video lacks in hype, it makes up for in uncertainty. You're not sure what's going to happen next as the cops haphazardly chase a stolen police car though night streets and around blind corners.

4 - M3 Gets Away
This E30 M3 running from the cops is an awesome chase on its own right, with an allegedly 15 year-old driver out-maneuvering the pursuing police. But what we find additionally interesting is the production of the footage for television. First off, the stats referenced for the BMW seem off, and are probably for a later model E36 M3. But what we really can't get over is that the clip used towards the end when the BMW is "breaking down" is merely footage from earlier on in the chase that's been slowed down. Either this was a creative editing to make up for a lack of footage of it happening, or maybe the kid in the BMW actually got away. Combine this with a liberal use of added action movie sound effects, and you've got a quintessential made-for-cable tv car chase.

3 - SoCal Close Calls
Following the classic formula for a So-Cal police chase, this SUV weaves its way through traffic with multiple close calls, from highways to local roads. We'd have given kudos to the driver for quickly threading the needle between cars, but then he screws it all up with a lame finish by hitting a small tree at low speed and being tracked down on foot. But then, it looks to be a Toyota Highlander that he was driving, so what can you expect?

2 - Taurus Shootout
This wouldn't be American-style law enforcement without a wild west shootout, and that's exactly what we've got here. Kudos to the cops for continuing the pursuit even after having the entire back side of a Ford Taurus shoved onto the hood of a police car, and then being shot at. We're not sure it was necessary to ram the vehicle at full speed afterwards, but it we give bonus points for the gun flying through the air at the end.

1 - PIT-Proof Mustang
This last chase is perhaps one of the most hoontastic displays of driving ever recorded — with the exception of Killdozer, of course — which unfortunately isn't much of a chase since cops could walk after it (Honorable Mention, nonetheless). No, the driver of this Mustang is hit with a PIT maneuver by the cops twice, each time performing a perfectly controlled 360-degree spin. Even when the cops pin him against the wall, the Mustang finds a way to spin off the highway onto the grass and regain control on a side road. But perhaps the best part of the video is listening to the disbelief of the news reporter as voices in the background laugh and cheer for spinning Mustang. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

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The CTS Coupe has dropped a little camouflage, exposing the prototype's B-pillar, and much of the C-pillar for the first time. We can now see Cadillac's extremely clean execution of the side glass, which gives the impression of a B-pillarless design. Prior prototypes had heavy tape and cladding just aft of the Coupe's door opening, which had given the false impression of a less graceful B-pillar design. While all indications are that the CTS Coupe will still have a conventional central side pillar, the clean look now visible on this prototype is pleasing to the eye.

We can also see most of the rear-side-window, and the angle of the C-pillar, which, not surprisingly, matches the design previewed on the CTS Coupe concept. As more camouflage falls away, we expect further confirmation of the Coupe's remarkably faithful transition from Show Car to showroom.

Sorry, we couldn't help but break into song. This might be the greatest custom Cadillac ever built. If it was just the hot tub, it would be a ride for plebes, but for God's sake, look at everything else! White walls, custom grille and hood, that top, those chrome accents, the continental kit (so much more fitting here than on the LeBaron) — the mind wonders, the heart races. And the bidding is only up to how much!? (Thanks Slimwhitman) [eBay listing]

The murmuring about Hummer being up for sale got credence with the news that Citibank has been retained to conduct a "strategic review" of the brand. Our little birdie has told us that Citibank's real job is to screen potential buyers. [Automotive News Sub. Req.]

"General Motors will unveil a Cadillac CTS wagon this fall in an effort to compete with BMW's 3 series and Mercedes C-class wagons. Cadillac intends to start production in 2009 for global sale. GM has shown a CTS coupe concept to be produced next year."

Well, it looks like they also know there's a new SRX is on the way for 2010 and surprise, it'll be the BRX/Provoq concept:

"Cadillac also plans to replace its current SRX crossover with a production version of the Provoq concept crossover as a 2010 model."

Sweet holy awesome, please let this be the new hot trend that replaces stick-on fender vents. [Chiefrobertowenbro wn's Flickr Photostream]

Over rough roads? Yeah. Over rough seas? Not so much.
[via autoblog.nl]

Today, "Gentle" Ben Wojdyla updated us on the full stats of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, including its 556 horsepower V8. We have Andy Duncan to thank for pointing out that this is another kind of hybrid:

In 20 years, when we're all driving electrics and bitching about the Indian-import-tuner crowd (henceforth known as "Basmati Ricers"), this is the car we're going to look back at as the anachronistic, bat-shit-crazy example of the excess of the '00s. It rolls into one vehicle the stratospheric horsepower of the '60s muscle-car era with the cocaine-fueled luxury obsession of the Mercedes 80s. It's perfect.

[Edmunds]

Detroit, Mich. - Since its inception in 2004, Cadillac's XLR has been a fresh face in the elite club of the world's finest luxury roadsters. Today Cadillac revealed the new 2009 edition of the XLR Roadster, featuring styling and model enhancements providing more dramatic design and technology.

Only the finest editions of Cadillac's retractable hardtop roadster will be offered in 2009: The luxurious XLR Platinum and the high-performance XLR-V. The XLR Platinum is equipped with a 320-horsepower (239 kW) 4.6L Northstar V-8 engine. The XLR-V, part of Cadillac's V-Series of high-performance models, is powered with a 443-horsepower (330 kW) 4.4L Supercharged Northstar V-8 engine.

The 2009 XLR includes a new front fascia, new rear fascia and new side fender vents. The revised design is inspired by the award-winning CTS sport sedan, delivering more detail and aggressiveness to Cadillac's roadster. The front fascia includes new fog lamps and specific upper and lower grilles for the Platinum and V-Series models. Also, both '09 models feature the distinctive hood with a raised center section that was previously exclusive to the V-Series.

"XLR has been a catalyst for the dramatic design and technology driving Cadillac's ongoing renaissance," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "The enhanced 2009 model exemplifies the continued development of Cadillac's approach to design, performance and craftsmanship."

The ultra-luxury XLR Platinum model receives additional exterior identifiers, including a revised rear fascia with more pronounced new exhaust tips and a new 18-inch wheel design (painted wheel finish is standard; chrome is optional).

Inside, the '09 XLR lineup delivers more luxury and technology. Alcantara™ - a suede-like microfiber material - is used for the headliner material, in either Ebony or Cashmere color. Also new is hand-cut and sewn leather used on the upper instrument panel. This hand-stitched and wrapped leather lends tailored elegance to the cabin, representing Cadillac's new approach to modern and elegant interior craftsmanship.

The updated cabin includes new instrument cluster trim rings and graphics, new wood grain trims (Natural Olive Ash Burl for XLR Platinum and Black Olive Ash Burl for XLR-V) and new metal trims (Quartz for XLR Platinum and Bermuda for XLR-V.)

Advanced technology has always been a trademark of XLR, and that legacy continues in 2009. This includes Cadillac's acclaimed Magnetic Ride Control system and amenities such as Keyless Access with push-button start, DVD navigation and entertainment, heated and cooled seats, head-up display and heated steering wheel. XLR's advanced technologies also include Adaptive Forward Lighting that enables the headlamps to swivel in concert with vehicle steering, and Adaptive Cruise Control.

XLR is factory-equipped with OnStar 8.0 with Bluetooth capability. The next-generation OnStar 8.0 system (OnStar subscription is not required for Bluetooth) features enhanced hands-free voice commands, Turn by Turn navigation and Emap powered by MapQuest. This includes the industry-first Destination Download feature, in which directions can be downloaded from OnStar directly to the car's navigation system - eliminating the need to stop the car to manually enter a destination.

# # #

Editor-in-Chief

This was the craziest thing I saw Sunday at the All Mopar Spring Round-Up in Issaquah. It's a '37 Plymouth pickup with a 500 cubic inch Cadillac engine out of a FWD Eldorado—in the bed. Just check out that exhaust. Gary, who built this radical rod, has had it up to 120 mph and has plans to take it out to the Salt Flats later this year. More pics after the jump.

Here's my junkyard find from Big M auto recycling in Williams, CA. This past weekend I drove up to Thunderhill raceway for a CSRG vintage racing event. I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life, and my mother's family is from Redding, so I know Interstate 5 pretty well. Anyway, the halfway mark between my house and my grandfather's house is near the town of Williams, which means that I've been stopping at Granzella's Deli and Sports Bar for sandwiches and bathroom breaks since I was a baby. Driving up I-5 on my own this past weekend, I got lunch at Granzella's and took the opportunity to look around Williams a little bit. Now, if you had looked off to your left whileapproaching Williams from the south, you might have noticed a junkyard filled with old American iron. Well, I assume YOU would, as would any true Jalop, and I sure as hell did. So this weekend, after getting a sandwich at Granzella's, I headed a mile down old Highway 99W to get a closer look at the junkyard I had previously seen only from the Interstate. I won't catalog the awesomeness that fills this lot, but suffice it to say that if Detroit made it between the war and the Malaise era, you can find it here. Need a flathead Packard straight-eight? They have several. Looking for a motor for your hot rod? They can hook you up with an 8BA Flathead, or a Y-block, or a Nailhead, or an early Hemi, or a small-block Chevy (of course) and they can find you as many Stromberg 97s as you'll need to feed the beast. Looking for parts for your Edsel? They have several from all three years, from Pacer sedans to Citation convertibles to Ranger wagons, in all states of decay and disassembly. I found fifteen Edsels before I stopped counting. They even have an early '30s Franklin. A FRANKLIN, for Pete's sake, the air-cooled sedan that Charles Lindbergh drove.

But one car at Big M truly stopped me in my tracks. The bulbous fenders and P-38-style tailfins told me it was an early '50s Cadillac, but this one was different. It wasn't an everyday sedan or a nice fastback or even a hearse. It was, in fact, a Caddymino. > At first I thought it was a funeral home's old "flower car," the kind that travels behind the hearse with a bed full of flowers. Some of them even had movable bed floors so the funeral home could make it look like the bed was completely full of flowers even when few people had bothered to honor the deceased. But no, the welds were obviously not done by a professional. Moreover, what was left of the floor was from a regular passenger car, spare tire well and all. This was clearly a homemade Caddymino, made by some sort of Proto-Jalop from the mid-to-late twentieth century. As a wannabe motoring journalist, I considered it my duty to share this amazing archaeological find with the world, and here it is.

Picture 1: I don't know the year, and I couldn't get the hood open to see whether the V8 was of the flathead or overhead-valve variety. But even if it doesn't have a motor, the yard has plenty of 331- to 390-inch Caddy motors that should fit right in.

Picture 2: The welds along the top of the fenders were never ground down, but it still looks like someone put a lot of thought and time into this conversion.

Picture 3: The interior is shot, but a bench seat from an old pickup will do wonders for it. The Keystone Light can is a nice touch.

Picture 6: Not the Caddymino— this Ford F1 truck apparently belonged to an animal feed dealer in Berkeley. It comes complete with a "Swingin' A's" sticker from way back when.

Picture 7: Again, not related to the Caddymino— just a sample of the awesomeness that you'll find in this lot. Enjoy! -Armand4

Open up the power-operated lift-gate, and you'll find 25 cubic feet of cargo space, and 58 cubic feet of cargo space when you put down the split-folding 2nd row seat. That's not quite enough room to fit a casket in the back, but we have a feeling that this is one Cadillac wagon that won't be used for hearse duty. What we know for sure is we're of the opinion if Cadillac had wanted to keep this to themselves, they would have done it the old fashioned way — behind closed doors in panel testing.


Big Hat Tip to Wally!

Here's what the seller has to say about this unique automobile:

Purchased new in 1959 by design and styling legend Raymond Loewy and shipped to his coachbuilder, Pichon-Parat of France. After it's transformation, it was painted in light blue/green metallic paint with a white roof and used by Loewy and his family forEuropean trips. It returned to New York, thereafter, to Loewy's principal residence and eventually was relocated to his Palm Springs, California residence. After clocking up approximately 41,000 kilometers, it was sold to his next door neighbor in January of 1971, and was stored until approximately 1989 when it was sold to it's third owner-a European collector. It has just been released from this collection and is now available for sale. Raymond Loewy last drove this vehicle, with the original mileage of approximately 41,000 kilometers still unchanged.

[via CarScoop]

Knowing it was there, we took a quick jaunt to their shop so you can see what may inform the next motorcycle. According to the folks who work there, reports of Caddy boss Jim Trailer actually buying this bike are greatly exaggerated, so if you want to take a look for yourself and live in the Detroit area, it'll be there for all to see. [MotorAuthority via Hell For Leather]

Editor-in-Chief

The CTS-V earned a convincing victory over the RS 4 in this week's Showroom Showdown. In general, style and the horsepower seemed to trump AWD and "German engineering." But my favorite quote was by Tony87: "Even if the Caddy was made in some mexican sweat shop. I'd rather have a burrito than a plate of sauerkraut, and i'm german." According to the UAW, the CTS is built in North America. Stay tuned for another match up next week.

High sales figures or not, at $5,924 the '69 Sedan de Ville wasn't cheap. In fact, for just $3,776 the big-car buyer could pick up a '69 Impala sedan with the 425-horse 427 and 4-speed manual transmission. So let's say it's 1969, you're an up-and-coming strip-club owner in Dallas, and you're car shopping. Do you get the Cadillac with 375 horsepower or the cheaper Impala with 425 horsepower and a 4-speed? Which one will most impress your wide-lapel-wearing, cigar-chewing peers?


Such tough decisions we face! This car appears to have the original paint, which shows some- but not all- of its 39 years.


I've driven a few Cadillacs of this era, and they really do move pretty well in spite of their vast bulk. At 4,660 pounds, however, the '69 Sedan de Ville is a lightweight next to most of the SUVs used for edge-city commutes these days. In fact, this car scales in at just 1,000 pounds heavier than a 2008 Mustang; about the weight difference between the 1978 and 2008 Honda Civics.

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In this case, the cost of replacing the roof with full convertible top and living your sun-touched dreams is $19K over the price of the car. For this you get the hydraulic padded roof that includes such touches as a heated glass rear window. Conversion time is 8 weeks so you'd better have some time on your hands as well as an extra stash of green. The best features is that the car retains its four doors, something rare for a convertible in this class. [CBI via InsideLine]