ON THE TABLE - JULY 24, 2013

 Cadillac. Editor-in-Chief's Note: The last time Cadillac redesigned their emblem they made a big deal of it, suggesting that they were hip and forward thinking by doing so. Now, according to Automotive News, they're doing it again. It won't matter, because what's holding Cadillac back isn't their emblem, it's the way they go about their business. In two recent columns about Cadillac - "Can Cadillac Get There From Here?" from April 9th and "GM Goes Home" from July 1st - I delineated Cadillac's perpetual struggle with defining itself, and why GM always comes up short. - PMD

 Breaking Bad. Editor-in-Chief's Note: Guess what's back? Lengthy car loans. According to The Los Angeles Times consumers are starting to cue up for 72-month car loans again and from where we sit, that's a giant, heaping, steaming bowl of Not Good. Let's see, the automakers swimming in profits? Check. Short-term thinking starting to invade the automotive executive mindset? Check. Easy credit and perilous, long-term loan availability? Check. We've seen this movie before and it never ends well. - PMD

Editor-in-Chief's Note (7/22, 7:45 a.m.): Before anyone jumps to conclusions about the new "big" Cadillac that CEO Dan Akerson says GM is bringing to market, it is not the Ciel-based showstopper that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. This "big" Cadillac is the car that GM's braintrust - and Captain Queeg's cost-cutting minions - deems to be acceptable to go up against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8. In other words, "good enough" to go after the German luxury-performance stars without reaching for the ultimate rung and making a statement about what Cadillac is and where it will go in the future. "Good enough" to dispense with a halo vehicle that won't make enough money and consume a lot of time, talent and resources. Akerson & Co. figures that the new CTS, the new ELR and the coming bigger Cadillac will accomplish that just fine. Needless to say in GM's narrow little world that may make perfect sense. In the real world, however, it means more of the same. This just in - good enough is never good enough in this business. - PMD

 Hau Thai-Tang. The Ford engineering star and True Believer has been named the group vice president of global purchasing for the company. A savvy move for Ford.

(Bentley Motors)
Bentley. A very weak down arrow to Bentley for confirming that it will proceed with the development of the Bentley SUV, the company’s fourth model line. The SUV will be "a thoroughbred Bentley true to the brand hallmarks of luxury, performance, quality and craftsmanship," according to the Bentley PR boffins. "The styling will set it apart from any other SUV on the road and will be true to the Bentley design DNA. It will be the most luxurious and most powerful SUV in the market," Bentley insists. Sure. The SUV will be made in Crewe and will go on sale in 2016. It will create over 1000 jobs in the UK. Bentley says that it will invest more than £800 million in its headquarters at Crewe and the development of new models over the next three years. Why a weak down arrow? Because to deny the inevitability of this vehicle is like pretending the sun isn't going to rise in the east. Whether we like them or not, SUVs sell, especially luxury SUVs. Just ask Porsche. We're clinging to a thin shred of hope that it doesn't look as ungainly and homely as the Bentley SUV Concept that the company unveiled last year. But in the end, we're not even sure it matters.

(Mercedes-Benz)
From the "Too Damn Much Time On Their Hands" File comes word that Mercedes-Benz called upon golf and automobile fans from around the world to submit their ideas for a Mercedes-Benz golf cart of the future. A jury chaired by Gorden Wagener then selected the best entries from among all the submissions. The winners received an exclusive invitation as VIP guests to the Open Championship. Building on the basis provided by these ideas and concepts, the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, California, went to work. The result? The Mercedes-Benz Vision Golf Cart. Electric driven, the Mercedes-Benz Golf Cart is powered by a battery that is kept continuously charged by a solar module integrated into the roof. Manual charging is also possible. The vehicle is controlled via a joystick mounted on the center console and virtually all aspects of the cart can be controlled using touch screen monitors without extra buttons. Equipped with turn indicators, LED headlamps and tail lights, the MBVGC can also run on normal roads.

(Images courtesy of BMW Group)
Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design, previewed a sampling of visionary design and innovative ideas at the MINI Design@Home event in Munich. Included was the MINI Vision, which showcases various elements of future MINI design. "The design of the MINI Vision reaches pointedly into the brand’s past and combines the underlying features and values of MINI with future-focused aesthetic and technical innovations," say BMW PR minions. "In customary MINI fashion, the MINI Vision seizes the limelight with creativity, individuality and a generous helping of versatility," they continued. Is it a preview of much of the 2014 re-do of the MINI? Yes.

Letter from L.A.

By Tom Pease

Beverly Hills. According to Automotive News, Cadillac is considering losing the wreath around its iconic crest in the name of simplifying the logo and allowing it to be placed more easily on the "face" of the cars. I know that the wreath disappeared and reappeared over the years, returning in the 60's to denote the highest-level models. I also know the crest over the years has been simplified, dropping the jewels in the crown and sending the merlettes out to the great duck pond in the sky. I'm going to wait to see what it looks like before I decide, but I think that this is still more of trying to be something they aren't and shouldn't be: another German wanna-be company. Dear Cadillac: for G-d's sake just BE Cadillac. You ARE bling. Own it. Run with it. It's what makes Cadillac special; it makes Cadillac visible in a sea of wanna-be's. You simply cannot lead by following.

(Mecum Auctions)
An impressive array of more than 40 Porsches will star at the Mecum Daytime Auction in Monterey, California, August 15-17. Headlining the Porsche lineup destined for the auction block will be one of the rarest and most desirable of them all – a 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder - Chassis No. 550-0077 (Lot S134). This machine, part of the Peter & Cheryl Dunkel Collection, was actively campaigned in Europe back in the day. The Dunkel collection also includes a 1958 356A Speedster Race Car (Lot S146.1), a 1963 356B Carrera 2 Coupe (Lot S137) and a 1954 Porsche Allgaier A133 Diesel tractor (Lot S185). These Porsches will cross the block on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Mecum Daytime Auction in Monterey in addition to Thursday and Friday’s offerings of prime Porsches and more. Auction gates open daily at 8 a.m. and complimentary general admission is extended to all. Eighteen hours of the Monterey auction will be broadcast live on Discovery’s Velocity Network in addition to the live stream presented from gavel to gavel on Mecum’s website at www.mecum.com.