Cadillac 120th Anniversary – “Iconic then, Iconic now”: Exclusive Q&A With Akshaya Singh Sikand
This year marks Cadillac’s 120th anniversary. To celebrate the anniversary, Cadillac ME is running “Iconic then, Iconic now” docuseries featuring two reputable Cadillac classic cars owners. You can check out a couple of videos here and here. Kindly find attached the release we sent out earlier for additional context. In light of this huge milestone for the brand, we’ve exclusively chatted with Akshaya Singh Sikand, Head of Marketing, Cadillac Middle East, to discuss the anniversary campaign and how it came to life.
BB: This year and for more than 120 years, Cadillac has been setting the standard of American automotive luxury, bringing to the industry 12 decades of leadership in engineering, design and innovation. What’s Cadillac’s recipe of brand excellence?
AS: In short, our recipe is to keep raising the bar. Cadillac has never slowed down on innovation since our inception 120 years ago. In 1910, Cadillac introduced for the very first time, a passenger car with a fully enclosed cabin. In 1912, the brand brought to life the first production car to feature an electric self-starter, ignition, and lighting. Through that innovation, we opened the door to more women drivers by dropping the crank starter the device used to crank an internal-combustion engine to initiate the engine’s operation under its own power.
In 1915, Cadillac revealed the V-type, water-cooled, V8 engine, which became its signature. In 1998 Cadillac brought to life the first ever Escalade, the pop-culture icon, which, over 22 years, has been featured in song lyrics more than 500 times and is one of the most featured vehicles in music and film. All this has earned Cadillac its iconic status then, and now.
This year, we’re marking 12 decades of industry leadership in luxury, performance, design and craftsmanship by making a bold statement – to be a fully electric luxury car brand by 2030. To mark this, Cadillac recently went through a rebranding, reflecting its futuristic thinking which is essential to resonate with the generations to come.
Navigating through Cadillac’s rich history, we have established a bold new voice to create a unique, yet futuristic mindset. Our new visual identity, Be Iconic, was designed to anchor, animate and inspire Cadillac’s transition to an all-electric portfolio by the end of the decade. As our brand tagline, Be Iconic offers a creative space that embodies our strategic foundation and inspire solutions across the business. Ultimately, we believe your ride should be as iconic as you are.
BB: To celebrate this milestone, Cadillac ME created a documentary series under the title ‘Iconic then, Iconic Now’ to feature two reputable Cadillac classic cars owners. Can you please walk us through the inspiration behind this campaign and how it came to life?
AS: What better and more credible way to tell Cadillac’s story than through those of our loyal customers, who have advocated for the brand for decades. They are our inspiration and our proof-point.
To celebrate this milestone, we chose to partner with Tariq Al Hajeri and Yousif Abdulrazzaq, both reputable Cadillac classic car owners from the Middle East, a market that Cadillac has considered home for decades. They are both respected and admired by thousands, and we wanted to give them a platform to share their inspiring journeys on a wider scale.
The documentary series deep dives into Cadillac’s hunger for innovation and how it has not wavered in the past 12 decades, showcasing our various unique designs, adaptation to the latest technology and performance features, maintaining the Cadillac iconic status.
Tariq Al Hajeri, is a UAE based dedicated Cadillac car collector who owns three classic Cadillac’s; two 1966 Cadillac Coupe Deville and a 1954 Cadillac Coupe Deville. As a result of the revolutionary design and technology, Cadillac has become his favorite brand throughout history. For him it’s not just a collection anymore, but a way of life.
A student in the UAE, Yousif has a strong passion for classic cars. He owns two classic Cadillac’s, a 1966 Cadillac Sedan Deville and a 1951 Cadillac Series 62. For Yousif, the 66 Cadillac, with its body lines, design and handling, makes it his favorite of all time. Not only this he looks forward to adding a 1949 Cadillac Fastback and a CT5-V Blackwing to his collection.
Ultimately, Tariq and Yousif are experts in classic Cadillac’s, and we wanted to tell the story of our brand through their eyes, through personal, human-centric stories.
BB: Cadillac is a brand known to be synonymous with ongoing innovation. In your opinion, what’s the interplay between innovation and modern brand building?
AS: Cadillac at its best is an iconic brand that creates iconic vehicles. That iconic status was born from when Cadillac dared to be different – to do things our own way. It is this spirit that we see in luxury consumers, where they don’t want to be another sheep in the crowd, but rather want to be the most true, authentic version of themselves. We have always strived to elevate our customers’ driving journey, on many occasions bringing them what they need before they knew it, through ground-breaking innovations. But, we’ve done that while staying true to our brand essence and that is the interplay.
BB: In this anniversary campaign, Cadillac chose to double down on the ‘heritage’ pillar as a key campaign insight. Please elaborate
AS: Cadillac’s rich heritage is what makes it the icon it is today. Our 12 decades of expertise in luxury design and craftsmanship, performance and technology, is what backs everything we offer.
The campaign celebrated the history and evolution of Cadillac’s classic gems throughout the years that have retained iconic status, reminding the audience of the past and building excitement for what is to come. In fact, our upcoming “Be Iconic” campaign is entirely focused on that. The idea, as we transition to the future of mobility, is to step into the future while recapturing the magic of our legacy. As the world finds itself on the precipice of a new automotive era, it’s time for Cadillac to be Cadillac again. We are establishing a bold new voice and a maverick mentality born from Cadillac’s rich history. This is what will ensure brand loyalty and that our customers buy into the all-electric future.
BB: Timeless design has always been at the forefront of Cadillac’s brand DNA. Can you please explain how the brand managed to maintain the breadth of styles and design talent as a key brand differentiator?
AS: Design is as definitive to Cadillac’s history as the technological innovations. Modern car design began at Cadillac when it introduced the 1927 LaSalle, the first car designed by a stylist – the legendary Harley Earl. Since then, there have been countless beloved and memorable designs, from the era-defining 1959 Eldorado to contemporary classics like the CTS-V Coupe and Wagon, which have captured drivers’ imaginations for decades. That tradition continues with our future EV fleets such as the LYRIQ and CELESTIQ, which represents the future of Cadillac design and innovation and celebrates the brand’s storied past.
This exacting standard of excellence is brought to life in every facet of our products and has claimed Cadillac its unrivaled territory in the American luxury design space. Listening to customer demands and preferences has also ensured that we are moving with the times and fit for purpose. For instance, the LYRIQ will offer a place to store handbags, which has always been a request from women drivers. The best is yet to come as Cadillac design will continue to reach new heights.
BB: What’s next for the Cadillac brand in the region?
AS: The Middle East is a very important market for Cadillac and we have a much in store for the months, years and decades to come. As we transition to an all-electric future portfolio, our EVs and ICE products will coexist in the years to come.
We’ve recently brought to the region the first ever Escalade-V, combining the highest levels of performance and technology to provide a high-octane ride that amplifies the Escalade’s sophisticated design and luxury. With track-capable credentials synonymous with the V badge, we know it will share the same successful trajectory as the iconic Escalade and V-Series line-up.
We’ve also confirmed that six luxury electric vehicles will land in the region by 2025, spearheaded by the LYRIQ, our first all-electric SUV and the foundation of Cadillac’s all electric future. The vehicle embodies our bold desire to be original and to be authentic, while we continue to evolve and set new benchmarks in the luxury electric vehicle space.
The LYRIQ will be followed by the ultra-luxury CELESTIQ, equipped with defining design, technology and performance features.
We are committed to continuing to revolutionize the automotive industry and set industry benchmarks for luxury EVs and AVs.
Be Iconic signifies Cadillac’s evolution into the EV era, designed to exemplify Cadillac’s big ambitions and defining the standard of the world. In addition to the product, Cadillac’s new visual identity is casting the brand in more modern, upscale light.