USA Today: In the latest marketing twist to burnish a venerable Detroit brand, every customer who buys a four-wheeled Cadillac car or light truck at Kay Blacklock’s Toronto-area dealership receives a free Caddy two-wheeler worth about $615.
Through a special licensing agreement with GM, bicycle giant Kent International has created a Cadillac Bicycles unit and is producing a line of mid- to high-end bikes carrying the vaunted Cadillac brand name and logo.
The decision to lend the Cadillac name and its aura of premium luxury to a line of two-wheelers was based in large part on a desire to reach a younger, hipper buyer.
“The more unexpected brand contacts we can have, the more surprising it is for the consumer and the more chances we have to break through preconceptions of what they think they know about Cadillac now,” says Doug Schumacker, Cadillac’s accessories manager.
The bikes range in price from $500 to $1,900.
Dealers will be able to toss in a bike to help close a sale, or give them away as gestures of appreciation to customers or to sales personnel who meet or beat sales targets, Schumacker says.