When we said "you don't mess with the Johan," we didn't think Cadillac president would paraphrase us in his defense of his decisions to move the brand's HQ to New York and change most of the model names. But a recent Facebook post by de Nysschen, which was publicized by the Daily Kanban, was capped by the executive stating, "don't mess with me."
"To all the indignant souls out there—this has nothing to do with Detroit. And certainly has nothing to do with where I choose to live," he wrote. "It has everything to do with creating an awesome car company. We must develop corporate processes, policies, mindsets, behaviors, attitudes, which are right-sized for Cadillac and which are immersed in focusing on and responding to what it takes to win in the premium segment."
He also noted his displeasure with the media for not paying enough attention to the flagship CT6 or Cadillac's planned model expansion. (We will note that we've covered both extensively.) He added that he'd received angry e-mails from GM retirees in which they called his decision to make Cadillac a separate business unit "the dumbest idea since the Cimarron" and that he feels the "wrath of hell" because the move makes it appear as if he doesn't like Detroit.
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He responded by saying that "if we don't move, nothing will change. Physical relocation forces a change to processes. Now, it's true, we could achieve that by moving just about anywhere. But if you have to choose a place to set up an iconic global luxury brand, you could indeed do worse than New York." To forlorn Detroiters, he added, "I love your city, the success of Cadillac will be your success, the majority of our jobs remain in Detroit, and as we grow, these will increase too. But other than that"—and here it comes—"don't mess with me."
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