The luxurious XTS is the most important vehicle Cadillac launched in the last few years, and is the first to feature the brand new Cadillac User Experience, i.e. the CUE infotainment system. The CUE system is the latest in car technology, and is in fact so advanced that it requires assistance to help owners get accustomed to its features. To help owners learn how to use it, Cadillac is making a very tempting offer: an Apple iPad bundled with each XTS.

The iPad bonus is part of a larger launch strategy, as Caddy aims to reassert itself as the unparalleled world leader in luxury. Part of this strategy involves helping owners get acclimated with the impressive range of new technologies incorporated into the XTS, Cadillac's largest sedan.

Educational Programs

"We want to be the leader in customer experience," Mark Harland, head of Customer Experience at Cadillac, told Wired at the CTIA Wireless show in New Orleans. With this goal in mind, Cadillac is rolling out a series of online and dealership-based educational programs to help new XTS owners learn all about the cool features their new sedan has to offer.

"CUE is intuitive, bringing touch and voice controls into the car in a really unique and helpful way," said Don Butler, U.S. VP of Cadillac marketing. "With CUE becoming a signature feature of Cadillac, and with the launch of two entirely new cars - the XTS luxury sedan and ATS sport sedan - this is an opportunity for us to build a new level into the luxury customer experience."

Unprecedented Customer Support

Cadillac's new owner-education initiative brings 25 new "connected consumer specialists" to get dealers up to date with the XTS' range of infotainment and safety systems. Furthermore, each of the roughly 700 Cadillac dealerships in the U.S. is required to have two "certified technology experts" trained by the XTS tech professionals. In addition, Cadillac is also setting up a call center dedicated to CUE education, and the CUE team will also be all over Cadillac forums, social media and other community sites to answer any questions, solve issues and provide a high-level support unprecedented in the luxury automotive segment.

"We need to think about helping with the learning curve," Harland told Wired. "Even if you get a walk-through at the dealership, you're going to forget about a lot of the features. And we want the customer to learn about CUE in their own time." This is where the iPad comes in.

Cadillac will preload each iPad with OnStar RemoteLink, MyCadillac, and an app that simulates the CUE user experience. This way, new XTS owners can get acclimated to all the comprehensive functionality of the new infotainment system, and can do so in their own time, from the comfort of their home.

(reported by Alexandra Burlacu, edited by Dave Clark)