Photo: Jim Fets/CadillacGeneral Motors Co. is moving to cull the ranks of Cadillac dealers, offering buyouts to the 400 owners of the brand’s smallest sales outlets as it reshapes the luxury vehicle’s image to better compete with rivals. The Detroit auto maker will provide as much as $180,000 in “transition assistance” to U.S. Cadillac dealers unwilling to invest in a set of new standards introduced by brand chief Johan de Nysschen. Cadillac has 925 dealers, and the 43% being offered a buyout typically sell fewer than 50 models a year. Many of the affected dealers have Cadillac stores coupled with other GM brands, such as GMC or Chevrolet. BMW AG , Daimler AG ’s Mercedes-Benz, Audi AG and Lexus each has about a third the dealers in the U.S. that Cadillac has.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 23, 2016 19:06 UTC