1956 Cadillac Series 62 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Cadillac still planning for big things in China

Despite some hiccups, China remains the auto industry's great hope for new vehicle sales, with significant sales gains and a huge upside. Nowhere is that hope more fervent than at General Motors, which offers eight different marques in the Asian nation. China has been GM's single biggest market the last three years running, and is unlikely to give up that title anytime soon. Yet its premiere brand, Cadillac, has remained essentially stagnant, selling just 30,000 units in China last year. That's in a segment where sales of luxury vehicles has outpaced that of the larger Chinese market. So what gives?
According to Cadillac officials Autoblog spoke with in China this week at the Shanghai Motor Show, it's been a problem of product - they haven't had the right ones. Displacement taxation issues, import tariffs and currency fluctuations have all conspired to make the brand's products less appealing than they might otherwise have been. But GM is stepping on the gas with Cadillac, and executives are eyeballing 100,000 sales by 2016 - more than triple the Wreath and Crest's current volume. And the expectations for the brand only get more ambitious from there - they're shooting for 10 percent of the luxury market by 2020. Bob Socia, President of GM China, promises that there will be a new Caddy launched in the market each year from now through 2016 and most will be built in China. Characterizing the company's efforts to revive the brand's fortunes as a "relaunch" of sorts, Cadillac also figures to gain dealers as GM expands its sales outlet footprint westward.
New products like a made-in-China XTS sedan (with a market-specific 2.0-liter four-cylinder to avoid heavy displacement taxes) will help, and Socia hinted that the ATS sport sedan could be next in line for in-country production. The SRX crossover - currently the brand's best-selling model in China - will also likely get a long look for future local production when the next-generation model is introduced. In the meantime, Cadillac unveiled the Escalade ESV Hybrid (shown above) as its latest model addition to capitalize on the market's white-hot luxury SUV segment.

Cadillac planning its own engines, halo cars

Cadillac is in the midst of some big changes. It's got a new chief executive. It's taking some distance from parent company General Motors and moving to a new headquarters in New York. And it's instituting a new naming scheme that will allow not only for a more clear progression in its lineup, but also for more models. But that's not the end of the story. Not by a long shot.
Speaking with Automobile magazine, Cadillac's new president Johan de Nysschen revealed his intention to develop several new models and powertrains. For starters, he does not want Cadillac to continue borrowing engines from the GM parts bin, but intends to develop a new range of engines specifically for the luxury automaker. The program will likely start with smaller-capacity engines but eventually lead to new V8s as well, taking the place of the long-serving Northstar engine that finally ended its lifespan a few years ago after some two decades of production. Along with other technologies, de Nysschen envisions possibly sharing these powertrains with other GM divisions, but developing them first and foremost for Cadillac.
The bigger question, however, is where those engines would go, and de Nysschen had some thoughts to share on that front as well. For starters, the former Infiniti and Audi exec sees room for an even bigger sedan above the upcoming new CT6 that will cap the current range. Maybe even two of them. But that's not all. Johan wants to see Cadillac get (back) into the sports car game with a new halo model or two - something it hasn't really done since the Corvette-based XLR roadster. A pair of new crossovers are also said to be in the works, flanking the SRX on both sides with smaller and larger models.

2016 Cadillac CTS-V to hit dealers this summer, start at $83,995*

Cadillac has announced pricing for the 640-horsepower CTS-V, and not only will the new super-sedan outgun its heartiest German rivals, it'll undercut them on price, too. Kicking off at $83,995 (not including a $995 destination charge), the CTS-V is nearly $10,000 less than the 560-hp BMW M5, almost $18,000 less than the 577-hp Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S 4Matic, and is nearly $25,000 less than the 560-hp Audi RS7. So in case you were wondering, yes, the CTS-V will continue to be one of the auto industry's very best high-performance bargains in its third generation. "V-Series represents the pinnacle of Cadillac, a brand that now makes drivers' cars at the highest level," Cadillac's head honcho Johan de Nysschen said in a statement. "The new CTS-V is essentially two cars in one: a luxury sedan with sophisticated road manners and a track-capable sports car with awe-inspiring performance. This type of car is exclusive, the domain of the few who can access this level of incredible capability. V-Series matches or overtakes the finest cars in this elite class, while being more accessible." As for when you can get your hands on bargain-priced beast, dealers are now accepting orders, with deliveries slated to begin late this summer. Scroll on down for the official release from Cadillac. Next-Generation 640-hp Cadillac CTS-V Launches This Summer U.S. DEALERS BEGIN ACCEPTING ORDERS NOW FOR CADILLAC'S UPCOMING PERFORMANCE ICON DETROIT – Cadillac announced today that U.S. dealers will begin accepting orders for the next-generation 2016 CTS-V, the all-new high-performance sedan that launches in late summer. The 640-hp CTS-V is the second of two all-new V-Series models to come to market in 2015, following the smaller ATS-V coupe and sedan, which launches in late spring. Cadillac's new 2016 V-Series models represent a significant expansion of the brand's elite, high-performance line. Not only are the new V-Series cars elevated in terms of performance, they now reach a broader spectrum of drivers by presenting two distinct personalities, size categories and price points. With a top speed of 200 mph and 0-60 performance in 3.7 seconds, the CTS-V is the most powerful car in Cadillac's 112-year history. The 2016 CTS-V is priced from $83,995. Customers can place orders now with dealers and view additional product information at Cadillac.com. The CTS-V elevates into the elite group of the world's highest-performing sedans.