Confirmed: Cadillac Is Returning To Australia In 2008

[Black AH CDX]

General Motors’ Luxury Brand Cadillac Is Coming To Australia

GM Premium Brands
3 December 2007
www.cadillacsoon.com.au

Synonymous with luxury and performance, General Motors’ flagship Cadillac brand will enter the Australian market in 2008.

Making the highly anticipated announcement today, GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Chris Gubbey officially confirmed Australia as the next step in Cadillac’s global expansion.

“We are excited to have Cadillac coming to Australia,” Mr Gubbey said.
“Cadillac is undergoing a brand renaissance and global expansion driven by dramatic design and technical innovation.

“With cutting edge design, serious performance and luxury appointments, Cadillac will appeal to Australian prestige car buyers and quickly establish itself in a segment traditionally dominated by European brands.”

Mr Gubbey said Cadillac had a clear and successful strategy to move the brand forward globally, taking advantage of the right-hand drive portfolio and increasingly incorporating the needs of global customers in the vehicle development process.

Cadillac luxury vehicles are sold around the world with increased sales of 45.3 per cent in Europe, 98.4 per cent in Asia Pacific and 49.4 per cent in Latin America, Africa and Middle East for the first three quarters this year.
Cadillac will be managed in Australia by GM Premium Brands under Director Mr Parveen Batish, joining Saab and HUMMER in the portfolio.

The introduction of Cadillac will be spearheaded by the acclaimed new generation CTS sedan and Australian Cadillac dealers will be appointed within the existing GM Premium Brands network.

CTS will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2008, with other exciting models and powertrains confirmed subsequently for the Australian model line-up.
Named ‘2008 Car of the Year’ by Motor Trend magazine, one of the world’s premiere automotive authorities, Mr Gubbey said CTS would be perfectly at home in the performance-loving Australian market.

“CTS has been designed and engineered to challenge the very best in the world,” he said.

“Its dramatic design, serious V6 performance and sports car handling will win over performance and luxury car lovers in Australia.”

The rear-wheel drive Australian CTS range will be powered by the 3.6-litre VVT direct injection Global V6 engine, generating 227kW* and 370Nm* of torque.

Direct injection fuel delivery enables efficient combustion, helps reduce emissions and allows higher compression ratio for better fuel economy.
Unlike many of its competitors the 3.6-litre direct injection engine requires only regular unleaded fuel, resulting in additional savings for the owner.
The Australian market will have the choice of two performance tuned suspension packages in six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2008 CTS builds on Cadillac’s reputation for safety with an impressive range of standard features, including Stabilitrak® electronic chassis/stability control system and front, side and curtain airbags.

“The CTS design is contemporary rather than traditional and the dramatic and sharply tailored exterior adds unique passion and attitude. Inside, Cadillac has combined advanced technologies and electronics with outstanding craftsmanship,” Mr Gubbey said.

The Cadillac interior boasts hand-cut and sewn interior trim components, an innovative ambient interior lighting system, integrated iPod®/MP3 compatibility and an advanced audio system with an integrated 40 gigabyte hard drive will be available.

The EasyKey system, which enables passive vehicle and boot entry and keyless ignition, will also be available on Australian CTS models.

CTS pricing, full technical and feature specification and certification details will be available closer to launch.



Cadillac Confirmed For Australia

Toby Hagon
3 December 2007
www.drive.com.au

After almost 40 years the Cadillac brand will again be sold Down Under.

Holden has confirmed the Cadillac brand will be sold in Australia in 2008.

The return of Cadillac after nearly 40 years confirms one of Holden’s worst kept secrets, signalling the arrival of yet another luxury brand to a market segment dominated by Mercedes-Benz and BMW and, to a lesser extent, Lexus and Audi.

Hosting an end-of-year lunch for the media in Melbourne today, Holden chairman and managing director Chris Gubbey said the quintessentially American Cadillac luxury brand will go on sale in Australia for the first time since 1969.

"With cutting-edge design, serious performance and luxury appointments, Cadillac will appeal to Australian prestige car buyers and quickly establish itself in a segment traditionally dominated by European brands," says Gubbey.

"Cadillac is undergoing a brand renaissance and global expansion driven by dramatic design and technical innovation."

Click here to continue article



CTS Goes Point

Mike Sinclair
5 December 2007
www.carpoint.com.au

Cadillac will take on Benz and BMW with its stage-setting model.

Cadillac is aiming high with its first Australian market model. Confirmed to arrive Down Under in the last quarter of 2008 (more here), the Cadillac CTS will be aimed four square at the brands that virtually define the luxury segment locally: BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

Though GM Premium Brands boss Parveen Batish says the CTS will take on the likes of BMW's 3 Series and Audi A4, the new US-built Cadillac is actually closer in size to Beemer's 5 Series, Audis's A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

At 4860mm in length, the CTS is a touch longer than the 5 but shorter than the Audi or Benz. The Caddy's 2880mm wheelbase is longer than the Audi and Benz and within 10mm of the BMW's. The three models' width is spanned by just 33mm with the Audi the widest. Kerb mass sits in the middle of the trio, too.

Launched at the 2007 Detriot motor show, the CTS is the GM flagship brand's latest 'all-Cadillac model' -- the Saab-based BLS recently added a wagon variant to its line-up to take 'outright' Caddy honours. Built at GM's Lansing Grand River plant in Lansing, Michigan, the CTS will be offered Down Under with GM's most advanced naturally-aspirated six-cylinder engine yet -- a direct-injection V6 that displaces 3.6-litres and pumps out 227kW and 370Nm.

Click here to continue article



Cadillac On Its Way... Eventually

Mike Sinclair
5 December 2007
www.carpoint.com.au

Cadillac will join GM's Premium Brand portfolio Down Under... But not until this time next year.

It's official, after years of speculation General Motors has confirmed Cadillac is on its way Down Under.

The announcement came earlier this week from new GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Chris Gubbey (pictured). As part of his 'state of the nation' overview of the Holden year that was, Gubbey confirm the GM flagship brand would enter the Australian market in "the last quarter of 2008".

And though the Holden boss wouldn't be drawn on specifics, it's now apparent that the General will likely pull the wraps off the new brand, in the shape of the all-new CTS sedan, at next October's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

"A luxury brand, [now] with what's often been mooted as European style sportscar handling and design features will be a great addition to our 'family' here in Australia," Gubbey told the Carsales Network.

Click here to continue article

Cadillac CTS

[redTT]

I dont agree with it but hey the more range they have the better.......

Holden says it wants the Cadillac CTS to take on BMW's 3-Series and Audi's A4 - specifically the 335i and A4 3.2 models.

[RedVee8]

Gee the CTS will be awful lonely if they build Cadillac specific dealership buildings......

[Black AH CDX]

Thats why they created GM Premium Brands to house Saab, Hummer and Cadillac under the one dealership roof.

[Phoenix]

This car is stunning in the flesh, you guys will love it.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by RedVee8

Gee the CTS will be awful lonely if they build Cadillac specific dealership buildings......

You're right, an alpha-based BLS can't come soon enough, How about some Escalades? Any wannabe rappers down under?

[Butz]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

You're right, an alpha-based BLS can't come soon enough, How about some Escalades? Any wannabe rappers down under?

you don't have to be a wannabe rapper to desire the Escalade

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Butz

you don't have to be a wannabe rapper to desire the Escalade

My dad has one...

But this is Australia, SUVs aren't as popular there.

[RedVee8]

Originally Posted by Black AH CDX

Thats why they created GM Premium Brands to house Saab, Hummer and Cadillac under the one dealership roof.

Yes, however the article says they sent Holden dealers to the US to check out the Cadillac dealerships, not that they sent GM Premium , or even Saab/Hummer, dealers to the US.
I agree that it makes more sense to be in the GM Premium camp, which was my point, albeit made in an obtuse fashion.

[Robert Ryan]

The only option is the Alloytec 3.8 Litre V6?

[Dr Terry]

Hi Guys.

To quote Chris Gubbey:- "Cadillac luxury brand will go on sale in Australia for the first time since 1969."

Can one of you Australian automotive historians tell me precisely what model Cadillac GM-H sold back in 1969.

From what I can remember all the postwar Cadillacs sold in Australia were private imports which had been converted (often very badly) from LHD to RHD to allow local registration. How was GM or GM-H officially involved ?

Dr Terry

[ANT]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

You're right, an alpha-based BLS can't come soon enough, How about some Escalades? Any wannabe rappers down under?

my friend maurese from highschool lives in austrialia now and has for alot of his life... hes like the #3 MC in OZ haha, he writes sick beats

[RedVee8]

Originally Posted by Dr Terry

Hi Guys.

To quote Chris Gubbey:- "Cadillac luxury brand will go on sale in Australia for the first time since 1969."

Can one of you Australian automotive historians tell me precisely what model Cadillac GM-H sold back in 1969.

From what I can remember all the postwar Cadillacs sold in Australia were private imports which had been converted (often very badly) from LHD to RHD to allow local registration. How was GM or GM-H officially involved ?

Dr Terry

Hi Dr Terry,
yeah, that stuck me as odd as well. ASAIK Cadillac finished up in the 30s or 40s. I would have thought that all the (Sydney at least) Caddies that would be at the best semi-offical were brought in by Stacks or Muirs (Haberfield? - not Ashfield or Ryde).

Cheers

[mcool]

Quid pro quo. Thanks Oz for the G8! Enjoy the CTS and hopefully SRX soon after that. Pretty soon we'll be sharing Torana's/BLSs.

[Quickening]

So what happens when the CTS-V is introduced. And now Holden is using the V designation..