Cadillac on the comeback trail

Cadillac is planning an attempt to re-establish itself in Europe. Again. The American luxury brand’s chief executive, Bob Ferguson, wants a return within three years.

Cadillac still sees Europe as the global capital for luxury-car sales. It currently has 35 “stores” in the EU, but has a mere token presence in the UK.

Cadillac product director and Scotsman Motoring Name of the Week award winner Hampden Tener says Cadillac will begin “spooling up” its dealer networks and market presence “six months to a year before the first major product launch”.

Initially the return will be based on the new models recently introduced in America, the smallest of which is the ATS, a BMW 3 Series-sized saloon. But Cadillac knows that to succeed in Europe it will need diesels, low-CO2 powertrains, right-hand drive and also even smaller models.

Cadillac will not develop its own diesels but is likely to rely on Vauxhall-Opel, although General Motors’ agreements with Peugeot-Citroen offer another possibility.