DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Cadillac eyes Australia… again

General Motors luxury brand Cadillac has Australia back in its sights although a local launch is unlikely until late in the decade.

The brand is gradually overhauling its range with a new generation of vehicles such as the latest mid-size CTS and compact ATS that are package protected for right-hand drive.

Cadillac was planning to launch here in 2009 with Holden’s support. It had a dealer network in place and got as far as landing a first shipment of 60 CTS sedans, only to abort at the last minute when the global financial crisis struck.

Cadillac’s chief marketing officer, German Uwe Ellinghaus – who was recruited from a similar role at BMW only two weeks ago – enthusiastically backed the prospect of an Australian launch.

“I am tasked to build a global brand out of Cadillac and in the long term it is a must to cater for the needs of the right-hand drive markets,” he told motoring.com.au at the Detroit auto show shortly after the covers came off the new ATS coupe.

“It is a shame that we can’t export the great potential Cadillac has in Australia. We know how much people like the brand ... We are looking into the case and from a marketing point of view it would be a mad decision not to prioritise countries in which the brand appreciation is already existing.”

Ellinghaus said a proper dealer network and at least “a couple” of models would be required to kick things off, with the CTS and ATS both obvious starters, as well as the SRX cross-over He said the full-size Escalade SUV was a candidate for Australia too.

“The volume models for sure, but on the other hand can we really envisage going somewhere without taking the Escalade with us? From a brand point of view it would be lovely to have that in all the showrooms as well.

“I know that not all models will be offered in right-hand drive,” he added. “But if we have a proper lineup of two, three models and their engine derivatives I think that could do the job.

“I have no doubt we could sell this car [ATS coupe] tomorrow in Australia ... in huge quantities,” Ellinghaus said.

The third generation CTS has just been launched as a sedan while coupe and wagon sheetmetal has also been offered previously, as well as a hot-rod CTS-V. From later this year, CTS and other Cadillac models will take to wearing a revised crest for the Cadillac brand, as revealed at the show.

The ATS sedan is only 12 months old and has played a key role in a Cadillac’s sales growth of 28 per cent in 2013.

Both ATS and CTS are based on GM’s new Alpha rear and all-wheel drive ‘premium’ architecture.

Ellinghaus refused to talk timeframes for an Australian launch, admitting Cadillac has tested various expansion timeframe scenarios. But he did confirm the brand won’t be seen here in the next three years.

“The decision has not been made,” he insisted. “We are thinking ‘can we move it [right-hand drive[ forward’ but then that would mean deferring other projects as capacity is limited in the development department and they need to cope with an influx of new products across the [GM] brands.”

Cadillac’s Australian-born executive design director Andrew Smith, until only a few months ago design director at Holden, is also pushing hard for the brand to have another crack at his home country.

“When people see cars like the ATS coupe I think they will resonate [in Australia],” he said. “My personal desire is to have the brand in Australia. It is a global luxury brand so that means we have to sell it in global luxury markets.

“Twenty per cent of the luxury market in Europe is right-hand drive so draw your conclusions from that.”

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