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US company, Cadillac are planning to introduce a raft of new models in European markets over the next 18 months, with the Cadillac ATS and CTS saloons set to be joined by four new models. This comes after several failed attempts by the company to try and crack Europe. The European car market is an important market for manufacturers as having a 'credible presence' in Europe helps with sales in China, where Cadillac currently registered a 66% increase in sales.
What new Cadillac models are planned?
At the front of the company's new production expansion will be the third generation of the CTS saloon. The CTS executive saloon is only available with a 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine which produces 272 brake horse power and 295lb/ft of torque. The Cadillac CTS is now on sale in Europe and in the UK, as is the smaller Cadillac ATS.
According to Tony Roma, chief engineer of performance luxury cars at Cadillac, a V8 powered CTS-V is also planned to arrive in British showrooms soon.
Later this year, the ATS Coupe, a rival for the recently introduced BMW 4 Series, will also be launched and is set to be followed by a stretched version of the Escalade SUV. Completing the six car line up will be Cadillac's electric hybrid coupe, the ELR, which has a planned launch date for the end of 2015.
Why are Cadillac not doing well in the European markets?
Cadillac's appeal in the UK is limited due to the lack of right hand drive models and Tony Roma stated at the CTS launch that there has to be a viable business case before right hand drive models can be considered, saying that, “Ideally we’d also like to see a diesel engine. We’re working on it but it’s still several years off. For Europe it would need to be a 2.0-litre four-cylinder motor.”
Currently, the company only have one dealership which sells it's models, located in Manchester. There is talk of expanding but as of yet there are no official plans.
Cadillac hopes that this latest production blitz will establish it as a genuine alternative to the established premium players such as Mercedes, Jaguar and BMW.