Cadillac is one of the oldest car producers in the world, whose luxury cars are sold primarily within the United States, however a number of models have become popular in the UK. The company’s dedication to build quality is evident in their cars and has played a key role in the company’s overall success.
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Cadillac Car Reviews
Cadillac Overview
Brief History
Cadillac, named after the French founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, was established in 1902 after the Henry Ford Company was renamed following Henry Ford’s departure. Cadillac aimed to be a high quality manufacturer, focusing on precision and luxury finishing, gaining a reputation as one of the finest car manufacturers in the US.
In 1908, they showed significant innovation by using interchangeable parts in their production, improving both efficiency and capacity. General Motors (GM) purchased the firm in 1909, and encouraged Cadillac to continue focusing on large luxury vehicles.
The Great Depression had a significant impact on Cadillac, due to the expensive nature of their products sales declined by 84% from 1928-1933. As the depression ended, the introduction of the Phillips screws and screwdrivers to the Cadillac assembly lines in 1937 again increased efficiency and capacity of the factories, with a number of manufacturers adopting this technology in the following years.
Cadillac continued to focus on large luxury cars but a relatively slow response, compared to competition, to increasing fuel prices and government requirements for improved safety and lower emissions caused sales to slow in the 70’s and 80’s. In the modern era, Cadillac has remained true to their early principles of luxury and precision engineering, and remains one of America’s premier car manufacturers.
Model Range
CTS
The CTS is available in 3 different body shapes, as a saloon, coupe or estate, with a sportier supercharged V model available for each, with a 6.4 litre V8 engine, as opposed to the V6 3.0 or 3.6 litre engines in the standard models. Now on the second generation, first released in 2008, these large executive cars offer the kind of quality expected of one of America’s premium manufacturers.
SRX
The SRX is a large cross over 4x4. The second generation was launched in 2010, with the V8 model being dropped, along with the turbo charged engine, as fuel prices continue to rise. New models are available with a 3.0 litre V6.
Escalade
The Escalade is luxury, large 4x4 offered by Cadillac. There is an abundance of space, with room for 8 people, so there aren’t many cars in the UK market with more room inside. It was the company’s first attempt at the 4x4 market, and since 1999 it has become a well-known model, increasing Cadillac’s brand awareness worldwide. Cadillac have also used the model to push their own innovation and have developed a hybrid 6.0 litre V8 engine, in addition to offering a 6.2 litre V8.
