Autoblog

Cadillac still planning for big things in China

Chris Paukert — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: China, Cadillac, GM, Earnings/Financials, Shanghai Motor Show, Luxury

Despite some hiccups, China remains the auto industry's great hope for new vehicle sales, with significant sales gains and a huge upside. Nowhere is that hope more fervent than at General Motors, which offers eight different marques in the Asian nation. China has been GM's single biggest market the last three years running, and is unlikely to give up that title anytime soon. Yet its premiere brand, Cadillac, has remained essentially stagnant, selling just 30,000 units in China last year. That's in a segment where sales of luxury vehicles has outpaced that of the larger Chinese market. So what gives?

According to Cadillac officials Autoblog spoke with in China this week at the Shanghai Motor Show, it's been a problem of product - they haven't had the right ones. Displacement taxation issues, import tariffs and currency fluctuations have all conspired to make the brand's products less appealing than they might otherwise have been. But GM is stepping on the gas with Cadillac, and executives are eyeballing 100,000 sales by 2016 - more than triple the Wreath and Crest's current volume. And the expectations for the brand only get more ambitious from there - they're shooting for 10 percent of the luxury market by 2020. Bob Socia, President of GM China, promises that there will be a new Caddy launched in the market each year from now through 2016 and most will be built in China. Characterizing the company's efforts to revive the brand's fortunes as a "relaunch" of sorts, Cadillac also figures to gain dealers as GM expands its sales outlet footprint westward.

New products like a made-in-China XTS sedan (with a market-specific 2.0-liter four-cylinder to avoid heavy displacement taxes) will help, and Socia hinted that the ATS sport sedan could be next in line for in-country production. The SRX crossover - currently the brand's best-selling model in China - will also likely get a long look for future local production when the next-generation model is introduced. In the meantime, Cadillac unveiled the Escalade ESV Hybrid (shown above) as its latest model addition to capitalize on the market's white-hot luxury SUV segment.

In addition to new products, GM China is also investing in developing market-specific technology at its facilities in Shanghai. Much of that will come in the form of apps for its infotainment systems like Cadillac's CUE, including connectivity for popular social media utilities like Weibo, which executives described as China's Twitter.

Cadillac still planning for big things in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Brad Pitt's Chinese Cadillac XTS commercial

Zach Bowman — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, China, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Cadillac, GM, Luxury

Once upon a time, in a land not so far from this one, Brad Pitt was the very face anti-consumerism. You see, when he slipped into the role of the elitist-loathing, food-abusing, violence-embracing Tyler Durden from Fight Club, his visage was inextricably married to images of leveling credit card corporations with nothing more than a little human fat and some determination. Of course, that was before Pitt settled into old age with a passel of children at his feet. Now, it seems, he'll shill for something as long as it doesn't damage his reputation in America.

Need proof? Look no further than this Chinese ad for the Cadillac XTS. In it, Pitt contentedly wafts the big front-wheel drive barge around San Francisco against a mildly euphoric soundtrack. You can check out the scene for yourself below, just make sure you have your last meal squarely situated in your stomach before pressing play. We have to wonder if Pitt wakes up in the middle of the night with Chuck Palahniuk's oddly omniscient words echoing in his ears: "Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you."

Continue reading Watch Brad Pitt's Chinese Cadillac XTS commercial

Watch Brad Pitt's Chinese Cadillac XTS commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac design to go soft for China?

Zach Bowman — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, China, Cadillac, Design/Style, Luxury

General Motors may push to soften Cadillac design language for the Chinese market, according to Reuters. GM CEO Dan Akerson plans to bolster Cadillac sales in China to meet current US levels by 2015, which may mean the Crest will abandon the sharp lines and aggressive angles of the its current stable.

The report suggests Chinese buyers are more at ease with smooth lines and plenty of curves thanks in part to the concept of Zhongyong. The Confucian ideal stresses harmony over conflict and permeates Chinese society. The minds at GM seem to recognize that trend, and are keen to take some of the bite out of forthcoming models. The updated style wouldn't be a complete visual makeover, rather it would be toned down a bit while still remaining unique and distinctive.

Buyers are on pace to snap up 35,000 Cadillac units in China this year, up 5,000 compared to 2011. Even so, analysts predict the brand will only see sales of around 75,000 units by 2018, which is still less than half of the number of units sold in the US last year. Models like the XTS sedan and ATS may help swell those numbers, however.

Cadillac design to go soft for China? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chinese-market Cadillac SLS to get 2.0L DI turbo four-cylinder

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, China, Cadillac, Luxury

According to a report out of China, Cadillac is planning to add the 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected Ecotec in-line four-cylinder as an option in the SLS sedan. The SLS, you'll recall, is an extended-wheelbase version of the STS built only for the Chinese market. The SLS will likely use the same 220 horsepower, 258 pound-foot version of the 2.0 turbo being installed in the Buick Regal/Opel Insignia.

The 2.0-liter actually offers more torque than the 3.0-liter direct-injected V6 already offered in the SLS and nearly as much horsepower as the 3.6-liter, so it should be a viable option for the big sedan. Considering that most of these cars are purchased for executives to be driven around in, absolute performance and driving pleasure might as well take a back seat to running costs anyway, right?

[Source: TheTycho]

Report: Chinese-market Cadillac SLS to get 2.0L DI turbo four-cylinder originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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