General Motors is planning to launch the Cadillac CTS-V in the UK, offering a right-hand drive version of the model for the first time. According to a report from Autocar, the move to bring the 556-hp Caddy to the UK is part of a renewed commitment to take markets other than North America more seriously.
The second-generation CTS is currently available in the UK in right-hand drive configuration, but Cadillac’s high-performance flagship CTS-V has been off-limits to UK customers. GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick told Autocar the CTS-V was a “car designed for Europe, but one we haven’t treated seriously in Europe.”
“We’re geared up for right-hand drive now,” Ewanick said to Autocar. “We’re working on it.”
In addition to GM’s pledge to bring a right-hand drive CTS-V to the UK, the automaker also includes the Cadillac ATS, its upcoming 3 Series fighter, as part of its commitment to markets outside of North America. Ewanick apparently has faith in GM’s European success this time around, saying “we’ve signed in blood.”
Cadillac’s first attempt at a factory-made right-hand drive model was the front-wheel drive Seville/STS in 1998, followed by the Europe-only Saab 9-3-based BLS in 2006.
“There wasn’t a commitment to the product before and we didn’t design cars to the market demands,” said Ewanick.” The Germans do this very well. There is now a full resource commitment and a vision to get this right. Bankruptcy refocused GM.”
Though the plan is to engineer all new Cadillacs with global markets in mind, Ewanick told Autocar there’s no rush to bring new models to market. Last summer at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Cadillac unveiled its Ciel luxury concept, a car that was greeted with near-universal enthusiasm. According to Autocar, GM design chief Ed Welburn played down the Ciel’s chances of seeing production, even though there is a desire to build it.
“The Ciel reaction was very good, but we’ve got lots of other Cadillacs to do,” Welburn said to Autocar. “…It was a strategic time to introduce a luxury concept to the brand, but you need to remember where we are with Cadillac at the moment; the Ciel is a much higher type of luxury.”
We got our first look at the Cadillac ATS at the Detroit auto show earlier this month, and so far, GM’s proposal of that car taking Cadillac global doesn’t seem so far-fetched. The move to make the tire-shredding CTS-V available in right-hand drive also can’t hurt Cadillac’s chances.
Courtesy of motortrend.com
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