Cadillac, GM’s luxury car division, sold a grand total of 263,697 vehicles around the world in calendar year 2014, a 5.2 percent increase compared to calendar year 2013.
“Cadillac is both expanding and elevating globally,” said President Johan de Nysschen. “In 2015, we will take many further steps, such as this year’s introduction of all-new high performance V-Series models and the top-of-the-range CT6 to advance further globally.”
The Winners
Cadillac experienced year-over-year growth in three major markets in 2014, including:
- 47 percent jump to 73,500 vehicles in China, driven by growth of the ATS and XTS sedans
- 9.7 percent growth to 10,538 units in Canada, driven by increases for the SRX crossover and ATS sport sedan
- 1.8 percent growth to 4,265 units in the Middle East
- 17 percent growth in Mexico (total volume not disclosed)
- 118 percent growth in South Korea (total volume not disclosed)
- 73 percent growth in Israel (total volume not disclosed)
The Losers
Cadillac experienced year-over-year decreases in two major markets in 2014, including:
- 6.5 percent drop to 170,750 units in the United States
- 13.8 percent drop to 1,674 units in Europe and Russia, which Cadillac reports as a combined market
Despite the sales drop in the U.S., the brand’s home market remains its largest by volume. The decrease in Europe is expected, since Cadillac won’t truly focus on the European market until sometime in 2019.
By The Numbers - Sales Results - 2014 - Global - Cadillac
| MARKET | 2014 / 2013 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | +5.2% | 263,697 | 250,739 |
| U.S. | -6.5% | 170,750 | 182,549 |
| CHINA | +47% | 73,500 | 50,005 |
| CANADA | +9.7% | 10,538 | 9,608 |
| MIDDLE EAST | +1.8% | 4,265 | 4,191 |
| EUROPE/RUSSIA | -13.8% | 1,674 | 1,943 |
| REST OF WORLD | +21.6% | 2,970 | 2,443 |
Comments
This is quite reassuring; it’s certainly some good news that is overlooked. I’m very curious about what this means for the future of Cadillac’s approach to the market. I suppose the strong investment in product development for the U.S. market will continue, but if the global market keeps growing for the brand, then this is where the bulk of the focus should remain.
I’m actually surprised they list Canada, there’s more people living in California alone.
I think you are on the wrong website. We track car sales here not population growth.
Based on your logic Alaska with about 750000 populations shouldnt even be listed or possibly be listed with Canada because it’s closer to Canada than the rest of US. Or maybe include Hawaii with its 1.5 mil population with Japan/Asia.
Tracking US and Canada is very important. Both countries have their own manufacturer incentives and a slightly different demographic. To me it’s interesting to see how the 2 neighbours respond differently to the same product.
Ken,
You would be very surprised how many luxury cars are sold in Canada.
A head office Mercedes executive told me that more AMGs are sold in the Toronto/GTA area than in the entire state of California. For that reason, Canada gets priority allocation.
Canada did not experience the ravages of the last economic crisis and, as a result, the average net worth per household is significantly higher than in the US.
The German brands have huge presence in Canada but it it quite rare to see a new Cadillac even in the major centres.
I’m thrilled that Cadillac broke the 10,000 barrier in Canada finally. It’s the first time ever that they sold more than 10K units in a year since they started tracking sales for Cadillacs canada wide.
Thanks to Mr. Kevin Williams leadership! He will be missed!
Cadillac sold 1300 units in Russia and 300 in Europe . Russia is better place for Cadillac than EU .
Expanding globally?
Nice spin on the numbers,
A brand that has no sales in Europe, is not global.
They lose every year to the Germans at home as well.
Their only hope is to become a Chinese brand. They don’t seem to care about the crappy build quality and keep on buying them.
1. You must be German.
2. “Expanding globally?”
Yes, as the numbers above clearly show.
3. “Nice spin on the numbers”.
There’s no spin. Sales are growing. It’s quite simple, really.
4. “A brand that has no sales in Europe, is not global.”
Cadillac’s strategy doesn’t call for going into Europe until 2019-2020.
5. “Their only hope is to become a Chinese brand. They don’t seem to care about the crappy build quality and keep on buying them.”
Have you actually driven, sat in, or even been near a new Cadillac? Doesn’t seem that way. If you would have, you’d realize that the “build quality” is anything but crappy, and is actually better than many of its rivals.
6. Sit down, son. Let the grownups talk.
Sorry, Chris, but alex does have a point. You can take pride in looking at Cadillac numbers in insolation, but the reality is that global growth for Caddy is being outpaced by other manufacturers. With such miniscule sales in most global markets, the percentage gains may look impressive, but they just aren’t competitive. European brands have destroyed Cadillac on that continent; the one Cadillac dealership in the UK is closing. German brands are outpacing Cadillac in China as well. Look up comparative brands for yourself.
As for quality, well, that is more subjective. But quality ratings from supposedly independent agencies and surveys don’t place Cadillac at the top of the list. Franky, all luxury makers are suffering from putting too much fragile complicated poorly thought-out electronics in their vehicles. The sooner Cadillac gets back to making reliable high-quality cars instead of polarizing edgy boxes with tons of error-prone electronics, the better.
Point six: your condescending remark only shows your refusal to seriously consider others’ opinions, which are actually valid. Valid enough for you to reconsider your position, if you bother to read more about it:
http://europe.autonews.com/article/20141017/BLOG15/141019891/why-audi-bmw-and-mercedes-dominate-chinas-luxury-market
Point 6 just makes clear how the GM fanboys take on anybody who gives GM crap when they deserve crap.
I give GM crap over Cadillac because i hate to see Cadillac failing.
The build quality is really bad, even for the 2015 Escalade. The fit and finish, and certainly the paint quality.
It is all over the internet forums from real owners.
And no i’m not German, i just see that they make better cars.
Does that mean that i drive a German car?
No, i still drive Cadillac, but the number of people who do, are becoming less and less.
I drive Cadillac because i like the brand despite the lack of build quality, but every one else i know
won’t ever buy a Cadillac because of the bad image and still the poor quality compared to a German car. Simple. They are not as forgiving because they don’t care about Cadillac.
Btw, I still drive Cadillac, i own 4, and 2 of them are 2014 Escalade ESV’s.
alex – please see my points above to Anon, as they mostly apply to your comment as well.
Regarding build quality, etc.: are you seriously citing forums and internet as examples? How many BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz owners are similarly stating dissatisfaction on similar sites?
I’ve driven pretty much every luxury vehicle under the sun, and the new Cadillac models (ATS, 3rd gen CTS, new Escalade) are by no means inferior in terms of build quality. Seriously, go ahead and compare it with a BMW or a Benz. So until you can prove using actual numbers that Cadillac quality is inferior to that of its German rivals, we should consider this a moot point. I can say one thing, you can say another. That’s not at all a serious discussion.
Dear Anon,
Don’t you worry about my education about these matters. I only do this for a living.
The sixth point in my comment that seems to have you guys stirring in your knickers was a sarcastic remark. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t get twisted about it.
What you seem to fail to understand is that Cadillac has been and continues to be in a state of major transformation. This is the result of continuous mis-management from the 1980s all the way to as recently as 2012-2014. Remember Bob Ferguson, the lobbyist that was made president of Cadillac? Much good he did for the brand.
The point is that there is a significant amount of work to be done, including:
1. Greatly expanding the product portfolio (crossovers, coupes, wagons)
2. Building the brand
3. Building and optimizing the channel (dealers, sales management, logistics)
4. Expanding to new markets
These are things that the established players (BMW, MBZ) don’t have to do, and have done a long time ago. Audi is doing this to some extent since it’s also a challenger brand in the U.S. and other markets outside of Europe. And even in Europe, Audi is still very “bottom-heavy”, with the A1-A4 vehicles making up most of its sales in the region, while being weak in the higher, more premium segments.
Consider some of the more important elements holding Cadillac back today:
– U.S. and Canada: lack of a competitive model in the fastest-growing segments (crossovers) puts Cadillac at a disadvantage. Ditto for a full-size luxury flagship (CT6) limiting the brand from achieving “prime” status.
– China: same scenario as U.S. and Canada in regards to lack of crossovers, but now with the compounded adversity of limited manufacturing capacity.
– Europe: again, there’s no denying that Cadillac is non-existent here. But I would challenge you to prove that it has made a true effort to compete in the region over the last decade. So until 2020 rolls around, there’s no reason to discuss this.
– Other global markets: also limited by Cadillac’s lack of crossovers and SUVs.
So, the sooner you realize that Cadillac is competing with one hand tied behind its back, the sooner you will realize that any gain in Cadillac sales is actually quite impressive. Just imagine what Cadillac will be able to do when the model range is complete, brand image/cachet is on the rise, and the sales channel (dealers, etc.) are running strong.
Your article regarding Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz dominating in China is accurate. But have you considered that Cadillac only started to “truly” compete in the market in 2012-2013, when it started manufacturing more than one vehicle there? It’s pretty much a pre-requisite to compete in the country, and the German 3 have been doing that since the early 2000s, if not earlier.
Regarding quality: yes, it’s subjective. Then you take the subjectivity out of it and notice that Cadillac continuously ranks in objective (quantitate) measures of quality above the German brands, whether it’s in quality, reliability, or both.
Here’s just one example (IQS/Initial Quality Survey) from 2011:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2011/06/cadillac-and-gmc-within-top-10-brands-in-j-d-power-initial-quality-study/
And don’t even get me started on the driving dynamics of new Cadillac models like the ATS and CTS, which are best in class (SRX being the exception).
Just saying it’s not offsetting the loss market share in the U.S. I live in Canada. Couldn’t be more proud to be Canadian but we are a small country. I think it’s great that they sell well here, just don’t thinks it a home run.
10,000 units for 35 million people in consideration for the size of the luxury market in Canada is still a much lower market share for Cadillac in Canada compared to the US. So for the size of the opportunity in Canada, Cadillac still has a really long way to go to be considered a serious contender in the luxury car market. The German brands dominate the Canadian market, especially in large centers.
You can’t build the same vehicles here in the US and expect to sell globally . Would be interested to seee a breakdown of what the model mix was . China loves the SRX , and it is carrying the weight here in the States .( and its 5 years old ) !
I’m sure the upcoming CT6 will sell in the OPEC region ( if it is a quality car ) . There was a report in Automotive news that stated almost 50% of people trading in their older Cadillacs are buying something else that is “non” luxury . GM wake up , you have a division that is in trouble right now . Forget about a CT7 or 8 , get a handle on what you have on the market right now . Get into the profitable SUV market withe something smaller than the SRX and a 7 passenger SUV that is smaller than the Escalade . Your ATS and CTS are a bust and sales proove it .
“You can’t build the same vehicles here in the US and expect to sell globally.”
Actually, you can. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Lexus do it every single year to great success.
And Cadillac is “up”. It’s taking steps now to rebuild itself to ensure success well into the future.